Digital Equipment DECserver 200 User manual

DECserver 200
Problem Determination
Guide
June 1989
This guide
describes
DECserver
200
problem determination
and
trouble-
shooting. It is intended
for
the
server manager.
Supersession/Update
Information: This is a
revised manual.
Software
Version:
DECserver
200 V3.0
This
manual applies to
Version
3.0
of DECserver
200
and all
subsequent
maintenance releases up to
the next
major product
release.
d
a9au
a
TM
Order
No.
AA-KS24B-TK

AA-KS24B-TK
June
1989
The
information in this
document is
subject
to
change
without notice
and
should
not be
construed
as
a
commitment by
Digital
Equipment
Corporation.
Digital
Equipment
Corporation
assumes
no
responsibility
for any
errors
that may
appear
in this
document.
The
software
described
in this
document is
furnished
under
a
license
and may
only be used
or copied
in
accordance
with the
terms
of such
license.
No
responsibility is
assumed
for the use
or
reliability
of software
on
equipment that is
not
supplied
by
Digital
Equipment
Corporation or its
affiliated
companies.
Copyright ©1989 by
Digital
Equipment
Corporation
_
All Rights
Reserved
Printed
in
U.S.A.
The
postage
-prepaid
Reader's
Comments
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of
this
document
requests the
user's
critical
evaluation to
assist us
in
preparing future
documentation.
The
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Corporation:
DEBNA
DEBNET
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This
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was produced
by Networks
and
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Contents
Preface
1 Introduction
to
DECserver
200
Problem
Determination
2 Troubleshooting
Tools
2.1
The
Console
Port
2-1
2.2
The Status LEDs
2-1
2.3 The
DECserver
200
Self
-test
2-3
2.4 DECserver
200
TEST
Commands
2-3
2.4.1
The
TEST
SERVICE
Command
2-3
2.4.2
The
TEST PORT
Command
2-4
2.4.3 The
TEST LOOP
Command
2-5
3
What
to Do
First
iii

4
Problems
on All
Ports
4.1 Status
LED
D1
Off —
No
DC Voltage
4-1
4.2
Status
LED D2 OFF --- Fatal Error
or
Test
in
Progress
4-2
4.3
Status
LED D2 Blinking
4-2
4.3.1
Error
Messages
920
and
921 4-2
4.3.2 Error
Messages
922
and
923
4-3
4.3.3
Error
Messages
930 and
931
4-3
4.3.4
Error
Messages
935 and 936
4-4
4.3.5
Error Message
932 4-4
4.3.6
Error
Messages
941, 942,
and
950
4-4
4.4 Ethernet Heartbeat
Error
4-7
4.5
Insufficient
Memory
Resources 4-8
4.6 No
Console Messages
4-8
4.7 Down
-Line
Loading
Problems —Status
LED
D3
Blinking 4-9
4.7.1 Down
-Line
Load Starts,
Then
Fails 4-10
4.7.2 Down
-Line Load Does Not Start
4-11
4.8
Message
Number
913 Appears 4-15
4.9
Server
Port
or
Port Device
Hardware Problems
4-17
5
Problems
with
Individual
Port
Devices
5.1
Check
These
Things First 5-1
5.2
An
Interactive
Terminal
Is Not
Working
5-3
5.3 Problems
with Non-LAT
Host
Devices
5-7
5.4
Problems
with
Dial -In
Modem
Ports 5-9
5.5 Problems
with Dial
-Out
Modem
Ports
5-13
5.6
A
PC File
Transfer
Fails 5-17
5.7
A
Line
Printer
Fails at
aRemote-Access Port
5-18
iv

6
Problems
with
Service Nodes
6.1
Message
Timing
Problems 6-1
6.2
LAT
Protocol
Errors 6-2
6.3
Authorized
Groups
Mismatch
6-3
6.4 Server
Capacity
Exceeded
6-3
6.5
Service Node Software Not
Running 6-4
6.6
Service Node Not Available 6-4
7
Problems
with
the
Ethernet
8
Digital Equipment Corporation
Service
8.1
Before
You
Contact
Digital
Equipment Corporation
8-1
8.2
Repackaging
a
DECserver
for Shipping 8-2
8.3
Forwarding
Up
-Line
Dump
Data
8-2
Index
How
to
Order
Documents
Figures
1-1 Network Components
1-1
1-2
Composition
of
Network
Components
1-2
2-1
DECserver
200
Control/Indicator
Panel
2-2

Tabies
2-1
Status
LED
Indications
2-2
5-1
Port
Device
Problem
—Check These
Things First 5-1
vi

Preface
The DECse~•z~er 200 P~~oblern
Deterrninatio~~1
Guide
describes how
to troubleshoot
the
DECserver
200
system
software and
hardware. The
manual
also de-
sc~•ibes t11e
troubleshooting
tools
and
their
use.
Intended
Audience
This
manual
is intended
mainly for
the
server manager,
but also
Digital
Equipment
Corporation
training,
field service, and
manufacturing person-
nel.
Knowledge
of
Ethernet
local
area networks
is a
prerequisite
for using
the
manual effectively.
Document Structure
The sections
of
this
guide and
their
contents are summarized
below:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter
3
Chapter 4
Chapter
5
Chapter
6
Briefly
introduces
DECserver
200 problem
determination.
Describes
tl~e
troubleshooting
toots
and
the
hardware and
software features
that are
useful for troubleshooting.
Describes the
initial
steps to take
when
you see
a
problem .
Describes
how
to
troubleshoot problems
that involve
all
t11e
server
ports.
Describes
how
to
troubleshoot
problems
t11at
affect one o~~
more,
but
not
all,
ports and
por.
t devices.
Describes
problems
involving
communication with
service
nodes
on
the
Ethe~•net.
vii

Chapter 7
Chapter
8
Describes problems
on
the
Ethernet interface.
Describes
how to use
Digital
Equipment Corporation rnainte-
nance services.
other
DECserver
200
Manuals
■
Using
DECserver 200
Docu~~ients
Directs you
to information
contained
in
the
DECserver 200
documen-
tation
set.
Flowcharts
for
different audiences
suggest
logical
reading
sequences.
This
document
is
intended
for
any user of
the DECservei•
200
documentation
set.
•
DECserver 200
Hardzvare Installation/Ozvner's
Guide
Explains how to
install
the
DECserver
200 hardware
unit and how to
test its
operation.
The
guide
also
describes the
DECse1•ver
200 controls
and
indicators. The guide
is intended
for
the hardware
installer.
•
DECse~•ver 200
Identification Card
Provides the space to
record the
serial
number,
Ethernet
address,
DECnet
node
address,
and
DECnet node name
of
the
server.
This doc-
ulnent
is
intended
for
the
network
manager,the
software
installer,
and
the
server manager.
■
DECse~•ver 200 Softzvare
Installation Guide (op-sys)
Explains
how
to
install
the
DECserver
200 software, how
to
establish
down
-line load hosts,
and
how
to
verify
the
DECserver
200
system in-
stallation. In
the
title,
(op-sys) is
the
name
of
the load host
operating
system.
This
guide is
intended
for
the load host
system manager and
the serves•
manager.
DECse~~z~er 200 User's Gtcide
Describes the
user
interface and the
general
functions
of
the
server.
This guide provides the complete
information for using all nonprivi-
leged
server
commands. This
guide is
intended
for
users
of
interactive
terminals connected to
the
DECserver
200 ports.
•
Termi~lal Server User's Reference Card
Describes and gives
examples
of
the most
frequently
used
nonprivi-
leged
server
commands
on
a
reference
card.
Thiscard
is intended
for
users
of
interactive
terminals connected to
server
ports.
viii

•
DECse~~ver
200 Manageme~zt
Guide
Describes
all
the initial and day-to-day
management
tasks
required
of
the
DECserver
20U
manager.
The
topics
cover• all
the information
needed
to
configure the
ports
and to
customize the
permanent and op-
erational
databases
of
the
server.
This document is
intended
for•
the
DECserver
200
manager.
•
Ter»iinal Se~~ver Co»lrnanc~s arld Messages
Describes the usage and
syntax of
all terminal
server
commands. This
reference also
lists and describes
all
status and
error
messages issued
by
the
server.
This
reference is intended for
the
server
manager
but
is
useful for
terminal
users who want more
detailed
reference
information.
■ DECserver
200 Cornrnands
Mini
-Reference
Summarizes
all
privileged and
nonprivileged
server
commands
and
characteristics
in
a
pocket -sized mini
-reference.
This
reference
is
in-
tended
as
a
memory
jog
of
command syntaxes
for both
privileged and
nonprivileged
users.
•
DECse~~ver
200
Tech~lical Ma~tual
Describes
hardware
logic, diagnostic firmware and
software,
and
gen-
eral operating
procedures.
The manual
is intended
for
use
in training,
in
field service,
and
in
manufacturing.
The
level
of
technical
informa-
tion
assumes
previous
training
or•
experience
with
Ethernet
networks
and
with Digital Equipment
Corporation's
VAX -11 or
PDP-11
architec-
ture.
■ Local Area
Transport
(LAT)
Netzvork
Concepts
Describes t11e
Local
Area
Transport
(LAT)
architecture, the
LAT
pro-
tocol,
and
LAT
network concepts. This document
is
intended
for
the
server
manager,
the
system manager,
and
the
network
manager.
■ Terrrtinal
Server Glossary
Defines
terms
used
in
the
server
documentation
set.
This is intended
as
a
reference
tool for
all
users
of
server• documentation.
DECserver
200
On
-Line
Documentation
■ DECserver
200 Release Notes
Describes
any
discrepancies
between the
actual
product
and
t11e
in-
formation in
the
documentation
set. These notes
are
intended
for
the
software
installer•
and
the
server manager.
ix

■
On -Lute
Hella
Provides
two
forms
of
server•
help: tllt011al
11e1p
and
CU111I11a11d
1'efer-
ence
help.
Tutorial
help
provides
basic information
about logging
in
and
using
the
server.
Command
reference help
provides
detailed
in-
formation
about
using
the
server
commands
available
at
your
privilege
level. Help
is intended
for
all
server
users.
Associated
Documents
■
Gt.cide to
Terrrtit-tar
Server
Manager
and
Ter~ftinal
Server
Manager
Software
Installation
Guide
These
documents
contain
t11e information
necessary
to
install
and run
the
Terminal
Seiner Manager
(TSM)
software,
an
optional
network
management
product,
which
is installed
onto
a
VMS
system
running
DECnet-VAX.
These
guides
describe
how to
use
TSM
to
manage a mix
of
Digital
Equipment
Corporation's Ethernet terminal
servers connected
to
the
same
Ethernet
as
a VAX
computer.
These
guides
are
intended
for
the installer•
and
the
manager of
the TSM
product.
Conventions
Used
in
this
Guide
To
use
t11is
manual
effectively,
familiarize yourself with
the
conventions
dis-
cussed
below. The
following
conventions
apply
to
numbers:
■ All
numbers
are decimal
unless
otherwise
noted.
■
All
Ethernet
addresses
are
given
in
hexadecimal.
Graphic
Conventions
Used
in
This
Guide
Convention
Meaning
Special type
This special
type
indicates system
output
ors
user.
input. System
output
is
in
black
type;
user
input
is
in
red
type.
x

Convention
Meaning
UPPERCASE
lowercase
italics
Bold
BOLD
bold
{
~
~
)
key
CTRL/x~
Uppercase letters
in
command lines
indicate
keywords that
must be
entered. You
can
en-
ter
keywords
in
either
uppercase or
lower-
case. You
can.
abbreviate
command
keywords
to the
smallest
number
of
chai•acte~•s
that dis-
tinguishes
t11e
keyword to
the
server
or to
the
TSC.
ltalics
in command syntax or
examples
indi-
cate
variables
for
which
either•
the
user
o~• the
system
supplies
a
value.
Words
appearing in
boldface
must be
typed
exactly
as
shown.
In
summa~~ies
of
characteristics,
bold
type
indi-
cates
default values.
[n
text,
words
appearing
i
n bold type
introduce
new
terms
or
concepts
and.
can
also
be
found
in the
glossary.
Braces
in command
syntax statements
indicate
that you
must
specify
one
and
only
vile
of
the
enclosed. values.
Do
not type tl~e
braces.
Square
brackets
in
command
syntax statements
indicate
that the
enclosed
values) ai•e
optional.
You
can
enter•
none
or
one.
Default values ap-
ply _for unspecified
options.
Do
not type the
brackets.
Press the
specified key.
For
example,
RET~
means that you
should
press the
RETURN key.
Hold
down
the
CONTROL
key
and
then
press
the
key
specified by x.
The
server
displays
this
key
combination
as z.
A
slash
between coirmand
verbs
indicates
re-
lated,
alternative
commands
or
options.
For
example,
SETIDEFINE
PORT
i•efei•s
to
both
the
SET
PORT
and
the
DEFINE PORT command..
xi

1
Introduction
to
DECserver
200 Problem
Determination
Problem
determination, or troubleshooting, of
the
DECserver
200
terminal
server
involves
isolating server
problems from
port
device
or
network
prob-
lems.
A problem
can
derive
from
a failure
in
one
of
the
five
network
components
shown in
Figure
1-1.
Each
network
component
is
broken down
into its
parts
as
shown in
Figure
1-2.
In
Figure
1-2,
hardware
devices
are represented by
solid -line rectangles.
Software
is
represented by rectangles outlined
with
dashed
lines.
Some
external components
and
parts
are
customer
-replaceable, but
most
parts must be replaced
by
a qualified Digital Equipment Corporation
service
representative.
Figure
1-1:
Network Components
DECn
et
LOAD HOST
NODE
LKG-1653-89
1-1

Figure
1-2:
Composition of
Network Components
Terminol Component Parts
i
I
NN
PORT
SERVER
CHARACTERISTICS
SOFTWARE
NNN...NN~...~
DECserver
200 Component Porta
SERVICE
NODE
ETHERNET
CABLE
REPEATERS,
CONNECTORS
Ethernet Component Porta
DECserver
200
Service
Node Component Ponta
DECnet Load
Hoat
Component Ponta
SERVER
CHARACTERISTICS
SERVICE
NODE
SOFTWARE
iN~~~N~~
LOAD
HOST'S
NODE
DATABASE
1
LKG-1652-89
1-2
DECserver
200
Problem
Determination
Guide

2
Troubleshooting Tools
T11is
chapter
describes some
DECserver
features
designed
to
help
you
in
troubleshooting.
2.1
The
Console
Port
For
the
effective
troubleshooting
of
problems
involving
DECserver initializa-
tion
or
down
-line
loading,
you
should have a
port set up
as the
console
port.
The
port
should
have
an
interactive
terminal
connected
to it.
The
console
port
terminal displays
status
messages that
snake
troubleshooting
easier. For
installation of
your
DECserver
200
terminal
server,
the
console
terminal
must
be
configured to
operate
with
a
speed
of
9600 bits
per
second (bps)
and a
character size
of
S
bits
with
no
parity.
After
installation,
you
can
use the
DEFINEISET
PORT
commands
to
set
up
the
console
port
with
other values
for speed,
character
size,
and
parity. The
DECserve~•
200
Mc~~inge»zerit
Guide
has
more
details
about
the
console
port.
2.2
The
Status
LEDs
The
DECserver
200 status
LEDs
(light
emitting
diodes)
are
labeled
D1
to
D4
and
are
arranged
vertically
on
the
controllindicator
panel.
Figure
2-1 shows
the
controllindicator
panel of
t11e
DECserver.
From
top
to
bottom,
the
LEDs
indicate
the
following:
2-1

Table
2-1:
Status
LED
Indications
LED
Indication
Power D1
ON =
DC
voltage
ok
OFF =
DC voltage problem
Diagnostic
D2
ON
=self
-test
passed.
OFF
=fatal
error or
test
in
progress
BLINKING
=nonfatal error
Software D3
ON =server.
image
loaded, no
error
OFF
=down
-line load.
in
progress
BLINKING
=multiple load
failure
Ethernet
D4
ON
or
FLICKERING
=network
active
OFF =
n.etwork
inactive
Figure
2-1:
DECserver
200
Control/Indicator
Panel
VO
LTAG
E
SELECT
SWITCH
PORT DEVICE
CONNECTORS
(J
1-J8)
`
SOFTWARE RESET
SWITCH (S1)
CIRCUIT
BREAKER
POWER
CORD
RECEPTACLE
CONTROL
/INDICATOR
PANEL
STATUS
LEDs
(D1
-D4)
ETHERNET
CONNECTOR
LKG-1498-87
2-2
DECserver
200
Problem
Determination
Guide

2.3
The
DECserver
200
Self -test
The
DECserver
200
diagnostic
self
-test performs
a
number of
DECserver
200
hardware tests.
T11e
self
-test
executes (and
adown-line load occurs)
when-
ever
the
DECserver
initializes.
You
can
initialize the
DECserver in
a
num-
ber of
ways:
(1)
by
powering
up
the
server, (2)
by
executing the
INITIALIZE
command,
(3)
by
executing
a
NCP LOAD
command
on
a
DECnet
load host,
(4)
by
pressing
~
CTRL/P
on
the
console
port
terminal if there is
an error
that
prevents
down -line
loading during
the
most recent
self -test, and
(5)
by
exe-
cuting NCP
TRIGGER.
The
D2
status
LED
on
the
control/indicator panel displays the results
of
the
self
-test.
■
If
the
LED remains
off
after
the
self
-test, there is a
fatal hardware
error.
■ If
the
LED
blinks,
there is
a
nonfatal
hardware
error.
For
such an
error,
an
error message
appears
on
a
terminal
attached to
the
console
port
(see
Section
2.1).
■ If
the
LED glows
steadily,
the
self
-test detected no
hardware errors.
2.4
DECserver
200
TEST
Commands
The
TEST
SERVICE command
lets you
test
the
communications
between
a
port
on
your
DECserver
and a
service
node
that offers a
service. The
TEST
PORT
command
lets
you
test a
server
port
or
port
device. The
TEST LOOP
command
lets
you
test
communication between
the
server and
any DECnet
node.
Refer
to
Terminal
Sewer
Cornrnands and Messages
for
details
on
using
these
commands.
2.4.1
The
TEST
SERVICE
Command
The
TEST
SERVICE
command
establishes
a
special LAT
session
between
the
server
port
issuing the
command and
the
service
node and
port
you
specify.
You
cannot
use
the
TEST
SERVICE
command
if
Multisessions
is
enabled
at
the
port
where
you are
issuing
the
command.
Data is
transmitted
to
the
service
node
and is
looped
back
for
integrity
checking by
the
server. The
user
then receives a
status
message.
Data
can
be
looped
back
from the
service
node
in
one
of
three
ways:
■ By the
service
node at
the
protocol
level
■ By
using
internal
loopback
at
the
specified
port
Troubleshooting Tools
2-3

■ By
using an
external loopback
connector
at the
specified
port
By default,
a
loopback
is
performed
at
the
protocol
level.
The
DECserver
200
terminal
server
supports
protocol,
internal
loopback,
and
external
loop -
back.
Some
service nodes
may not
support
internal
loopback.
The
system
displays
an error
message
when
you request a loopback
type
t11at
is
not
supported
by
the
remote node
you specified.
External
loopback
requires that you
place a
loopback
connector
in
the
speci-
fied
port
on
the
specified
node.
The
TEST
SERVICE
command
can
be
issued from
a remote
host
by using
the
Remote Console feature.
NOTE
The
TEST
SERVICE command does not ap-
ply
to
all terminal server
products. See the
Software Product
Description (SPD) for
the
server you are
trying
to test.
2.4.2
The
TEST
PORT
Command
This
command sends a
stream of
data to
the
internal
port
hardware, the
external
port
hardware,
or to the port device.
When
you
specify
that
the data
be sent
to
the
internal or
external
port hardware, the data is looped
back,
and
the
DECserver
sends a status
message
to
the port
where
TEST
PORT
was
issued.
(You must
use
a DECserver
port loopback
connector
for
the
external test.)
When
you
specify
that
the
data be sent
to
the port device,
t11e
data
appears
as output
on
the device
itself.
The
user
examines
the
data for
errors.
NOTE
If
you
do
not
specify
a
value
for
the COUNT
option in
the
TEST
PORT
command, the
de-
fault
count
is
in
effect,
and
23
lines are
dis-
layed. You
can
stop the
test
by
pressing
BREAK ~
or
the
local switch
character.
With
the Remote
Cansole
Facility
(RCF),
you
can
stop the
test using
the local
switch
charac-
ter.
2-4
DECserver
200
Problem
Determination
Guide

2.4.3 The
TEST
LOOP
Command
This
command tests
communication
between
a server
and
a
DECnet node.
If an
Ethernet
component
is
not
working normally,
the test displays
at
your
terminal
one
or
more
error
messages
indicating
the fault. See
the DECnet
documentation
of
the
DECnet node
for
a list
and
explanation of all
the
error
messages
generated
by the
loop -back
tests.
You
can
also
run
circuit
-level
loop
-assist
tests
to
check
more complex
prob-
lems
with
Ethernet circuits. Loop
-assist
tests loop data between
a source
node and
a
destination
node
on the Ethernet;
t11e
tests use a third node
on
the
Ethernet to relay the
data. This third
node
is called
an
assistant
node; it
is
physically located
between
the source and
the
destination
nodes. You
can
use the assistant node
in
three ways:
•
The assistant node relays the
test
data
on
the way
to the
destination
node
(transmit
assist).
■
T11e
assistant node
relays
the
test data
on
the
way
back
from
the
desti-
nation
node
(receive assist).
■
The
assistant node relays the
test data
both
on
the
way
to
and from
the
destination
node
(full
assist).
Troubleshooting Tools
2-5