HP 9000/856 aka E55 Questions...

Rick Jones schrieb:
> Ralf Folkerts <ralffmail-news2@yahoo.de> wrote:
>> Hi Rick,
>
>> just a short Feedback:
>
>> - Asked the Webmaster for the Docs; the response was: "I'm sorry to
>> report that the HP 9000/856/E55 System predates the docs.hp.com
>> archive. We do not have any copies of documents for that system."
>> :-(
>
> I was wondering/worried about that. I'll try to keep my eyes out for
> old E55 manuals. I suspect that the service/normal switch for the E55
> was common across the entire E-class and so if you found docs for
> E[234]5 (iirc those were the other models) it would apply.
>
> For that matter, service/normal switch was something IIRC on later
> model systems like the K-class (a key switch). I _suspect_ it would
> do similar things there too. Or on older systems as might be found at
> the hpmuseum - say the 8X2's or even older.

Hi Rick,

thanks for the hint re. the older manuals. I searched for and found a
few; however, the E55 seems to behave different. What I found was that
pressing ctrl-c oder ctrl-d during power-up should give you a "cm>"
prompt and allow remote-management-config from there. Well' I didn't
manage to get that prompt (however, it seems also my system is missing a
Remote Management Card) -- but when the Switch on the E55 is set to
Service the POST will display it's results in the Status-Line of the
Console-Terminal.

Would be nice, however, if you (or someone else) would find some Docs
for the E55.

Re. the PDC I now asked the Webmaster, too. My question on ITRC only
confirmed that there must be a PDC 2.1 out there. So I asked Webmaster
where I might find that -- after all I can download the Firmware for my
old DEC AXPpci 33 System (which must also be ~same age as the E55) from
HP -- so there should be a Firmware-File for the E55 somewhere on a
HP-Server, too.

Well, the positive aspect of my ITRC Questions was, that I also asked
re. Enware-Availability (the "well known" Download Links are dead) and
got a Download-Link, so I can now operate the Envize that I got with the
E55 nicely :-)

Cheers,
_ralf_

* Ralf Folkerts:
> What I found was that
> pressing ctrl-c oder ctrl-d during power-up should give you a "cm>"
> prompt and allow remote-management-config from there. Well' I didn't
> manage to get that prompt (however, it seems also my system is missing a
> Remote Management Card)

Not on the E55 which doesn't have any remote hardware management
capability at all (no service processor, no remote management card).
None of the E-Class servers had anything like that.

Benjamin, with an E55 sleeping in storage

On 1 Sep., 23:23, Benjamin Gawert <bgaw...@gmx.de> wrote:
> * Ralf Folkerts:
>
> > What I found was that
> > pressing ctrl-c oder ctrl-d during power-up should give you a "cm>"
> > prompt and allow remote-management-config from there. Well' I didn't
> > manage to get that prompt (however, it seems also my system is missing a
> > Remote Management Card)
>
> Not on the E55 which doesn't have any remote hardware management
> capability at all (no service processor, no remote management card).
> None of the E-Class servers had anything like that.
>
> Benjamin, with an E55 sleeping in storage

Hi Benjamin,

thanks for the hint!

Do you remember what the "Service"/"Normal" Switch on the rear of the
CPU-Card is being used for on the E55? As posted I found that it will
display diagnostic Info on the Console during Power-Up -- but will it
do more??

Re. the Remote Capabilities: The System's rightmost LED (there
actually is a LED oon-place on the Backplane and also a fiber-optic
connector from the Backplane's LED to the Front) is labeled "Remote
Enabled". Do you know what's that for? Were remote capabilities
planned but then never realized?

Would be great if you could remember this Info :-)

Cheers,
_ralf_

On Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:23:14 +0100, Benjamin Gawert <bgawert@gmx.de>
wrote:

>* Ralf Folkerts:
>> What I found was that
>> pressing ctrl-c oder ctrl-d during power-up should give you a "cm>"
>> prompt and allow remote-management-config from there. Well' I didn't
>> manage to get that prompt (however, it seems also my system is missing a
>> Remote Management Card)
>
>Not on the E55 which doesn't have any remote hardware management
>capability at all (no service processor, no remote management card).
>None of the E-Class servers had anything like that.

The E55 had the serial console and the remote modem port. It did not
have a TCP/IP connection for the console. You can provide TCP/IP
connectivity to the serial console port by using an HP secure web
console.

Robert Klute schrieb:
> On Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:23:14 +0100, Benjamin Gawert <bgawert@gmx.de>
> wrote:
>
>> * Ralf Folkerts:
>>> What I found was that
>>> pressing ctrl-c oder ctrl-d during power-up should give you a "cm>"
>>> prompt and allow remote-management-config from there. Well' I didn't
>>> manage to get that prompt (however, it seems also my system is missing a
>>> Remote Management Card)
>> Not on the E55 which doesn't have any remote hardware management
>> capability at all (no service processor, no remote management card).
>> None of the E-Class servers had anything like that.
>
> The E55 had the serial console and the remote modem port. It did not
> have a TCP/IP connection for the console. You can provide TCP/IP
> connectivity to the serial console port by using an HP secure web
> console.


Hi Robert,

thanks for the Info! Was the "remote modem Port" an add-on (card)? The
Only Connectors my E55 has is the one for the MDP, one parallel Printer,
one SCSI (plus, on the CPU-Board, Network (10BT and AUI) and one for UPS.

Cheers,
_ralf_

* ralffmail-news2@yahoo.de:

> Do you remember what the "Service"/"Normal" Switch on the rear of the
> CPU-Card is being used for on the E55? As posted I found that it will
> display diagnostic Info on the Console during Power-Up -- but will it
> do more??

IIRC it just does that - provide more detailed diag infos (and if memory
serves me right also does a bit deeper self test)

> Re. the Remote Capabilities: The System's rightmost LED (there
> actually is a LED oon-place on the Backplane and also a fiber-optic
> connector from the Backplane's LED to the Front) is labeled "Remote
> Enabled". Do you know what's that for? Were remote capabilities
> planned but then never realized?

This is for the service modem port which basically was a HP-provided
modem (usually preprogrammed with the phone no. of the HP service)
dedicated for HP service to do maintenance (mostly software) on the
server. If an HP engineer was connected to the machine the LED lit up.
This service modem port isn't of much use as it doesn't provide more
than the standard console port does. It doesn't provide anything
comparable to hardware remote management like ILO/LOM or the service
processor of the HP T-Class.

Benjamin

On Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:13:28 +0200, Ralf Folkerts
<ralffmail-news2@yahoo.de> wrote:

>Robert Klute schrieb:
>> On Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:23:14 +0100, Benjamin Gawert <bgawert@gmx.de>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> * Ralf Folkerts:
>>>> What I found was that
>>>> pressing ctrl-c oder ctrl-d during power-up should give you a "cm>"
>>>> prompt and allow remote-management-config from there. Well' I didn't
>>>> manage to get that prompt (however, it seems also my system is missing a
>>>> Remote Management Card)
>>> Not on the E55 which doesn't have any remote hardware management
>>> capability at all (no service processor, no remote management card).
>>> None of the E-Class servers had anything like that.
>>
>> The E55 had the serial console and the remote modem port. It did not
>> have a TCP/IP connection for the console. You can provide TCP/IP
>> connectivity to the serial console port by using an HP secure web
>> console.
>
>
>Hi Robert,
>
>thanks for the Info! Was the "remote modem Port" an add-on (card)? The
>Only Connectors my E55 has is the one for the MDP, one parallel Printer,
>one SCSI (plus, on the CPU-Board, Network (10BT and AUI) and one for UPS.

The MDP and the remote modem port should be the same thing. As Benjamin
noted in his post the remote modem port was designed solely for the
support modem 'dongle'. Your best bet is the remote web console and
limited ctl-B access.

Robert Klute schrieb:

[...]
>> thanks for the Info! Was the "remote modem Port" an add-on (card)? The
>> Only Connectors my E55 has is the one for the MDP, one parallel Printer,
>> one SCSI (plus, on the CPU-Board, Network (10BT and AUI) and one for UPS.
>
> The MDP and the remote modem port should be the same thing. As Benjamin
> noted in his post the remote modem port was designed solely for the
> support modem 'dongle'. Your best bet is the remote web console and
> limited ctl-B access.

Hi Robert,

thanks for the Info -- esp. the Ctrl-B - Key :-) With that I got to the
"CM" Prompt and was able to enable and disable Remote access and such...
Now, as everything is located in my living room I don't actually need
remote access -- however, I'd like to see how things work(ed). This "CM"
"Thing" will keep me busy a while ;-)

Cheers,
_ralf_

Benjamin Gawert schrieb:

> * ralffmail-news2@yahoo.de:
>
>> Do you remember what the "Service"/"Normal" Switch on the rear of the
>> CPU-Card is being used for on the E55? As posted I found that it will
>> display diagnostic Info on the Console during Power-Up -- but will it
>> do more??
>
> IIRC it just does that - provide more detailed diag infos (and if memory
> serves me right also does a bit deeper self test)
>
>> Re. the Remote Capabilities: The System's rightmost LED (there
>> actually is a LED oon-place on the Backplane and also a fiber-optic
>> connector from the Backplane's LED to the Front) is labeled "Remote
>> Enabled". Do you know what's that for? Were remote capabilities
>> planned but then never realized?
>
> This is for the service modem port which basically was a HP-provided
> modem (usually preprogrammed with the phone no. of the HP service)
> dedicated for HP service to do maintenance (mostly software) on the
> server. If an HP engineer was connected to the machine the LED lit up.
> This service modem port isn't of much use as it doesn't provide more
> than the standard console port does. It doesn't provide anything
> comparable to hardware remote management like ILO/LOM or the service
> processor of the HP T-Class.

Hi Benjamin,

thanks for the Info! Together with Roberts hint re. Ctrl-B I was able to
get to the "CM" Prompt and enable and configure Remote access (hehe...
and, just as you wrote, when I enabled Remote Access there the "Remote"
LED went on :-)

Unfortunately I have no Idea re. any HP-System other than the E55 and a
C200 - however, it's really nice to explore them (even though there
seems to be no Manual for the E55 any longer).

Thanks again!
Cheers,
_ralf_