SPARC M6-32
 
SPARC M5-32
 

PLA-Support>Sun Systems>SPARC>Enterprise>SN-SPARC: Mx-32
 

In this Document

Goal

Solution

Overview

Oracle VTS and LDOMs

Scenarios

References

Applies to:

Goal

The goal of this document is to provide guidelines to both Service Engineers and Customer System Administrators using VTS on customer systems in an appropriate manner for different situations.

Solution

Overview

Oracle VTS is an Oracle hardware validation test based on the Oracle Solaris Operating System. The software’s multiple hardware diagnostic tests verify the functionality of most hardware controllers and devices for systems based on the SPARC and x86 architectures.

The software tests most of the key components in the system.

The software is an application level tool that is used for:

• Hardware testing and validation during development
• Production
• Troubleshooting
• Periodic maintenance
• General system exercising

Three tests modes exist; defined as following :

• Online Stress Test Mode:
  • Use this mode for testing if you want to simultaneously run other applications in addition to this software on the system.
  • The goal of this mode is to validate the hardware without having significant impact on other applications running on the system. 
  • In this mode, the tests would not stress the system, and to provide coverage they might have to run for longer periods of time. 
  • If there are any latent faults in the system hardware, the tests in this level will try to stimulate those faults before the application is impacted by the fault. 
  • When the test stimulates the fault, the OS detects the fault and takes appropriate action.
• System Exerciser Test Mode:
  
  • This mode provides system exercising capability.
  • It tests the system with all its components. 
  • All tests are run in parallel. 
  • In this mode, no other application except this software should be running on the system.
• Component Stress Test Mode:
  • This mode performs targeted testing of system components and modules. 
  • In this mode, the test puts the maximum stress on the component or module under test. 
  • The tests are not run simultaneously with other tests, all tests are run sequentially. 
  • No other user application should be running on the system.

Oracle VTS and LDOMs

In a virtualized environment, Solaris on the control domain has a complete view and access of the physical resources.
VTS probes information of the physical devices from the OS that it uses to diagnose the device.

Therefore it is crucial that VTS is run from the control domain, to ensure it has full access to the devices without any virtualization interaction.
It should be avoided to run VTS from a guest domain which has a virtual representation of the physical resources.

In case there is a need to run VTS on a guest domain, make sure that the guest has been freshly booted and no dynamic reconfiguration has been performed.
Running VTS on a guest domain is not recommended.

Scenarios

VTS can be used for various situations :

1. Fresh platform installation, before Service Engineer hands over to the customer

1. Select System Excerciser mode
2. From the control domain with all HW available
3. Select Processor and Memory from tests_groups
4. Duration of Testing = 0 so it runs overnight

2. After changes to the physical configuration of the platform, adding HW components

1. After the physical addition, the new hardware resources are available to the control domain
2. Start VTS from the control domain
3. Select the appropriate components type from tests_groups
4. Select the test mode:
   • Ideally, when adding hardware resources, the Component Stress test mode should be used, but this can only be used if no other user applications are running
   • Use System Exerciser if the impact is not a problem
   • Use Online Stress if the control is running other applications
5. Duration should be at least 240min or 3 passes for Component Stress / 4 passes for System Exerciser
6. The resources can then be assigned to guest domains if that is the goal

3. A problem has been diagnosed and a component is suspect. Depending on the configuration, you can run VTS on:

1. Bare Metal : all HW belongs to control domain
   1. Select the appropriate components type from tests_groups
   2. Select the test mode
      • Ideally, when adding a component is suspect, the Component Stress test mode should be used but this can only be used if no other user applications are running,
      • Use System Exerciser if the impact is not a problem
   3. Duration should be at least 240min or 3 passes for Component Stress / 4 passes for System Exerciser
2. LDOM environment : HW assigned to primary, root, and guest domains
   1. The best option is to assign the suspect HW to the control domain and start VTS from there
   2. Ultimately, use factory-default configuration
   3. Follow the recommendation as described for 3.a

4. To simulate a system load  or run a sanity check, you can run VTS:

1. From the control domain
2. Select Online Stress test mode
3. Run for at least 240min

5. General recommendations

1. run VTS for at least 240 minutes. At least 3/4 passes of Component Stress  or System Exerciser when installing hardware or diagnosing a fault
2. when running VTS from a guest domain, which is not recommended:
   
   • domain activity should be limited when running VTS System Exerciser or Component Stress
   • enabling verbose mode is not required unless explicitly requested

Reference

• Oracle VTS 7.0 Software : User's Guide for Patch Set 8 and Subsequent Compatible Releases 
  
• Oracle Validation Test Suite (Doc ID 1254435.1)

References

This solution has no attachment