Digital Equipment AlphaServer 1000 User manual

AlphaServer1000
ServiceGuide
Order Number: EK–DTLSV–SV. B01
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts

First Printing, February 1995
Second Printing, July 1995
Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the
manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do
the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell
equipment or software in accordance with the description.
Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only pursuant
to a valid written license from Digital or an authorized sublicensor.
Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation, 1995. All Rights Reserved.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: AXP, DEC, DECchip, DEC VET,
Digital, OpenVMS, StorageWorks, VAX DOCUMENT, the AXP logo, and the DIGITAL logo.
Digital UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries licensed
exclusively through X/Open Company Ltd. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
FCC NOTICE: The equipment described in this manual generates, uses, and may emit radio
frequency energy. The equipment has been type tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B computing device pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed
to provide reasonable protection against such radio frequency interference when operated in a
commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause interference,
in which case the user at his own expense may be required to take measures to correct the
interference.
S2920
This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT Version 2.1.

Contents
Preface ................................................ xi
1 Troubleshooting Strategy
1.1 Troubleshooting the System . ....................... 1–1
1.1.1 Problem Categories ........................... 1–2
1.2 Service Tools and Utilities . . ....................... 1–7
1.3 Information Services ............................. 1–9
2 Power-Up Diagnostics and Display
2.1 Interpreting Error Beep Codes ...................... 2–2
2.1.1 SROM Memory Power-Up Tests . . . ............... 2–3
2.2 Power-Up Screen . ............................... 2–7
2.2.1 Console Event Log ............................ 2–8
2.3 Mass Storage Problems Indicated at Power-Up . . . ...... 2–9
2.4 Storage Device LEDs ............................. 2–11
2.5 EISA Bus Problems Indicated at Power-Up ............ 2–14
2.5.1 Additional EISA Troubleshooting Tips ............. 2–15
2.6 PCI Bus Problems Indicated at Power-Up ............. 2–16
2.7 Fail-Safe Loader. . ............................... 2–17
2.7.1 Fail-Safe Loader Functions ..................... 2–17
2.7.2 Activating the Fail-Safe Loader . . . ............... 2–17
2.8 Power-Up Sequence .............................. 2–19
2.8.1 AC Power-Up Sequence . ....................... 2–19
2.8.2 DC Power-Up Sequence . ....................... 2–20
2.9 Firmware Power-Up Diagnostics .................... 2–20
2.9.1 Serial ROM Diagnostics . ....................... 2–20
2.9.2 Console Firmware-Based Diagnostics.............. 2–21
iii

3 Running System Diagnostics
3.1 Running ROM-Based Diagnostics ................... 3–1
3.2 Command Summary ............................. 3–2
3.3 Command Reference ............................. 3–3
3.3.1 test . ....................................... 3–4
3.3.2 cat el and more el ............................ 3–7
3.3.3 memory .................................... 3–8
3.3.4 netew ...................................... 3–10
3.3.5 network .................................... 3–12
3.3.6 net-s ...................................... 3–14
3.3.7 net-ic...................................... 3–15
3.3.8 kill and kill_diags ............................ 3–16
3.3.9 show_status . . ............................... 3–17
3.4 Acceptance Testing and Initialization. . ............... 3–18
3.5 DECVET...................................... 3–18
4 Error Log Analysis
4.1 Fault Detection and Reporting ...................... 4–1
4.1.1 Machine Check/Interrupts ...................... 4–2
4.2 Error Logging and Event Log Entry Format ........... 4–4
4.3 Event Record Translation. . . ....................... 4–5
4.3.1 OpenVMS Translation Using DECevent ........... 4–5
4.3.2 Digital UNIX Translation Using DECevent . . . ...... 4–6
5 System Configuration and Setup
5.1 Verifying System Configuration ..................... 5–2
5.1.1 System Firmware ............................. 5–2
5.1.2 Switching Between Interfaces ................... 5–4
5.1.3 Verifying Configuration: ARC Menu Options for
Windows NT . ............................... 5–4
5.1.3.1 Display Hardware Configuration .............. 5–5
5.1.3.2 Set Default Variables ....................... 5–7
5.1.4 Verifying Configuration: SRM Console Commands for
DEC OSF/1 and OpenVMS ..................... 5–9
5.1.4.1 show config............................... 5–9
5.1.4.2 show device .............................. 5–11
5.1.4.3 show memory ............................. 5–12
5.1.4.4 Setting and Showing Environment Variables ..... 5–12
5.2 System Bus Options .............................. 5–17
5.2.1 CPU Daughter Board . . . ....................... 5–19
iv

5.2.2 Memory Modules ............................. 5–19
5.3 Motherboard ................................... 5–20
5.4 EISA Bus Options ............................... 5–21
5.5 ISA Bus Options . ............................... 5–21
5.5.1 Identifying ISA and EISA options . ............... 5–22
5.6 EISA Configuration Utility . ....................... 5–22
5.6.1 Before You Run the ECU ....................... 5–23
5.6.2 How to Start the ECU . . ....................... 5–24
5.6.3 Configuring EISA Options ...................... 5–25
5.6.4 Configuring ISA Options ....................... 5–26
5.7 PCI Bus Options . ............................... 5–28
5.8 SCSI Buses .................................... 5–28
5.8.1 Single Controller (On-Board) Configurations . . ...... 5–29
5.8.2 Multiple Controller Configurations ............... 5–32
5.9 Power Supply Configurations ....................... 5–34
5.10 Console Port Configurations . ....................... 5–37
6 AlphaServer 1000 FRU Removal and Replacement
6.1 AlphaServer 1000 FRUs........................... 6–1
6.2 Removal and Replacement . . ....................... 6–6
6.2.1 Cables ..................................... 6–8
6.2.2 CPU Daughter Board . . . ....................... 6–22
6.2.3 Fans ....................................... 6–23
6.2.4 StorageWorks Drive ........................... 6–25
6.2.5 Internal StorageWorks Backplane . ............... 6–26
6.2.6 Memory Modules ............................. 6–28
6.2.7 Interlock Switch .............................. 6–32
6.2.8 Motherboard . ............................... 6–33
6.2.9 NVRAM Chip (E14) and NVRAM TOY Clock Chip
(E78) ...................................... 6–37
6.2.10 OCP Module . . ............................... 6–37
6.2.11 Power Supply . ............................... 6–40
6.2.12 Speaker .................................... 6–41
6.2.13 Removable Media ............................. 6–42
v

A Default Jumper Settings
A.1 Motherboard Jumpers ............................ A–2
A.2 CPU Daughter Board (J3 and J4) Supported Settings .... A–4
A.3 CPU Daughter Board (J1 Jumper) ................... A–6
Glossary
Index
Examples
5–1 Sample Hardware Configuration Display ........... 5–6
Figures
2–1 Jumper J1 on the CPU Daughter Board ........... 2–6
2–2 AlphaServer 1000 Memory Layout . ............... 2–7
2–3 StorageWorks Disk Drive LEDs (SCSI) ............ 2–12
2–4 Floppy Drive Activity LED...................... 2–12
2–5 CD–ROM Drive Activity LED ................... 2–13
2–6 Jumper J1 on the CPU Daughter Board ........... 2–18
5–1 System Architecture: AlphaServer 1000 ........... 5–2
5–2 Device Name Convention ....................... 5–11
5–3 Card Cages and Bus Locations................... 5–18
5–4 Memory Layout on the Motherboard .............. 5–20
5–5 ISA and ISA Boards ........................... 5–22
5–6 PCI Board . . . ............................... 5–28
5–7 Single Controller Configuration with Dual Bus
StorageWorks Shelf ........................... 5–30
5–8 Single Controller Configuration with Single Bus
StorageWorks Shelf ........................... 5–31
5–9 Dual Controller Configuration with Single Bus
StorageWorks Shelf ........................... 5–32
5–10 Dual Controller Configuration with Dual Bus
StorageWorks Shelf ........................... 5–33
5–11 Power Supply Configurations .................... 5–35
5–12 Power Supply Cable Connections . . ............... 5–36
vi

6–1 FRUs, Front Right ............................ 6–4
6–2 FRUs, Rear Left .............................. 6–5
6–3 Opening Front Door ........................... 6–6
6–4 Removing Top Cover and Side Panels ............. 6–7
6–5 Floppy Drive Cable (34-Pin) ..................... 6–8
6–6 OCP Module Cable (10-Pin) ..................... 6–9
6–7 Power Cord . . ............................... 6–10
6–8 Power Supply Current Sharing Cable (3-Pin) . ...... 6–11
6–9 Power Supply DC Cable Assembly . ............... 6–12
6–10 Power Supply Storage Harness (12-Pin)............ 6–13
6–11 Interlock/Server Management Cable (2-pin) . . . ...... 6–14
6–12 Internal StorageWorks Jumper Cable (50-Pin). ...... 6–15
6–13 SCSI (J15 StorageWorks Shelf to Bulkhead Connector
or Bulkhead to Multinode) Cable (50-Pin) .......... 6–16
6–14 SCSI (J15 StorageWorks Shelf to Bulkhead Connector
or Bulkhead to Multinode) Cable (50-Pin) .......... 6–17
6–15 SCSI (J1 or J14 StorageWorks Shelf to Bulkhead
Connector) Cable (50-Pin) ...................... 6–18
6–16 SCSI (Embedded 8-bit) Multinode Cable (50-Pin) .... 6–19
6–17 SCSI RAID Internal Cable (50-Pin)
(Single-Channel) ............................. 6–20
6–18 SCSI RAID Internal Cable (50-Pin) (Dual-Channel) . . 6–21
6–19 Removing CPU Daughter Board . . ............... 6–22
6–20 Removing Fans .............................. 6–24
6–21 Removing StorageWorks Drive ................... 6–25
6–22 Removing Power Supply ....................... 6–26
6–23 Removing Internal StorageWorks Backplane . . ...... 6–27
6–24 Memory Layout on Motherboard . . ............... 6–28
6–25 Removing SIMMs from Motherboard .............. 6–29
6–26 Installing SIMMs on Motherboard . ............... 6–30
6–27 Removing the Interlock Safety Switch ............. 6–32
6–28 Removing EISA and PCI Options. . ............... 6–33
6–29 Removing CPU Daughter Board . . ............... 6–34
6–30 Removing Motherboard . ....................... 6–35
6–31 Motherboard Layout . . . ....................... 6–36
6–32 Removing Front Door . . . ....................... 6–37
6–33 Removing Front Panel . . ....................... 6–38
vii

6–34 Removing the OCP Module ..................... 6–39
6–35 Removing Power Supply ....................... 6–40
6–36 Removing Speaker ............................ 6–41
6–37 Removing a CD–ROM Drive .................... 6–42
6–38 Removing a Tape Drive . ....................... 6–43
6–39 Removing a Floppy Drive ....................... 6–44
A–1 Motherboard Jumpers (Default Settings)........... A–2
A–2 AlphaServer 1000 4/200 CPU Daughter Board
(Jumpers J3 and J4) . . . ....................... A–4
A–3 AlphaServer 1000 4/233 CPU Daughter Board
(Jumpers J3 and J4) . . . ....................... A–5
A–4 CPU Daughter Board (J1 Jumper) . ............... A–6
Tables
1–1 Diagnostic Flow for Power Problems .............. 1–3
1–2 Diagnostic Flow for Problems Getting to Console
Mode ...................................... 1–4
1–3 Diagnostic Flow for Problems Reported by the Console
Program .................................... 1–5
1–4 Diagnostic Flow for Boot Problems ............... 1–6
1–5 Diagnostic Flow for Errors Reported by the Operating
System ..................................... 1–7
2–1 Interpreting Error Beep Codes ................... 2–2
2–2 SROM Memory Tests, CPU Jumper J1 ............ 2–4
2–3 Mass Storage Problems . ....................... 2–9
2–4 Troubleshooting Problems with SWXCR-xx RAID
Controller ................................... 2–11
2–5 EISA Troubleshooting . . ....................... 2–14
2–6 PCI Troubleshooting........................... 2–16
3–1 Summary of Diagnostic and Related Commands ..... 3–2
4–1 AlphaServer 1000 Fault Detection and Correction .... 4–2
5–1 Listing the ARC Firmware Device Names .......... 5–5
5–2 ARC Firmware Device Names ................... 5–5
5–3 ARC Firmware Environment Variables ............ 5–8
5–4 Environment Variables Set During System
Configuration . ............................... 5–13
5–5 Operating System Memory Requirements .......... 5–20
viii

5–6 Summary of Procedure for Configuring EISA Bus
(EISA Options Only) . . . ....................... 5–26
5–7 Summary of Procedure for Configuring EISA Bus with
ISA Options . ............................... 5–27
6–1 AlphaServer 1000 FRUs. ....................... 6–2
6–2 Power Cord Order Numbers ..................... 6–10
ix

Preface
This guide describes the procedures and tests used to service AlphaServer 1000
systems. AlphaServer 1000 systems use a deskside ‘‘wide-tower’’ enclosure.
Intended Audience
This guide is intended for use by Digital Equipment Corporation service personnel
and qualified self-maintenance customers.
Conventions
The following conventions are used in this guide:
xi

Convention Meaning
Return A key name enclosed in a box indicates that you press that key.
Ctrl/xCtrl/xindicates that you hold down the Ctrl key while you
press another key, indicated here by x. In examples, this key
combination is enclosed in a box, for example, Ctrl/C .
Warning Warnings contain information to prevent personal injury.
Caution Cautions provide information to prevent damage to equipment
or software.
Note A note calls the reader’s attention to any information that may
be of special importance.
boot Console and operating system commands are shown in
monospace type.
[] In command format descriptions, brackets indicate optional
elements.
show config Console command abbreviations must be entered exactly as
shown. Commands shown in lowercase can be entered in
either uppercase or lowercase.
italic type In console command sections, italic type indicates a variable.
< > In console mode online help, angle brackets enclose a
placeholder for which you must specify a value.
{ } In command descriptions, braces containing items separated by
commas imply mutually exclusive items.
! Circled numbers provide a link between examples and text.
Related Documentation
•AlphaServer 1000 Owner’s Guide, EK-DTLSV-OG
•DEC Verifier and Exerciser Tool User’s Guide, AA-PTTMA-TE
•Guide to Kernel Debugging, AA-PS2TA-TE
•OpenVMS AXP Alpha System Dump Analyzer Utility Manual, AA-PV6UB-TE
•DECevent Translation and Reporting Utility for OpenVMS User and Reference
Guide
•DECevent Translation and Reporting Utility for Digital UNIX User and
Reference Guide
•StorageWorks RAID Array 200 Subsystem Family Software User’s Guide for
OpenVMS Alpha, AA-Q6WVA-TE
xii

1
Troubleshooting Strategy
This chapter describes the troubleshooting strategy for AlphaServer 1000
systems.
• Section 1.1 provides questions to consider before you begin troubleshooting an
AlphaServer 1000 system.
• Tables 1–1 through 1–5 provide a diagnostic flow for each category of system
problem.
• Section 1.2 lists the product tools and utilities.
• Section 1.3 lists available information services.
1.1 Troubleshooting the System
Before troubleshooting any system problem, check the site maintenance log for
the system’s service history. Be sure to ask the system manager the following
questions:
• Has the system been used before and did it work correctly?
• Have changes to hardware or updates to firmware or software been made to
the system recently?
• What is the state of the system—is the operating system running?
If the operating system is down and you are not able to bring it up, use
the console environment diagnostic tools, such as the power-up display and
ROM-based diagnostics (RBDs).
If the operating system is running, use the operating system environment
diagnostic tools, such as error logs, crash dumps, and exercisers (DEC VET).
Troubleshooting Strategy 1–1

1.1.1 Problem Categories
System problems can be classified into the following five categories. Using these
categories, you can quickly determine a starting point for diagnosis and eliminate
the unlikely sources of the problem.
1. Power problems (Table 1–1)
2. No access to console mode (Table 1–2)
3. Console-reported failures (Table 1–3)
4. Boot failures (Table 1–4)
5. Operating system-reported failures (Table 1–5)
1–2 Troubleshooting Strategy

Table 1–1 Diagnostic Flow for Power Problems
Symptom Action
System does not power on.
• Check the power source and power cord.
• Check that the system’s top cover is properly
secured. A safety interlock switch shuts off power
to the system if the top cover is removed.
• If there are two power supplies, make sure both
power supplies are plugged in.
• Check the On/Off switch setting on the operator
control panel.
• Check that the ambient room temperature is
within environmental specifications (10–40°C,
50–104°F).
• Check that internal power supply cables are
plugged in at both the power supply and system
motherboard (Section 5.9).
Power supply shuts down after a
few seconds (fan failure). Using a flashlight, look through the front (to the left of the internal StorageWorks shelf) to determine if the
fans are spinning at power-up. A failure of either fan
causes the system to shut down after a few seconds.
Troubleshooting Strategy 1–3

Table 1–2 Diagnostic Flow for Problems Getting to Console Mode
Symptom Action
Power-up screen is not displayed. Interpret the error beep codes at power-up (Section 2.1)
for a failure detected during self-tests.
Check that the keyboard and monitor are properly
connected and turned on.
If the power-up screen is not displayed, yet the system
enters console mode when you press Return , check that
the
console environment variable is set correctly. If
you are using a VGA console terminal, the console
variable should be set to ‘‘graphics.’’ If you are using a
serial console terminal, the console variable should be
set to ‘‘serial.’’
If a VGA controller other than the standard on-board
VGA controller is being used, refer to Section 5.10 for
more information.
If
console is set to serial, the power-up screen is
routed to the COM1 serial communication port
(Section 5.10) and cannot be viewed from the VGA
monitor.
Try connecting a console terminal to the COM1 serial
communication port (Section 5.10). If necessary use
an MMJ-to-9-pin adapter (H8571-J). Check the baud
rate setting for the console terminal and the system.
The system baud rate setting is 9600. When using the
COM1 port, you must set the
console environment
variable to ‘‘serial.’’
For certain situations, power up using the fail-safe
loader (Section 2.7) to load new console firmware from
a diskette.
1–4 Troubleshooting Strategy

Table 1–3 Diagnostic Flow for Problems Reported by the Console Program
Symptom Action
Power-up tests do not complete. Interpret the error beep codes at power-up (Section 2.1)
and check the power-up screen (Section 2.2) for a
failure detected during self-tests.
If the power-up display stops on e6, an EISA or PCI
board is causing the system to hang.
Console program reports error:
• Error beep codes report an
error at power-up.
• Power-up screen includes
error messages.
Use the error beep codes (Section 2.1) and/or console
terminal (Section 2.2) to determine the error.
Examine the console event log (enter the
cat el
command) (Section 2.2.1) or the power-up screen
(Section 2.2) to check for embedded error messages
recorded during power-up.
If the power-up screen or console event log indicates
problems with mass storage devices, or if storage
devices are missing from the
show config display, use
the troubleshooting tables (Section 2.3) to determine
the problem.
If the power-up screen or console event log indicates
problems with EISA devices, or if EISA devices are
missing from the
show config display, use the
troubleshooting table (Section 2.5) to determine the
problem.
If the power-up screen or console event log indicates
problems with PCI devices, or if PCI devices are
missing from the
show config display, use the
troubleshooting table (Section 2.6) to determine the
problem.
Run the ROM-based diagnostic (RBD) tests
(Section 3.1) to verify the problem.
Troubleshooting Strategy 1–5

Table 1–4 Diagnostic Flow for Boot Problems
Symptom Action
System cannot find boot device. Check the system configuration for the correct device
parameters (node ID, device name, and so on).
• For DEC OSF/1 and OpenVMS, use the
show config and show device commands
(Section 5.1).
• For Windows NT, use the Display Hardware
Configuration display and the Set Default
Environment Variables display (Section 5.1).
Check the system configuration for the correct
environment variable settings.
• For DEC OSF/1 and OpenVMS, examine the
auto_action, bootdef_dev, boot_osflags, and os_type
environment variables (Section 5.1.4.4).
For problems booting over a network, check the
ew*0_protocols or er*0_protocols environment
variable settings: Systems booting from a DEC
OSF/1 server should be set to bootp; systems
booting from an OpenVMS server should be set to
mop (Section 5.1.4.4).
• For Windows NT, examine the FWSEARCHPATH,
AUTOLOAD, and COUNTDOWN environment
variables (Section 5.1.4.4).
Device does not boot. For problems booting over a network, check the ew*0_
protocols or er*0_protocols environment variable
settings: Systems booting from a DEC OSF/1
server should be set to bootp; systems booting
from an OpenVMS server should be set to mop
(Section 5.1.4.4).
Run the device tests (Section 3.1) to check that the
boot device is operating.
1–6 Troubleshooting Strategy

Table 1–5 Diagnostic Flow for Errors Reported by the Operating System
Symptom Action
System is hung or has crashed. Examine the crash dump file.
Refer to OpenVMS AXP Alpha System Dump Analyzer
Utility Manual for information on how to interpret
OpenVMS crash dump files.
Refer to the Guide to Kernel Debugging (AA–PS2TA–
TE) for information on using the DEC OSF/1 Krash
Utility.
Errors have been logged and the
operating system is up. Examine the operating system error log files to isolate the problem.
If the problem occurs intermittently, run an operating
system exerciser, such as DEC VET, to stress the
system.
Refer to the DEC Verifier and Exerciser Tool User’s
Guide (AA–PTTMA–TE) for instructions on running
DEC VET.
1.2 Service Tools and Utilities
This section lists the array of service tools and utilities available for acceptance
testing, diagnosis, and serviceability and provides recommendations for their use.
Error Handling/Logging
DEC OSF/1, OpenVMS, and Microsoft Windows NT operating systems provide
recovery from errors, fault handling, and event logging. The DECevent
Translation and Reporting Utility for OpenVMS and Error Report Formatter
(ERF) provides bit-to-text translation of event logs for interpretation. DEC
OSF/1 uses uerf to present the same kinds of information.
RECOMMENDED USE: Analysis of error logs is the primary method of
diagnosis and fault isolation. If the system is up, or you are able to bring it
up, look at this information first.
ROM-Based Diagnostics (RBDs)
Many ROM-based diagnostics and exercisers are embedded in AlphaServer
1000 systems. ROM-based diagnostics execute automatically at power-up and
can be invoked in console mode using console commands.
Troubleshooting Strategy 1–7

RECOMMENDED USE: ROM-based diagnostics are the primary means
of testing the console environment and diagnosing the CPU, memory,
Ethernet, I/O buses, and SCSI subsystems. Use ROM-based diagnostics
in the acceptance test procedures when you install a system, add a memory
module, or replace the following: CPU module, memory module, motherboard,
I/O bus device, or storage device. Refer to Chapter 3 for information on
running ROM-based diagnostics.
Loopback Tests
Internal and external loopback tests are used to isolate a failure by testing
segments of a particular control or data path. The loopback tests are a subset
of the ROM-based diagnostics.
RECOMMENDED USE: Use loopback tests to isolate problems with the
COM2 serial port, the parallel port, and Ethernet controllers. Refer to
Chapter 3 for instructions on performing loopback tests.
Firmware Console Commands
Console commands are used to set and examine environment variables
and device parameters, as well as to invoke ROM-based diagnostics and
exercisers. For example, the show memory , show configuration , and show
device
commands are used to examine the configuration; the set (bootdef_
dev, auto_action, and boot_osflags) commands are used to set environment
variables; and the cdp command is used to configure DSSI parameters.
RECOMMENDED USE: Use console commands to set and examine
environment variables and device parameters and to run RBDs. Refer to
Section 5.1 for information on configuration-related firmware commands and
Chapter 3 for information on running RBDs.
Operating System Exercisers (DEC VET)
The Digital Verifier and Exerciser Tool (DEC VET) is supported by the DEC
OSF/1, OpenVMS, and Windows NT operating systems. DEC VET performs
exerciser-oriented maintenance testing of both hardware and operating
system.
RECOMMENDED USE: Use DEC VET as part of acceptance testing to
ensure that the CPU, memory, disk, tape, file system, and network are
interacting properly. Also use DEC VET to stress test the user’s environment
and configuration by simulating system operation under heavy loads to
diagnose intermittent system failures.
1–8 Troubleshooting Strategy