Monitoring the System from the Console

You monitor the system to ensure appropriate shared use of the system, to respond to tape reply requests, to respond to place special forms on the printers, and to keep informed about disk storage and other resource usage. Usually the system administrator performs these routine functions from the system console.

The system console is the terminal that is directly connected to the computer box. From it the system administrator typically monitors messages from users, requests for loading tapes, and various information about system use. The console may appear to be a simple terminal, yet its function is critical to the operation of the system. The console should not be turned off while the system is operating. For information on turning off the console, or the computer, refer to the "System Shutdown" section of this chapter.

To identify the console

It is critical to know which terminal is the system console. The console terminal must not be turned off while the system is in operation. It is the only input device for a special set of commands that monitor and control the system.

For the HP 3000 Series 9X8LX, the console is physically connected to the computer. Its logical device (LDEV) number is usually LDEV 20, but your system could be different. This console may also run software applications, but its role as system console is critical to keeping the system operating.

Enter the CONSOLE command to identify the LDEV number associated with the console on your system:
:CONSOLE Return CONSOLE IS CURRENTLY ASSIGNED TO LDEV 20
This command is limited to those users who have been granted its use.

Enter the SHOWME command and compare LDEV numbers to ensure that the terminal that you are on is the console. On the SHOWME screen find this LDEV number after $STDIN and $STDLIST. In the following example, the terminal from which the SHOWME command has been issued is LDEV 20.

   :SHOWME Return



   USER:  #S118,ROSEN.PAYROLL             (NOT IN BREAK)

   RELEASE: C.45.00   MPE/iX HP 31900 B.57.06   USER VERSION: C.45.00

   CURRENT : WED, DEC 15, 1993,  3:58 PM

   LOGON :   WED, DEC 15, 1993,  3:57 PM

   CPU SECONDS: 2        CONNECT MINUTES: 1

   $STDIN LDEV: 20           $STDLIST LDEV: 20

If the terminal's LDEV number is not the same as the console's LDEV number, enter the SHOWME command from other terminals until the console is located.

To log on to the console

Usually, the reason for logging on to the console is to perform operations that require the special console commands. For this reason, you must log on to the special MANAGER.SYS account. You can log on as MANAGER.SYS, which has SM capability, or you can log on as OPERATOR.SYS, which has OP capability. OP capability is usually sufficient for monitoring the console. This is also the logon identity into which the Series 9X8LX systems boots; that is, if you have just started the computer, you may already be in OPERATOR.SYS at the console.

To log on to the console
- To log on to the console from the logon prompt
  MPE/iX:HELLO MANAGER.SYS Return
- To log on to the console from the system prompt
  :HELLO MANAGER.SYS Return
You are prompted for any account and user passwords that have been set up.
At the system prompt, you can perform the tasks as needed. If there is no system prompt, press Return.

Remember that, unlike other terminals, this terminal is the system console and should not be turned off.

To create a welcome message

A welcome message is a convenient way to transmit information of general interest to all users of the system. To create a welcome message, use the WELCOME command. This command can be issued only at the system console. (To create a Welcome message using any terminal, refer to chapter 9.)

To create a welcome message, do the following:

Type WELCOME at the system prompt:
:WELCOME Return

At the # prompt, begin creating your message. To end your message, press Return at the # prompt. Enter as many lines as you wish; however, the length of each line cannot exceed 72 characters.

   #WELCOME TO THE HP 3000.  THE SYSTEM Return



   #WILL BE BACKED UP ON MONDAY NIGHT AT 17:00. Return



   #THERE WILL BE A POWER SHUTDOWN ON SATURDAY, MARCH 9. Return



   # Return

To check your welcome message, use the SHOWME command at the system prompt.

To erase a welcome message

To delete an old welcome message, do the following:

Type WELCOME Return.
At the # prompt, press Return.

To send an urgent message to all users

Use the WARN command to send urgent messages to users of the system. This command can be issued only from the system console.

   :WARN @;message up to 67 characters. Return

The message text of the WARN command should contain no more than 67 characters. Type one continuous line without pressing the Return key. When you are finished writing the warning message, press Return. This action terminates the message text and sends the warning message to all users logged on to the system.

   WARN @; THE SYSTEM WILL SHUTDOWN IN 5 MINUTES.  LOG OFF NOW. Return

To control the number of jobs

You can set a limit on the number of jobs that the computer processes by using the LIMIT and JOBFENCE commands.

With job and session limits

The job and session limits set the number of jobs and sessions that can process at the same time. If the job limit is set at 10, only the first 10 jobs are allowed to begin processing. Subsequent jobs wait in the input queue until one job ends so that another can begin. The session limit controls the number of sessions that can be opened at one time.

To set the job limit to 10 and the session limit to 25, enter the limit for jobs and then sessions in the LIMIT command:
:LIMIT 10,25 Return
To set only the job limit to 10, enter:
:LIMIT 10 Return
To set only the session limit to 25, use a comma as a place holder for the job limit, followed by the session limit number:
:LIMIT ,25 Return

With the jobfence

The number of jobs processing on the system can also be controlled by the job priority. This priority level is called the jobfence. To execute, a job's priority must be the same as or greater than the jobfence. The jobfence is a number from 0 to 14 that can be raised and lowered to increase or reduce the priority of jobs permitted to run. If the jobfence is high, a job needs a high priority to run on the system at this time. Lowering the jobfence allows jobs with lower priorities to run on the system too. Usually the jobfence is set at a priority of 5.

   :JOBFENCE 5 Return

To display outstanding messages

To display outstanding messages, known as reply requests, at the console, use the RECALL command.

   :RECALL Return

The following example shows the display of several types of console messages.

   THE FOLLOWING REPLIES ARE PENDING:

   ?13:57/#S25/43/LDEV#  FOR "T" ON TAPE (NUM)?

   ?14:04/#J36/44/FORMS; PLEASE MOUNT PAYROLL CHECKS

   ?14:04/#77/45/#SP12/LDEV# for #J36; OUTFILE ON LP (NUM)?

Console messages provide the following information:

The time the request was made, using a 24 hour clock (13:57 and 14:04).
The requestor's job (#Jnn) and session (#Snn) numbers.
The process identification number, or PIN, following the second slash / symbol. In the above example, 43, 44, and 45 represent PIN. This number identifies who should receive the reply.

If there are no pending messages sent to the console, the following message appears on the screen:

   NO REPLIES PENDING (CIWARN 3020)

To respond to a tape reply requests

Locate the proper cassette tape.
Determine whether the tape should be a read and write tape or a read-only tape.
Load the tape into the DDS tape drive.
Use the REPLY command. Enter the PIN number that appeared in the request. Also enter the LDEV for the DDS tape drive.
:REPLY 43,7 Return

To respond to a special forms request

At times, it may be necessary to load special forms (such as mailers, checks, or labels) on the printer. The job is suspended until someone responds to the message on the console.

Select a printer and mount the correct form.
Use the REPLY command to respond to the message requesting the printer's LDEV number. Enter the PIN and the LDEV number of the appropriate printer.
:REPLY 44,6 Return
The printer runs briefly to print a test pattern. It is then suspended again with another request.
?14:20/#77/44/LDEV #6 FORMS ALIGNED OK (Y/N)?
Look at the test pattern that has printed, and verify the alignment of the printing with lines or boxes on the form. (Often, program documentation supplies a sample of how the test pattern should look if it is aligned properly. Compare the sample with the test pattern.) Fix the alignment of the form, if necessary.
1. If the forms were already aligned accurately and you did not make any adjustment, reply YES.
  :REPLY 44,YES Return
2. If you adjusted the forms, reply NO to the prompt.
  :REPLY 44,NO Return
A negative reply prints another test pattern and prompts you to verify the alignment again. Continue this sequence to test the printing until the form is aligned properly and you can reply YES.

To respond to any user message

A user can send messages to the console, using the TELLOP command. The following is an example of how a user's message is displayed on the console screen:

   14:15/#S27/46/FROM PAT.PAYROLL/HOW SOON IS SYSTEM SHUTDOWN?

The TELLOP command supplies the following information to the console screen:

the time the message was sent (14:15)
the session number from which the message was sent (#S27)
the LDEV, logical device number, of the sender's terminal (46)
the sender's logon identity (PAT.PAYROLL)
the message text

To reply to a TELLOP message, use the TELL command. The sender of this message is identified by the session number or logon identity, in this example, #S27.

   :TELL #S27;SHUTDOWN IS AT 7:30 Return

To customize HP Easytime/iX

The following tasks describe starting and exiting the ETSETUP program. For detailed information on using the HP Easytime/iX Setup screens, refer to Getting Started HP 3000 Series 9X8LX (B3813-90003). You need system manager (SM) capability to use this program.

System managers can use the ETSETUP program to customize HP Easytime/iX. This program is used to change HP Easytime/iX to meet the user's needs.

Log on to the system as MANAGER.SYS.
From the system prompt, type:
:RUN ETSETUP.PUB.SYS Return

To exit the HP Easytime/iX setup program

To exit out of the HP Easytime/iX setup program:

Press F8 {{Exit}}.
Press F5 {{Yes}} to confirm and exit.