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Hardware Installation & Configuration - SciNet Diagnostics

Introduction to SciNet Diagnostics

Diagnostic testing is accomplished through the Diagnostic Handler. There are two types of diagnostic tools available.

For each communication method, specific diagnostics are run to determine whether the appropriate communications boards and network connections are operating properly.

In addition, the diagnostic testing referred to as SciNet Diagnostics can determine whether the overall network configuration has any obvious inconsistancies. Basic data transfer functions are invoked and then checked for correctness. In this chapter, we will discuss this type of diagnostic testing. SciNet Diagnostics should be performed from each station individually to verify complete network configuration consistency.

Introduction to SciNet Test Options & Features

SciNet Diagnostics Main Menu:

After selecting NET from the previous screen, the SciNet Diagnostics program is loaded. Before any options are displayed, the system configuration and the hardware are checked. If some error is detected, a message is displayed at the top portion of the screen.

Initially, if no obvious errors are detected, the SciNet Diagnostics main menu is displayed where there are three options available. These options are described below.

Communication by LOGICAL Names:

One choice is to perform diagnostics using configured logical names. This allows testing of communications between this local station and each remote station to which it has access, including those accessed via a Netway. The remote stations must have been configured for the local station via the Remote Logical Names configuration screen

Communication by SUBNET Names:

Another choice is to perform diagnostics through configured subnets. This allows testing of communications between this local station and each remote station which sits on a given subnet. The remote stations must have been configured for the local station via the Subnetwork Configuration screen.

Display System Error Messages

Because SciNet Diagnostics does not run in the Whisper environment, the program must capture system errors which may occur. If an error occurs, a flashing message is displayed on the top of the current screen. Details of the error message may be viewed at any time by selecting this option.

Screen & Keyboard Conventions

After selecting one of the communication options described above, a main screen with several windows is ultimately displayed. One window, which we Will refer to as the 'station list' window, contains the list of remote stations to which communications testing is possible. Another window, which we will refer to as the 'stations test' window, lists the communications testing functions which are currently available. The third window which does not always appear is the 'message' window which displays HELP information or other relevant messages.

The following keyboard conventions are consistent throughout the SciNet Diagnostics program.

<UP ARROW> and <DOWN ARROW> keys are used to highlight one of the possible selections in either the 'stations list' or "stations test' windows.

The <ENTER> key chooses the selection which is currently highlighted. The <SPACE BAR> brings up the previously selected function.

The <TAB> key displays HELP messages in the 'message" window, where available.

Invoking the Diagnostic Handler

NOTE:

  1. In the case of a defective SCSI cable or connection, the system may hang. In that event, problem isolation steps must be taken in order to determine the problem. Namely, the suspicious station(s) must be disconnected and the software must be re-con figured to reflect the new SCSI network.
  2. SciNet Diagnostics should not be invoked simultaneously from two or more stations.

Starting From Application

  1. Select SERVICES from the system menu displayed horizontally at the top of the screen.
  2. Select DIAGNOSTICS from the Services menu. The application will then start the Diagnostic Handler and the Startup Screen will be displayed.

Starting From RMX

To start Diagnostics from RMX, enter "diag" at the RMX prompt.

To start SciNet Diagnostics directly, at the RMX prompt enter:

AF/PRISMA/DIAG
SCINET

Loading the Network Tests (SciNet)

The Scitex Diagnostics System Startup Screen is displayed on the terminal:

Select UT (Utilities) from the Startup Screen.
The Utilities Diagnostic Screen appears.

Select option NET from the test tree of the Utilities Diagnostic Screen to invoke SciNet Diagnostics Testing.

SciNet Testing by LOGICAL Names

After selecting the Communication by LOGICAL Names option from the initial SciNet Diagnostics screen, a list of all stations to which this local station is configured, is displayed. This list includes all stations which have been defined for the local station, including those reached via a Netway station. The list of stations displayed in the station window is the same as was configured in the Remote Logical Names screen. Each station on the list contains the following information:

Logical Name, Station Name, Subnet Name, System Type, Result Code

Scinet Diagnostics by Logical Names:

When the cursor appears on the "stations test" window, select one of the six possible options in order to test communications.

Testing by LOGICAL Names - Options

Test All Stations This test checks the communication and configuration between the local station and each individual station on the Logical Name list, one by one. The result of the test appears in the "result" column of the list.
Show Remote
Logicals		 The cursor will move over to the "stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station you wish to test. The system reads that remote station's configuration and displays it, overwriting the "station list" window. (Note: This remote list does not have the "result" column.)

The new window contains the list, by logical name, of all stations configured on the selected remote station.
Show Results The cursor will move over to the "stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station whose "result code" you wish to see. The result code was previously determined after one of the two options above were invoked. A PASS result indicates that communication was successful. A FAIL code interpretation is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Reset Results After communications is attempted, the result field is set. To clear the Result field for all stations in the list, select this option. The field will then contain dots ( ...... ).
Verify FILE
Transfer		 The cursor will move over to the 'stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station you wish to test. Then press <ENTER> to verify successful file transfer to the highlighted station.

The local station transmits a one megabyte random data file to the selected remote station. After an entire file is transmitted, the local station reads both local and remote files and then compares them.
Verify DATA
Transfer 		The cursor will move over to the "stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station you wish to test. Then press <ENTER> to verify successful data transfer to the highlighted station.

The local station transmits one megabyte of random data to the selected remote station. Each transmitted block will be echoed by the remote station, and the data will then be verified by the local station.

SciNet Testing by SUBNET Names

After selecting the Communication by SUBNET Names option from the intial SciNet Diagnostics screen, a list of subnet names, on which this local station is configured, is displayed.

SciNet Diag. by Subnet Names

After selecting the subnet you wish to test, the main screen is displayed with a list of stations belonging to that subnet in the "stations list" window. Note that the list of stations is the same as was configured in the Subnetwork Configuration screen during system configuration. This option allows the testing of communications between this local station and each station which appears on the list. Each station contains the following information:

Station Name, System Type, Station Type, Link Type, Result Code

A menu with all the possible testing functions appears in the "stations test" window. When the cursor appears in this window, select one of the six possible options.

SciNet Diagnostics by Subnet Name

Testing by SUBNET Names - Options

Test All Stations This test checks the communication between the local station and each individual station in the "stations list" window, one by one. The result of the test appears in the "result" column of the list.
Show Remote Subnets The cursor will move over to the "stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station you wish to test. The system reads that remote station's configuration and displays a list of subnets defined on the remote station.

Select the remote station's subnet you wish to view. The remote station's configuration for that subnet is displayed in a new list over the existing "station list" window. (Note: This remote list does not have a "result" column.)
Show Results The cursor will move over to the "stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station whose "result code" you wish to see. The result code was previously determined after one of the two options above were invoked. A PASS result indicates that communication was successful. A FAIL code interpretation is displayed in the "message" window at the bottom of the screen.
Reset Results After communications is attempted, the result field is set. To clear the Result field for all stations in the list, select this option. The field will then contain dots ( ...... ).
Verify FILE Transfer The cursor will move over to the 'stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station you wish to test. Then press <ENTER> to verify successful file transfer to the highlighted station.

The local station transmits a one megabyte random data file to the selected remote station. After an entire file is transmitted, the local station reads both local and remote files and then compares them.
Verify DATA Transfer The cursor will move over to the "stations list" window. Using the UP and DOWN ARROW keys, select the station you wish to test. Then press <ENTER> to verify successful data transfer to the highlighted station.

The local station transmits one megabyte of random data to the selected remote station. Each transmitted block will be echoed by the remote station, and the data will then be verified by the local station.

SciRing Diagnostics

Overview

The SciRing Diagnostics program tests the communication between all stations (Scitex and non-Scitex) on the FDDI token ring network. SciRing is able to display information regarding the connection status, address, logical name and statistics of every station in the ring.

Invoking SciRing

SciRing is invoked through the Diagnostics Handler.
To start Diagnostics from the application:

  1. Select SERVICES from the system menu displayed horizontally at the top of the screen.

  2. Select DIAGNOSTICS from the Services menu. The application will then boot the Diagnostic Handler and the Startup screen will be displayed.

    At the Diagnostics Startup screen, SciRing is accessed via the UTILITIES option. Enter "UT" and then "RNG".

    NOTE: You may start SciRing without the Diagnostics Screen. At the RMX prompt enter:
    AF /PRISMA/DIAG
    SCIRING

Keyboard Conventions

<UP>, <DOWN> arrow keys Highlight an item on the list.
<ENTER> key Select the highlighted item.
<SPACE> bar Go back to the previous option.
<TAB> key Help message is displayed (if available).

Main Menu Options

Upon invoking SciRing, the FDDI software is loaded and there is a delay of 30 seconds to allow the ring to stabilize. At this point the main menu is displayed. A log file is automatically opened which keeps an audit trail of the low level program I/O information. This may be viewed later for network analysis.

The main options are as follows:

  • Show RING diagram
  • List RING status
  • Statistics
  • Utilities
    • Read SMT Attribute
    • Show local status
    • Open Log File
    • Close Log File
    • Append Log File
    • View Log File
  • Options
    • Auto ring update
    • Edit station aliases
    • Set address display format«

Show RING Diagram

SciRing Diagnostics Screen:

This selection scans all the stations on the FDDI ring every 60 seconds and graphically depicts the connection status onto the screen.

Each square on the screen represents a station. The text highlighted in the square is the station name. One of four status conditions may exist:

THRU Indicates a normal connection from this station's port to the neighboring station ("A" to "B").
WRAP Indicates the port that is acting as primary receiver and transmitter to the neighboring station.
N.C. Not Connected. Indicates a problem with the fiber optic cable or connector. No connection is sensed.
TWISTED If this condition flashes on the screen, it indicates that the connections to the bypass box were incorrect.

Additional Options:

  1. Pressing the <RETURN> key re-scans and draws the ring.
  2. By selecting "Auto Ring Update" from the "Options" menu, it is possible to change the default 60 second re-scanning time or turn it off completely.

List RING Status

This selection displays a list of all the stations on the FDDI ring. Each entry on the list contains the station name, the station hexadecimal address, and the status of ports "A" and "B".

Station The station or alias name.
Address The station's hexadecimal address. This address may be displayed in two formats: Ethernet or Token Ring. When the first 6 digits are 00 00 57, the Scitex address is in Ethernet format. When the digits are 00 00 EA, the Scitex address is in Token Ring format. The format is user selectable via the "Options" menu. (A non-Scitex station has different values.)
Stat. Indicates the status of a port : THRU, WRAP, NOT CONNECTED (N.C.) or TWISTED. The name of the station connected to the port is also displayed.

Statistics

A screen is displayed with the statistics pertaining to a selected station.

In anyalyzing the network, it is sometimes useful to evaluate some of the following parameters:

MAC_FRAME_CT Number of frames which have arrived in the ring.
MAC_RECEIVE_CT Number of frames this station has received.
MAC_TRANSMIT_CT Number of frames this station has transmitted.
MAC_ERROR_CT Number of incorrect frames for this station.
MAC_LOST_CT Number of lost frames for this station.

Utilities

Under the "Utilities" option in the main menu, the following selections are available:

Read SMT Attribute This selection displays specific attribute information pertaining to the desired station. This utility is targeted for internal use since full understanding of the parameters requires the SMT software documentation. To exit, press the <ENTER> key three times.
Show local status "Show local status" displays the FDDI ring connection status code for a particular station. A normal status is 1001. All the possible codes and their descriptions are:
1000 Error
1001 Dual Attach (THRU)
1002 WRAP A
1003 WRAP B
1004 Dual Twisted
Open Log File When invoking SciRing Diagnostics, a log file named "RING.LOG" is automatically opened. Program I/O information is written to this file. It is often useful to view this file when diagnosing networking problems.
Through the "Utilities" option, this log file may be Closed, Appended, Viewed or re-opened during the execution of SciRing.

When choosing the "Open Log File" function, it implies that the "Close Log File" function has been previously invoked. When selecting "Open Log File", the log file "RING.LOG" is opened and new information is continuously logged. Any previously logged information has been erased from the "RING.LOG" file and saved to the "RING_LOG.OLD" file.
Close Log File When choosing this selection, the active log file, "RING.LOG" is closed. The logging of I/O transactions is now suspended until the "Open Log File" or "Append Log File" option is invoked.
Append Log File This selection allows the logging of I/O information to continue after having been aborted via the "Close Log File" option. The "RING.LOG" file has been re-opened and not erased.
View Log File The user may view the low level I/O functions which have been tracked during the course of SciRing Diagnostics. The View function offers screen paging through the logged information by pressing the <SPACE> bar.

"Q" returns to the SciRing Utilites Menu. For HELP on other useful commands available, press "H".

Options

Under the "Options" selection in the main menu, the following selections are available:

Auto Ring Update When choosing the "Show Ring Diagram" selection, the ring diagram of the network is scanned and re-displayed every 60 seconds. Selecting "Auto Ring Update" allows the user to alter the timer or disable it completely.
Edit Station Aliases This selection assigns a given station a name.
For a non-Scitex station, the name is displayed as "*****" alongside its address. For clarity, a name (maximum of 5 characters) may be assigned to this station. This procedure may also be performed to override a Scitex configured name. The file "RING.ALS" contains the information. Note, that this option actually calls the RMX editor. The user is required to enter the data in a special format using the editor commands. Here is a listing of the contents of "RING.ALS" before any aliases have been entered. It details through "Remark" statements exactly what format is required.

This file contains address/station name conversions, primarily for non-Scitex stations on the ring. (Scitex station name conversion is done automatically, but may be overridden by this table.)

Each entry contains the format flag, station address and station alias name as follows:

Station address format flag (left-most character):
1 = token ring format
2 = Ethernet format

Station's address, in hex (6 bytes) where each byte is separated by a space and followed by Station name (up to five characters).

Important: Each field is separated with a single space. A line with ';' at the beginning is considered as a comment line. Blank lines are skipped.

At most, 256 alias entries may be defined.

Example:
0 00 00 57 14 4C E5 COM2
1 00 00 EA 28 32 A7 COM2

Both lines above are equivalent, the first giving the address in Ethernet format and the second in token ring format
Set Address Display Format When choosing the "List RING Status" option from the main menu, a station's hexadecimal address is displayed.

This address may be viewed in two formats: Ethernet or Token Ring. When the first 6 digits are 00 00 57, the Scitex address is in Ethernet format. When the digits are 00 00 EA, the Scitex address is in Token Ring format. (For non-Scitex stations, the values are different.)

With this selection, the user can choose the address viewing format. The default is initially set to Ethernet format.

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