Recording Information About The System - Sun Microsystems Sun Fire V440 Diagnostics And Troubleshooting Manual

State of system LEDs – The system LEDs can be viewed in various locations on the
system or by using the ALOM system controller. Be sure to check any network
port LEDs for activity as you examine the system. Any information about the
state of the system from the LEDs is lost when the system is reset. For more
information about using LEDs to troubleshoot system problems, see "How to
Isolate Faults Using LEDs" on page 62.
Solaris logs – If Solaris software is running, check the message files in the
/var/adm/messages file. For more information, see "How to Customize System
Message Logging" in the Solaris System Administration Guide: Advanced
Administration Guide, which is part of the Solaris System Administrator Collection.
System console – You can access system console messages from OpenBoot
Diagnostics and POST using the ALOM system controller, provided the system
console has not been redirected. The system controller also provides you access to
boot log information from the latest system reset. For more information about the
system console, see Appendix A.
Core files generated from panics – These files are located in the /var/crash
directory. See "About the Core Dump Process" on page 113 for more information.

Recording Information About the System

As part of your standard operating procedures, it is important to have the following
information about your system readily available:
Current patch levels for the system firmware and operating environment
Solaris operating environment version
Specific hardware configuration information
Optional equipment and driver information
Recent service records
Having all of this information available and verified makes it easier for you to
recognize any problems already identified by others. This information is also
required if you contact Sun support or your authorized support provider.
It is vital to know the version and patch revision levels of the system's operating
environment, patch revision levels of the firmware, and your specific hardware
configuration before you attempt to fix any problems. Problems often occur after
changes have been made to the system. Some errors are caused by hardware and
software incompatibilities and interactions. If you have all system information
available, you might be able to quickly fix a problem by simply updating the
system's firmware. Knowing about recent upgrades or component replacements
might help you avoid replacing components that are not faulty.
122 Sun Fire V440 Server Diagnostics and Troubleshooting Guide • July 2003