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Chapter 5 Troubleshooting the MQAM
Alarm Conditions
This section describes major, minor, and status alarms and explains how to access
and read the alarms displayed on the front panel LCD of the MQAM. Refer to
Troubleshooting Alarm Messages (on page 72) for a list of alarm messages that
appear on the LCD screen, their level of severity, and possible solutions.
Purpose and Severity Levels of MQAM Alarms
Alarms provide system operators with an indication of an abnormal condition.
Alarm messages appear on the Alarm Status screen when hardware or software
conditions occur that might cause the MQAM to operate incorrectly or fail. Examples
of such conditions include temperature fluctuations, power supply failure,
communication problems, or the detection of bad data. All alarms are automatically
enabled after powering up the MQAM.
Alarm levels are classified as major, minor, and status alarms. Each level is described
as follows:
Major Alarms – A major alarm indicates a fatal error, that is, a complete loss of
functionality. Major alarms occur for hardware or software conditions that
indicate a serious disruption of service or the malfunctioning or failure of
important circuits. These situations require the immediate response of the
technician to restore or maintain system operability. The front panel of the
MQAM contains a MAJOR LED to alert the operator that a major alarm is
pending.
Minor Alarms – A minor alarm indicates a non-fatal error condition. The
MQAM may continue to operate with some loss of functionality. The front panel
of the MQAM contains a MINOR LED to alert the operator that a minor alarm is
pending.
Status Alarms – The status alarm indicates that some state in the MQAM has
changed. Status alarms are provided to alert the DNCS operator that possible
changes are occurring at the MQAM site by someone pressing the front panel
keys or by someone using the craft port. These are generally one-time events,
such as a front panel event change. In this case, the alarm is issued with the level
"status" each time you press the ENTER key on the front panel of the MQAM.
Status alarms might not affect MQAM functionality.
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Table of Contents
Troubleshooting
