Sun Microsystems 280R manual About Diagnostic Tools, Local Diagnostic Tool Use

About Diagnostic Tools

Both firmware-based and software-based diagnostic tools help you identify and isolate hardware problems.

Two firmware tools are available that can run only before the Solaris Operating Environment takes control. These tools are:

■Power-on self-test (POST) diagnostics

■OpenBoot Diagnostics

POST diagnostics can run as part of the power-on sequence. You can run OpenBoot Diagnostics interactively from the ok prompt. You can run both of these tools locally, and you can also run them remotely by using Sun Remote System Control (RSC) to connect to the system console. However, RSC is not available until the server operating environment software and RSC client and server software have been installed and configured.

Two software tools are available that run directly from the Solaris Operating Environment prompt. These software tools are:

■Sun Validation Test Suite (SunVTS) software

■Sun Management Center software

You can run both of these tools locally, and if the server operating environment is running, you can also use the rlogin command to connect to the server remotely and then use SunVTS or Sun Management Center software.

Local Diagnostic Tool Use

POST diagnostics verify the core functionality of the system, including the main logic board, system memory, the central processing units (CPUs), the system bus, and the cache memory. You can run POST even if the system is unable to boot. For more information about POST, see “About Isolating Failures Using Power-On Self- Test (POST)” on page 166 and “How to Isolate Failures Using Power-On Self-Test (POST)” on page 179.

OpenBoot Diagnostics tests focus on system I/O and peripheral devices. Like POST, you can run OpenBoot Diagnostics even if the system is unable to boot. For more information about OpenBoot Diagnostics, see “About Isolating Failures Using OpenBoot Diagnostics” on page 166 and “How to Isolate Failures Using OpenBoot Diagnostics” on page 181.

160 Sun Fire 280R Server Owner’s Guide • January 2001