NEC Express5800/320Ma Service manual

NEC Solutions (America), Inc.
NR014W
Express5800/320Ma:
System Administrator’s Guide

Manual Name: Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
Part Number: NR014W
Express5800/320Ma Software Release Number: 4.1.0
Publication Date: January 2006
NEC Solutions (America), Inc.
10850 Gold Center Drive, Suite 200
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
© 2006 NEC Solutions (America), Inc. All rights reserved.
Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice.
UNLESS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN A WRITTEN AGREEMENT SIGNED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
OF NEC, NEC MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN, INCLUDING WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PURPOSE. NEC assumes no responsibility or obligation of any kind for any errors contained herein or in connection with
the furnishing, performance, or use of this document.
Software described in NEC (a) is the property of NEC and/or its licensees, (b) is furnished only under license, and (c) may
be copied or used only as expressly permitted under the terms of the license.
NEC documentation describes all supported features of the user interfaces and the application programming interfaces
(API) developed by NEC and/or its licensees. Any undocumented features of these interfaces are intended solely for use
by NEC personnel and are subject to change without warning.
This document is protected by copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be copied, reproduced, or
translated, either mechanically or electronically, without the prior written consent of NEC Solutions (America), Inc.
VERITAS, VERITAS SOFTWARE, the VERITAS logo, Business Without Interruption, VERITAS The Data Availability
Company, and VERITAS Volume Manager are trademarks or registered trademarks of VERITAS Software Corporation in
the U.S. and/or other countries.
The NEC Solutions (America), Inc. logo, Express5800/320Ma, and the Express5800/320Ma logo, are trademarks of NEC
Solutions (America), Inc. ActiveService Network is a trademark of Stratus Technologies Bermuda, Ltd. All other
trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

Contents iii
Contents
Preface xi
1. Introduction to System Administration 1-1
System Administration Tools 1-1
Active Upgrade 1-1
ftServer Management Console 1-2
Software Availability Manager 1-2
ActiveService Network 1-2
Virtual Technician Module 1-3
VTM Console 1-3
Disk-Management Tools 1-4
System Software Features 1-4
Fail-Safe Software 1-4
Services 1-4
Open Driver Architecture 1-4
Rapid Disk Resync Disk Mirroring 1-5
Initial Configuration 1-6
Documentation 1-6
Express5800/320Ma Help System 1-6
Windows Documentation 1-7
2. Operating and Monitoring Your System 2-1
System Startup and Shutdown 2-1
Enabling the System Power Button 2-2
Managing CPU Element Resynchronization 2-3
Managing CPU Element Bringup 2-3
Connecting Serial Port 1 to the Modem 2-4
Controlling the Modem 2-5
Remote Access to Your System Desktop 2-5
Remote Desktop 2-5
Running ftSMC Remotely 2-6
Using VTM Console 2-6
Using the VTM 2-6

Contents
iv Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
Setting Up a VTM Administrator Account 2-6
Configuring VTM Administrator Email Paging 2-7
Configuring the SMTP and SNMP Settings 2-7
Setting Paging-Severity Levels 2-8
Windows System Event Logs 2-8
Setting the Size of Event Log Files 2-9
Archiving Event Log Files 2-9
Monitoring Stratus Services 2-9
BIOS Settings 2-10
Determining the BIOS Version 2-10
Enabling IMAPI for Writing to CDs 2-10
Floppy Disk Drive Volume Letter 2-11
Serial Ports 2-11
Uninterruptible Power Supplies 2-12
System Shutdown with UPS Battery Rundown 2-12
Changing the IP Address of Systems with a UPS 2-12
SNMP Traps 2-13
Installing Hotfixes and Security Updates 2-13
Important Things to Avoid 2-14
3. ftServer Management Console 3-1
CPU and I/O Enclosures and Elements 3-1
ftSMC Overview 3-2
Running ftSMC 3-2
Running ftSMC Directly on Your Express5800/320Ma
System 3-2
Running ftSMC on a Remote Computer 3-3
Adding the ftServer Management Console Snap-in to
MMC 3-3
Virtual Modems 3-4
Using VTMs to Troubleshoot Systems 3-5
Determining the Value of the Send Alarms
By Property 3-6
Opening a Previously Saved MMC Console 3-6
Running ftSMC by Remote Access 3-6
Performing ftSMC Tasks 3-6
ftSMC Interface 3-6
Details Pane 3-8
Icons Used in ftSMC 3-9
Refreshing the ftSMC Display 3-11
Viewing and Changing Properties 3-12
Required Operational States for Commands 3-13

Contents
Contents v
4. Disk Storage Management 4-1
Data Fault Tolerance 4-1
Guidelines for System Disks 4-2
Using RDR for Fault Tolerance 4-2
Automatic Virtual Disk Expansion 4-3
Managing RDR Disks 4-4
Notes on Using RDR to Mirror Disks in Internal Storage 4-5
Disk Failures during Resynchronization 4-5
Write Caching 4-6
Read-load Balancing 4-6
Mirroring Dynamic Disks with RDR 4-10
Setting the Active RDR Disk (Plex) 4-10
Deleting the RDR Configuration on a Physical Disk 4-11
Removing a Physical Disk from an RDR Virtual Disk 4-12
Deporting a Physical Disk from an RDR Virtual Disk 4-13
Creating a Spare Bootable RDR Disk 4-14
Breaking a Physical Disk from an RDR Virtual Disk 4-14
Setting or Clearing the MTBF for Disks 4-15
Setting the MTBF Faultcount Limit for Disks 4-15
Booting a System with a Backup RDR Boot Disk 4-16
Reusing Data Disks 4-16
Reusing a Stored-Data Disk 4-16
Removing the RDR Configuration from a
Stored-Data Disk 4-16
Resynchronizing RDR Disks 4-17
Resynchronizing a Backup Boot RDR Disk 4-18
Recovering and Replacing RDR Disks 4-18
Verifying RDR Disks 4-19
Configuring the Priority of RDR Virtual Disk
Resynchronization 4-20
Using Volume Mirroring for Fault Tolerance 4-20
Mirrored Volume Resynchronization 4-21
Volume Resynchronization After Rebooting 4-21
Inserting or Removing More Than One Disk at a Time 4-22
ftSMC Interface for Storage Enclosures and Subsystems 4-22
Storage Enclosure Node 4-23
Slot Node 4-23
Disk Node 4-23
Sensor Nodes 4-23
EMC Attached Storage 4-24
Mirroring Disks in Your Express5800/320Ma System 4-24
Mirroring Disks in Internal Storage 4-25
Configuring and Creating RDR Disks 4-25

Contents
vi Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
Finding a Physical Disk 4-25
Finding an Internal Physical Disk 4-25
Finding an External Physical Disk 4-27
5. Troubleshooting 5-1
MTBF Statistics 5-1
Clearing the MTBF 5-2
Changing the MTBF Threshold 5-2
Taking Components Offline and Bringing Them Online 5-2
Hard Disks 5-2
Recovering a Disk 5-2
Replacing a Failed Disk in Windows Disk Management 5-3
Replacing a Failed Disk with an Uninitialized Disk 5-4
Replacing a Failed Disk with an Initialized Disk 5-4
Hardware Installation Wizard 5-5
Determining That a Component Has Failed 5-5
Using LEDs to Troubleshoot Hardware 5-5
Using ftSMC to Troubleshoot Hardware 5-5
Locating Components 5-6
Device IDs and Device Paths 5-6
Diagrams of Component Locations 5-8
System Elements and Internal Storage Disk Locations 5-8
When Windows Does Not Respond 5-9
Delayed System Restart 5-9
Unresponsive Mouse and Keyboard 5-10
Remote Event Notification and Service 5-10
Remote Reporting of Events 5-10
Autonomous Call Home 5-10
System Inventory Reports 5-10
SNMP Traps 5-10
Event-Log Entries 5-11
Remote Service 5-11
Making Dump Files 5-11
Using the Dump Button 5-12
System Memory Dumps 5-12
Dump and Go 5-13
Online Diagnostic Codes 5-13
Disaster Recovery 5-14
Safe Mode 5-14
Booting From a Spare System Disk 5-14
WinPE 5-15
Windows Hotfixes Distributed by
NEC Solutions (America), Inc. 5-15

Contents
Contents vii
Appendix A. Advanced Topics A-1
Disabling Hyperthreading A-1
Using Windows Headless Mode and Console Redirection A-2
Security Configuration Wizard A-2
Appendix B. Online Diagnostic Codes B-1
Online Diagnostic Test Codes B-1
CPU Diagnostic Test Codes B-1
I2C Bus Diagnostic Test Codes B-3
Primary I/O Element Diagnostic Test Codes B-4
Secondary I/O Element Diagnostic Test Codes B-10
Index Index-1

viii Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
Figures
Figure 3-1. ftSMC Tree 3-4
Figure 3-2. Virtual Modems 3-5
Figure 3-3. ftSMC User Interface 3-7
Figure 3-4. Details Pane 3-8
Figure 3-5. System Inventory Icons 3-9
Figure 3-6. Simplexed Icon for Invalid Configuration 3-10
Figure 3-7. Warning and Error Icons 3-10
Figure 3-8. Warning and Inventory Error Icons 3-11
Figure 3-9. Threshold Warning Icon 3-11
Figure 3-10. ftSMC Details Pane Refresh Options 3-12
Figure 3-11. Properties Command in Shortcut Menu 3-12
Figure 4-1. Mirroring RDR Virtual Disks 4-8
Figure 5-1. Warning and Error Icons 5-6
Figure 5-2. Component Levels 5-7
Figure 5-3. CPU-I/O Enclosure, and Disk Slot Labeling 5-9

Tables ix
Tables
Table 3-1. ftSMC User Interface Key Elements 3-7
Table 3-2. ftSMC Warning and Error Icons 3-10
Table 3-3. Operational State for Associated Commands 3-13
Table 4-1. RDR Disk Numbering 4-7
Table 4-2. FC Host Bus Adapter State and Reason Property Values 4-24
Table 5-1. System Devices and Device IDs 5-7

Tables
xExpress5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide

Preface xi
Preface
Purpose of This Manual
The Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide documents tasks and
information for system administrators of Express5800/320Ma systems.
Audience
This manual is intended for anyone who administers or troubleshoots
Express5800/320Ma systems.
Notation Conventions
This document uses the notation conventions described in this section.
Warnings, Cautions, and Notes
Warnings, cautions, and notes provide special information and have the following
meanings:
WARNING
!A warning indicates a situation where failure to take
oravoid a specified actioncouldcausebodily harmor
loss of life.
CAUTION
!A caution indicates a situation where failure to take or
avoidaspecified action coulddamagea hardware device,
program, system, or data.
NOTE
Anoteprovidesimportantinformationabouttheoperation
of an Express5800/320Ma system.
Typographical Conventions
The following typographical conventions are used in ftServer documents:

Preface
xii Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
•The bold font emphasizes words in text or indicates text that you type, the name of
a screen object, or the name of a programming element. For example:
Before handling or replacing system components, make sure that you are
properly grounded by using a grounded wrist strap.
In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab.
Call the RegisterDeviceNotification function.
•Theitalic fontintroducesnew terms andindicatesprogrammingand command-line
arguments that the user defines. For example:
Many hardware components are customer-replaceable units (CRUs), which
can be replaced on-site by system administrators with minimal training or tools.
copy filename1 filename2
Pass a pointer for the NotificationFilter parameter
•The monospace font indicates sample program code and output, including
message text. For example:
#include <iostream.h>
The operation completed successfully.
Getting Help
If you have a technical question about Express5800/320Ma hardware or software, try
these online resources first:
•Online support from NEC Technical Support. You can find the latest technical
information about an Express5800/320Ma through online product support at the
NEC Technical Support Web site:
http://support.necsam.com/servers/
•Online product support for Microsoft®products. Your primary source for
support is the computer manufacturer who provided your software, or an
authorized Microsoft Support Provider. You can also find the latest technical
informationaboutMicrosoftWindows®andotherMicrosoftproductsthroughonline
product support at the Microsoft Help and Support Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/
If you are unable to resolve your questions with the help available at these online sites,
and the Express5800/320Ma system is covered by a service agreement, please
contact NEC Technical Support (866-269-1239).

Preface
Preface xiii
Notices
•All regulatory notices are provided in the site planning guide for your system.
•Although this guide documents modem functionality, modems are not available for
all systems. Ask your sales representative about modem availability.
•ActiveService Network (ASN) is not currently available, but may be ordered in the
future.

Preface
xiv Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide

Introduction to System Administration 1-1
Chapter 1
Introduction to System Administration1-
The following topics provide an introduction to Express5800/320Ma system
administration.
•“System Administration Tools” on page 1-1
•“System Software Features” on page 1-4
•“Initial Configuration” on page 1-6
•“Documentation” on page 1-6
•“Windows Documentation” on page 1-7
Features of Express5800/320Ma system software further support system
fault-tolerance for properly configured systems.
If you have a service contract, NEC Solutions (America), Inc. or an authorized service
representative provides continuous, remote, system monitoring and diagnosis for
ActiveService Network (ASN) management.
Disk-management tools are also available on your Express5800/320Ma system.
System Administration Tools
System administration tools enable you to monitor system performance and
system-component status, diagnose errors, and identify failed components. Using the
tools, you can take failed components offline and put replacement components online.
These features include Active Upgrade, ftServer Management Console, Software
Availability Manager (SAM), ActiveService Network (ASN), Virtual Technician Module
(VTM), the VTM console, and disk-management tools.
Active Upgrade
Optional Active Upgrade™ technology enables you to upgrade your
Express5800/320Ma system and application software with minimal downtime.
Insteadoftakingyoursystem offlinetorunupgradeprocedures,youcan usetheActive
Upgrade process to split the system into two independently-running systems, one

System Administration Tools
1-2 Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
“side” of which you upgrade while the other side continues to run your applications
without interruption. See the Express5800/320Ma: Active Upgrade User’s Guide or the
Active Upgrade online help for more information.
To use Active Upgrade, your system requires a VTM.
ftServer Management Console
The ftServer Management Console (ftSMC) is a graphical user interface that enables
you to monitor and manage your system’s fault-tolerant software and hardware. See
Chapter 3 for details.
Software Availability Manager
The Software Availability Manager (SAM) performs predictive software availability
management. SAM monitors system activity to predict possible software failures and
to alert you to take action. SAM is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in
supplied by NEC Solutions (America), Inc.
See the Express5800/320Ma Software Availability Manager User’s Guide for complete
information.
ActiveService Network
Your Express5800/320Ma systems offers an optional, secure network, the
ActiveServiceNetwork (ASN). ASNenablesNECTechnicalSupportoryourauthorized
service representative to provide remote monitoring, diagnosis, troubleshooting, and
problem-resolution services to your systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Access to
the ASN requires a service contract with NEC Solutions (America), Inc. or an
authorized service representative and is implemented across a modem or over the
Internet.
Having ASN connectivity enables:
•Your system to send alerts (call-home alarm messages) to NEC Technical Support
or your authorized service representative when unusual events occur on the
system
•NEC Technical Support or your authorized service representative to access the
system through a connection to the ASN
Your system can connect to the ASN through:
•A modem connected to the system
•The VTM or an ftGateway system (a system configured as a gateway for ASN
connectivity)
•The Internet

System Administration Tools
Introduction to System Administration 1-3
Internet-based ASN connects over a secure path to your authorized service
representative. Internet-based ASN does not support ftGateway.
After verifying a hardware problem, your authorized service representative can send
out a replacement CRU.
See the Express5800/320Ma ActiveService Network Configuration Guide for more
information.
Virtual Technician Module
The Virtual Technician Module (VTM) is a system-management module supported on
your Express5800/320Ma system. VTMs provide remote-management capabilities
using the VTM console (a Web-based console), including:
•Advanced Video Redirection (AVR)
•Access to attached storage
•Diagnosis of a system that is without power
•Power-cycling of a system
VTM is required for the use of Active Upgrade.
AVR enables you to manage thehost computerremotely over the Web-based console.
Using AVR, you can view the remote system desktop and redirect its local keyboard
and mouse.
VTM supports Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). DHCP dynamically
assigns IP addresses to the VTMs, and also supports static IP addresses. The two
VTMs on each VTM-equipped system require a total of four IP addresses.
VTM Console
The VTM console is the Web-based interface for systems that support VTM. The VTM
console enables you, NEC Technical Support, or your authorized service
representative to control, monitor, and diagnose the system. You can access the VTM
console over a LAN or modem.
Because the VTM console is Web-based, you can use it in a Web browser from any
location. You can use the VTM console even if the host system’s operating system is
out of operation and its network connections are lost.

System Software Features
1-4 Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
Disk-Management Tools
Disk-managementtools enable you to monitor disk status, mirror entire physical disks,
create logical volumes, mirror volumes across multiple disks, and perform other
data-storageoperations.For information,seeChapter 4and theWindows Server2003
documentation.
See also “Rapid Disk Resync Disk Mirroring” on page 1-5.
System Software Features
Express5800/320Ma System Software has features designed to support fault-tolerant
operation and high availability. These features include fault-tolerant, fail-safe software,
services, open architecture drivers, and Rapid Disk Resync disk mirroring.
Fail-Safe Software
Express5800/320Ma System Software works in conjunction with lockstep technology
to prevent many software errors. Fail-safe software features capture issues and report
them to NEC Technical Support or your authorized service representative. Even data
in memory can be constantly protected and maintained.
NEC Solutions (America), Inc. also provides drivers that increase the fault tolerance
and manageability of third-party drivers for other adapters in the system.
Services
NECSolutions (America), Inc. provides software fault-tolerantservices thatrunon your
system as Windows-based services. These services constantly monitor for, and
respond to, hardware problems. Applications do not need customization to support the
services.
These services start automatically when the system boots and remain running during
normal operation. If a situation requires system administrator intervention, you can use
Computer Management to manually start and stop system services. See “Monitoring
Stratus Services” on page 2-9 for details.
See the Express5800/320Ma: Technical Reference Guide for descriptions of the
Stratus services.
Open Driver Architecture
Your Express5800/320Ma system supports both vendor-supplied drivers and
NEC-supplied drivers for PCI adapters. For PCI adapters that you supply, your
Express5800/320Ma system supports vendor-supplied drivers. For PCI adapters that
NECSolutions(America), Inc.provides,NEC Solutions(America),Inc.suppliesdrivers
that it has enhanced with support for surprise removal.

System Software Features
Introduction to System Administration 1-5
In addition, your Express5800/320Ma system uses other drivers developed by NEC
Solutions (America), Inc. These drivers allow the system and all PCI devices to
integrate with the ASN, and provide management of all system devices and device
fault-tolerance.
ASN integration provides:
•Automatic reporting of device failures to the NEC Technical Support
•Notification to you by the NEC Technical Support when a device fails
•Inventory reporting to the NEC Technical Support that lists all PCI devices in the
system
•Comprehensive debug information about all devices in the system for use by the
NEC Technical Support in troubleshooting your system
Management of PCI devices includes:
•On your Express5800/320Ma system, hot-plug support alerts the plug-and-play
manager to bring a device into service or take it out of service. You can initiate
bring-up or bring-down from ftSMC. Hot-plug support also initiates discovery of
newly attached or removed devices.
NOTE
You must remove the CPU-I⁄O enclosure from the
system in order to remove a PCI adapter.
•Display of information so that you know whether removing a device will
compromise the system. The drivers can set LEDs and values in ftSMC that let you
know whether you can safely remove a component.
•Display of information about the device in ftSMC.
Device fault-tolerance includes:
•Automatic restart of failed devices. The device will be restarted after transient
faults, until it falls below its mean-time-between faults (MTBF) threshold.
•Tracking the MTBF of a device and management of the device when it experiences
faults. You can set parameters to take the device out of service when the device
experiences an unacceptable MTBF. You can configure the rules for MTBF
management.
Rapid Disk Resync Disk Mirroring
Rapid Disk Resync (RDR) disk-mirroring technology provides faster resynchronization
of mirrored disks than other mirroring methods after transient failures or when a single

Initial Configuration
1-6 Express5800/320Ma: System Administrator’s Guide
disk is briefly removed from service. For optimal performance, use RDR to mirror disks
in internal storage.
Initial Configuration
Configure the following items before you use your system:
•System Software. See the Express5800/320Ma: Software Installation and
Configuration Guide for software installation and configuration details.
•Disk storage. Create a backup system disk and mirror the disks in your system. If
you are implementing RDR disk mirroring, see the Express5800/320Ma: Software
Installation and Configuration Guide for details. If you are implementing volume
mirroring, see your disk-management tool documentation.
•Network connections. Configure Ethernet adapters in teams to achieve
increased throughputand faulttolerance.In ateam, oneadapterisprimary andthe
other adapters in the team are secondary. See the Express5800/320Ma: Software
Installation and Configuration Guide and the Express5800/320Ma: PCI Adapter
Guide for details about configuring Ethernet adapter teams.
•Uninterruptible power supply. See your system’s hardware installation guide for
information about connecting a UPS to a system. See the Express5800/320Ma:
Software Installation and Configuration Guide for information about how to
configure a UPS for use with your system.
Documentation
The Express5800/320Ma: Site Planning Guide provides lists of Express5800/320Ma
system documentation. You can find additional information in the online Help system.
Express5800/320Ma Help System
The Express5800/320Ma Help system consists of the following:
•General Help. You can access this help from the Help button on an application’s
menu bar, or by pressing F1.
•Context-Sensitive Help. This help is available for certain items within
help-enabled applications (such as the ftSMC snap-in). To access this help, select
an icon in the ftSMC system inventory tree and press F1. Alternatively, right-click
an ftSMC system inventory tree icon, and in the shortcut menu, click Help.
•What’s This? Help for ftSMC. This help is available for items in the details pane
of the ftSMC snap-in. To access this help, right-click the question mark (?) icon in
front of the item, and in the shortcut menu, click What’s this?. See Figure 3-4 for
an example. This help is also available from certain dialog boxes having the
What’s this? help icon (?) in their upper-right corner. For example, in a Properties