NAME

mstm - Menu interface to the Support Tools Manager

SYNOPSIS

/usr/diag/bin/mstm [-m] [-l log_file]

DESCRIPTION

mstm provides access to a variety of support actions via a menu-based user interface.  mstm is a complementary interface to xstm (a graphical interface for the X11 environment), and to cstm (a command line interface for ASCII terminals).  mstm can be run on any HP 2392 terminal (or compatible), or on any X terminal. 

Before attempting to use the mstm interface, be aware of the use of:

select bar Selects device classes, devices to test, and help topics.  Use arrow keys to move the select bar up and down the menu to the desired item, then select the appropriate function key displayed at the bottom of the screen. 

Refresh Screen key
Useful for refreshing the screen when a modem fault causes incorrect characters to be displayed. Press this key to restore uncorrupted display contents.

Help & Options key
Access the online help facility to obtain information about a particular system feature or option.

When mstm is started, an initial System Mapping screen is displayed.  Once system mapping is complete, the Summary Screen is displayed. 

Note that when mstm is run for the first time, initialization causes a longer wait before user interaction begins than when mstm is run again and full initialization is not necessary.  This initial execution of mstm is the equivalent of using the -m option (discussed below). 

The Summary Screen shows the following device classes: SPU, Disk, and Tape.  From the Summary Screen, the user can choose to run one or more operations on one or more device classes, or on the system as a whole.  Currently available operations include verifying the system or verifying a device class.  Individual devices can be selected for test by selecting the List Devices key displayed at the bottom of the Main Menu screen.  When the List Devices key is pressed, the Detail Configuration Screen is displayed.  Selects ALL at the Summary Screen (via the highlight bar) displays a map of the I/O and system configuration, including processors, I/O cards, and peripherals.  The map includes the physical path of each device, a brief description of each device, and the status of all support operations that have been initiated on each device.  Selecting any of the specific device class from the Summary Screen (such as, SPU, DISKS, or TAPES) displays information about the corresponding subset in the Detail Configuration Screen map information. 

The Help & Options key displays a brief list of commands available in mstm.  To obtain additional help information for a particular command, move the highlight bar up and down the list of entries on the Help Screen to the appropriate list item, then selecting the More Help function key at the bottom of the screen. 

Operations that can be performed on a given specified device depend on the support tool functions available for that type of device, and on the user’s security level.  Typically, these actions are verify, diagnose, or exercise.  verify operations consist of tasks that access the device in a manner reflecting a typical user, to determine whether the device is functional.  diagnose operations perform hardware diagnostic tests on the selected device.  exercise operations attempt to stress the device. 

When an operation such as verify, diagnose, or exercise is selected, a message is displayed indicating that the operation was initiated.  When the action has completed, a message is displayed indicating the result of the operation.  Additionally, the status displayed on the Summary and Detail Configuration screens is changed to reflect the result.  Typical result statuses are Success, Failed, Warning, and Incompl.  In the case of Warning, Failed, and Incompl, the result is displayed in inverse video in order to make it easier to recognize.  If an operation fails, detailed information concerning the exact nature of the failure can be obtained by selecting the View Logs key. 

To view the log file for the entire session, use the View Logs key while the highlight bar is on the (ALL) selection on the Summary or Detail Configuration Screens; to view the log file for a specific device, the highlight bar must be on the device whose log file is to be viewed (assuming any device log file exists — if one does not, an appropriate message is displayed in the Info Area of the screen instructing you to refer to the session log file). 

The most current test results are appended to the file.  To see the most current test results first, select the Go end of file function key, then scroll backwards through the file using the arrow or paging keys.  To search on a specific keyword, select the Search Backward function key instead.  To search in a forward direction instead, use the Search Forward key. 

Some actions may require user intervention such as mounting a tape and making sure that the tape drive is on line.  When such operator intervention is required, mstm prompts for a response. 

Options

mstm recognizes the following options and command-line arguments:

-m At start-up, force a search of the physical devices on the system, and of the diagnostic programs supported.  When this option is used, mstm takes longer to reach the point where it interacts with the user.  This option is required when system configuration is changed or when a new diagnostic program is installed through sysdiag. 

-l log_file
Specifies the name of the file to which log events are posted, that occur during the time the application is active. The default is ./stm.log.  The contents of this log can be viewed by selecting the View Logs key while the highlight bar is on the (ALL) selection on the Summary or Detail Configuration Screens. 

Since the most current test results are appended to the file, the user should select the Go end of file function key then scroll backwards through the file, to see the most current test results first.  Use the arrow keys or paging keys to do this, or select the Search Backward function key, which will prompt you for a specific keyword to search on.  The Search Forward key is used when searching forward by keyword. 

WARNINGS

Due to the nature of this application and its associated processes, overall system performance may be degraded while mstm is running. 

AUTHOR

mstm was developed by HP. 

FILES

Session Log File

The session log (default name: stm.log) contains a detailed history of the actions performed by mstm.  This log begins with a chart indicating the system and I/O configuration for the system and records the results for each action performed during the session.  Each line of the chart specifies the location of the device, a description of the device, the current status of the diagnose action, and the current status of the verify action. 

Note that the Verifier, Diagnostic,  and Exerciser status columns may contain entries of N/A or Not Checked.  N/A signifies that the corresponding action is not available for the device.  Not Checked signifies that the action has not been invoked, which is always the case when mstm is first invoked. 

Other Files

/usr/diag/bin/am support application manager

/usr/diag/bin/dtm diagnostic tool manager

/usr/diag/bin/DTMDUI.sh diagnostic interface shell

/usr/diag/bin/diskdaf disk device access verifier

/usr/diag/bin/idiskdaf removable-media disk device access verifier

/usr/diag/bin/tapedaf tape device access function

/usr/diag/bin/CSVER000 NLS message catalog for the platform

/usr/diag/bin/MSTM000 NLS message catalog for MSTM

SEE ALSO

xstm(1M), cstm(1M). 

Hewlett-Packard Company  —  HP-UX Release 9.03: April 1994