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Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

  • 1.  Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Tue September 26, 2006 11:17 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    Possibly not really this forum but ...
    We have HMC connected to various managed systems. Works OK for a while and can access through console login normal way. Then after a few days message comes back, cannot connect, exiting. Managed systems appear OK and accessing their properties appears OK. Clears if reboot HMC.

    HMC version V5 R2, AIX 5300-03 or -04 dependent on LPAR.

    Anyone any ideas please?
    Phil.
    #AIX-Forum


  • 2.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Tue September 26, 2006 11:28 AM

    Originally posted by: andycor


    This is a known issue. I've been working several month with this problem until we upgraded the HMC version.
    #AIX-Forum


  • 3.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Tue September 26, 2006 11:56 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    > This is a known issue. I've been working several
    > month with this problem until we upgraded the HMC
    > version.

    Thanks. However WHAT version of HMC are you using know and has that fixed the issue please?

    Ours are at V5R2.0

    Phil
    #AIX-Forum


  • 4.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Tue September 26, 2006 12:10 PM

    Originally posted by: andycor


    Sorry, it was the last year, I guess was version 4.x.
    But the symptoms are the same, so you can try with version 5.2.1 or call IBM and request a fix.

    http://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/hmc/power5/download/v521.Update.html

    Regards.
    #AIX-Forum


  • 5.  trivial solution

    Posted Sat September 30, 2006 07:15 AM

    Originally posted by: SystemAdmin


    select the point of HMCmenu "Close ..." before "Open console terminal"

    HTH
    #AIX-Forum


  • 6.  Re: trivial solution

    Posted Mon October 02, 2006 07:58 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    Hmmm
    looks as if you've stumped me here...
    perhaps for the less gifted you might explain further?
    Phil
    #AIX-Forum


  • 7.  Re: Close / Open

    Posted Mon October 02, 2006 09:28 AM

    Originally posted by: SystemAdmin


    Phil.
    Choose in the HMC-menu the item "Close Terminal Connection"
    then try with "Open Terminal Window"

    HTH
    Sever
    #AIX-Forum


  • 8.  Re: Close / Open

    Posted Wed October 04, 2006 03:44 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    Sever
    see my response to Woofer today. I did not realise you were making the same point in a different way, thanks.

    P.
    #AIX-Forum


  • 9.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Mon October 02, 2006 08:25 AM

    Originally posted by: bassemir


    When the HMC comes back with the "can not connect" message are you trying to open a terminal session with a client LPAR?

    Can the client partition ping the HMC when you get this error?

    Remember the HMC has two connections to the system. One through the private ethernet connection to the service processor. The second through the public ethernet connection (for doing dynamic resource changes).

    I am not sure which one is not working for you when it comes back and says "can not connect"
    #AIX-Forum


  • 10.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Mon October 02, 2006 08:33 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    Having done some other checks I now have an additional thought for those of you who might help.

    The software upgrade (see Andres Cordoba replies) may be a red herring as we have two sites and both are at 5.2.1 (HMC) and one is OK and the other isn't! Or so it seems at the mo.

    However there is a networking difference -- one site has a small hub for the SP network and the other is over structured cabling, switches etc. Guess which one is OK? The simple one of course! In one of the Best Practice IBM docs for HMC I noted a comment along the lines of "don't use switches or if you do, enable portfast" (paraphrased). Our comms guys reckon it is enabled so anyone any other ideas excluding changing it to a mini-hub?

    Phil.
    #AIX-Forum


  • 11.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Mon October 02, 2006 08:43 PM

    Originally posted by: woofer


    The best practices document says to use port forwarding or port fast (a Cisco-specific term, I believe) if you are using spanning tree on the switch that is configured as a Virtual Private Network. Using a switch is fine, and it works. Note that this discussion applies to the PRIVATE network between the HMC and the service processor. I think your problem is between the HMC and partitions. Generally, we don't recommend that a virtual terminal be used as a partition console. It may well be timing out. If it does, and the window disappears, you may see an error trying to open a "new" virtual terminal because it says one is already open. That's when you close it (even if you don't see the window any more, right? which is confusing!) and then reopen. But I'd strongly suggest using a telnet or SSH session from another workstation for a console on a partition. The network between the HMC and the lpar doesn't really have anything to do with the problem because it's a serial connection opening from the service processor to the logical partition. That's why the virtual terminal works even when the lpar TCP/IP is hosed or deconfigured. There's one more reason why I would recommend not using a virtual terminal as a console -- if you're doing so from a remote workstation, the connection between you and the HMC may not be secure. Even if you do use secure WebSM, the virtual terminal program doesn't use SSL, and anything you type could appear in clear text on the network if someone were snooping.
    #AIX-Forum


  • 12.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Tue October 03, 2006 05:27 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    Thanks for the post.
    We have checked the switches and portfast is enabled (related to spanning tree guff according to the comms guys).
    I am unsure exactly what you are getting at in the remainder of your post. While I agree it is HMC/SPnet I was under the strong impression that the "console" was using this communication path to access the LPAR as a console window. We only use this console as a means of monitoring LPAR reboots or an easy quick access login method direct as root (I know, I know, breaks all the usual rules etc) as we disallow root login on other terminal sessions.
    Since we do not open vterms unless we are doing something and then close it after, how come it remains open as your post suggests. And you're right it is confusing! We don't run into the other problems as we don't allow WSM access at the moment only direct HMC (and hence the reason for the posts). As I mentioned in another reply/comment, we have another set of LPARs with another HMC elsewhere and they appear to act fine.
    Got any more good ideas please?
    Phil
    #AIX-Forum


  • 13.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Tue October 03, 2006 08:54 AM

    Originally posted by: woofer


    >I was under the strong impression that the "console" was using this communication path to access the LPAR as a console window.

    If by "console" you mean the HMC, it does not need a window open to the lpar. It monitors activity using Resource Monitoring and Control (RMC) over port 657 on the open network connecting the HMC to the LPAR. The virtual terminal is strictly for your convenience. I'm sure you are aware that you close the virtual terminal from an HMC menu after closing the window itself? In other words, when you logout from the lpar, and close the pop-up window, you also need to select the partition, right-click and select the "Close Terminal Connection" dialog.

    >We only use this console as a means of monitoring LPAR reboots or an easy quick access login method direct as root

    The virtual terminal to the LPAR should be opened for brief periods to perform whatever administrative operations are required -- install code, whatever -- and then closed. You can implement various other strategies to monitor the health of the lpar. For one thing, the HMC console itself (the Server Management view) will show whether the partition is Running or if there's an error code

    Somehow I have the feeling that I must be missing the point of your question entirely, for which I apologize...
    #AIX-Forum


  • 14.  Re: Problem accessing LPAR from HMC

    Posted Wed October 04, 2006 03:42 AM

    Originally posted by: peejayeff


    Thanks Woofer
    > If by "console" you mean the HMC, it does not need a
    > window open to the lpar. It monitors activity using
    > Resource Monitoring and Control (RMC) over port 657
    > on the open network connecting the HMC to the LPAR.
    Agreed provided the d**n daemons stay up!

    > The virtual terminal is strictly for your
    > convenience. I'm sure you are aware that you close
    > the virtual terminal from an HMC menu after closing
    > the window itself? In other words, when you logout
    > from the lpar, and close the pop-up window, you also
    > need to select the partition, right-click and select
    > the "Close Terminal Connection" dialog.
    Mea culpa, I did not know. I missed this somewhere. Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Wonder why closing the window does not shut the terminal connection, seems odd way to do it to me?

    > Somehow I have the feeling that I must be missing the
    > point of your question entirely, for which I
    > apologize...
    No, as I wrote above, you have spotted the deliberate error!

    P.
    #AIX-Forum