IBM BladeCenter PS703 Technical Overview And Introduction

Also see for BladeCenter PS703: Service guide

Contents

Chapter 4. Continuous availability and manageability 135which logs the error. I/O devices can also include specific exercisers that can be invoked bythe diagnostic facilities for problem recreation if required by service procedures.4.4.3 ReportingIn the unlikely event that a system hardware or environmentally induced failure is diagnosed,IBM Power Systems servers report the error through a number of mechanisms. The analysisresult is stored in system NVRAM. Error log analysis (ELA) can be used to display the failurecause and the physical location of the failing hardware.With the integrated service processor, the system has the ability to send an alertautomatically or contact service in the event of a critical system failure. This can be doneeither from the system itself with Electronic Service Agent (ESA), or from the system inconjunction with the BladeCenter AMM, or from Service and Support Manager (SSM) underSDMC. A hardware fault also illuminates the amber system fault LED (located on the frontpanel of the blade) to alert the user of an internal hardware problem.On POWER7 processor-based servers, hardware and software failures are recorded in thesystem log. An ELA routine analyzes the error, forwards the event to the IVM Service FocalPoint (SFP) application (which is either part of Electronic Service Agent running on the blade,or Service and Support Manager under SDMC), and notifies the system administrator that ithas isolated a likely cause of the system problem.The service processor event log alsorecords unrecoverable checkstop conditions, forwards them to the SFP application or SSMand the BladeCenter AMM, and notifies the system administrator.After the information is logged in the SFP application or SSM and AMM event log, acall-home service request is initiated. Customer contact information and specificsystem-related data (such as the machine type, model, and serial number), along with errorlog data related to the failure, is sent to IBM Service.Error logging and analysisWhen the root cause of an error has been identified by a fault isolation component, an errorlog entry is created with basic data: An error code uniquely describing the error event The location of the failing component The part number of the component to be replaced, including pertinent data such asengineering and manufacturing levels Return codes Resource identifiers First-failure data capture dataInformation about the effect that the repair will have on the system is also included. Error logroutines in the operating system can use this information and decide whether to contactservice and support, send a notification message, or continue without an alert.Service Focal Point and Service and Support ManagerA critical requirement in a logically partitioned environment is to ensure that errors are not lostbefore being reported for service, and that an error should only be reported once, regardlessof how many logical partitions experience the potential effect of the error. The ManageServiceable Events task, under the Service Focal Point section of the IVM user interface, isresponsible for aggregating duplicate error reports, and ensures that all errors are recordedfor review and management on the single blade IVM is controlling.