how do you determine the "uptime" on a dec switch 900 EF module

[jon delieu]

Christ if anyone knows the answer to this ill email you a beer.

We have a dec 900 chassis with a dec 900 EF module and a dec 900 TP module with a load of ports mapped to 3 ethernets on the 900 EF module.

I suspect this card may have reset causing us some problems. I need to prove this.

How do you connect a console onto this system through the console port?? or is there anyway to get this uptime info from the back plain console port (some menu driven thing), or perhaps using clearn visn application which I can hook up to the AUI port on the 900 ef blade???

pls help.. give full details start to finish im a bit thick.

[Colin Butcher · Accepted solution]

I assume that you mean a DECswitch 900EF and a PortSwitch 900TP. My guess is that you had those configured to put several (3) 'rails' down the backplane and had blocks of ports in the portswitch connected to each backplane rail.

What kind of problems are you seeing? What do the lights show? What does the DEChub 900 display say for each occupied slot?

clearVisn is the tool you use to configure the backplane rails and to connect the port blocks. There's clearVisn V3 (web browser based) for the later VNswitch modules with fast ethernet. There's clearVisn V2.x for the older modules. I assume that you've got clearVisn on a laptop someplace.

You need to have the DEChub 900 chassis set up with an IP address for in-band management. You also need to set in-band management IP addresses for the modules. You might want to check that they're all at the latest known firmware too.

Connect to the serial port on the DEChub 900 with a MMJ to 9pin at the laptop end and a MMJ to RJ45 adapter at the DEChub end. Set it to the standard 9k6 8bit no parity and you should get a menu appear where you can set up the hub and the modules.

Having done all that you should then be able to connect to the DEChub 900 with clearVisn (I'd probably use V2.x at this stage - depends which you're licensed for) and extract the current configuration with the multiChassis manager application.

You should be able to find the relevant manuals out there on the web. If not then try here: http://www.dnpg.com/tech_documentation.asp under the "Legacy Products" heading and if that fails then ask here: http://www.digitalnetworks.net/tech_firmware.asp

You might find this useful too: http://www.hpug.xdelta.co.uk/index.html#hpug2001 - it's a discussion of clearVisn V3.1

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

If you don't have clearvisn, a tcp snmp dump may give you the info.

mc tcpip$snmp_request xxx public getnext -l -w 9 1.3.6

where xxx is the ip of the hub900, public the snmp password.

And here is the doc of the output
http://carsten.familie-doh.de/mibtree/dec-hub900.html

Not simple ...

Wim

[Colin Butcher]

Another thought - the serial port redirect in the DEChub 900 will get you to the slot containing the DECswitch 900EF. That may get you to the "local console" for the DECswitch - which may just be able to give you the information you're hoping for at a command line interface.

If you're really stuck and want to play offline I happen to have at least one of each of these somewhere in my lab store.

[jon delieu]

Yes the config for the chassis and cards is all set up on clear visn.

I can connect clearvisn to the port 7 on the 900 EF switch module.

We dont have latest firmware but thats not the problem.

What the guy said about getting the local> prompt up for the switch is what I need.

Once I get that local prompt I think I can do like a show server which give uptime.

How do I connect to the switch module to get a local prompt??? I know about the terminal emulator settings its more the cabel type I need thats the problem.

Or if I use clear visn (v2 we use) How can I find the uptime from multi chassis manager pls.

[BR878588]

>>>Yes the config for the chassis and cards is all set up on clear visn.

The configuration is set up by clearVisn and is stored in the DEChub 900 chassis (and the modules in some cases). You can also save it to a file on a PC running clearVisn.

>>>I can connect clearvisn to the port 7 on the 900 EF switch module.

Presumably you mean that the ethernet RJ45 patch cable from your laptop 'works' when connected to port 7 of the DECswitch 900EF anf that you can connect between them using TCP/IP. OK.

>>>We dont have latest firmware but thats not the problem.

Maybe true, may be important.

>>> What the guy said about getting the local> prompt up for the switch is what I need.

What guy? You get to the local console for the DECswitch 900EF via the redirect menu on the DEChub900 after connecting via the DEChub 900 RJ45 socket serial port on the top front of the chassis. Alternatively you can Telnet to the DECswitch 900EF in-band management IP address which you've set up via the DEChub 900 serial port using redirect mode to get to the slot containing the target DECswitch 900EF.

>>>Once I get that local prompt I think I can do like a show server which give uptime.

Read the relevant DECswitch 900EF manual for the correct syntax. See the Digital Networks legacy products section (URL above).

>>>How do I connect to the switch module to get a local prompt??? I know about the terminal emulator settings its more the cabel type I need thats the problem.

RJ45 connection into socket on the front of the DEChub900. Use MMJ to RJ45 adapter at DEChb end and 9pin to MMJ adapter at laptop end.

>>>Or if I use clear visn (v2 we use) How can I find the uptime from multi chassis manager pls.

Look at the screens displaying the DEChub 900 chassis and module information. Of course, it's possible that it's not there. See the documentation at the Digital Networks legacy product section (see URL above).

[Rick Dyson]

As Colin has described, if you can connect to the DECHub900 (i.e., MultiSwitch900 these days) with ClearVISN, you should be able to see the DECSwitch900EF. For example, I have attached a screen capture for you you are looking for.

I do not believe there is a "Local>" prompt on a DS900EF. That would be the DS900TM serial terminal server blade where you can then enter "Show Server". Complete different beasts.

rick

[jon delieu]

thanks so much guys.

Its all sorted. we did a terminal into the 900 backplain menu. then option 9 redirect. Then another sub menu option to examine the slot.

this gave us the uptime of the blade.

cheers for such solid advice on this old kit.

[Ian Miller.]

Jon, now see
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33