Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

This is going to sound like a stupid question.  At startup, the system automatically goes into a menu.  I saw that I can go to SMS instead of the startup menu.  What I need to do, though, is get to command line. 

I have an RS6000 running AIX.  It has run fine until 2 weeks ago when we had a power failure and subsequent UPS failure.  The system went down.  When it came up everything works fine except that you cannot telnet to it.  All telnet requests are refused.  I saw an error message go by at startup about running fsck but I can't figure out how to get to command line to run the command!

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Just to add a little more info - on startup there is a message "Can't open @PORT file"...  I would surmise that this is the table for the telnet ports and has been clobbered...

Originally posted by: GarlandJoseph

What type of AIX system.  What do you mena by startup men...is this where you see the AIX banner and it shows you have the option to go into sms or firmware.   How do you access the system console?  Are you on an hmc?  Can you ping the system? Is there a led/reference code at startup.

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Thanks for the response...

1) Yes, I can ping the system...

2) I believe the menu that is starting up is from a 3rd party vendor who supplied us with this system to run their software...  They are no longer around so we have no support..

3) I can get into SMS and display configuration, etc..  I am on the console directly connected to the the RS/6000...  Where the LEDs are, there is nothing and in the error log (under SMS) there is nothing (except that we took a power hit)...

I don't know what version AIX this is...  Where would I find that???

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

If I hook up a laptop to the second serial port, is there anyway to create a session that way???

Originally posted by: GarlandJoseph

What type of AIX system is this?  Do you know the root password?  If this is a third party menu it sounds like it's outside of the system and the system in not actually booted since it gives you the option of going into SMS. Is this third party running a a pc attached to the serial port.  The booting options on a typical aix system allow you to press a key at a certain point and go into firware, sms, etc.  Did you try control Z.

Since you mention a second serial port, this sounds like an old aix box.  You can attach a tty to the second serial port; however, if the system is already booted you aren't guaranteed a login prompt unless getty has been configured to run on that port (something done in /etc/inittab).  You may be a prompt at boot time as the system tries to determine it's system console.

Another way to boot the system is in maintenance and you need boot media in order to do this.   I think in this case it will also allow serial port 2 to be used. 

It sounds like you could possibly detach whatever is on serial port 1 for this third party system and get the normal login.

Did you try ssh?  What happens when the system is booted, what is displayed? 

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Just to clarify, I have the option of SMS, firmware, etc. while it is booting and loading all f the services...  Once it is complete, this third party menu appears and I can't get out of it...  Serial port one is a dumb VT52 terminal...  The menu appears on the terminal...

When I go into SMS there is an option to select console...  Even if I changed that wouldn't it continue and complete the entire boot process just displaying this third party menu this other console???

When the system boots, I see the screen with all of the RS/6000s on it and I get the option for SMS, firmware, etc...  After that it loads the SCSi drives etc. finally ending with this menu...

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Console screen attached...

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

CTRL-Z blanks the screen...  But no matter what I type it just takes me back to that menu...

Originally posted by: GarlandJoseph

Wow, that looks old.  What is option 4 "Open a new OSI port"?

That is probably a PC with its  serial port hooked to the AIX system.   If I wanted to get  into that system I would attach a tty to the port this pc (still guessing) is attached.  You could also try to see what happens if you attach to serial port 2 to see if you get a login prompt.  What is the AIX machine type.

Originally posted by: GarlandJoseph

You could also try what is called the buffer overflow hack...press down and hold any key to see if it break the menu. What kind of operating system on the PC..dos.

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

I don't think it is a PC..  The monitor is plugged directly into the RS-232 port...

Originally posted by: GarlandJoseph

So in this case it is just a dumb terminal then it's running some captive menu on the aix system.  I would disconnect this terminal and boot in maintenance mode.  You can do this from installation media or a mksysb.  The system gives you an option to backup. So this monitor is really a tty (DTE)

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Here's a real big surprise - I asked around and all I got was quizzical looks as to where the media might be.

How do I boot with mksysb???

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Let me ask you a different question...  The system is up and I can ping it...  Is there any way I can connect to it from a Windows PC via ODBC???

What I am thinking now is just pull all of the data off...

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

I did attach to serial port 2...  No response...  Hyperterminal said it was connected...  I used 8-0-N-1...  Is there any special command to wake it up to obtain login prompt...  I tried hitting ENTER a couple of times...

Originally posted by: GarlandJoseph

no, you're not doing anything wrong, those comm settings and 9600 baud or below would work if there was a getty running on the port. 

So since  you mention odbc, do you know for certain that the database on that aix system had an odbc driver.  ODBC is not the native to the AIX unix environmet for a database server so it would have to be installed.  If it supports odbc and you have the access information for the database, and you are indeed certain that's what you want, sure it should work.

Another thing i would consider is to create a system backup (mksysb hopefully) through that menu option.  Then you could examine the contents of the backup (tctl across the boot part of the tape, the do a tar of the tape to read the files in the backup).  This last part assumes you have access to an indepent system that will allow you to read the tape. 

Once you create this backup, You need to put the system in service mode (still waiting for you to identify the aix machine type) and boot in maintenance.  If that is truly a tty then you won't have to disconnect it since it will be the default system console. 

What happens when you select SMS. If the system is up it has to power down I would guess.  Also try booting in firmware mode by powering down the system and watching the monitory and pressing the 1 or F1 key.  Once in firmware mode you can use the boot command to boot from the tape drive presumably containing the boot media. 

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

RS/6000  43P Model 150

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Question - we were doing backups using the menu backup command before the power hit.  Should I be able to boot off that backup tape and, if so, how do I tell it to boot off the tape and not the disk???

Thanks...

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Do you know of a person or organization in NY/NJ who I could contact for support?

Originally posted by: MatthewBourne

Hi Harry

I was looking at mksysb man pages and came across this:

5    Some rspc systems for AIX 5.1 and earlier do not support booting from tape. When you make a bootable mksysb image on an rspc system for AIX 5.1 and
            earlier that does not support booting from tape, the mksysb command issues a warning indicating that the tape will not be bootable. You can install a
            mksysb image from a system that does not support booting from tape by booting from a CD and entering maintenance mode. In maintenance mode, you can
            install the system backup from tape.

which is not encouraging.  The 43P isn't exactly new.  We treated them as venerable old gentlemen in my office back in 2004  :)

Do you have root access to any other RS/6000 or newer AIX hardware?

The mksysb may or may not be bootable - since you don't know what version of AIX you're running, I guess you will only find out by trying.  I can't remember the layout of the SMS menus - can you post the options that you see from the first SMS menu?

If the mksysb is bootable, and your hardware/OS combination supports it, you will get access to the boot image on the mksysb - that should allow you to access the menus you need to get a command prompt.

If your mksysb isn't bootable in the hardware that you have, then you either need to find a way to get a boot image loaded from another source (preferrable), or you need to access the volume groups from another server ('ere be dragons - not for the fainthearted!).

If you have access to other AIX servers on the same network, then configuring one as a NIM master with the correct SPOT might be an option - you'd probably have to create a mksysb resource using your backup tape to enable you to figure out what version of SPOT you needed, however, which might not be straightforward, but should be possible.  With an appropriate SPOT in place, you can define the 43P as a NIM client and make the boot image available over the network.  Then it's just a case of telling the 43P (via SMS) to go pick up the boot image and away you go.

I appreciate this is only high-level stuff .. difficult to offer any more detail in this sort of forum.  Let me know if you want to try to pursue this route.

HTH

Matthew

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

I really appreciate your insight and information.  This is the only AIX system here so all of those other options are mute (but fascinating to consider!).  I'm at the point where I think the only way to gt into the system is I need third-party support who has these other methodologies available to get into it.

Originally posted by: cpguru

Just throwing a long shot dart out there.....can you ssh into the server from another machine on the network?  You mentioned telnet specifically not working. can you ssh with root user (or any other user and pass?)

not sure if ssh is up and running if you would just get the same menu you mentioned above.  Something to try before you call in for backup.

good luck.

Originally posted by: HarryGrossman

Thanks...  It is rejecting the connection...  Anybody know anybody who might be able to provide support (north of NYC vicinity) ???