Problems and Solutions
DIGITAL Server 9100 Series User's Guide
4-9
Running System Diagnostics
If your server does not boot or operate properly, you might need to run system diagnostics to determine the
problem. This section describes some problem situations that might require you to run system diagnostics.
Definitions
You should be familiar with the following terms before reading the rest of this section:
Out-of-service diagnostics
Hardware-level diagnostics that require you to shut down your operating system before running them
In-service diagnostics
Diagnostics that you can run while your operating system is running
Running Out-of-Service Diagnostics
To run out-of-service diagnostics, you must boot to the Diagnostic Partition or the Platform CD-ROM. See
the “Diagnostic Partition” section in Chapter 2 of the DIGITAL Server 9100 Series System Software
Guide for information about accessing the Diagnostic Partition.
Following are some situations when you might want to run out-of-service diagnostics:
•
The server fails to load and/or boot the operating system software when you turn on the power and
select normal boot.
•
The server fails to load and/or boot the operating system software after you add additional hardware
such as more memory, processors, SCSI devices, or adapter cards.
•
The operating system software “panics” or hangs repeatedly and you have not recently made changes
to it such as a kernel patch, a new application which required a kernel rebuild, or a changed kernel
tuning parameter value.
When Not To Run Out-of-Service Diagnostics
Following are some situations when you should not run out-of-service diagnostics:
•
The operating system software panics and/or hangs repeatedly after you have made a change to it
such as a kernel patch, a new application which required a kernel rebuild, or a changed kernel tuning
parameter value.
•
The server runs normally but one of the user applications fails to execute correctly.
•
A device such as printer, tape, disk, modem, network adapter, or terminal fails to function properly
but the server’s operating system software is working. Run in-service diagnostics to test the failing
device.
Additional Information
For additional information about running diagnostics on your server, see the AMIDiag User’s Guide on
the Quick Launch CD-ROM.