HP Secure web console and serial port

[Stephanie L Davenport]

I have two issues. I am the new (and only) UNIX admin at my company and there is an L class server that had the hard drive die a few years ago (the root drives were NOT mirrored). They shut the machine down and didn't bother to replace the drive.

So, I have two major issues.

1) I could not log into the web console since noone knows what the root password is and there is no documentation. I have reset it but, can't actually reach it to reconfigure since the server is not up and running. Does anyone know a way around this? I reset the webconsole and now cannot even ping the IP (which is obvious since I reset it). Is there another way to access the web console?

2) I cannot get the serial connection to work with a dumb terminal. No matter what I've tried (even a serial connection to my laptop using hyperterm), I can not get to the GSP. When I power on the machine, I get lights in the front (including the attention and fault lights) but, an unable to access anything. I was under the impression that even if the hard drive is dead, you should be able to reach the GSP. Am I correct?

Please help!

Steph

[Torsten.]

Yes, you should get the GSP prompt if power is supplied, even if the power switch is set to off.

You will need access to the console to reset the GSP (password).

The default serial speed is 9600, use a null modem cable.

[Matti_Kurkela · Accepted solution]

An L class, shutdown (but maybe power still connected) for a long time?

The GSP probably has old firmware, which causes it to hang from time to time. There are two possible ways to clear the hang:

1.) open the server's right side panel, and press the "GSP Reset" button near the edge of the GSP card (2nd slot from the bottom)

2.) pull all the power cords out of the server, so that the server is completely without power. Wait for 30 seconds or so. Then reconnect the power cords and check the diagnostic LEDs of the GSP card. After a while, they should stabilize to "normal" indication (as described in decals on the back of the server).

To connect to the GSP, you need the short "W"-cable: it has one D25 connector that is plugged to the GSP card, and three D9 connectors marked "Console", "Remote" and "UPS". The "Console" connector is what you need for direct connection to a dumb terminal.

If this helps, you might want to upgrade the GSP firmware to prevent future GSP hangs.
First check the GSP type on your server: on L-class there may be two different types of GSP.

If the "W-cable" is black, the GSP is type B, otherwise it is type A.
To check the GSP type and firmware level, connect to GSP, press Ctrl-B and type HE (help) at the GSP command prompt. The first line of the help text will display the GSP firmware version, which is something like A.nn.nn or B.nn.nn. The letter tells the GSP type. The current versions are A.01.13 and B.02.20, if I recall correctly.

Search for "GSP firmware" on ITRC firmware patch area. Read carefully the installation instructions of the patch: you need to connect the GSP to network and to have the patch files available on a FTP server.

[Bill Hassell]

Make sure you are using a printer cable from the W-shaped cable to your laptop. A printer cable is also know as a null-modem or crossover cable. Set Hyperterminal to 9600 baud and press CTRL-B to switch from the console path to the GSP path. You should then see the GSP prompt. But until you replace the bad disk, the box can't do much except boot to the first menu (interrupt the boot process...). If you replace the bad disk, you can then insert the Core HP-UX CD or DVD and reinstall the server. If the disk is not totally dead, you might be able to boot the system into single user mode, edit the password and perhaps save any files that are needed.

The web console is sometimes more trouble than it is worth since you can connect a network cable to the LAN console port and get the same functionality. Note that you'll need to use the GSP path to set the LAN console values (IP address, subnet, router, etc).