Chapter 6. Introducing Tasks And Service Aids - IBM 6.00E+04 User Manual

Chapter 6. Introducing Tasks and Service Aids

The AIX diagnostic package contains programs that are called tasks . Tasks can be
thought of as performing a specific function on a resource; for example, running
diagnostics or performing a service aid on a resource. This chapter describes the tasks
available in AIX diagnostics version 4.2 and later.
Note: Many of the tasks and service aids work on all system model architectures.
To perform a task, begin by using the Task Selection option from the FUNCTION
SELECTION menu.
After a task is selected, a resource menu may be presented showing all resources
supported by the task.
A fast-path method is also available to perform a task by using the diag command and
the -T flag. By using the fast path, the user can bypass most of the introductory menus
to access a particular task. The user is presented with a list of resources available to
support the specified task. The fast-path tasks are as follows:
v Certify - Certifies media
v Chkspares - Checks for the availability of spare sectors
v Download - Downloads microcode to an adapter or device
v Disp_mcode - Displays current level of microcode
v Format - Formats media
v Identify - Identifies the PCI RAID physical disks
v IdentifyRemove - Identifies and removes devices (Hot Plug)
To run these tasks directly from the command line, specify the resource and other
task-unique flags. Use the descriptions in this chapter to understand which flags are
needed for a given task.
Some are only accessible from online diagnostics in service or concurrent mode,
while others might be accessible only from standalone diagnostics. Your system
uses an architecture known as CHRP (Common Hardware Reference Platform).
The tasks and service aids identified in this chapter work on CHRP architected
systems.
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