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For more information regarding the service agent application, see the IBM Hardware Management Console
for pSeries Installation and Operations Guide.
Service Focal Point
The Service Focal Point application is used to help the service representative diagnose and repair
problems on partitioned systems. Service representatives use the HMC as the starting point for all service
issues. The HMC groups various system management issues at one control point, allowing service
representatives to use the Service Focal Point application to determine an appropriate service strategy.
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.
The Service Focal Point application enables service representatives to avoid long lists of repetitive
call-home information by recognizing that these errors repeat, and by filtering them into one error code.
The following types of errors are reported to Service Focal Point:
v Permanent hardware errors (detected by the managed system or operating system)
v LAN Surveillance errors detected by Service Focal Point
v Hardware boot failure errors
The following errors are not reported to Service Focal Point:
v Software errors
v Temporary hardware errors
v Undetermined hardware errors
v Informational hardware errors
Errors that require service are reported to the HMC as serviceable events. Because the HMC stores these
serviceable events for 90 days and then discards them, it is important to have the partition and HMC date
and time set correctly. For instance, if the date on a partition's software is set 90 days behind the HMC's
set time, the serviceable events reported from this partition are immediately discarded. For more
information about setting the HMC's date and time, see the IBM Hardware Management Console
Operations Guide for pSeries, order number SA38-0590. To set the partition's date and time, see the
documentation provided with the operating system that is running on that partition.
Getting Started
When you are setting up Service Focal Point, keep the following in mind:
v If the time configured on a partition is 90 days older than time configured on the HMC, serviceable
events cannot be reported.
v Verify that the HMC host names are defined. For more information about using fully qualified and short
host names, see the IBM Hardware Management Console Operations Guide for pSeries, order number
SA38-0590.
v If you need to add or change a partition name, see the IBM Hardware Management Console Operations
Guide for pSeries.
Testing Error Reporting
To ensure that Service Focal Point is configured correctly, generate a test error by doing the following:
1. In the partition, run diagnostics to test the managed system's operator panel.
2. When the diagnostics window asks you if you see 0000 on the managed system's operator panel,
select NO. This action generates an error.
3. In the SRN window, press Enter to proceed.
4. When the system asks you if you want the error sent to Service Focal Point, select YES.
Chapter 2. Diagnostics Overview
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