or a predetermined retry threshold is reached. In the event the Service Processor is
unsuccessful in bringing the system online (or in the event that the user asked to be
alerted to any Service Processor-assisted restarts), the system can call home to
report the error.
The Call Home function can be initialized to call either a service center telephone
number, a customer administration center, or a digital pager telephone number. The
Service Processor can be configured to stop at the first successful call to any of the
numbers listed, or can be configured to call every number provided. If connected to
the service center, the Service Processor transmits the relevant system information
(the system's serial number and model type) and Service Request Number (SRN). If
connected to a digital pager service, the Service Processor inputs a Customer Voice
Telephone Number defined by the customer. An established sequence of digits or
the telephone number to a phone near the failed system could be used to signal a
system administrator to a potential system failure.
During normal operations, the Service Processor can also be configured to monitor
the AIX operating system. If AIX does not respond to the Service Processor
heartbeat, the Service Processor assumes the operating system is hung. The
service processor can automatically initiate a restart and, if enabled, initiate the call
home function to alert the appropriate people to the system hang.
Unlike the Service Director, the service processor cannot be configured in a
client/server environment where one system can be used to manage all dial-out
functions for a set of systems.
Prior to installing the Service Director feature, ensure that you have the latest level of
system firmware. You also need a properly configured modem. For more
information on configuring a modem, see “Modem Configuration Menu” on page 54.
Service Director
The Service Director is a software extension to the AIX operating system that
monitors the system while the AIX operating system is running. The Service Director
monitors and analyzes all recoverable system failures, and, if needed, can
automatically place a service call to a service center (without user intervention).
The service center receives the machine type/serial number, host name, SRN, and a
problem description. The service center analyzes the problem report and, if
warranted, dispatches a service person to the customer site. The service center also
determines if any hardware components need to be ordered prior to the service
person's arrival.
22 RS/6000 Enterprise Server Model H80 Series User's Guide