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Chapter 8: System Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Software Dos and Don’ts
When your system is up and running, follow these guidelines:
• Do not turn off power to a system that is currently running software.
• Do not use the root account unless you are performing administrative tasks.
• Make regular backups (weekly for the whole system, nightly for individual users)
of all information.
• Protect all accounts with a password. Refer to the IRIX Admin: Backup, Security, and
Accounting Manual for information about installing a root password.
System Problem Catagories
The behavior of a system that is not working correctly falls into three broad categories:
Operational You are able to log in to the system, but it does not respond as usual.
Marginal You are not able to start up the system fully, but you can reach the
System Maintenance menu or PROM monitor.
Faulty You cannot reach the System Maintenance menu or PROM monitor.
If the behavior of your system is operational or marginal, first check for error messages
on the MSC display, then perform a physical inspection using the checklist in the
following section. If all the connections seem solid, restart the system. If the problem
persists, run the diagnostic tests from the System Maintenance menu or PROM Monitor.
See your IRIX Admin: System Configuration and Operation manual for more information
about diagnostic tests.
If your system is faulty, turn the power to the main unit off and on. If this does not help,
contact your system administrator.
XIO Board Slots Not Functioning
If not all the XIO board slots are functioning, verify your system module has the required
number of CPU Node boards and that the boards are installed in the appropriate slot. See
Chapter 2, “Chassis Tour” for additional information