After a connection to the L2 controller, a variation of the following prompt appears, indicating that the L2 is ready to accept commands:

L2> 

When a system is partitioned, the L2 supports targeting a command to a single partition. To set the destination to a single partition preceed the targeting information with the “partition <number>”, such as partition 1. This sets the default destination to all bricks in partition 1.

Another option is to the use L2 controller select partition <number> command, such as the following:

L2> select partition 1

This sets the default destination to all the bricks in partition 1 and also selects the correct system console for partition 1, used when the L2 controller is put in system console mode.

The L2 controller provides a fail-safe mechanism for certain commands that could produce undesirable results when you try to apply certain commands to a partition.

Command Interpretation

Some L2 commands are the same as the L1 commands. In many cases, this is intentional because the L2 provides sequencing that is necessary for a command to function correctly.

When L1 and L2 commands are similar, you can assure that an L1 command is entered for the bricks in the current destination by preceding <L1 command> with the L1 command (this is a one-time destination), as follows:

L2> r 2-4,7 l1 <L1 command> 

The following are common subchannels associated with console communications on an SGI Altix system:

On blade-based systems, the numeric part of the console descriptor refers to the blade slot, on non-blade based systems, it refers to the node. (There is only one node on a compute blade which is node 0.) The alphabetic portion refers to the CPU index which can be A, B, C, or D or “console” which identifies the appropriate CPU to receive console input.

^[1]

To select a subchannel as the current subchannel, for a specific node/blade and CPU, perform the following:

L2> select sub 0a

or

L2> select sub 0c

or

L2> select sub 2a

and so on.

---

Note: Under normal conditions, it is not necessary to manually select a system console beyond selecting a partition on a partitioned system. The following instructions would be required in a debugging environment. To restore the console to the default value, use the select reset command.

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For console subchannels, perform the following:

L2> select sub console0

or

L2> select sub console1

and so on.

The output console input: 001c05 console0 shows that the L2 will send console input to brick 001c05 and the subchannel to be used is the console0 subchannel.

To change system console status from one brick to the attached C-brick, use the select <rack> <slot> command:

001c05-L2> select r 2 s 1 
console input: 001c05 console1
console output: not filtered.
001c05-L2>

When selecting the rack and slot for the console, you could also select <rack>.<slot>, as follows:

001c05-L2> select 2.4

To change the subchannel used on the selected brick, use the select command followed by the subchannel number or the word console:

001c05-L2> select sub 0A
console input: 001c05 CPU 0A
console output: not filtered.
001c05-L2>

In L1 mode, the prompt from a single L1 is visible, and all input is directed to that L1 command processor.

To enter L1 mode, type the l1 command and specify a rack and a slot, as follows:

L2> r 2 s 1 l1 
entering L1 mode 002c01, <CTRL-T> to escape to L2

002c01-L1>

A shorter command line version is, as follows:

L2> 2.1l1
entering L1 mode 002c01, <CTRL-T> to escape to L2

002c01-L1>

To return to L2 mode, press Ctrl+T, as follows:

002c01-L1> Ctrl+T 
escaping to L2 system controller, <CTRL-T> to send escape to L1
L2>

At this point, you can enter any L2 command. When the command completes execution, the L2 returns to L1 mode, as follows:

002c01-L1>

To permanently engage the L2 mode, press Ctrl+T and type the l2 command, as follows:

002c01-L1> Ctrl+T 
escaping to L2 system controller, <CTRL-T> to send escape to L1
L2> l2 
L2 command processor engaged, <CTRL-T> for console mode.
L2>

This section refers to setting the IP address on the individual rack unit (IRU) enclosure when using an Ethernet connection.

Setting the IP address of the L2 on the target IRUs should be done before connecting the IRUs to the network as follows:

Connect a serial cable to the serial console port on the target IRU and get the Linux shell prompt.

To see if the L2 is running (it will be if the LAN cable is plugged in and the cable is connected to an active LAN).

At the # prompt type:

# l1cmd l2
L2 Controller is running.
#

If the L2 is not running type:

# init  4

This switches the system controller to run level 4 and forces the L2 to be started whether or not the LAN is plugged in.

Verify the L2 is running again as above.

To set the IP address on the L2 type:

#l1cmd l2 ip a.b.c.d 255.255.255.0 a.b.c.255

To set the L2 controllers gateway, perform the following command:

#l1cmd l2 IP gw e.f.g.h

Verifying that the system serial number is set on the L2:

#l1cmd l2 serial 

To set the L2 system serial number:

#l1cmd001c01-L1> l2 serial set <serial number>

Verifying that msys is enabled (this allows multiple L2s in a system to exist peacefully with other L2s from another system on the same subnet)

#l1cmd l2 multisys

If msys is off, turn it on:

#l1cmd l2 multisys on

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Note: msys is an abbreviated version of the multisys command (see “multisys” in Chapter 3).

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Reboot the system controller to make the IP address change take effect.

#reboot

Once this is done for all target IRUs and/or Dense routers (sometimes called the Quad Dense Router (QDR) ) as specified in the system configuration guide, connect them to the network (using an optional Ethernet switch if necessary). For descriptions of individual rack units (IRUs) and Dense routers on an Altix 4700 system, see SGI Altix 4700 System User's Guide.

The L1 rack ID is rack x 100 + slot (rack times 100 plus slot). An example L2 rackid is 5 * 100 + 41 or 541.

Once the L2 is running, you can telnet to the L2, or use an optional SGIconsole.

After the connection to the L2 controller is established, the following prompt appears, indicating that the L2 is ready to accept commands:

olympic-101-L2> 

Common operations are discussed in the subsections that follow.

You can use the L2's config command to view the your system configuration from an IRU level:

olympic-101-L2> config
L2 127.0.0.1: - 001 (LOCAL)
L1 127.0.0.1:0:0 	- 001c31
L1 127.0.0.1:0:1 	- 001c21
L1 127.0.0.1:0:2 	- 001c11
L1 127.0.0.1:0:3 	- 001c01
L2>

As shown above, config produces a list of IRUs and their locations in the system and the system controller address of each IRU and Dense router. This is similar to the output from using the config command on the L1 with the addition of the L2 IP address, L1 connection, and L1 index. The structure of the IRU and Dense router address is as follows:

a.b.c.d:x:y

where:

rrrbss.p

where:

In the example shown above, 001c01 is an IRU in rack 001 and slot position 01.

If a command is not understood by the L2 system controller, in general it is passed to the L1 system controllers. The destination determines which L1s receive the command. A destination, specified by the following, is a range of racks and slots:

rack <rack list> slot <slot list> 

The <rack list> specifies a list of racks. This can be a list delimited by commas, such that 2,4,7 specifies racks 2, 4, and 7. You can use a dash to specify a range of racks, such that 2-4 specifies racks 2, 3, and 4. Both nomenclatures can be combined, such that 2-4,7 specifies racks 2, 3, 4, and 7.

You can specify the <slot list> using the same nomenclature. The slot number, sometimes referred to as a bay number, is the unit position number located on the rack, slightly above where the bottom of the IRU sits. Each rack unit position number is located toward the top of the two lines that mark the unit position that the number represents. For example, the rack numbering for a IRU located in slot 10 would appear on the left front side of the rack.

The slot <slot list> is optional; if not given, then all slots in the specified rack(s) are implied. You should avoid specifying a rack list and a slot list that includes multiple racks and slots, such as rack 2-4,7 slot 1-8,11,13. Generally, you specify a rack and slot together to specify an individual IRU or Dense router.

You can use the aliases r and s to specify rack and slot, respectively. You can use the alias all or * in both the <rack list> and the <slot list>, or by themselves, to specify all racks and all slots.

To send a command to all IRUs in a partition, enter the following:

partition <partition> <cmd>

Individual IRU and Dense routers can also be targeted with a short <rack>.<slot> prefix. As in 1.11 <command>.

To target individual blades in an IRU use the following syntax:

olympic-101-L2> 1.11 b1 power down

Executing the above command will power down the blade in blade slot 1 of the IRU in rack 001 U position 11.

Default Destination 

When the L2 starts, the default destination is set to all racks and all slots. You can determine the default destination by using the destination command:

L2> destination 
all racks, all slots
L2>

The following command sets the destinations to rack 2 and 3, all slots:

L2> r 2,3 destination 
2 default destination(s) set
L2>

The following example shows what IRUs are found in the default destination. If you enter a command not understood by the L2, the command is sent to these IRUs.

---

Note: If you add an IRU to either rack 2 or 3, it is not automatically included in the default destination. You would need to reset the default destination.

---

L2> destination 
001c01 (127.0.0.1:0:2)
001c01 (127.0.0.1:0:0)
L2>

The following command resets the default destination to all racks and all slots:

L2> destination reset 
default destination reset to all racks and slots
L2>

Current Destination 

The current destination is a range of racks and slots for a given command. For example, the following command sends the command <L1 command> to all IRUs in racks 2, 3, 4, and 7:

L2> r 2-4,7 <L1 command> 

This is a one-time destination.

Command Interpretation

Some L2 commands are the same as the L1 commands. In many cases, this is intentional because the L2 provides sequencing that is necessary for a command to function correctly.

When L1 and L2 commands are similar, you can ensure that an L1 command is entered for the IRUs current destination by preceding the command <L1 command> with the l1 command:

L2> r 2-4,7 l1 <L1 command> 

This is a one-time destination.

All information, warnings, and error messages generated by any of the system controllers are in the following form:

001c01 ERROR: invalid arguments for `ver' command, try “help ver”

The general format includes an IRU identification and the type of message, followed by the message. A message may be the result of an invalid command, as shown in the example, or the result of tasks running on the L1, such as the environmental monitor.

Each L1 has a log of local events. Use the L1 command log to view events on any of the L1s.

You can power on and power off the system with the power command. This command is interpreted by the L2, because the IRUs must be powered on in a specific order.

L2> power up 
L2>

The power command may require several seconds to several minutes to complete. In the example above, all racks and slots in the default destination are affected. Any errors or warnings are reported as described above in TBD. To power on or power off a specific IRU, specify a current destination:

L2> r 2 s 5 power up 
L2>

To power on or power off all IRUs in a partition, enter the following:

L2> partition <partition number> <power up or power down>

To reset the system, enter the following:

L2> reset
L2>

This command restarts the system by resetting all registers to their default settings and rebooting the system controllers. Resetting a running system will cause the operating system to reboot and all data in memory will be lost.

In console mode, all output from the system is visible and all input is directed to the system.

To enter console mode from L2, press Ctrl+D at the L2 prompt and observe the response:

L2> Ctrl+D 
entering system console mode (001c01 console0),
<CTRL_T> to escape to L2
.
<system output appears here>
.

To return to L2 mode from console mode, press Ctrl+T:

Ctrl+T 
escaping to L2 system controller 
L2>

At this point, you can enter any L2 or L1 command. When the command completes, the L2 returns to console mode:

Re-entering system console mode (001c01 console0),
<CTRL_T> to escape to L2

To permanently engage the L2 mode, press Ctrl+T and then enter the l2 command:

Ctrl+T 
escaping to L2 system controller
L2> l2 
L2 command processor engaged, <CTRL_D> for console mode.
L2>

When in console mode, the L2 communicates with the IRU set with the select command to be the system console or global master. All input from the console is directed to that IRU. You can set and view the system console with the select command.

The L2 chooses an IRU as the default console in the following order of priority:

The select command by itself shows the current console mode settings:

L2> select 
known system consoles (non-partitioned)

	001c01-L2 detected

current system console

console input: 001c01 CPU 0A
console output: not filtered

The following are ten common subchannels associated with console communications:

The select command output: “console input: 001c01 console0” shows that the L2 will send console input to IRU 001c01 blade 0 and the console subchannel will be used.

To change the IRU that will be the system console, use the select <rack>.<slot> command, where <rack> is the rack and <slot> is the slot where the IRU is located:

L2> select 1.1 
console input: 001c01 console
console output: no filtered
console detection: L2 detected

To change the subchannel used on the selected IRU, use the select subchannel <0A|0C|1A|1C> command. (Use the select subchannel console to select the current console as the subchannel of the IRU to be the system console.) For example, to select blade 1, CPU A as the subchannel of the IRU to be the system console, enter the following:

L2> select subchannel 1A
console input: 001c01 console CPU1A
console output: not filtered

During the boot process on a system with multiple CPUs, there is a window of time in which the CPUs are all producing output. This can result in a somewhat jumbled output from the L2. However, you can filter console output so that the L2 will show output from only the IRU chosen to receive console input. You can turn on filtering with the select filter on command and turn off filtering with the select filter off command.

If you attempt to communicate with an IRU chosen to receive console input but that is not responding, a time-out condition results:

L2> Ctrl+D 
entering console mode 001c01 CPU1A, <CTRL_T> to escape to L2

no response from 001c01 Junk bus CPU1A system not responding
no response from 001c01 Junk bus CPU1A system not responding

When this time-out condition occurs, either the IRU is hung or the subchannel is not correct.

In L1 mode, the prompt from a single L1 is visible, and all input is directed to that L1 command processor.

To enter L1 mode, enter the rack and a slot followed by l1:

L2> r 2 s 1 l1 

An alternate method is:

L2> 2.1 l1 
entering L1 mode 001c01, <CTRL-T> to escape to L2
001c01-L1>

To return to L2 mode, press Ctrl+T:

001c01-L1> Ctrl+T 
escaping to L2 system controller, <CTRL-T> to send escape to L1
L2>

At this point, you can enter any L2 command. Once the command is executed, the L2 returns to L1 mode:

re-entering L1 mode 001c01, <CTRL-T> to escape to L2
001c01-L1>

To permanently engage the L2 mode, press Ctrl+T and enter the l2 command:

001c01-L1> Ctrl+T 
escaping to L2 system controller, <CTRL-T> to send escape to L1
L2> l2 
L2 command processor engaged, <CTRL-T> for console mode.

L2>

The brick with which the L1 communicates in console mode is the system console or global master, and you can view and set it with the select command. By default, the C-brick attempts to communicate with its local CPUs when console mode is entered. If the system has been powered on and either one of the bricks received a request to be the system console, then the C-brick attempts to communicate with that brick.

When you see a prompt of the following form, the L1 is ready to accept commands.

001c19-L1> 

Common operations include the following and are discussed in the sections that follow:

003c01-L1> config 
:0 - 003c01
:1 - 004i01
:2 - 002c01
:3 - 001x01
003c01-L1>

L2> config
137.38.88.82.1.0 ---c-- (no rack/slot set)
L2>

L2> 137.38.88.82:1:0 brick rack 1
L2> 137.38.88.82:1:0 brick slot 8
L2> 137.38.88.82:1:0 reboot_l1
INFO: closed USB /dev/sgil1_0
INFO: opened USB /dev/sgil1_0
L2>config
137.38.88.82:1:0 001c08
L2.

L2> config 
127.0.0.1:
127.0.0.1:0:0 - ---c--
127.0.0.1:0:1 - 001i01
127.0.0.1:0:5 - 001c05
L2> :0:0 brick rack 1 
brick rack set to 001.
L2> :0:0 brick slot 8
brick slot set to 08.
L2> :0:0 reboot_l1 
INFO: closed USB /dev/sgil1_0
INFO: opened USB /dev/sgil1_0
L2>
L2> config 
127.0.0.1:
127.0.0.1:0:0 - 001c05
127.0.0.1:0:1 - 001i01
127.0.0.1:0:5 - 001c08
L2>

001c05-L1> config 
:0 - 001c05
:1 - ---i--
:5 - 001c08
:6 - 001p01
001c05-L1> iia brick rack 4 
---i--:
brick rack set to 004.
001c05-l1> iia brick slot 1
---i--
brick slot set to 01
001c05-l1> iia reboot_l1 
001c05 ERROR: no response from ---i--
001c05-L1> config 
:0 - 001c05
:1 - 004i01
:5 - 001c08
:6 - 001p01
001c05-L1>

0 = local brick
1 = IIA (II0)
2 = IIB (II1)
5 = NIA (Nl0)
10 = NIB (N11)

001c05-L1> config verbose

003c01-L1> * version 
003c01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 05/24/2001 14:59:42 [P1 support]
004i01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 05/24/2001 14:59:42 [P1 support]
002c01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 05/24/2001 14:59:42 [P1 support]
001x01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 05/24/2001 14:59:42 [P1 support]
003c01-L1>

003c01-L1> 4.1 version
004i01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 05/24/2001 14:59:42 [P1 support]
003c01-L1>

003c01-L1> iia version
004i01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 05/24/2001 14:59:42 [P1 support]
003c01-L1>

002c01 ERROR: invalid arguments for `ver' command, try “help ver”

003c01-L1> power up 
003c01-L1>

003c01-L1> * power up 
003c01-L1>

In console mode, output from the system is visible and all input is directed to the system.

To enter console mode, press Ctrl+D at the L1 prompt, as follows:

003c01-L1> Ctrl+D 
entering console mode 003c01 console, <CTRL-T> to escape to L1
.
<system output appears here> 
.

To return to L1 mode, press Ctrl+T, as follows:

Ctrl+T 
escaping to L1 system controller
003c01-L1>

At this point, you can enter any L1 command. When the command completes execution, the L1 returns to console mode, as follows:

re-entering console mode 003c01 console, <CTRL-T> to escape to L1

To permanently engage the L1 mode, press Ctrl+T and then type the l1 command, as follows:

Ctrl+T 
escaping to L1 system controller
003c01-L1> l1 
L1 command processor engaged, <CTRL-D> for console mode.
003c01-L1>

003c01-L1> select 
console input: 003c01 console
console output: not filtered.

The L1 prompt is visible and all input is directed to the L1 command processor. The Altix 4700 server L1 system control can perform the following:

The L1 controller in each of the enclosures is a complete and fully functional system controller. All the blades are interconnected via a low-voltage differential (LVD) signal integrated into the NUMAlink cable and each shares its system control information with all other system controllers over this connection.

Output from the system is visible and all input is directed to the system console.

---

Note: “Direct Connection to an L1” is supported only if the L1 controller is accessed from the Console L1 port via a serial cable connection.

---

If you see a prompt of the following form, the L1 is ready to accept commands.

001c01-L1> 

Common operations are discussed in the following sections:

001c01-L1> config
:0  001c01 LOC
001c01-L1>

021c01-L1> config 
:0 021c01 L0C
:2 021c11 L1H
:8 021r41 L0G
:5 022r41 R3G
021c01-L1>

001c01-L1> * version 
001c01:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 11/24/2005 14:59:42 [2MB image]
001c11:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 11/24/2005 14:59:42 [2MB image]
001c21:
L1 0.7.37 (Image A), Built 11/24/2005 14:59:42 [2MB image]
001c01-L1>

001c01-L1> 1.11 version 

001c01-L1> b1 power down

In console mode, output from the system boot process or OS is visible and all input is directed to the system. To enter console mode, press Ctrl+D at the L1 prompt:

001c01-L1> Ctrl+D 
entering console mode 001c01 console, <CTRL-T> to escape to L1
.
<system output appears here> 
.

To return to L1 mode, press Ctrl+T:

Ctrl+T 
escaping to L1 system controller
001c01-L1>

While in L1 mode, you can enter any L1 command. Once the command is executed, the L1 returns to console mode:

re-entering console mode 001c01 console, <CTRL-T> to escape to L1

To permanently engage the L1 mode, press Ctrl+T and then enter the l1 command:

Ctrl+T 
escaping to L1 system controller
001c01-L1> l1 
L1 command processor engaged, <CTRL-D> for console mode.
001c01-L1>

001c01-L1> select 
console input: 001c01 console0
console output: not filtered

001c01-L1> 

entering console mode 001c01 console, <CTRL-T> to escape to L1
no response from 001c01 junk bus console UART:UART_TIMEOUT

001c01 ERROR: invalid arguments for `ver' command, try “help ver”

The L1 controller front panel display, located on the front panel of individual bricks, consists of a 2-line, 12-character liquid crystal display (LCD) that provides the following:

Table 2-2 lists the L1 controller messages.

---

Note: Note that in Table 2-2, a voltage warning occurs when a supplied level of voltage is below or above the nominal (normal) voltage by 10 percent. A voltage fault occurs when a supplied level is below or above the nominal by 20 percent.

---

The L2 controller performs the following functions:

You use the L2 controller touch display to do the following:

The L2 controller also monitors and generates status and error messages related to the rack chassis items, such as the power bay and other rack items. The L2 controller also displays status and error messages generated by each individual brick's L1 controller. (See “L1 Controller Tasks and Messages” for L1 controller message descriptions.)

The L2 controller information is displayed on the L2 controller touch display located in the front door of your server system. (The actual L2 controller is located on the top of your rack enclosure.)

---

Note: If you have a system console, you can also see the L2 controller messages on the system console.

---