[Info-vax] rx2660 diagnostic LEDs?

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 12/1/18 12:34 PM, Neil Rieck wrote:
> On Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 5:55:11 PM UTC-5, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 11/29/18 5:51 PM, Neil Rieck wrote:
>>> On Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 9:51:46 AM UTC-5, Craig A. Berry wrote:
>>>> On 11/29/18 8:24 AM, Neil Rieck wrote:
>>>>> On Sunday, November 25, 2018 at 2:57:52 PM UTC-5, Hans Vlems wrote:
>>>>>> I was going to buy an rx2660 and the current owner was so kind to switch it to see whether it still worked.
>>>>>> He claims it used to work, however, the system as sold has no longer any disks and no disk controller.
>>>>>> Anyway, according to the owner, when powered on the system runs for about 30 secs and then stops.
>>>>>> Are there any diagnostic leds on an rx2660 that might give clue on what’s happening?
>>>>>> Or is this system just a doorstop?
>>>>>> Hans
>>>>>
>>>>> I forgot to mention one very important point which you may have already figured out by reading the service manual. Rack mounted Itaniums (prefixed by rx) all have a little block diagram on the front panel. A led behind each block indicates problems with everything from memory, power supplies, CPUs, etc. Since this thing is run by the onboard management processor (an x86 thingy) this front panel diagnostic tool will work even things are missing (like memory or CPUs). If no leds are lit then something is really wrong with that unit and I would not buy it (these things are fairly cheap on eBay etc.)
>>>>>
>>>>> I just took a photo of the front panel of my rx2660 and will post it to this page tonight. http://neilrieck.net/docs/openvms_notes_itanium_diary.html
>>>>
>>>> And there is a Virtual Front Panel (VFP) available via the management
>>>> processor interface that shows the same information, so as long as you
>>>> can get to the management interface you don't have to be physically
>>>> present to see what's on the front panel.
>>>
>>> True. I'm not certain why Itanium gets such a bad rap. This is all very cool stuff.
>>
>> Probably because the stuff being talked about has nothing to
>> do with Itanium but only with the physical platform containing
>> it.  Didn't someone say these diagnostics ran on an X86 and
>> run even if the Itanium CPU is dead?
>>
>> bill
> 
> "I believe" the diagnostics will work even if the Itanium is missing or is "powered off". You do need to have at least one working power supply plugged in. I have been told that this setup allows total off-site management from anywhere in the world. IIRC, the power supply can be powered off/on from the MP.
> 
> On my rx2660 there is nothing labeled "iLO" but there is a Base-T connector marked "MP LAN" and a DB9 marked "Console". Here "MP" means "management processor" and they have been with us for decades. It has been a long while since I held the front panel circuit board for the PDP-11/44 but I remember seeing a large black chip (my memory is failing me but I think it was either an 8085 or Z80) whose only purpose was to support the console terminal (examine, deposit, boot, etc).

This talk of management processors and outside the real CPU
management reminds me of my first experience with the 3B2.
I had a couple of them at Martin Marietta.  Everyone knows
you don't just power off a Unix box unless you really want
to trash the file system.  So these boxes didn't have an
on/off switch.  On was on.  But off sent a signal to the
OS which did a clean shutdown and then killed the power.
We were  notified that this was deemed a violation of the
US Electrical Code which required a real off switch and all
the boxes had to be changed.  Funny how we now have the
same situation in all our computers and, in fact, the
computer is never off.  How else can you do things like
Wake on LAN.

bill