where other Remote Supervisor Adapters, ASM processors, and ASM PCI Adapters on the network reside. Second, the ASM interconnect network enables other interconnect network devices to use the resources (Ethernet or modem) of other Remote Supervisor Adapters, ASM processors, and ASM PCI Adapters in the ASM interconnect network for sending alerts. This interconnect network is used when Remote Supervisor Adapters, ASM processors, or ASM PCI Adapters cannot send an alert and must forward the information to another one of these devices to send the alert.
Planning and cabling the interconnect network: To support the most recent ASM features, a Remote Supervisor Adapter must be the main gateway interconnect to the ASM interconnect bus if the bus also includes servers with ASM PCI adapters or ASM processors. The Remote Supervisor Adapter forwards the ASM information generated by the servers attached to the ASM interconnect bus to other servers on the Ethernet network. The connected ASM processors and ASM PCI Adapters are managed through the new user interface and Web browser access of the Remote Supervisor Adapter.
Note: To ensure the stability of the system, you must have the most current level of firmware installed on the Remote Supervisor Adapter that is the main interconnect gateway for the ASM interconnect network. The most current level of firmware is available on the World Wide Web at http://www.ibm.com/pc/support/. For more information on updating firmware, see the IBM Remote Supervisor Adapter User’s Guide on the IBM xSeries Documentation CD.
You must connect an ASM Interconnect module to the Remote Supervisor Adapter and to each xSeries 445 server that you connect to the ASM interconnect network bus.
Attention: To avoid damage to the Ethernet connector on the Remote Supervisor Adapter, do not connect the ASM Interconnect module to the Remote Supervisor Adapter Ethernet port.
To connect the servers, note the following setup and configuration considerations:
vMake sure that the ASM interconnect network is set up as a bus, not as a ring. You must connect the servers to the ASM interconnect network in a series, with terminated beginning and end points.
vMake sure that the total combined length of all Ethernet cables connecting the server in the ASM interconnect network does not exceed 91 M (300 ft).
vEach Remote Supervisor Adapter, ASM PCI adapter, or ASM processor that is connected to the ASM interconnect network bus counts as one connection. For example, if an ASM PCI adapter is installed in a server that has an ASM processor, the processor and the adapter connect to each other using one ASM interconnect connection, but the processor and the adapter count as two connections on the ASM interconnect network bus.
Forwarding alerts: Remote Supervisor Adapters, ASM PCI adapters, and ASM processors that are connected to an ASM interconnect network share resources and
During normal operation, each Remote Supervisor Adapter, ASM processor, or ASM PCI adapter on the ASM interconnect network communicates with the other processors and adapters on the network. Processors or adapters that have a modem or Ethernet connection notify the other processors and adapters that these
