CHAPTER 2

Board Hot Plug Software Procedures

This chapter explains how to use the board hot plug capability. For command information and examples, see Chapter 1, "OpenBoot 3.x Commands.".

Disabled System Board

A system board can become disabled (not used by the operating system) in three ways:

• A self-test detects a failure and disables the board.
• The board is disabled manually using disabled-board-list. In this case, the operator tells the system not to use the board. For example:

ok setenv disabled-board-list 72

The above command disables boards in slots seven and two. See "disabled-board-list" on page 11" for more information.

• The board was inserted while the operating system was running.

· To Swap Out a Disabled Board

1. Make sure that the board is disabled (not in use by the operating system, power light off).

2. Remove the disabled board.

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Caution - If the yellow light is on, use prtdiag to determine the cause before installing a new board.

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3. Install a new board.

   a. Verify that system precharge is OK.

   b. Verify that hot plug is available.

4. Reboot the system.

Activated System Board

The system board is activated when the following three conditions are met:

• The board is in place during system startup.
• The slot has not been disabled by disabled-board-list.
• The board passes self-test.

· To Swap Out an Activated Board

1. Halt the system.

2. Power off the system.

3. Remove and replace the board.

4. Reboot the system.

Disabling Hardware

By using the configuration-policy command, you can disable

• Component--Disables only the failing component.
• Board---Disables the board if any component on it fails.
• System--Stops the system at the POST menu if there is a failure.

Examples:

ok setenv configuration-policy board

or

# eeprom "configuration-policy board"

· To Disable a Defective Board

If you suspect a board is defective and want to request that the system disable the board, perform the following procedure.

1. Use the setenv command at the ok prompt or the eeprom command at the # prompt to prohibit the system from using the board. Examples:

ok setenv disable-board-list 3

or

# eeprom "disable-board-list"=3

where 3 = slot 3.

2. Reboot the system.

3. Remove the unused board and insert a new board.

4. Clear the disabled-board-list.

   See "disabled-board-list" on page 11 for more information.

5. Reboot the system.