This chapter contains the following sections to help you troubleshoot your SGI Onyx 300 graphics system:
SGI Electronic
Support provides system support and problem-solving services that function automatically, which helps resolve problems before they can affect system availability or develop into actual failures. SGI Electronic Support integrates several services so they work together to monitor your system, notify you if a problem exists, and search for solutions to the problem.
Figure 4-1 shows the sequence of events that occurs if you use all of the SGI Electronic Support capabilities.
This sequence of events is described as follows:
Embedded Support Partner (ESP)
monitors your system 24 hours a day.
When a specified system event is detected, ESP notifies SGI via e-mail (plain text or encrypted).
Applications that are running at SGI analyze the information, determine whether a support case should be opened, and open a case if necessary. You and SGI support engineers are contacted (via pager or e-mail) with the case ID and problem description.
SGI Knowledgebase searches thousands of tested solutions for possible fixes to the problem. Solutions found in SGI Knowledgebase are attached to the service case.
You and the SGI support engineers can view and manage the case by using Supportfolio Online as well as search for additional solutions or schedule maintenance.
Implement the solution.
Most of these actions occur automatically, and you may receive solutions to problems before they affect system availability. You also may be able to return your system to service sooner if it is out of service.
In addition to the event monitoring and problem reporting, SGI Electronic Support monitors both system configuration (to help with asset management) and system availability and performance (to help with capacity planning).
The following three components compose the integrated SGI Electronic Support system:
SGI Embedded Support Partner (ESP)
is a set of tools and utilities that are embedded in the IRIX operating system. ESP can monitor a single system or group of systems for system events, software and hardware failures, availability, performance, and configuration changes, and then perform actions based on those events. ESP can detect system conditions that indicate potential problems, and then alert appropriate personnel by pager, console messages, or e-mail (plain text or encrypted). You also can configure ESP to notify an SGI call center about problems; ESP then sends e-mail to SGI with information about the event.
SGI Knowledgebase
is a database of solutions to problems and answers to questions that can be searched by sophisticated knowledge management tools. You can log on to SGI Knowledgebase at any time to describe a problem or ask a question. Knowledgebase searches thousands of possible causes, problem descriptions, fixes, and how-to instructions for the solutions that best match your description or question.
Supportfolio Online
is a customer support resource that includes the latest information about patch sets, bug reports, and software releases.
The complete SGI Electronic Support services are available to customers who have a valid SGI Warranty, FullCare, FullExpress, or Mission-Critical support contract. To purchase a support contract that allows you to use the complete SGI Electronic Support services, contact your SGI sales representative. For more information about the various support contracts, refer to the following Web page:
http://www.sgi.com/support/customerservice.html
For more information about SGI Electronic Support, refer to the following Web page:
http://www.sgi.com/support/es