The CPU Expert Tool provides sophisticated troubleshooting for problems associated with a specific processor in a multi-processor environment. Functionality includes the on-line ability to deactivate, reactivate, and assign a process to a specific processor.
The CPU Expert Tool is fully interactive, with its own set of menu commands.
CAUTION: The CPU Expert Tool contains commands which will cause severe performance degradation as a result of processor deactivation. It is assumed that users are aware of the dangers of its use.
To use the CPU Expert Tool safely, you should be trained and knowledgeable about CPU modules.
The CPU Expert Tool allows on-line control of processor functionality in a multi-processor environment by issuing processor-specific commands.
This product provides individual operations that enable the user to identify a malfunctioning processor. The goal of the Expert Tool is to provide the user with an interactive tool that allows processor deactivating or reactivating of individual processor modules without requiring reset of the SPU or restart of the operating system. The ability to assign a specific process to an individual processor is an another capability of this product. Care should be exercised to NOT leave a CPU deactivated, as system performance will be adversely effected. In addition, care must be taken on iCOD machines to not leave more CPUs active than the customer is licensed for.
This tool should allow the multi-processor system under test to be reduced in scope via programmatic elimination of one or more modules. Thus, problems caused by a CPU module or specific process can be isolated without off-line testing.
The CPU Expert Tool requires that you enter an HP-Only license at the main STM window. Consult a Mesa Administrator for the password.
If you experience problems, consult the Troubleshooting Tool-Related Problems help topic.
To run the CPU Expert Tool on a device:
The following procedure is one possible method for troubleshooting processors. The idea is to use the process of elimination. First, find easy problems then perform more time-consuming operations to find less obvious problems.
To troubleshoot a suspect processor:
If you run into problems, see the Troubleshooting Tool-Related Problems help topic.
Consult the Failure Log (for failures) and the Test Activity Log, accessible from the STM main window.
Make sure the device is connected, powered on, and on-line. You could try running the verifier on the device to see why the device is not responding.
You can stop the executing function by pressing the Interrupt Button in the window of the Expert Tool. To stop the Expert tool entirely and return to the xstm Main Window, press the Abort Button.
The CPU Expert Tool may be waiting for you to respond to a query message it is displaying. Look underneath the windows on your workstation for a query message. Also, de-iconize any windows related to STM or the Expert Tool.
The CPU Expert Tool requires a license to operate. Enter the license at the main STM window System->License menu and try to run the tool again.
The function Exercise is applied on a specified CPU to run stress tests on data cache, data TLB, and floating point unit, in turn.
Data cache exerciser -- exercises the data cache by forcing misses, replacements and flushes.
Data TLB exerciser -- exercises the data TLB by forcing page faults, which forces TLB replacements.
Floating point exerciser -- exercises the floating point unit by providing a series of known inputs and checking for corresponding outputs. The benchmark algorithm used here is "tomcatv".
The parameter Execution Time Limit can be specified by the user as an option for limiting the CPU Exercise execution time in minutes. The default value is 10 minutes.
The parameter Error Allowed Number can be specified by the user as an option for limiting the allowed number of errors before the CPU exercise test fails. The default value is 10.
The CPU Expert Tool offers the following commands and buttons:
Use the Exit command to terminate the execution of the CPU Expert Tool and return to the main STM window. If the user tries to exit without reactivating deactivated processor(s), a warning message will appear. The message will indicate that all processors have not been reactivated, and provide the user with the opportunity to Cancel in order to reactivate them before Exiting.
The Activate command will only return a processor that has been previously DEACTIVATED to normal system use. The command will return an error message if the activation routine does not return SUCCESSFUL or if the wrong device was selected. The Activate command will display in the main window the SPU, Slot Number, and Logical ID (LID) number along with the current number of activated processors after execution.
Forces (and locks) a process to a specific processor. The user is required to find an active PID from a different application (top, ps).
Deactivates a processor from system use. The Expert Tool will display a warning message and fail if there is only one processor currently activated or on any attempt to deactivate the Monarch. The Deactivate command will display the SPU, Slot Number, and LID number along with the remaining number of activated processors after execution.
The Display command will display a listing of the current processor status and identify information for all system processors:
SPU Number: Slot Number: LID: Active: (Activated/Deactivated status) Monarch: (Yes/No)
The Run command will launch the CPU Exerciser for a selected CPU. On the popup dialog box, the user can modify parameters of the exerciser, such as Execution Time Limit and Error Allowed Number. By design, only one CPU exerciser can run at any time.
To monitor the running processes, the user may use the Top utility to obtain execution information on the running process.
The running record can be found on CPU Expert activity log.
The Termination command allows the user to terminate the Exerciser earlier than the CPU Exercise. The exercise termination message will be indicated on the main window of this Expert Tool.
The General Help command displays online help for the CPU Expert Tool (the help system you are currently viewing).
For information on using the help system, select the "Using Help..." command in the Help menu in this Help window.
For online help on STM as a whole, use the Help menu in the STM main window.
The Version command displays version and copyright information for the CPU Expert Tool.
The Abort button allows you to abort the CPU Expert Tool, halting its execution and returning to the STM main window.
The tool will be requested to abort and the state of the tool execution in the system map will be set to ABORT_PENDING. When the tool actually exits, its state will be set to ABORTED.
The Interrupt button allows you to interrupt the tool. When the tool receives the interrupt, it will stop whatever it is doing and prompt the user whether they want to continue with the current operation. If the choice is "Continue", the tool will continue with the current operation. If the choice is "Abort", the tool will abort the current operation and return to the window for the CPU Expert Tool.