{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Welcome to the Troubleshooting Topic of XTW01. This topic covers System x Tools and Support. This is Topic 10 of the System x Technical Principles class.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Upon completion of this topic, you should be able to: Distinguish between the Configuration and Sizing tools Recall the pre-sales tools available in each category Summarize the function of each configuration and sizing tool Identify the pre-sales tools that are appropriate given a customer scenario Demonstrate the navigational features for each tool outlined in this topic List the benefiting features of UpdateXpress, ServerGuide, and ServeRAID Manager
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This topic agenda introduces of the primary Configuration and Sizing toolset, and Systems Management Support tools, providing a brief description for the function and use of each tool. We will begin with the Configuration Tools.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The Configuration tools are used to build a complete and validated product or solution configuration. Typically the output of the configuration tools are used to create proposals and feed downstream pricing and inventory processes. There have been some changes to the Configurator toolset over the last year, with some more on the way. Last year we sunset the xSCA and Rack Configurator and merged their functionality into a single tool called the Standalone Solutions Configuration Tool (aka, SSCT), and the Advanced Solution Integration Tool replaces the Linux Cluster Sales Assistant (LCSA).
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This chart provides a brief description and function for each of the Pre-sale configuration toolset.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is the System x Configuration Tools public website where you can find some of the available configuration tools. In the next slides, we will cover some of these aspects.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In the next section we will review the interface for each of the configuration toolsets beginning with the SSCT.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Standalone Solutions Configuration Tool (SSCT) is a software application with technical guidelines incorporated in its database which has been developed to aid IBM sales and Business Partners and to facilitate technical collaborations in configuring eServer systems and rack cabinets. The application is designed to support an interactive interface with graphics for determining the price, ideal environment, available rack cabinet space and available resources along with other operations associated with ordering and configuring a whole solution. The application is also capable of saving or exporting data in several different formats. The SSCT is used Worldwide for IBM and Partner sales teams and designed for use by novice users through expert users. This is the preferences screen that appears when you launch the SSCT. From here, you have several option to choose from: wizard mode, configuration mode or solution mode. The wizard is for more basic configurations and more for novice end users, and great for generating a simple and quick configuration. The configuration mode is for more advanced users, it allows you to create configurations that are more complex in nature. The solution mode is for highly advanced users and allows you to create complex solutions using racking systems and configurations. You can also pick your region from here, the country, and language you'd like to support. As of January 2008 the SSCT has full National Language Support for all the languages supported in the tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of the wizard configuration mode that contains an x3500 product configuration. This process provides tab-to-tab configuration options.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of a typical configuration mode screen that contains a x3650 product configuration. From here you can right click on the x3650 shown in the description box. This will display a compatibles toolbox allowing you to add options to the configuration. The compatibles toolbox is similar in function to the xSCA classic mode. There is a recent enhancement in the Compatibles Toolbox where you can chose to Force Automatic Validation. This will help to ensure you build a valid configuration.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Next is an example of a typical solution mode screen that contains a x3650 product configuration with the x3650 placed inside a rack. You can accomplish this by selecting the product and then drag and drop the product into the rack. You can also set your preferences for servers to be auto placed in the rack for best results. In this example, auto placement is off, which is the default setting. After completing the product configuration, you have the option to build another configuration or choose save or export your file. Note: The “Save” option will save the configuration in TP3 format, which is the native format for the SSCT. Export will save as an excel spreadsheet, CSV, ePricer file, or text. SSCT will only import TP3 files.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of the SSCT Excel XLS quote sheet. From here you can add and remove components and pricing will change in real time.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the eConfig Tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The IBM Configurator for e-business (e-Config) is an application that provides configuration support for hardware, software, and peripherals associated with the product lines that are available for marketing. The System x & BladeCenter implementation of eConfig is used only in the US and Canada, when the order will be fulfilled by IBM. eConfig is a standalone tool, and is called a disconnected tool, it doesn’t require a connection to the Internet. You only need to be connected to the Internet when updating the data files. eConfig is used to build moderate to complex product and solution configurations. For simple product configurations it is recommended you use the Web-based IBM Hardware configurator. This is an example of the eConfig initial order start window where you would add the customer and other data, this screen will appear. Next you choose add initial order from the toolbar as shown in the slide.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The eConfig configuration interface for System x is similar to the SSCT. You can use the tabs to navigate and configure the product. From here you can choose your model, the OS version, form factor, processor, etc. With the feature code nomenclature for System x and BladeCenter, the base models can be AC1, MC1 or HC1, and others. For an example, if you do not wish to install an OS, choose the AC1 model or choose MC1 to install the OS.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the IBM Web-based hardware configurator tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The IBM Hardware configurator is similar to eConfig but it is Web based. It is used to build simple product configurations. Now with the latest release you can build simple to complex configurations. It is used primarily in the US & Canada. There are two versions of the hardware configurator. The first is the CCE, common commerce engine version, also called the Integrated version, that makes up the ShopIBM site. The second version is called the non-Integrated version. This version allow the sales teams to build a configuration and then export as an XLS, TXT, or XML file and also allows you to save as a CFR file for input to downstream tools. This is the home page for the non-integrated hardware configurator. Here you can choose a product category to begin with or you can start with a model number. You can also enter a model number to find compatible accessories or parts if you're doing upgrades or wanting to just buy additional options.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} After you build your server you will be able to view a summary of that configuration. During the process you will need to check the system to ensure there are not any configuration errors. The configuration can be exported as a CSV, TXT, XLS or XML file as shown in the slide. Also, important information about your configuration will be displayed in the summary as shown in this example on the bottom left.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} From the Summary tab will allow you to save the configuration as a CFReport for input into downstream tools like MSC. You can also choose to Export the configuration as a CSV, TXT, XLS or XML file. The XML file can only be created if the configuration is valid, without any fatal errors, and that the CFReport is not locked. Then the Export as XML link will display as an option. It is recommended that you select the Home link located in top left corner of the page. This will end your configuration session, otherwise the session will stay active until it eventually times out. Ending your session by selecting Home and returning to the IBM Hardware Configurator homepage will improve overall performance for everyone using the non-Integrated configuration tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will introduce the features of the Configuration and Options Guide known as the COG, which is available in both HTML and PDF format.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The COG, configuration and options guide, is used to assist the technical teams in building and validating configurations. There are two versions available: the Adobe PDF version and a Web-based HTML version. As of January 2008 there is now a search function available with the HTML version. This is an example of the Web-based version of the COG, which now contains a withdrawn products selection. The withdrawn feature allows you to refer back to previous versions of the COG to find information on older and withdrawn products. With the web-based version, information is retained for up to 1 year. The COG also contains quick navigational links on systems and solutions as shown in the center bottom of the slide.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of the x3755 specifications by model. This screen provides a system overview and an options tab to view all the options that are tested and supported on the x3755 such as the supported processors, memory, hard drives, IO, and power accessories.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is the PDF version of the COG. You can select your product from the center of the screen. The data in the PDF version will be the same as the web based version.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the features of the Advanced Solutions Integration Tool (ASIT) Configurator.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The Advanced Solutions Integration Tool is the hardware configurator provided by IBM to support the configuration of Linux cluster and iDataPlex systems. It is a stand alone configurator that does not require an internet connection. However, if an internet connection is available, the most recent version will be installed automatically when the tool is launched. When you first install the ASIT configurator you are prompted to either accept or decline the license agreement. In order to continue to use the tool, you must accept the terms. This is the home page for the ASIT Hardware Configurator. From here you can view the Workstation requirements, Install and/or Update the tool, and find Help & Support.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of the Starter screen that provide different procedure options to choose from: Wizard - allows you to use a step-by-step guided and rules based configurator Open - allows you to work with an existing configuration Template option - allows you to start from a custom configuration New option - allows you to begin a configuration without any defaults that are provided in the Wizard option Exit - allows you to exit the tool More advanced users usually start with New and build the configuration from the ground up.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of the main Configuration screen. From here you can make further modifications of the solution. You can use the menu items to make changes to rules or make changes to the configuration. You can right-click on any of the nodes and make changes, copy, delete, etc. In the left side of the screen you have the rack layouts and quantities. On the right panels you have Item View and Messages on the bottom right panel. This is the screen that allows you to fine tune the configuration and solution.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the features of the Express Selector Plus (ESP) Tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The Express Selector Plus tool is a one-stop shopping experience for Tier 2 Business Partners who focus on the mid-market. ESP makes it easier to build, price, and source IBM’s midmarket solutions for System x, Storage and BladeCenter products. This is the home page for the Express Selector Plus tool that is located on PartnerWorld. From here you can launch the tool, learn more or watch a flash demo. The ESP tool includes select System x, BladeCenter, System x Storage, Options and Warranty products, which will vary by country. ESP is available in North America and many countries in Europe and Asia Pacific.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is an example of the ‘Your Systems’ page where you can find details of your systems. From here I can view summary, export, send message or trial kitting. I can also build a new system. With the export option, you can download XML, email XML, copy XML, download CSV, copy CSV or download quote to Excel XLS.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Here is an example of an XLS output for the x3550 configuration. It is similar to the SSCT XLS output format.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} We have now completed the configuration tools, next we will take a look at the Sizing Toolset.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The sizing tools are used to assist with of a specific output, i.e. power usage, or for determining the system requirement for a product or solution. A current sizing toolset comprises of the BladeCenter & System x Power Configurator Tool, IBM sizing guides and IBM workload estimator.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This table provides and overview of the description and function for each of the sizing tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will introduce the power configurator tool .
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} IBM System x and BladeCenter Power Configurator tool is an Excel based application used to calculate actual power usage and energy savings for blade center and system x products plus size the requirements for PDUs and UPS's. It provides an XLS output that shows you actual power usage, idle power and maximum power usage. This popup window appears when you first launch the tool. From here, you can select the country, the voltage, and then select Choose Rack.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Here is the excel spreadsheet version of the usage report for the completed configuration. You can see it has power estimates for the total configuration. Remember, the numbers derived from the Power Configurator Tool are used for determining total operational costs only, and should not be used for sizing power in the datacenter.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will introduce the sizing guides tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The Sizing Guides tool provides point-and-click access to software solution specific hardware requirements. This is like working backwards, as you start with a software solution and then work backwards to help identify which hardware is recommended for that solution. Here is the home page for the web based IBM sizing guides. If you want more information, there's a button for tell me more in the middle of the screen. Also from here, you could choose "Search Sizing Guides" for existing guides or enroll sizing guides if you want to create your own. Some of the most popular sizing guides are available on the bottom right hand side of the screen. For example, Citrix presentation server, System x, Lotus domino, Microsoft SQL server, etc.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is the output of the SQL server sizing guide. The output shows an immediate solution and creates a growth solution based on input to the question. From here, you can create a PDF report, modify the system, change input, etc.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Our last sizing tool is the Workload Estimator.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} The Workload Estimator is like the Sizing Guides, they provide point-and-click access to software solution specific hardware requirements. The Workload Estimator is available for all of the Server and Storage platforms, except for System z. This is the homepage for the IBM systems workload estimator. From here, you can run the online version of the WLE.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This is the output for the generic workload with the input of data from the previous screen. From here, you can create a PDF report, modify the system, change the input, etc. As you can see, the output shows immediate solution and it created a growth solution based on input to the questions provided.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the Systems Management Tools and Utilities
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} When you placing a new server online and just throughout the lifecycle of the server, taking advantage of enhancements, fixes, and adding new function for your hardware require updates to be made such as the firmware (system BIOS, firmware, and device driver code), some more critical than others. This section provides an overview of the necessary tools to perform routine maintenance, critical updates, and update strategy on System x and BladeCenter servers.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} We will begin with UpdateXpress and UpdateXpress Service Pack Installer (UXLite)
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} UpdateXpress enables you to maintain your systems Windows Device Driver and firmware at the most current levels, helping you avoid unnecessary work stoppages. UpdateXpress contains a self-starting program that automatically detects current device driver and firmware levels and presents them to the user, providing the option of selecting specific upgrades or allowing UpdateXpress to update all of the system levels it detects as needing an upgrade. UpdateXpress CD lets you easily update server firmware and drivers on individual or network detached servers. There are three ways to use the UpdateXpress CD: Locally by booting from the UpdateXpress CD to perform firmware updates to: BIOS Diagnostics Service processors RAID Locally by loading the UpdateXpress CD (autorun) from Windows to perform driver updates to: NIC RAID SCSI Video Service processors Remotely using the RemoteUX Command-line utility on the CD RemoteUX is a Microsoft Windows command-line utility used to update remote System x servers. RemoteUX is supplied with UpdateXpress. RemoteUX works only with Windows-based servers and connects to them remotely via the administrative shares.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} UpdateXpress System Pack Installer or UXLite is an integration-tested bundle of online firmware and driver updates for IBM System x and IBM BladeCenter servers. It simplifies the process of downloading and installing critical updates in a timely manner for a given system, ensuring that you are always working with a complete, current set of updates. UpdateXpress System Packs are created for a machine type and operating system (Windows or Linux) combination. UpdateXpress System Packs contain Windows and Linux firmware and device driver updates. You can also compare updates and create bootable-media CD.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the ServerGuide Installation Guide.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} IBM ServerGuide simplifies the process of installing and configuring IBM System x and BladeCenter servers. ServerGuide goes beyond mere hardware configuration by assisting with the automated installation of Windows server operating systems, device drivers and other system components, with minimal user intervention. ServerGuide is shipped with most IBM System x and BladeCenter servers. It addresses most configuration and onsite requirements during deployment, setup and configuration. The built-in intelligence of ServerGuide recognizes machine types and models as well as ServeRAID adapters and other hardware criteria. Based on the gathered hardware information, ServerGuide offers installation and configuration choices tailored to your system. You can use ServerGuide to deploy Microsoft Windows operating systems.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} In this section we will review the ServeRAID Manager application program.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} IBM ServeRAID Manager application software is used to configure, administer, and monitor ServeRAID adapters or controllers that are installed locally or remotely on servers. You can view information that is related to controllers, arrays, logical drives, hot-spare drives, and hard disk drives. Also, you can view configuration settings and events (which are called notifications in the ServeRAID Manager task) and locate defunct hard disk drives. Note: The ServeRAID Manager task for IBM Director is not the same program as the ServeRAID Manager (Standalone Edition) that is provided with the ServeRAID hardware option. It is recommended that you not install both versions on the same system.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Finally, we will take a look at the IBM Dynamic System Analysis tool.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} IBM Dynamic System Analysis tool is used by the Technical Support teams to collect system and component level, operating system driver information as well as hardware event logs of different of hardware components or operating system event logs to diagnosis of system problems. IBM also provides a Preboot DSA for the newer IBM System x systems (x3850 M2 and x3950 M2) because the previous tools such as PC Doctor didn’t meet the requirements. Preboot DSA is a NVRAM-based version of the of DSA (Dynamic System Analysis) diagnostics tool. The DSA and Preboot DSA collect information that can be viewed locally or uploaded to an IBM internal FTP server for the Technical Support teams to have remote access from different locations at every time in each part of the world in case a deeper analysis of system state information or error logs is required. It is the primary method of testing the major components of the server. This image shows the options available from the main Preboot DSA interface. The Preboot DSA will be a standard for the System x and BladeCenter servers.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} IBM ServerProven validates selected products for compatibility with System x, BladeCenter, and Intellistation. ServerProven provides the option to choose a product type or use the list displayed to make your selection. IBM ServerProven provides compatibility information only. Hardware configuration guidance can be obtained from the Configuration and Options Guide. Product ordering information can be obtained from the Sales Configurators. These configurators can be accessed through the link “Configuration Tools“.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} IBM BladeCenter and System x Reference (xREF) provides a brief technical overview of each IBM BladeCenter, System x and IntelliStation machine type in production or withdrawn from marketing and many system specific options. The xREF is intended as a supplement, not a replacement, to the various Configuration tools provided by IBM.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Another resource is the IBM Redbooks, which are developed and published by IBM's International Technical Support Organization (ITSO) as how to guides to help develop and deliver skills and improve the technical know-how, and materials to IBM technical professionals, Business Partners, clients, and the marketplace in general. Redbooks are available as hardcopy books, in IBM Redbooks CD-ROM collections, and on the Internet through this site. Refer to the ' How to order ' page for order details.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} This slide presents a glossary of terms used in this topic.
{DESCRIPTION} {TRANSCRIPT} Having completed this topic, you should be able to: Distinguish between the Configuration and Sizing tools Recall the pre-sales tools available in each category Summarize the function of each configuration and sizing tool Identify the pre-sales tools that are appropriate given a customer scenario Demonstrate the navigational features for each tool outlined in this topic List the benefiting features of UpdateXpress, ServerGuide, and ServeRAID Manager
{DESCRIPTION} This screen displays html links. {TRANSCRIPT} This slide lists additional resources.
{DESCRIPTION} Displays the statement of “End of Presentation” in the center of the slide. {TRANSCRIPT} Thank you!
