Paper clips play a role in 3000's guardian
June 3, 2014
The HP 3000 was designed for satisfactory remote access, but there are times when the system hardware needs to be in front of you. Such was the case for a system analyst who was adding a disk drive to a A-Class HP 3000.
Central to this process is the 3000's Guardian Service Processor (GSP). This portion of the A-Class and N-Class Multifunction IO card gives system managers basic console operations to control the hardware before MPE/iX is booted, as well as providing connectivity to manage the system. Functions supported by the GSP include displaying self-test chassis codes, executing boot commands, and determining installed hardware. (You can also read it as a speedometer for how fact your system is executing.)
The GSP was the answer to the following question.
I need to configure some additional disk drives and I believe reboot the server. The GSP is connected to a IP switch and I have the IP address for it, but it is not responding. I believe I need to enable it from the console. Can this be done from the soft console, using a PC as the console with a console # command?
A paper clip can reset the GSP and enable access, says EchoTech's Craig Lalley.
I find it is necessary to reset the GSP about once a year. It seems to correlate to when you really need to get access, and you can't get physical access to the box. Good old Murphy's law.
Lalley calls the GSP, which HP introduced with its final generation of 3000s, one of the most useful things in the A-Class and N-Class boxes.
The GSP is a small computer that is always powered on when the plug has power. With it, it is possible to telnet to and be the console. While multiple admins can telnet in and watch, only one has the keyboard.
It is possible to reboot, do memory dumps and even fully power down the HP 3000 from the GSP. Use the command PC OFF to power down. The GSP is probably the best feature of the N-Class and A-Class boxes.
Allegro's Stan Sieler has a fine white paper online about MPE/iX system failure and hang recovery that includes GSP tips.