164 IBM Eserver p5 590 and 595 System Handbook6.6.5 Service AgentElectronic Service Agent™ (also known as Service Agent) is an applicationprogram that runs on either AIX 5L or Linux to monitor the system for hardwareerrors. On Sserver p5 systems managed by the HMC, the primary path forsystem hardware errors detection and analysis consists of the diagnosticsfunction provided by AIX 5L, the service processor, and the Service Focal Point.Service Agent provides the transport facility to IBM.Service Agent can execute several tasks, including: Automatic problem analysis Problem-definable threshold levels for error reporting Automatic problem reporting Automatic client notification Visualize hardware error logsBy utilizing Service Agent, the p5-590 and p5-595 can reduce the amount ofdowntime experienced in the event of a system component failure by giving theservice provider the ability to view the error report entry and, if needed, order anynecessary replacement parts prior to arriving on site. The opportunity for humanmisinterpretation or miscommunication in problem determination is thereforemitigated.6.6.6 Service Focal PointTraditional service strategies become more complicated in a partitionedenvironment. Each partition runs on its own, unaware that other partitions existon the same system. If one partition reports an error for a shared resource, suchas a managed system power supply, other active partitions report the same error.To enable service representatives to avoid long lists of repetitive call-homeinformation, the HMC provides the Service Focal Point application. Service FocalPoint recognizes that these errors repeat, and filters them into one serviceableevent for the service representative to review.
