Installation guide

Continuous Availability Administration
HP-UX version 11.00.03 Getting Started 1-5
Console Controller
Continuum systems do not include a control panel or buttons to execute machine
management commands. All such actions are controlled through the system
console, which is connected to the console controller. The console controller serves
the following purposes:
■ The console controller implements a console command interface that allows
you to initiate certain actions, such as a shutdown or main bus reset. See
“Issuing Console Commands” in Chapter 3, “Starting and Stopping the
System,” for instructions on how to issue console commands.
■ The console controller supports three serial ports: a system console port, an
RSN port, and an auxiliary port for a UPS connection, console printer, or other
purpose. The ports are located on the back of the system base or cabinet in a
Continuum system. See the “Configuring Serial Ports for Terminals and
Modems” chapter in the HP-UX Operating System: Peripherals
Configuration (R1001H) for instructions on how to set these ports.
■ The console controller contains the hardware clock. The date command sets
both the system and hardware clocks. See the date(1) man page for instructions
on how to set the system (and hardware) clock.
■ The console controller includes programmable PROM partitions that contain
code for the following: board-level diagnostics, board operations (online), and
board operations (standby). The diagnostics and board operations code (both
online and standby) are burned onto the board at the factory. To update this
code, you can burn a new firmware file into these partitions. See “Updating
Console Controller PROM Code” in Appendix B, “Updating PROM Code,”
for instructions on how to burn these PROM partitions.
■ The console controller contains a programmable PROM data partition that
stores console port configuration information (bits per character, baud rate,
stop bits, and parity) and certain system response settings. You can reset the
defaults by entering the appropriate information and reburning the partition.
See the “Configuring Serial Ports for Terminals and Modems” chapter in the
HP-UX Operating System: Peripherals Configuration (R1001H) for this
procedure.
■ The console controller contains a programmable PROM data partition that
stores information on where the system should look for a bootable device
when it attempts to boot automatically. (However, the shutdown -r and
reboot commands do not use the console controller; they take information
stored in the kernel to find the bootable device.) See “Manually Booting Your
System” in Chapter 3, “Starting and Stopping the System,” for this procedure.