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Diagnostic Service

Dell OpenManage™ Server Administrator Version 1.4 User's Guide

  Overview

  Diagnostics Test Modules

  Other Diagnostic Service Features

  Configuring the Diagnostic Service

  Running Diagnostics

  Scheduling Diagnostics

Overview

NOTE: You must have Admin or Power User privileges in Server Administrator to run diagnostics tests through the Diagnostic Service.

The Server Administrator Diagnostic Service is a suite of diagnostic programs, or test modules, that run locally on your system or remotely on a system connected to a network. You select diagnostics tests to run from a hierarchical menu representing the hardware that Server Administrator discovers on your system. You can select tests for various parts of a system and run them simultaneously or sequentially in a single session. You can view results for each individually selected test or hardware component.

The Diagnostic Service is engineered to diagnose problems on individual systems. It does not address problems that arise on the network level, unless the problem resides with a NIC on a single system.

NOTE: The Diagnostic Service runs concurrently with all other applications running on the system under test. Running these diagnostics causes significant additional system load that will impact the performance of your system and all running applications. If you are running critical applications that require rapid response or consume significant system resources, take the appropriate precautions before running these diagnostics. Close all nonessential applications and only run diagnostics during nonpeak hours of system use.

NOTE: The Diagnostic Service is not supported on Novell® NetWare® operating systems.

See the Server Administrator Command Line Interface User's Guide for information about running the Diagnostic Service from the command line.

When using the Diagnostic Service, you can click Help on the global navigation bar for more detailed information about the specific window you are viewing. Diagnostic Service help is available for all diagnostics tests that can be run for the device groups that Server Administrator discovers on your system.

Diagnostics Test Modules

The Diagnostic Service offers testing modules for the following system components (the names of the actual tests may differ from these component names):

• Adaptec RAID controller
  
  
• LSI (formally AMI) RAID controller
  
  
• CPU (microprocessor)
  
  
• Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
  
  
• DVD/CD drive
  
  
• CD-RW drive
  
  
• Diskette drive
  
  
• Hard drive
  
  
• LS-120/240 diskette drive
  
  
• Memory
  
  
• Modem
  
  
• NIC
  
  
• Parallel port
  
  
• PCI bus
  
  
• SCSI controller
  
  
• Serial port
  
  
• Tape drive
  
  
• USB
  
  
• Video
  
  

Other Diagnostic Service Features

In addition to enabling you to run the tests listed in "Diagnostics Test Modules," the Diagnostic Service offers the following features:

• Diagnostic Result History
  
  

This feature enables you to view the result history log file. This log file contains a record of the results of previously run diagnostics tests.

To access this feature, click Diagnostics, and then click Result History.

• Hardware Configuration Changes
  
  

This feature enables you to view changes that have occurred to the testable devices on your system since the system was rebooted or since the secure port server was restarted. It reports the following two types of changes:

• Changes in the operational status of a device, such as a hard drive that has become inaccessible
  
  

NOTE: The hardware scanning function that generates this report occurs only during system boot or secure port server restart and scans only those devices that can be tested through the Diagnostic Service.

To access this feature, click Diagnostics, and then click Configuration Changes.

• Hardware Configuration Change History
  
  

This feature enables you to view a log file that contains a history of hardware configuration changes.

NOTE: The hardware scanning function that generates this report occurs only during system boot or secure port server restart and scans only those devices that can be tested through the Diagnostic Service.

To access this feature, click Diagnostics, and then click Configuration History.

• Diagnostic Scheduler
  
  

This feature enables you to select diagnostics tests to run at specific times. The general task flow for scheduling diagnostics tests is shown near the top of the window as follows: Select Date and Time® Select Tests® Submit Selection. Clicking each of the three tasks takes you to the controls that enable you to accomplish that task.

To access this feature, click Diagnostics, and then click Schedule. For more information on configuring this feature, see "Scheduling Diagnostics."

Configuring the Diagnostic Service

The Diagnostic Service enables you to set preferential options for running diagnostics tests. To set the preferential options in the Diagnostic Service, perform the following steps:

1. In the Server Administrator home page, click the Diagnostics tab, and then click Settings.
   
   
2. In the Application Settings window, set the options as desired.
   
   

The following are the controls on the Applications Settings window and descriptions of how to use them:

• Select the Show Application Warning Message check box to enable the Diagnostic Warning page to be displayed at the beginning of a Diagnostic Service session.
  
  
• Select the Show Test Warning Messages check box to enable warning messages to be displayed before running certain resource-intensive tests, such as CPU or memory tests.
  
  
• The Logfile lists the log files currently available on your system.
  
  
• The Maximum File Size specifies the largest file size in MB for a log file. If the file grows beyond this limit, the Diagnostic Service purges old log file entries, starting with the earliest entry, until the file conforms to the specified limit.
  
  

3. When you finish setting options in the Application Settings window, click Apply Changes.
   
   
4. Click View on the Diagnostics tab menu.
   
   

If you see the Diagnostic Warning window, continue with this step; otherwise, proceed to step 5.

1. Read the warning message.
   
   
2. If you do not want this message to display in subsequent sessions, select Disable this message in the future.
   
   
3. Click Continue.
   
   

5. In the Diagnostic Selection window, click Advanced.
   
   
6. In the Advanced Settings window, set the options.
   
   

The following are the controls on the Advanced Settings window and descriptions of how to use them:

• Click Halt On Error to stop the tests if a test detects an error.
  
  
• Click Run Simultaneously to enable tests to run at the same time rather than sequentially.
  
  
• Quick Test is set by default. The Quick Test mode uses a faster algorithm to conduct the test, if one is available for the specified test. If errors are not reported after running in Quick Test mode and you believe the hardware tested still has problems, it is recommended that you deselect Quick Test and run the same test.
  
  
• Click Number of Passes to specify the number of times that you want tests to run.
  
  

NOTE: You can override this setting using the Minimum Time and Maximum Time settings.

• Click Minimum Time to specify the minimum amount of time in minutes that you want to allow tests to run. This time is the minimum amount of time allowed for all selected tests, not the minimum time allowed for each test.
  
  

NOTE: The Minimum Time setting overrides the Number of Passes setting.

• Click Maximum Time to specify the maximum amount of time in minutes that you want to allow tests to run. Tests running over this amount of time are aborted. This time is the maximum amount of time allowed for all selected tests, not the maximum time allowed for each test.
  
  

NOTE: The Maximum Time setting overrides the Number of Passes setting.

• Click Go Back to Selection Page to return to the Diagnostic Selection window.
  
  
• Click Apply Changes to commit the changes you have made to the Advanced Settings.
  
  

7. When finished setting options in the Advanced Settings window, click Apply Changes. If you have made no changes or want to return to the Diagnostic Selection window without saving changes, click Go Back To Selection Page.
   
   

Running Diagnostics

1. In the Server Administrator main window, click the Diagnostics tab, and then click View (if this takes you to the Diagnostic Results window instead of the Diagnostic Selection window, click Go Back To Selection Page).
   
   
2. In the Diagnostic Selection window, select the tests you want to run.
   
   

The following are the controls on the Diagnostic Selection window and descriptions of how to use them:

• Click Run Tests to run the diagnostics tests listed under Diagnostics Selected To Run in the order they are listed.
  
  
• Click Advanced to open the Advanced Settings window. See "Configuring the Diagnostic Service" for information on configuring advanced settings.
  
  
• Select the View By Device radio button to sort the list of tests by the device tested and then by the test name. To view the tests that pertain to a particular device, click the (plus) icon to the left of the device name.
  
  
• To get information about the particular device tested by a particular test, move the mouse pointer over the (information) icon.
  
  
• Select the View By Test radio button to sort the list of tests by the test name. To view the individual subtests that comprise a particular diagnostics test, click the (plus) icon to the left of the test name. To get information about the device tested by a particular test, move the mouse pointer over the (information) icon.
  
  
• Select a check box to add the corresponding test(s) to the test queue listed under Diagnostics Selected To Run. Selection check boxes are displayed to the left of a device name or test name. Move the mouse cursor over a selection check box to get information about the device.
  
  
• The Diagnostics Selected To Run window lists the currently selected diagnostics tests. Click the X icon to remove a test from the list.
  
  

3. After you have selected the tests you want to run, click Run Tests.
   
   

The Diagnostic Progress window opens and the selected tests begin to run. A progress bar indicates the percentage complete for each pass of every test. Click Abort to stop the current test and flush (empty) the test queue.

4. When the tests finish, click View Results.
   
   
5. In the Diagnostic Results window, click the (plus) icon to the left of a test heading to view detailed results of the test(s).
   
   

Scheduling Diagnostics

NOTICE: You cannot cancel Diagnostic tests executed through the Diagnostic Scheduler.

After you learn how to run diagnostics, you might want to schedule tests to run automatically.

NOTICE: You can schedule only a single group of tests to run. Scheduling a new group of tests will override a previously scheduled group of tests.

NOTE: The date and time you enter when scheduling diagnostics are validated against the date and time on the system running Server Administrator.

To schedule diagnostics to run at a specific date and time or to remove previously scheduled tests, perform the following steps:

1. In the Server Administrator home page, click the Diagnostics tab, and then click Schedule.
   
   
2. In the Diagnostic Scheduler window, the general task flow for scheduling or removing diagnostics tests is shown near the top of the window as follows:
   
   

Select Date and Time® Select Tests® Submit Selection

Clicking each of the three tasks takes you to the controls that enable you to perform that task. The following is a list of these tasks in order, the controls you use for each task, and descriptions of how to use them.

NOTE: The scheduler does not support entering dates later than December 31, 2039.

1. Select Date and Time
   
   
   • Type a time in the Start Time field to specify the time of day you want to run the selected diagnostics. Enter a number between 0 and 11 in the first field and a number between 00 and 59 in the second field. It is recommended that you always enter two digits in the second (minutes) field; prefix single-digit minutes with "0," such as "03" or "05."
     
     
   • Click AM to specify the time in the Start Time field as a morning time.
     
     
   • Click PM to specify the time in the Start Time field as an afternoon time.
     
     
   • Type a date in mm/dd/yyyy format in the Start Date field to specify the date when you want to start running the currently selected tests, or use the (calendar) button.
     
     
   • Click the (calendar) button to select the Start Date from a calendar graphic.
     
     
   • Click Run Daily to run the selected diagnostics tests every day on and after the Start Date at the Start Time.
     
     
   • Click Run Weekly to run the selected diagnostics tests on the Start Date at the Start Time, and then at weekly intervals from the Start Date at the Start Time.
     
     
   • Click Run Monthly to run the selected diagnostics tests on the Start Date at the Start Time, and then at monthly intervals from the Start Date at the Start Time.
     
     
   • Click Run Once to run the selected diagnostics tests once on the Start Date at the Start Time.
     
     
2. Select Tests
   
   
   • Click Add All to select all tests listed under Select Tests and add them to the diagnostics queue displayed under Diagnostics Scheduled To Run.
     
     
   • Click Remove All to deselect all tests listed under Select Tests and remove them from the diagnostics queue displayed under Diagnostics Scheduled To Run.
     
     
   • Click Select Tests to list the diagnostics tests available for your system. Click the check box to the left of a diagnostics test to select it; click the check box again to deselect the test. When you select a test, it is added to the diagnostics queue displayed under Diagnostics Scheduled To Run. Deselecting a test removes it from the queue.
     
     
3. Submit Selection
   
   
   • When you have selected diagnostics tests and specified a time and frequency at which to run them, click Submit to schedule the tests.
     
     
   • When you have selected diagnostics tests that you no longer want to run, click Remove to remove them from the schedule.
     
     

3. Repeat step 1 and step 2 until you have scheduled or removed all applicable tests.
   
   

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