Service Agent; Service Focal Point - IBM p5 590 System Handbook

6.6.5 Service Agent

Electronic Service Agent™ (also known as Service Agent) is an application
program that runs on either AIX 5L or Linux to monitor the system for hardware
errors. On Sserver p5 systems managed by the HMC, the primary path for
system hardware errors detection and analysis consists of the diagnostics
function provided by AIX 5L, the service processor, and the Service Focal Point.
Service Agent provides the transport facility to IBM.
Service Agent can execute several tasks, including:
Automatic problem analysis
Problem-definable threshold levels for error reporting
Automatic problem reporting
Automatic client notification
Visualize hardware error logs
By utilizing Service Agent, the p5-590 and p5-595 can reduce the amount of
downtime experienced in the event of a system component failure by giving the
service provider the ability to view the error report entry and, if needed, order any
necessary replacement parts prior to arriving on site. The opportunity for human
misinterpretation or miscommunication in problem determination is therefore
mitigated.

6.6.6 Service Focal Point

Traditional service strategies become more complicated in a partitioned
environment. Each partition runs on its own, unaware that other partitions exist
on the same system. If one partition reports an error for a shared resource, such
as a managed system power supply, other active partitions report the same error.
To enable service representatives to avoid long lists of repetitive call-home
information, the HMC provides the Service Focal Point application. Service Focal
Point recognizes that these errors repeat, and filters them into one
event
for the service representative to review.
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serviceable