12 Netra 440 Server System Administration Guide • August 2004
Externally Initiated Reset (XIR)
Use the ALOM system controller reset -x command to execute an externally
initiated reset (XIR). Forcing an XIR might be effective in breaking the deadlock that
is hanging up the system. However, an XIR also precludes the orderly shutdown of
applications, and so it is not the preferred method of reaching the ok prompt, unless
you are troubleshooting these types of system hangs. Generating an XIR has the
advantage of allowing you to issue the sync command to produce a dump file of the
current system state for diagnostic purposes.
For more information, refer to:
■Netra 440 Server Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide (817-3886-xx)
■Advanced Lights Out Manager User’s Guide (817-5481-xx)
Caution – Because an XIR precludes an orderly shutdown of applications, it should
only be attempted if previously described methods do not work.
Manual System Reset
Use the ALOM system controller reset command, or poweron and poweroff
commands, to reset the server. Reaching the ok prompt by performing a manual
system reset or by power-cycling the system should be the method of last resort.
Doing this results in the loss of all system coherence and state information. A
manual system reset could corrupt the server’s file systems, although the fsck
command usually restores them. Use this method only when nothing else works.
Caution – Forcing a manual system reset results in loss of system state data, and
should be attempted only as a last resort. After a manual system reset, all state
information is lost, which inhibits troubleshooting the cause of the problem until the
problem reoccurs.
Caution – Accessing the ok prompt suspends the Solaris OS.
When you access the ok prompt from a functioning Netra 440 server, you are
suspending the Solaris OS and placing the system under firmware control. Any
processes that were running under the operating system are also suspended, and the
state of such processes might not be recoverable.
The diagnostic tests and commands you run from the ok prompt have the potential
to affect the state of the system. This means that it is not always possible to resume
execution of the operating system from the point at which it was suspended.