Interface Card OL* Support Guide

Chapter 1
PCI Card OL* Overview and Concepts
OL* Methods
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OL* Methods
Each of the three methods has similarities and differences and a chapter is devoted to each method, as well as
an additional chapter with flowcharts showing all of the methods together for comparison and to act as a
quick reference. “Mixing OL* Methods” on page 88 includes a table, which details the consequences of mixing
OL* methods.
Peripheral Device Tool
The Peripheral Device Tool (pdweb) is an easy-to-use, powerful peripheral device management solution
delivering a Web-enabled graphical user interface (GUI). This tool allows system administrators to view all
devices on a host system and configure the slots and cards for that system. It is an easy-to-use GUI that steps
system administrators through the entire process of card addition/replacement. The Peripheral Device Tool
operates in a single-system environment.
The official name of this method of is Peripheral Device Tool, though pdweb will be used in this document to
describe the tool, and pdweb will be used to denote the command itself.
The Peripheral Device Tool can be launched from a Web browser, from the System Administration Manager
(SAM) tool, or from Service Control Manager (SCM) version 3.0 or greater. Additionally, pdweb functionality is
accessed directly by the Partition Manager (parmgr) tool providing a link between two tools for your
convenience.
Additional information regarding the Peripheral Device Tool is available from the various help links within
the tool, including the online help system, related documentation, product support services, and other online
resources, refer to the assistance topic. To review the product version number, copyright, and other legal
notices, refer to the about help topic.
Features and Benefits
The Peripheral Device Tool GUI provides system administrators these key features and benefits:
Features
• Viewing detailed information about cards, devices and slots, including all available PCI/OL* slots in an
easy-to-read format.
• Adding and/or replacing a card without shutting down the host system.
• Creating special device files dynamically.
• Generating a Critical Resource Analysis report that lists resources lost if a slot is powered down. These
resources are grouped by their impact on the system.
• Bringing cards online without shutting down the host system.
• Blinking or extinguishing the Attention LED of any slot that support online actions.
• Previewing commands that support the GUI actions, prior to execution.
Benefits
• Performance improvements over previous pdweb implementations, actions that took a minute or more
now take only a few seconds.
• Smart OL* technology takes advantage of the feature that only allows a matching replacement card to be
brought online.