Xstation Problem-Solving Hints

About this document
Related documentation
How to read the LAN statistics screen
Ethernet considerations
Problem determination

About this document

This document contains tips for determining Xstation booting problems.

How to read the LAN statistics screen

The LAN statistics screen appears on the Xstation terminal as it boots. Copyright and Xstation Manager information appear at the top of the screen followed by relevant LAN information. Also displayed will be the network adapter's hardware address and relevant information about the adapter's connection mode.

Two lines are displayed for each working LAN adapter. Lines labeled BOOTP: give information about the transmission/reception of bootp packets. Lines labeled TFTP: give information about the transmission/reception of tftp packets.

Reading from left to right in either the bootp or tftp line, interpret the fields as follows:

bootp or tftp packets sent by the Xstation
bootp or tftp packets received by the Xstation
Total number of packets, regardless of the type, received by the Xstation
Packets sent but received no response
tftp error field:
- 66XX numbers indicate token ring errors
- 77XX numbers indicate SLIP errors
- 88XX numbers indicate Ethernet errors

Ethernet considerations

Ethernet connector type selection is done by jumper settings on the PCB. The default setting is usually "thin". To select "thick" or "10BaseT", consult the appropriate Setup and Operator's Guide for the Xstation.

Compliance with IEEE802.3 standards are required for proper operation. Ensure that only 50-ohm IEEE802.3 cables, connectors, and terminators are used throughout the network. Just one section of 90-ohm cable can cause dead spots in the network.

For thin net, or coaxial, Ethernets, do not use more than 30 stations per segment. Also, ensure the length of each segment is less than 185 meters.

For thick net Ethernets, use only IBM approved transceivers or the IBM cable adapter which ships with Xstation 140s, 150s and 160s.

Problem determination

General boot failure

An unsuccessful boot may have an underlying cause, especially if the Xstation had previously been operating satisfactorily. Check the following items:

Basic connectivity
Can the Xstation be pinged using the ping command by the boot host during the boot process? If the ping hangs, press Ctrl-C to interrupt it and run the command arp -a. Does the Xstation show up in the arp table? Does it give the Xstation name, IP address, then at <incomplete>? If so, a physical path to the Xstation has been broken or a possible Xstation hardware problem exists. Check routers, gateways, concentrators, and so on, between the boot host and the Xstation.
Host name resolution
Is DNS or NIS being used? If so, can the DNS server be pinged? Do forward and reverse name resolution still work for both the boot server and Xstation host name/IP address? If not, take appropriate action to ensure proper name resolution to the network.
NIS services map
If you are using NIS, does ypcat services show these:

bootps 67/udp
bootpc 68/udp
x_st_mgrd 7000/tcp (if x_st_mgr 1.3 or below) or
x_st_mgrd 9000/tcp (if x_st_mgr 1.4 or above)
If not, modify the NIS master server to provide these services in its NIS services map by editing the /etc/services file and remaking the maps.

bootp failure

bootp is a broadcast mechanism the Xstation uses to find its server. If bootp is enabled but the packets are not answered, the Xstation LAN statistics screen will show field 1, bootp packets sent, incrementing; field 2, packets received, at 0 and not incrementing; and field 4, packages sent with no reply received, incrementing.

If bootp is enabled but the packets are not answered, perform the following checks:

Check the server process table for bootpd. Enter:
```
   ps -ef | fgrep bootpd 
```
If no bootpd process is running, check inetd for an active bootps. Enter:
```
   lssrc -ls inetd 
```
If the bootps subserver is not listed as active, then enable it using SMIT or the command line:
Via SMIT:
1. Start SMIT with the command smit inetd.
2. Choose inetd Subservers and then Add an inetd Subserver.
Via the command line:
1. Edit /etc/inetd.conf and uncomment the bootps line.
2. Run the following command to activate the change:
```
   refresh -s inetd 
```
If bootpd still does not run, check the permissions on bootpd. Enter:
```
   ls -l /usr/sbin/bootpd 
```
If the permissions are not -r-xr-xr-x bin bin, change them so that they are.
If bootpd is running in the process table, check the system date with the date command.
If the time and date do not appear to be correct, enter the following, replacing MMDDHHmmYY with the current time and date:
```
   date MMDDHHmmYY 
```
Then enter:
```
   touch /etc/bootptab 
```
to make its date/time current and to enable a new bootpd to be spawned the next time a bootp request is received.
Check the permissions and contents of the /etc/bootptab file. To check the permissions, run the command ls -l /etc/bootptab. It should return -rw-r--r-- root system. If it does not, correct the permissions and run the commands touch /etc/bootptab and refresh -s inetd. Retry the boot.
Check the contents of the /etc/bootptab file and verify that there are no blank lines, that there is a network type line, and that there is an Xstation line with the proper entries for the topology and configuration. If necessary, correct the file.
Finally, if everything looks good and bootpd is being started but is not responding to the Xstation requests, initiate bootpd with debugging by doing the following:
1. Edit /etc/inetd.conf and comment out the bootps... line.
2. Run the command refresh -s inetd.
3. Start bootpd manually, sending the output messages to the console or to a file.
  To run bootpd with output to the console, enter:
```
   bootpd -d -d -d -d -s & 
```
  To run bootpd with output to a file, enter:
```
   bootpd -d -d -d -d -s > /tmp/bootpd.out 2>&1 
```

tftp failure

If bootp succeeds, a handoff is made to request tftp download of the Xserver code.

NOTE: Certain Xstation models can load locally from FLASH memory and may not need a tftp download.

A symptom seen at the Xstation may be that the tftp packet counts increment slowly and eventually timeout. Error codes 66XX for token ring or 88XX for Ethernet may be posted in the fifth tftp field.

If tftp fails, do the following:

Run the command lssrc -ls inetd and check for a status of active. If it is not active, check that the /etc/inetd.conf file contains the following line and that it is not commented out:
For 4.2.x and lower:
```
   tftp dgram udp wait nobody /etc/tftpd tftpd -n 
```
For 4.3.x and higher:
```
   tftp dgram udp6 SRC nobody /usr/sbin/tftpd tftpd -n
```
Check tftpd permissions. Try the command tftp <hostname> manually.
Check for an active nobody account. The tftp subserver is owned by the nobody user in the inetd.conf file. If the account has expired or its home directory (/) has the wrong permissions or ownership, tftpd will not work correctly. Add the nobody account, or alternatively, change the ownership of tftp in the /etc/inetd.conf file to root, run the command refresh -s inetd, and try the boot again.
Check that the /etc/services file contains the following line:
```
   tftp 69/udp 
```
If an /etc/tftpaccess.ctl file exists, verify that /etc/x_st_mgr and /usr/lpp/x_st_mgr/bin have allow: lines in the file.

Booting through gateways and routers

If you are booting through a gateway, router, or bridge, the Xstation IP address, host IP address, gateway IP address, and subnet mask must be entered into the Xstation's Network Setup menus. If you have a bridge or router with no IP address, use the boot host's IP address as the gateway address. Additionally, change the bootp mode to direct or disable it completely.

Xstation Manager problems
If the Xstation tftp works, that is, if the first two tftp counters quickly increment to about 500, but error messages or a white screen with no error messages appears on the Xstation, check the x_st_mgrd process. Examples of error messages include:
```
   Could not connect to fileserver 
   Could not read configuration file 
   Cannot load X server code 
```
1. Check to see that the x_st_mgrd process is running. Enter:
```
   ps -ae | grep x_st_mgrd 
```
  If it is not running, start it from the command line by running:
```
   /etc/rc.tcpip 
```
2. If x_st_mgrd is running, check /etc/services (or ypcat services if you are running NIS) and verify that x_st_mgrd is assigned a port:
```
   9000/tcp
```
  If the entry for x_st_mgrd is not found, edit the /etc/services file and add the entry; then configure the change into the Object Data Manager (ODM) by running the command refresh -s inetd.
  NOTE: If you are using NIS, be sure to make the change on the NIS master; then run the make command from /var/yp.
  Finally, kill the x_st_mgrd process and restart it using the command in the first step of this section. Also, verify the Xstation name and that it does not begin with an x.
3. If x_st_mgrd is running and its port is registered, check the /etc/bootptab file and verify that the x_st_mgr line ends with the following:
```
   T170=2328
```
  If the tag is missing, add it and reboot the Xstation.
If the Xstation displays Could not read configuration file orCannot load Xserver code, check the permissions. Enter the following commands:
```
   cd /usr/lpp/x_st_mgr/bin 
   ls -l * 
```
Check for 644, -rw-r--r--, on the following files:

bootfile<n>
X140serv (if applicable)

X150serv (if applicable)

x11xor3.out
x11xor4.out
Then enter the following commands:
```
   cd /etc/x_st_mgr 
   ls -l * 
```
Check for 644, -rw-r--r--, on the following files:
bootfile<n>.cf
X140serv.cf (if applicable)

X150serv.cf (if applicable)

x_st_mgrd.cf
x_st_mgrd.tmty
n may be 1 and 2 or 3 and 4, depending on the version of x_st_mgr.
If any of the preceding files have the wrong permissions or ownership (root/system), then change to the proper permissions and ownership and restart x_st_mgrd using the command in the first step under the subsection "Xstation Manager problems".

If the screen appears grey and the mouse pointer cursor looks like a white rectangle, this indicates that the Xstation cannot load the cursor font file. In this case, check the Xstation font path.

[ Doc Ref: 90605228314726 Publish Date: Jan. 16, 2001 4FAX Ref: 1306 ]

Xstation Problem-Solving Hints

Contents

About this document

Related documentation

How to read the LAN statistics screen

Ethernet considerations

Problem determination