Storage Management Foundation User's Guide

Configuring and Managing SMF Processes
HP NonStop Storage Management Foundation User's Guide—523562-008
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Error Management and Reporting
Error Management and Reporting
SMF processes return console error messages in the range 5000 to 5999. In addition,
SMF processes emit EMS errors, which, in general, describe the error condition in
greater detail than is described in the console message.
It is also possible to receive error messages (Guardian error messages) that are
outside of the SMF error range. In particular, the VDP can return Guardian error
information when processing a file related request.
For more information on VDP error processing, see VDP Error Handling, next. Events
generated by SMF are found in Appendix A, EMS Support.
VDP Error Handling
The current error reporting interface between the file system and its applications
reports only one error code for most requests. The virtual disk process returns a
standard Guardian error in response to file related requests. However, the virtual disk
process also returns an SMF error in the 5000 to 5999 range if an error condition
specific to SMF is encountered while processing a particular request. For example, if a
file system FEFILEFULL error for the VDP’s ANT file is returned to a VDP request, the
VDP cannot return both an SMF error and an associated file system error number
returned from the WRITE procedure itself. The VDP only returns an error number
indicating the type of problem that occurred.
SMF errors (5000 to 5999) are unique because an operator can identify the general
problem area, but are not unique to a level that provides sufficient information for a
complete analysis of the problem. To provide more detail, the VDP also emits an EMS
event message that includes more contextual information about the problem. Both the
error code and the EMS event log are required for complete error/dump analysis.
File System Errors and SMF Errors
File system errors that occur as a result of normal file level requests (for example, for
security violations or for issuing invalid file creation parameters) are returned directly
as always. SMF errors are returned only when an error condition exists within the SMF
subsystem. Generally, SMF errors cannot be handled from within the application and
might require some form of operator intervention to correct the problem.
SMF event messages are described in Appendix A,
EMS Support.
Pending Operations
Each SMF process logs each operation that is in-process as an entry in its PENDOPS
catalog file. The PENDOPS entry is deleted upon completion of the operation. In the
event of a process takeover or restart operation, each SMF process scans the
PENDOPS file. The SMF process starts a thread to resolve the outcome of the
operation for each entry. When these threads have been started, the SMF process
resumes normal operations.