HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
How Operation Modes Set Functionality
Six device operation modes can be used. Each has different capabilities
and is intended for a specific purpose. The six are as follows:
* System console.
* Session-accepting devices.
* Programmatic devices.
* Spooled devices.
* Slaved devices.
* Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) devices on the DTC.
System Console
On CIO systems, the system console is the only device that is not
connected to the computer through a DTC. The computer is aware of its
existence from system initialization. It is connected to a special
interface card in the cabinet called the access port.
Although the system console is session-accepting,
it has the following added functionality:
*
Receipt of console messages. The system console is the message
center for the computer. Messages can be informational, such as
notifying an operator when users log on or off the host. Messages
can also alert an operator to take an action, such as mounting a
magnetic tape on the tape drive so that its data can be accessed
by a user program.
* Execution of console commands requiring the console attention
character. These commands are called [CTRL]-A commands. Using
[CTRL]-A, an operator can interrupt an action on the system
console to enter commands that will abort one or all users, answer
console requests, or shutdown the computer.
* Execution of other console commands. These commands are used for
system startup and shutdown procedures.
Because the system console serves a specific purpose, the following
functionality is not provided:
* System console operation at 19200 bps. Supported speeds are 300,
1200, 2400, 4800, and 9600 bps.
* User block mode applications. Only block mode applications that
use VPLUS can run on the system console. NMMGR is supported on
the system console.
Block mode applications do not prevent the system console from
printing received messages. Such messages can cause data on block
mode screens to be overwritten or lost. Because of this, block
mode applications should not be run on the console.
Some console functionality can be given to the logical console. The
system console can "pass" console functionality (except [CTRL]-A) to any
other user; a user with system manager capability can "grab" the console
by issuing the CONSOLE command.
The logical console can receive messages sent to the system console, but
it cannot execute console commands that require the console attention
character ([CTRL]-A). When a logical console is used, the system console
can still execute [CTRL]-A commands. Refer to "Session-Accepting
Devices" later in this chapter for more information on the logical
console.
The logical console cannot be assigned to:
* Devices configured with switching enabled.
* Devices connected through a PAD.
* Devices connected through Telnet/iX.
HP-PB Console Support.
HP Precision Bus (HP-PB) provides console support for some models of the
HP 3000 Series 900 family. It is supported by the SCSI/Console LAN Card.
This card provides two serial ports for remote and session activity. HP
3000 Series 9X8 systems have a third port available for a UPS device
connection.
The first two serial ports only support the 239X and 700/9X terminals and
emulators with Terminal Type 10. They do not support the following:
* Set XOFF timer
* Set block mode alert character
* Set Flow Control characters (XON/XOFF)
* Set form feed character
* Enable or disable form feed
* Set termtype file
* FDEVICECONTROL intrinsics
In addition, the console port does not support:
* Set parity
* Set speed
* Binary mode
The first serial port provides a connection to the local console. The
port is always fixed as LDEV 20. For backwards compatibility with the
CIO console, speed and parity on the console cannot be changed. The
speed is set at 9600 baud and the parity is set at none.
The second serial port is capable of connecting to the console port path
and connecting directly to the system. Although the second port can
connect directly to the system and be used as a user port, it should be
reserved for remote support access. It is configured as LDEV 21 by
default. Baud line rate is set at 9600 and parity is set at none.
NOTE The second serial port can be set as a remote console or a session
port but never both. When the user port is configured as a modem
port for remote support, the session is aborted after a powerfail,
since modem connections do not recover after a powerfail.
The third port, on HP 3000 Series 9X8 systems only, can support an HP
PowerTrust UPS connection. Refer to chapters 5 and 6 for details on how
to configure this connection for host-based and PC-based management
environments, respectively. These devices are able to provide status
information about the condition of the UPS to the system through this
port. The system will respond and provide console messages to the
operator regarding the status of the UPS. This port cannot be used for
session access because the port is not configured as session-accepting.
This port is configured in SYSGEN as ldev 22 by default; the baud rate is
set at 1200 and the parity is set at none. For more information on the
UPS, refer to Performing System Manager Tasks (32650-90004).
Session-Accepting Devices
Session-accepting devices are opened with the HELLO command, and then a
session is initiated. The session remains active until the user logs off
by typing the BYE command, or initiates a different session by typing the
HELLO command.
Session-accepting devices are terminals or PCs running in terminal
emulation mode.
During a session, the terminal is used for interactive (conversational)
communication with the computer.
The terminal user can do any of the following:
* Enter MPE/iX commands.
* Run programs.
* Enter data.
* Receive output from the computer.
* Place the terminal under partial control of a program running on
the computer.
* Communicate with other terminal users and with the system
operator.
* Transfer data and control information between the computer and a
slaved deviceconnected to the terminal.
* Change the line speed of the terminal.
* Terminate the session.
Also, session-accepting devices that are not connected through a PAD or
Telnet/iX and are not configured for switching can temporarily obtain
partial system console functionality by using the CONSOLE command. A
terminal that is the logical console can receive console messages,
execute commands that do not require [CTRL]-A, and return console control
to the system console (through the CONSOLE command).
Programmatic Devices
Programmatic devices run under the control of a program on the computer.
The program accesses the device through the file system by treating the
device as a file (device file). The file system passes information from
the controlling program to the software which communicates directly with
the device.
A programmatic device is captive of the program because access to the
device is through the program only. For instance, MPE/iX commands cannot
be executed from a terminal under the control of a program unless the
controlling program initiates the command. A programmatic device can be
used for input, output, or both, depending on the device and how the
controlling program opened it.
Spooled Devices
MPE/iX is equipped with a spooling facility to assist in the management
of nonshareable devices. When a spooler process controls a nonshareable
device, the device appears to be shared among several users, when in
fact, it can process only one file at a time. This is done by
temporarily storing data on disk instead of sending it directly to the
device. The disk essentially becomes a staging area, while the spooler
manages the selection of output spool files destined for the spooled
device.
A user program writing data to a spooled output device actually writes
records to a disk file instead of to the device itself. When the output
device is available, the spooler process selects a file and begins to
send the data in the file to the device.
Slaved Devices
If two devices share the same port in the DTC (one device is connected to
the port and the other device is connected by an additional cable to the
first device), only one device is recognized by the DTS software. The
device that is recognized is referred to as the master device, while the
other device is called a slave device. The master might or might not be
the device that is physically connected to the port.
NOTE The existence of slaves is not known to the DTS software or the
MPE/iX operating system. Therefore, slaved devices are not
supported.
A wide variety of devices can be connected as slaves, such as terminals,
printers, card readers, flexible-disk drives, cartridge tape units, and
plotters. Slaves can be connected in the following ways:
* As pass-through slaves
(also called eavesdrop).
* As remote slaves
(also called end-of-the-line).
UPS Devices on the DTC
Ports on the DTC can be configured to support UPS connections. When a
DTC port is configured and connected to a UPS, the port is able to
receive status messages about the condition of the UPS. These messages
are passed on to the operating system and displayed as console messages.
When a DTC port is configured for a UPS connection, the port cannot be
used as a session-accepting device.
Configuration of DTC ports for UPS connections is similar to port
configuration for terminal connections. To configure a port for a UPS
connection, a profile is needed which is identical to TR10D96 except for
the following parameters:
* Line speed is set to 1200.
* Allow :HELLO logon? field is set to N.
* First device class field is HPUPSDEV.
The sample configuration file, NMSAMP1.PUB.SYS, contains the profile
UP10D12 which is configured with the above parameters. Enter this
profile in the Profile Name field on the Async Card Configuration Screen
for the DTC port corresponding to the UPS connection.
For DTCs under PC-based management, you must configure the correct baud
rate using the OpenView DTC Manager.
For more information on the UPS, refer to Performing System Manager Tasks
(32650-90004).