Navigating pdweb

In order to get the most out of the Peripheral Device Tool, it is helpful to understand the graphical user interface (GUI). Learning about the GUI design aids you in working more efficiently with the system. The basic features of the Peripheral Device Tool GUI are described in the sections that follow.

Components of the GUI

Banner

The Peripheral Device Tool, located at the top of the page, contains the tool name and your User name. Also, in the right-hand side of the banner, is the Log Off [hostname] link to end your session.

Figure 2-2 pdweb Banner

Tabs

Tabs divide information into several sections, making it easy to locate and manage devices and slots. The active tab, or the tab currently selected, is highlighted with a different color so that it is easy for you to identify.

The default tab presented after logging in is contingent upon whether root is used to log in and the capabilities of the system's slots. If root is used during log in and the system slots are OL* capable, the OLRAD Cards tab is presented. When either condition is not met, the I/O Tree tab is presented as the default tab.

Figure 2-3 pdweb Tabs

Lists

Lists organize, group, and summarize information. They are the starting point for managing the devices and slots of your host system. Each list of items is relevant for the active tab.




	TIP: Only one list item can be selected at a time. You cannot select multiple devices or slots from the respective lists.

Lengthy lists may require more than one page to display all of the items. If the list contains more than 50 items, arrow buttons appear, above the list on the right, to facilitate paging through the list 50 items at a time. These buttons have the following abilities:

Table 2-1 pdweb List Navigation Buttons

Sets the list to the beginning.

Sets the list forward by 50 items.

Sets the list backward by 50 items.

Sets the list to the end.

Figure 2-4 pdweb List Example

Action Menu

The action menu, to the right of a list, is a context-sensitive menu that changes each time a tab is selected. The actions in this menu become active based on the selected item and its capabilities. This navigation menu is always present and enables you to execute the actions.

For example, the first time the OLRAD Cards tab is made active, only help actions are active. Once a slot is selected, if it is OL* capable, other actions in the menu become active or exposed.




	TIP: An ellipsis (...) at the end of an action indicates that there is an underlying process. When selected, a another page appears and the underlying process begins. These actions are safe to explore as you will be given a chance to change your mind and cancel the action.

Figure 2-5 pdweb Action Menu

Command Preview

When selecting actions that invoke a process (those that end with an ellipsis) you are presented with a process page relevant to the action. This page contains a Command Preview that displays the command to be executed by the Peripheral Device Tool. This assists you in deciding if you want to proceed with the action or cancel it. Additionally, it can help you relate the GUI action to the command line syntax and execution.

Figure 2-6 pdweb Command Preview Example

The OLRAD Cards Tab

The columns that comprise the list of slots are self-explanatory and provide basic information about each slot. However, it is useful to note that an indication of “N/A” in the Suspended column means that either there is no card in the slot, or that the card is not OL* capable.

There are graphic indicators that appear in the list of slots and on the mini-tabs to help you quickly identify the state of each slot. These graphics are displayed according to the state of the slot and are described as:

Table 2-2 pdweb Slot State Graphic Symbols

Symbol

Description

Indicates that power is applied to the slot.

Indicates that a card is present in the slot.

Indicates that the card is in a suspended state and can be brought online.




	NOTE: This tab and the functionality it contains is only available to root, it is not active to any other users.

To see a detailed view of a slot, simply click anywhere in the row where the slot appears in the list. Once a selection is made, the detailed view of the slot appears below the tabular list, presenting all available information about the selected slot.

Figure 2-7 Detail View of Slot on pdweb

I/O Tree Tab

To enable you to quickly and easily view all of the I/O devices (or I/O Tree) on your system, the Peripheral Device Tool uses information from the last hardware scan and presents the results in an easy-to-read, tabular format. The Hardware (H/W) Path, Class (or type), and a brief Description of each device found on the host system is listed. The last hardware scan date and time appear to the left of the [Refresh].

Figure 2-8 I/O Tree Tab in Peripheral Device Tool Image

The information presented in this tab is derived from the last execution of ioscan (or hardware scan) cached on the host system. It is read-only and can only be refreshed by running a new hardware scan, see “Refresh”.




	NOTE: Devices are determined and displayed by ports responding to the hardware scan. This being the case, it is not possible to determine which devices may exist on multi-function (combination) cards.

To see a detailed view of a device, both internal and leaf nodes, simply click anywhere in the row where the device appears in the list. Once a selection is made, the detailed view of the device appears, below the tabular list, presenting all available information about the selected device. The detailed information displayed may vary for each device as this data is dependent on the information retrieved during the hardware scan. See Figure 2-9 “pdweb I/O Tab Detail View”.

Figure 2-9 pdweb I/O Tab Detail View

You can filter the list of devices a number of ways by changing the view, see “Changing Views”.

The actions available to root on this tab are:

“Reinstall Device Files”.: Reinstall the special device files applicable to the selected device.
[Refresh]: Run a new hardware scan immediately.

Changing Views

Changing the View by Device Class

Changing the way you view the list of devices enables you to: isolate a device category from the entire list, shorten long lists by filtering, or locate a particular device.

The view can be changed using the Class list control, which filters the devices list based on your selection. The filter choices are the major device classes: disk, tape, autochanger (autoch), and lan. A complete list of devices, including all classes, is displayed when All is selected and this is the default view. All of the filters rely on the device category (returned as part of the hardware scan) and is listed in the Class column of the device list.

For example, if you select tape from the Class list, only tape devices appear in the new list. To return to the complete list of devices, select All.

You can reset the selection of a device by choosing another filter from the Class control.

Changing the View with Search

The ability to search on a particular device class, hardware path, word, or phrase is a powerful tool. You can filter the list of devices by searching with criteria you define. This is particularly useful for isolating device classes that are not included in the standard Class filter control.

The Class filter and text search controls can be used independently or together. When used together, the combination of filtering to one device category then searching for specific text is a very powerful tool.

Figure 2-10 pdweb Class & Search Options

To conduct a search:

If you want to search only within a particular device class to further restrict your search, select the appropriate filter from the Class list, or use the default of all devices with All selected.
The filtered list appears.
NOTE: Filtering selections must be made first because all search and filtering criteria is reset with the use of this control.
Enter the information you want to find in the text box adjacent to Search. Ensure you spell your search criteria correctly as the search facility is case sensitive.
TIP: For example, you could use the default class All and the search text ba to view only bus adapter devices.
Click
to view the resulting list of devices that match your search criteria.
If no devices are displayed, you may wish to modify your search text and/or selection in the Class list.

Figure 2-11 pdweb I/O Tree Search Results

To reset all search criteria and return to the default view, click

Refresh

Updating the information presented on the I/O Tree tab is made simple with the on-demand hardware scan facility that executes ioscan and updates the cached data stored in the kernel by the system. Execution of ioscan could result in the addition or deletion of devices from the devices list or a change in state, refer to the ioscan(1M) manual page for more details.

Click the [Refresh] button, in the upper, right-hand corner of the tab, to begin an immediate hardware scan. The hardware scan is executed as a background task on the host to allow you to continue to use the Peripheral Device Tool. This action results in the [Refresh] button changing to [Finished?] with a message alerting you that the hardware scan (ioscan) has been launched in the background.

To monitor the progress of the hardware scan, click the [Finished?] button, which remains until the hardware scan has completed. Once the hardware scan is complete and you click [Finished?] the button returns to [Refresh].

The processing time for the hardware scan is dependent on the number of devices connected to the host system. You should use the hardware scan capability judiciously, particularly if you have a large number of devices connected to your host system, as it may be a time-consuming process.

Reinstall Device Files

It may be necessary or desirable to reinstall special files for a particular device if the files are missing, corrupt, or out of date. This action is only available to root.

Reinstalling device files executes in the background as the possibility exists that it may take several minutes to run the insf command depending on the type of node selected, internal or leaf.

To reinstall special device files for a device:

Select a device from the I/O Tree tab.
Click >> Reinstall Device Files....
NOTE: This menu selection is not active for use unless a device is selected.
A confirmation window appears to allow you to review the command that is about to be executed and decide if you wish to continue with the action.
Figure 2-12 pdweb Reinstall Device Files Screen
Click [Reinstall] to reinstall the device files for the selected device or [Cancel] to discontinue the action.
The command, as previewed, is executed and you are returned to the I/O Tree tab.

Viewing Slot Information

To enable you to view easily all of the slots on your system with OL* capability, the Peripheral Device Tool uses the olrad command and presents the results in an easy-to-read, tabular format in a web browser.

Figure 2-13 OL* Cards in Peripheral Device Tool Image

Actions Available

Run Critical Resource Analysis: Generate a slot-specific report detailing which system critical resources are affected by changes to the given slot.
Add Card Online: Add a new card to a selected slot and bring it online
Replace Card Online: Replace an existing card in a selected slot and bring it online.
Bring Card Online: Bring a card online after postponing during an add or replace action.
Turn On/Off Slot LED: Turn the Attention LED to BLINK or OFF for the selected slot.

Slot Detail View

Once a slot is selected, the corresponding details appear below the list of slots in the following four mini-tabs:

Table 2-3 pdweb Slot Detail Information Tabs

Tab	Description
Slot	Slot specific information, including whether or not the slot is OL* capable, is displayed
Card Interfaces	All interfaces (or every port on the card) found in the slot are displayed.
Attached Devices	All devices connected to the selected slot are displayed and easy to find with the search facility, which is exclusive to this mini-tab.
Device Files	All special devices files that are associated with the selected slot are displayed.

The details presented can vary for each slot and are dependent on the information gathered by the olrad command. Refer to the olrad(1M) manual page for data object specifics.

Figure 2-14 pdweb OLRAD Cards Slot & Card Interfaces Tab Examples

Figure 2-15 pdweb OLRAD Cards Attached Devices & Device Files Tab Examples

Using Search

The list of slots can be altered with the search facility. You can filter the list by searching for a particular slot, path, word, or phrase. This is particularly useful for isolating Suspended slots from a long list.

Conducting a search:

Enter the information you want to search for in the box adjacent to Search. Ensure you spell your search criteria correctly as the search facility is case sensitive.




	TIP: For example, you could use the search text yes to view only slots that are Occupied or Suspended. Alternatively, if you use the search text off, only those slots that are currently powered off are displayed.

Click
to view the resulting list of slots that match your search criteria
If no slots are displayed, you may wish to modify your search text.