Documentation on using the tools is provided in the form of on-line
help, and context-sensitive messages. The SysMan interfaces are not
documented in this book However, you will find information relating to administrative
tasks, and instructions for using alternative methods.
You can use these applications to set up installations, preconfigure
some software subsystems, and access the UNIX shell.
After a system has been installed, you can use these applications to
perform:
After a system has been configured, you can use these applications to
perform routine administrative tasks:
While a system is running, you can use these applications to monitor
and tune its resources:
You can use the dxdw application to access the CDE
commands from the graphical user interface.
Online help is available for the SysMan applications without running
the applications. Click on the Help Manager icon on the
CDE front panel to display the online help browser. The browser includes help
families for CDE, the CDE Desktop, and Digital System Management.
In DECwindows, the SysMan applications are listed in the Session
Manager's Options menu. You can use the Applications Definitions menu item to add frequently used SysMan applications to the Applications menu. You can also customize your CDE workspace with
the Create Action utility in the Desktop_Apps folder. Customized icons enable you to start SysMan applications
directly from the workspace.
In other X Windows environments, the SysMan applications can be invoked
from the command line. See the
To support nongraphical (terminal) environments, some SysMan applications
offer command line and question and answer interfaces. The following applications
have a command line interface. A single command starts the application, which
then performs the actions specified by the command-line arguments.
This connection
is referred to as the console port. The terminal connection
supports a limited set of communication rates up to 57,600, depending on the
console firmware supported by your processor. Currently, this feature is only
available on systems that support modems as console devices, such as the AlphaServer
1000A. Consult your system hardware documentation to find out if your system
has such capabilities.
The console
port enables you to do the following:
Note that running the Environment Configuration Utility (ECU)
on the remote system will cause the modem to disconnect. For this reason,
you should use the ECU to complete any environment configuration before setting
up and using a modem as a console device.
Refer the hardware documents supplied with your modem for connecting
the modem to your system. Consult the
The timer can be modified
via the /etc/sysconfigtab file or the sysconfig command to set the timer to 0 (no timeout period), 1, or 2 seconds.
To set the timer via /etc/sysconfigtab, edit the file and
include the following:
The syntax for modifying the timer via the sysconfig command is as follows:
Note that by modifying the value with the sysconfig
command, the setting is lost when the system is rebooted. To preserve the
setting across reboots, edit the /etc/sysconfigtab file.
Consult your hardware documentation for information on how to set the
console environment variables. Typically, the variables are set when the system
is shut down and in console mode, as shown in the following example:
Valid settings are as follows:
Note that if you change the baud rate, flow control, or modem setting
(for example, using the getty command), the change will
be propagated down to the console level and the environment variables will
change automatically.
For example, use the tip command as follows:
Once you have initiated the dial-out command, and the two modems have
established a connection, the word connect is displayed
on your local terminal window. Press the Return key and the
console prompt (>>>) or the login: prompt
will be displayed.
See the
When the shutdown is complete, you will still have access to the console
prompt.
Check the cables and connections and ensure that the telephone lines
are plugged into the correct sockets, and that you have a dial tone.
Ensure that the remote modem is set to auto-answer, ATS0=n, where n is the number of rings before the modem
answers.
Review the
This is most likely to be due to incorrect settings for dial-in access.
Review the
This problem is usually caused by a mismatch between the baud rate of
the COMM port and that of the modem. Review the
The stty attribute hupcl is at
the default setting. To prevent the line from disconnecting during a shut
down, use the following command:
2.2 CDE Graphical User Interface
CDE is the the preferred operating system interface and the SysMan
graphical user interface becomes the preferred system administration tool
on systems that can display the CDE.
A command line interface to these tools
is included for users of systems that have only character-cell displays or
for users who prefer to use a command line interface to the CDE in a terminal
window.
2.2.1 CDE Administration Tools
The following SysMan tools are available from the CDE control
panel:
2.2.2 Accessing the SysMan Tools
The SysMan applications are also available in the DECwindows Motif
and base X Windows graphical environments. In CDE, the SysMan applications
are available in the Application Manager. You can access
the Application Manager from the CDE Front Panel by clicking
on its icon. The SysMan applications are organized into five groups within
the System_Admin group. Double click on the System_Admin
group to access the SysMan Configuration Checklist, the Welcome to SysMan online help volume, and the five application groups. sysman_intro(8X) reference page for a list of the
SysMan applications. This reference page also describes how to display the
online help browser in graphical environments other than CDE.
The following applications have a question and answer interface invoked
using the command-line argument -ui menu.
The application prompts you interactively.
The menu interface for Mail Configuration is called mailsetup.
2.3 Remote System Administration
You
can manage remote systems through a modem connection. A serial line console
enables you to connect a local terminal to the remote system console through
modems attached to your local system and to the communications port COMM1 of the remote system. The local system can be any terminal
or terminal emulation device that enables a modem connection such as a dumb
terminal, an X terminal window, or a personal computer (PC). To perform administrative
tasks, you must be able to log in as root (or an account with administration
privileges).
2.3.1 Setting Up a Console Port
The following sections provide an overview of the steps required
to set up a serial line console port and set up the remote modem for dial-in.
It is assumed that your local (dial-out) modem is already installed and configured
for use.
2.3.1.1 Connecting the Modem to COMM1
The CONSOLE environment variable on the remote
system should be set to serial.modem(7) reference page to obtain the correct
modem settings and for instructions on how to create the appropriate system
file entries. In particular, the cons entry in /etc/inittab file should be modified so that the getty or uugetty process sets up the COMM port correctly.
This line is similar to the following example:
cons:1234:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty console console vt100
This line should be changes as follows if you are using a modem set
to run at a baud rate of 38,400 as a console device:
cons:1234:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty console M38400 vt100
2.3.1.2 Setting the Configurable DCD Timer Value
The Digital UNIX serial driver has been
modified to allow the Carrier Detect (DCD) timeout value to be configurable.
The default value for this timer is 2 seconds, which is in accordance with
the DEC STD-052 standard and is acceptable for most modems. This timer is
used to determine how long the driver must wait when the DCD signal drops,
before declaring the line disconnected and dropping the DTR and RTS signals.
Some modems expect DTR to drop in a shorter time interval, so refer to your
modem documentation to verify the interval.
ace:
dcd_timer=n
Where n = 0, 1, or 2
# sysconfig -r ace dcd_timer=n
Where n = 0, 1, or 2
2.3.1.3 Setting the Console Environment Variables
The COM1_MODEM, COM1_FLOW, and COM1_BAUD console environment
variable settings must be equivalent to the getty or uugetty settings used when you created your system file entries
for the modem.
>>> set COM1_MODEM ON
>>> set COM1_FLOW SOFTWARE
>>> set COM1_BAUD 9600
2.3.1.4 Verifying the Modem Setup
Dial the remote system and obtain a log-in prompt or console prompt,
if the system is not booted. Log out or disconnect and ensure that the line
hangs up correctly. Dial in again to ensure that you can reconnect.
2.3.2 Initiating a Console Port Connection
You can initiate a connection between the local and remote systems by
different methods. A tip, kermit, or cu connection can be initiated from a terminal or X-terminal window
or you can use a PC-based terminal emulator.
# tip [telephone number]
# tip cons
Where telephone_number is the telephone number of the remote system, including
any prefixes for outside lines and long-distance codes. The second line is
an example of an entry in the /etc/remote file, which you
can use to specify details of remote systems and tip settings.tip(1) reference page for more information.
2.3.2.1 Using the Console Port
Once
you have access to the system and are logged in to a privileged account, you
can perform any of the administration tasks described in this volume that
do not require access to a graphical user interface, such as using commands
and running utilities. Note that the following Digital UNIX features may be
useful for remote administration:uucp(1)
reference page for more information.ikdebug((8)) reference page for more information.
You may need to change an entry in the /etc/remote file
to correct the baud rate. For example you may need to change the baud rate
from 9600 baud in the following lines:
# access line for kernel debugger
kdebug:dv=/dev/tty00:br#9600:pa=none:
See the Kernel Debugging manual for additional information.
2.3.2.1.1 Turning off Console Log Messages
The syslogd daemon now has an internal switch to disable and enable
messages to the console. This feature is invoked by the -s
flag on the syslogd command line, or by running the following
command:
# /usr/sbin/syslog
See the syslog(1) reference page.
2.3.2.1.2 Shutting Down The Remote System
When
you shut down the remote system, the modem connection will be dropped. To
avoid this, use the following command before you shut down the system:
# stty -hupcl
See
the stty(1) reference page for more information.
2.3.2.1.3 Ending a Remote Session
To end a remote session from the Digital UNIX operating system
shell prompt, type Ctrl-D to log out and terminate the remote session. Otherwise,
type +++ to put the modem into local command level, and
type ATH followed by the Return key to hang up the connection.
2.3.3 Troubleshooting
If you have problems setting up your systems and connecting,
check the set up as follows::
modem(7) reference page and verify the settings for dial-in
access. modem(7) reference page and verify the settings for dial-in
access. modem(7) reference page
and verify the settings for dial-in access.
# stty -hupcl