Support Tools Manager (STM) Updated for MPE/iX 7.5
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New Hardware Support
STM provides support for the new HP e3000 PA8700 processors for the N4000s and the A500s. The software will properly identify the hardware for display by the MAP command and provide information as to the specific hardware status via the INFO and IL (Infolog) commands. The newly supported Fibre Channel Interface Card and the VA7100 disk array are also identified.
Improved Functionality
STM operates by starting a system process (aka a daemon) named DIAGMOND. This happens automatically at bootup and as the result of running the STMSTART.In previous versions, DIAG.SYS program. DIAGMOND and its child processes ran at a very high priority (13) in the A linear queue. This high priority caused some problems of competition (and hangs) for system resources between STM and the network software which STM is dependent upon. With the A.75.01 release, DIAGMOND and its child processes (CCLOGD, MEMLOGD, DIAGLOGD, etc.) now run in the B queue at priority 150. Customers should no longer utilize the various scripts provided by the HP Expert Center that provided workarounds to the resource problems by changing the queue and priority of the older versions of the STM programs. When STM is started, the software conducts a hardware mapping of the system (also when a REMAP command is issued by a user). This process may take several minutes (typically 2 to 5, but sometimes more) during which the user interface program (CSTM) will not generally be usable. Once the system mapping is complete, the continuously running system log processes of DIAGLOGD, MEMLOGD , and CCLOGD are started as child processes of DIAGMOND. These processes have been improved to use fewer system resources and to consume less CPU time. A side effect of these changes may be evident in that some commands within CSTM may report that the commands are disabled for a few seconds after exiting a command (like INFO) or utility (like LOGTOOL or an expert tool). A short wait of 5 to 15 seconds should allow the background processes to complete and the online interface of CSTM to be re-enabled.
Corrected Defects
The A.75.01 release includes code changes for over a dozen service requests that were reported against the MPE/iX 6.5 and 7.0 releases of STM. The causes of various System Aborts (1746), machine checks, and hangs have been corrected and the A.75.01 release has been more robust during testing of the MPE/iX 7.5 Release so much so that the same software has been packaged into Patches for MPE/iX 6.5 and 7.0. Some user interface changes are that the FF command within LOGTOOL no longer fails, Firmware Updates to DLTs no longer report FAILED when the updates were actually successful, Process PIM Information is now reported for the N- and A-series, and Console messages of "*** DIAGNOSTIC MONITOR ABORT FAILED" have been replaced with a more explanatory message of "STM Diagnostic Monitor already stopped".
Program Changes
The Menu version of STM (MSTM) has been removed from the product. The MSTM program added no functionality to the online diagnostics but confused users as to the product features due to the extensive HP-UX options which were not applicable to the HPe3000. Users entering MSTM.PUB.SYS will now be directed to use the command-driven CSTM.PUB.SYS. The version of the TERMDSM program which used to be available within the STM Run Utility command is no longer provided as part of STM. It was functionally identical to the standalone version of the program (TERMDSM.DIAG.SYS), which is part of the HP 32022 MPE/iX Terminal I/O product. Confusion over where to report problems and the additional support costs were deemed to be negative factors that led to the removal of the duplicate functionality.
Log files and Performance Problems
Customers should be aware that the STM product collects system information and places it into various log files. As these log files grow in size and number, system performance may be negatively impacted. Users should perform regular processes to clear or remove the many log files created by STM. The STM ResetSysActLog (RSA) command should be used regularly to clear the System Activity Log (after examining the log contents with the SAL command, of course). Several other log files may be seen under the /var/stm/logs/ directory. Users may wish to stop STM with the STMSHUT.DIAG.SYS program, purge various files within these directories, and restart STM with the STMSTART.DIAG.SYS program. This might be performed as part of the Full Backup on a monthly basis. Special care should be taken not to purge historical logs that may provide critical hardware information such as the files under /var/stm/logs/os/ of memlog and log<nnnn>.raw.cur. Users may wish to examine the switch-threshold value in the /var/stm/config/sys/diaglogd.cfg file. Users should determine how fast the log files grow and choose a switch-threshold value that is appropriate for their system. Large files may cause backup delays and poor system performance. To avoid delays and reduced performance, consider enabling a appropriate switch-threshold with a choice of 1000 to 16000 depending on your system.
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