This chapter explains how to use the IRISconsole graphical user interface (GUI) to administer servers and other devices in sites that it controls.
To see characteristics for a site, double-click on its name in the scrolling list of sites in the IRISconsole main window. Alternatively, you can select a site and then select “Open Site...” in the IRISconsole main window Operations menu. Figure 3-1 shows an example site window.
This chapter explains
performing operations on attached systems
connecting to a remote system
monitoring attached systems
setting a threshold for and clearing an alarm
using a notify script
saving graph data to a file
You can use the buttons in the site window (see Figure 3-1) for system administration tasks. All but the last of these options display a window in which you type your IRISconsole login and password as it was entered in the IRISconsole security facility; see “IRISconsole Security” in Chapter 1.
To access and display a system's console window, select the system and click the Get Console button. The console window appears on the Indy workstation screen.
To generate a non-maskable interrupt (forcing a panic in the operating system), click the Generate NMI button.
To reset a system in a site (hardware reset), select the system and click the HW Reset button. A confirmation message appears.
To power-cycle a system, or to power on a system that has been turned off, select the system and click the Power Cycle button.
In the case of a power cycle, the system controller removes the power enable control signals, waits five seconds, and restores power. Boot arbitration is started after power is reapplied.
To take control of a system console that another user is currently using, select the system and click the Steal Console button. The console window appears on the Indy workstation screen. The original user sees the message IRISconsole DINC closing...; that owner's session is killed.
To display a window showing console activity of a system in progress, select the system and click the Spy Console button. In order to view this activity, the “Log Console Activity to File” option must have been checked when the system is added to a site, as explained in step 8 in “Adding a System to a Site” in Chapter 2.
To view console logs (stored in /var/IRISconsole/logs/console_logs/), select the system and click the Show Console Logs button. In order for these logs to be written, an IRISconsole user must be connected via the “Get Console” command and the system must have been configured with the “Log Console Activity to File” option checked, as explained in step 8 in “Adding a System to a Site” in Chapter 2.
To display graphs of system activity, click the HW Status button. The Hardware Status Monitor appears; this feature is explained in detail in “Monitoring Attached Systems,” later in this chapter. This feature requires a network connection between the Indy host and the target system.
For each of these tasks, you can also select the corresponding command in the Operations pulldown menu.
You can use ictelnet <Indyhostname> <portnumber> to access the IRISconsole text-based menu from another system. ictelnet is a version of telnet adapted for IRISconsole. Follow these steps:
To configure a port on the Indy so that ictelnet communicates directly to the IRISconsole application, edit the file /etc/services on that system to include the following line, which specifies the port on which the service is available:
ictelnet 5000/tcp # IRISconsole Remote Access service
For the port number, use any number between 5000 and 5063; the number 5000 is recommended for the status port.
Edit the file /etc/inetd.conf to include the line
ictelnet stream tcp nowait root /usr/IRISconsole/bin/ictelnetd ictelnetd
To use ictelnet, type
ictelnet <Indyhostname> 5000
The software prompts for your IRISconsole login and password. Enter them as they were entered with icpass -add icuser or icpass -add icadmin; see “Adding an IRISconsole Administrator” in Chapter 1 for details.
After a few lines of response, the available IRISconsole sites configured on the Indy are listed, for example:
Main Menu: Available Sites --------------- 1. eng1a 2. eng1b 3. eng1c Enter choice (1 - 3) or 'q' to Quit:
If a network connection from the remote host you are using to the IRISconsole system is not available, you have two choices:
log in to the IRISconsole system via modem and use ictelnet from there
if you have a (modem) SLIP or PPP connection, you can run the IRISconsole GUI remotely
Enter the number for the site to which you want to connect. Text like the following appears:
Site 'eng1a': Available Systems ----------------- 1. eng1a 2. eng1b 3. eng1c Enter choice (1 - 3) or '..' for Main Menu:Enter the number for the system to which you want to connect. The Available Operations menu appears, for example:
System 'eng1a': Available Operations -------------------- 1. Connect to Console 2. Hardware Reset 3. Generate NMI 4. Power Cycle 5. Steal Occupied Console Line Enter choice (1 - 5) or '..' for Systems Menu:Enter the number for the operation you want to perform. The following message appears:
This operation is protected. Please enter your IRISconsole login and password. IRISconsole Login:Enter your IRISconsole login and password at the prompt. Status and other information like the following appears:
------Connected Port=/dev/ttyd043 ------ 9600 BAUD 8 NONE 1 SWFC=ON HWFC=OFF CAR=ON DTR=ON RTS=ON CTS=ON DSR=ON Type ~? for Help, ~X to Exit. Connection Ready.
Use the tilde commands ((+-)Baud Csize Dtr Framing Hwfc Info breaK Modem Oflush Parity Rts Swfc eXit) to change settings; you need not press <Enter>.
For example, ~S (note that this letter is uppercase) toggles software flow control and displays a message similar to:
9600 BAUD 8 NONE 1 SWFC=OFF HWFC=OFF ^^^^^^^^To exit ictelnet, type ~X. This command returns you to the Available Operations menu for the system that was described in step 6 of this procedure.
From the Available Operations menu, type .. to exit to the Systems Menu; type .. to exit to the Main Menu; type q to exit to the IRIX prompt.
Use the IRISconsole GUI to display information about attached systems. Via the network connection, the IRISconsole gets hardware operating information and displays it in windows or in real-time graphs in a window. This section explains
using the Availability Monitor (Availmon) report for a system
displaying hardware inventory
displaying the syslog
displaying hardware status information
The IRISconsole Availmon report gives a snapshot of availability information on a system. It is a condensation of the information in /var/adm/avail/availlog, displayed in a format similar to that of /var/adm/avail/amreport.
To display the Availmon report, follow these steps:
Make sure that availmon is installed and active on the CHALLENGE/Onyx systems you wish to access (use /etc/chkconfig).
In the site window, select the system for which you want a report.
Select “Availmon Report...” in the Monitor menu. A window like the example in Figure 3-2 appears.
To display a hardware inventory of an attached system, select the system in the site window and click “Hardware Inventory...” in the Monitor menu. The output of hinv for that system appears in a window.
To display the syslog for a system, select the system in the site window. Select “Show Syslog...” in the Monitor menu.
To update the syslog display, close the syslog window and select “Show Syslog...” again.
To display hardware operating information on a CHALLENGE or Onyx rackmount or deskside system in a site, follow these steps:
In the IRISconsole main window, double-click on the site containing the system whose hardware operating information you want to check. The site window appears.
In the Systems scrolling list of the site window, select the system for which you want information.
Click the HW Status button. The IRISconsole Hardware Status Monitor appears, as shown in Figure 3-3.
This section explains
customizing the Hardware Status Monitor display
changing point and line styles for graphs
using graph control panels for specific graphs
To change the height of a graph in the IRISconsole Hardware Status Monitor, put the mouse cursor on one of the two sashes (small square at the extreme right between the graphs) and drag it down or up; the relative heights of the graphs above and below it change.
To zoom an area of the display, select the graph you want to zoom; holding down the <Ctrl> key and pressing the middle mouse button, move the mouse. Press r to reset the display.
You can further customize the display using choices in the Hardware Status Monitor View pulldown menu. Figure 3-4 shows the View menu.
Finally, you can use the Global Controls dialog box to customize the graph data. Select “Global Controls...” in the Options pulldown menu; Figure 3-5 shows this dialog box.
The Start `escall' feature in Alarm Actions is available only for sites in North America that have purchased the Support Advantage Electronic Services package.
To change the point or line style in a graph display, follow these steps:
 | Note: Style changes apply onscreen and for printing only; point and font style changes are not saved when the graph is saved to a file. |
In the Selected menu, select “Styles...” or click the Styles button in the Graph Control dialog box. Figure 3-6 shows the Graph Style dialog box.
In the Hardware Status Monitor, click the left mouse button on the graph whose style you want to change. The graph background turns yellow.
Put the mouse cursor on the line whose style you want to change and click the right mouse button.
Note: To facilitate selecting a line, zoom the display by holding down the <Ctrl> key, pressing the middle mouse button, and moving the mouse. To reset the display, type r. In the Graph Style dialog box, select the point or line style you want and click the Apply button to save the setting.
When you are satisfied with the settings, click the Close button to exit the Graph Style dialog box.
A graph control panel is associated with each graph. To display the control panel for a graph, follow these steps:
In the Hardware Status Monitor, select the graph for which you want to display a control panel. The graph background turns yellow.
In the Selected menu, select “Graph Controls...” Figure 3-7 shows the graph control panel for blower speed(s).
Use features of this panel to
set an alarm threshold, as described in “Using Alarms,” later in this chapter
set actions to be performed if the threshold is exceeded, as described in “Using Alarms,” later in this chapter
clear an alarm
change the point and line style of the graphs, as described in “Changing Point or Line Styles for Graphs,” earlier in this chapter
print the graphs, as described in “Saving Graph Data to a File,” later in this chapter
save the graphs as graphs or PostScript® files, as described in “Printing a Graph,” later in this chapter
You can set a threshold value for a hardware operating parameter, such as blower speed. When the value is exceeded, the graph that maps it changes color to alert you that the threshold has been exceeded and its contents are saved to a file. You can also set IRISconsole to perform any of the following actions when the threshold is exceeded:
For example, you can set the operating temperature threshold for a CHALLENGE XL in a site to 37, so that when the system internal temperature exceeds 37 degrees C, the alarm is triggered.
This section explains
setting a threshold for an alarm
clearing an alarm
viewing an alarm graph file
using a notify script
To set a threshold, follow these steps:
Select the graph for which you want to set an alarm threshold. The graph background turns yellow.
In the Selected menu, choose “Graph Controls...” The Graph Control Panel appears; Figure 3-8 shows the panel for the Temperature graph.
If desired, change the data density (number of points) of the data being sampled.
Select the high and low alarm threshold values you want from the choices in the High and Low fields.
If desired, select one or more alarm actions in the Global Controls window.
When the threshold value is reached or exceeded, the graph display turns hot pink when unselected (bright red when selected).
To clear an alarm, select the graph whose alarm you want to clear and click the Clear Alarm button in the Graph Control panel, or select “Clear Alarm” in the Selected menu. To clear all alarms, select “Clear All Alarms” in the Options menu.
When a threshold is exceeded, the graph for which the alarm is set is automatically saved to a file in the directory /var/IRISconsole/logs/alarms/. The filename has the format graphname.<timestamp>.xrt; for example, voltage.951231.1144.0.xrt.
You can view alarm graph files by selecting “Display Saved Graph...” in the IRISconsole Hardware Status Monitor File menu; see “Displaying a Graph File,” later in this chapter.
An option in the Global Controls window enables IRISconsole to run a script—/var/IRISconsole/adm/scripts/icnotify.tclX—when an alarm threshold is exceeded. This script, which was written in tclX (extended tcl), is self-documenting.
To edit this script, select “Edit Operator Notify Script” in the main window Options window. You must be root to edit this script.
For example, to cause an alarm threshold to send an e-mail message to a specified user, enter e-mail address(es) in the curly braces in the line
set OPERATORS { }
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You can edit icnotify.tclX to include other scripts.
You can save a graph to a PostScript file or image file to send to service personnel, or to compare with other graph data saved to files.
To save a graph to a PostScript file, click the Save As PS... button in the Graph Control panel. Enter a filename and click the Save button to save the file and exit the dialog box.
To save a graph to an image file, follow these steps:
Freeze the data by clicking the Live Data Feed checkbox off in the Graph Control panel (see Figure 3-7 or Figure 3-8). The scrollbars under the graphs are activated.
Click the Save As Graph button in the Graph Control panel. A file selection dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-9.
If desired, click the Filter button to display a dialog box in which you can exclude filename patterns to restrict the filenames displayed.
Enter a filename for the graph file in the Selection field.
Click the Save button to save the file and exit the dialog box.
You can display the saved graph in IRISconsole by selecting “Display Saved Graph...” in the IRISconsole Hardware Status Monitor File menu. A dialog box similar to that shown in Figure 3-9 appears, in which you select the file to display. Files saved as graphs appear when they are selected; display files saved as PostScript files in your PostScript viewer.
You can print a graph as it is displayed in the Hardware Status Monitor.
To print the contents of a graph in the Hardware Status Monitor, follow these steps:
In the Hardware Status Monitor, select the graph you want.
If desired, change the dimensions of the graph by moving a sash (small square at the extreme right between the graphs).
If desired, select an area of the display by holding down the <Ctrl> key and pressing the left mouse button; zoom the selection by moving the middle mouse button. (Press r to reset the display.)
When the screen displays the graph as you want it to be printed, click the Print button. In the Print dialog box, select the print options you want.