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sys_check(8)
NAME
sys_check, runsyscheck, use_sys_check - Utilities for generating system
configuration information and analysis [Versions 124 through 126]
SYNOPSIS
/usr/sbin/sys_check [options...]
/usr/sbin/use_sys_check -v
/usr/sbin/use_sys_check -help
/usr/sbin/use_sys_check version
OPTIONS
sys_check Options
-all
Lists all subsystems, including security information and setld
inventory verification. This option may take a long time to complete.
-debug
Outputs debugging information to stderr (standard error output).
-escalate [ xx ]
Creates escalation files for reporting problems to your technical
support representative. This option produces one file,
TMPDIR/escalate.tar unless there are crash dump files; if so, it also
creates two other files: TMPDIR/escalate_vmunix.xx.gz and
TMPDIR/escalate_vmcore.xx.gz. If you use the -escalate option,
sys_check runs with the -noquick option and collects the output in the
escalate.tar file. Optionally, you can specify a number (xx) with the
-escalate option to define a crash number.
See also the ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES section for information on how you
can set the value of TMPDIR.
-evm
Generates Event Manager (EVM) warnings. When EVM is configured,
warnings are posted as EVM events identified by the string
sys.unix.sys_check.warning. Six levels of priority ranging from 0-500
are used, as follows:
· 0 - Information only.
· 100 - Note
· 200 - Tuning Note
· 300 - Tuning Suggestion
· 400 - Operational
· 500 - Warning
-frame
Produces frame HTML output, which consists of three files:
sys_checkfr.html, sys_checktoc.html, and sys_check.html (unless you
specify a different file name with the -name option). This option
cannot be used with the -nohtml option. The following options are
available for use with the -frame option:
-name name
Specifies the name to use for the frame files output. The default
name is sys_check.
-dir name
Sets the directory for the frames output. Used only with the
-frame option. The default is the current directory (.).
-help or (-h)
Outputs help information.
-nohtml
Produces text output, consisting of one text file, instead of the
default HTML output. This option cannot be used with the -frame option.
-noquick
Outputs configuration data and the setld scan. Excludes security
information.
-perf
Outputs only performance data and excludes configuration data. This
option takes less time to run than others.
-v Displays the sys_check version number.
-warn
Executes only the warning pass. This option takes less time to run than
other options.
-nowarn
Executes only the data gathering pass.
use_sys_check Options
-v This option displays all the versions of sys_check that are installed
on the system.
-help
This option displays a usage message.
OPERANDS
version
This operand to the use_sys_check utility indicates the version of
sys_check that you want to use, for example, 123. Decimal points are
not permitted.
DESCRIPTION
The sys_check utility is a system census and configuration verification
tool that is also used to aid in diagnosing system errors and problems. Use
sys_check to create an HTML report of your system's configuration (software
and hardware). The size of the HTML output that is produced by the
sys_check utility is usually between .5 MB and 3 MB.
The sys_check utility also performs an analysis of operating system
parameters and attributes such as those that tune the performance of the
system. The report generated by sys_check provides warnings if it detects
problems with any current settings. Note that while sys_check can generate
hundreds of useful warnings, it is not a complete and definitive check of
the health of your system. The sys_check utility should be used in
conjunction with event management and system monitoring tools to provide a
complete overview and control of system status. Refer to the EVM(5)
reference page for information on event management. Refer to the System
Administration guide for information on monitoring your system.
When used as a component of fault diagnosis, sys_check can reduce system
down time by as much as 50% by providing fast access to critical system
data. It is recommended that you run a full check at least once a week to
maintain the currency of system data. However, note that some options will
take a long time to run and can have an impact on system performance. You
should therefore choose your options carefully and run them during off-peak
hours. As a minimum, perform at least one full run (all data and warnings)
as a post-configuration task in order to identify configuration problems
and establish a configuration baseline. The following table provides
guidelines for balancing data needs with performance impact.
___________________________________________________________________________
Option Run time Recommended At
Performance
impact
___________________________________________________________________________
Short. Minimal.
-warn, -perf
Regular
updates, at
least weekly
null - no options
selected.
Medium, perhaps
15 to 45 minutes
depending on
processor.
Some likely at
peak system use.
Run at least
once post-
installation
and update
after major
configuration
changes. Update
your initial
baseline and
check warnings
regularly.
-noquick, -all,
-escalate.
Long, perhaps 45
minutes on fast,
large systems to
hours on low-end
systems.
Very likely at
peak use.
Use only when
troubleshooting
a system
problem or
escalating a
problem to your
technical
support
representative.
___________________________________________________________________________
You can run some sys_check options from the SysMan Menu or the
/usr/sbin/sysman -cli command-line interface. Choose one of the following
options from the Menu:
>- Support and Services
| Create escalation report [escalation]
| Create configuration report [config_report]
Alternatively, use the config_report and escalation accelerators from the
command line. Note that the escalation option should only be used in
conjunction with a technical support request.
The runsyscheck script will run sys_check as a cron task automatically if
you do not disable the crontab entry in /var/spool/cron/crontabs/root.
Check for the presence of an automatically generated log file before you
create a new log, as it may save time.
When you run the sys_check utility without command options, it gathers
configuration data excluding the setld scan and the security information
and displays the configuration and performance data by default. It is
recommended that you do this at least once soon after initial system
configuration to create a baseline of system configuration, and to consider
performing any tuning recommendations.
On the first run, the sys_check utility creates a directory named
/var/recovery/sys_check. On subsequent runs, sys_check creates additional
directories with a sequential numbering scheme:
· The previous sys_check directory is renamed to
/var/recovery/sys_check.0 while the most recent data (that is, from
the current run) is always maintained in
/var/recovery/sys_check.
· Previous sys_check directories are renamed with an incrementing
extension; /var/recovery/sys_check.0 becomes
/var/recovery/sys_check.1, and so on, up to /var/recovery/sys_check.5.
There is a maximum of seven directories. This feature ensures that you
always have up to seven sets of data automatically. Note that if you only
perform a full run once, you may want to save the contents of that
directory to a different location.
Depending on what options you choose, the /var/recovery/sys_check.*
directories will contain the following data:
· Catastrophic recovery data, such as an etcfiles directory, containing
copies of important system files. In this directory, you will find
copies of files such as /etc/group, /etc/passwd, and /etc/fstab.
· Formatted stanza files and shell scripts and that you can optionally
use to implement any configuration and tuning recommendations
generated by asys_check run. You use the sysconfigdb command or run
the shell scripts to implement the stanza files. See the
sysconfigdb(8) reference page for more information.
The use_sys_check utility provides an easy way to set the version of
sys_check used by the system. It is useful when multiple versions of
sys_check are installed on the system.
NOTES
You must be root to invoke the sys_check utility from the command line;
you must be root or have the appropriate privileges through Division of
Privileges (DoP) to run Create Configuration Report and Create Escalation
Report from the SysMan Menu. The sys_check utility does not change any
system files.
The sys_check utility is updated regularly. You can obtain the latest
version of the sys_check utility from either of two sources:
· The most up-to-date version of the sys_check kit is located on the
sys_check tool web site,
http://www.tru64unix.compaq.com/sys_check/sys_check.html
· You can also obtain sys_check from the patch kit, see
http://www.support.compaq.com/patches/.
You should run only one instance of sys_check at a time. The sys_check
utility prevents the running of multiple instances of itself, provided that
the value of the TMPDIR environment variable is /var/tmp, /usr/tmp, /tmp,
or a common user-defined directory. This avoids possible collisions when
an administrator attempts to run sys_check while another administrator is
already running it. However, no guarantees can be made for the case when
two administrators set their TMPDIR environment variables to two different
user-defined directories (this presumes that one administrator does not
choose /var/tmp, /usr/tmp, or /tmp).
The sys_check utility does not perform a total system analysis, but it does
check for the most common system configuration and operational problems on
production systems.
Although the sys_check utility gathers firmware and hardware device
revision information, it does not validate this data. This must be done by
qualified support personnel.
The sys_check utility uses other system tools to gather an analyze data. At
present, sys_check prefers to use DECevent and you should install and
configure DECevent for best results.
If DECevent is not present, the sys_check utility issues a warning message
as a priority 500 EVM event and attempts to use uerf instead. In future
releases, Compaq Analyze will also be supported on certain processors.
Note that there are restrictions on using uerf, DECevent and Compaq Analyze
that apply to:
· The version of UNIX that you are currently using.
· The installed version of sys_check.
· The type of processor.
EXIT STATUS
The following exit values are returned:
0 Successful completion.
>0 An error occurred.
LIMITATIONS
DECevent or Compaq Analyze may not be able to read the binary error log
file if old versions of DECevent are being used or if the binary.errlog
file is corrupted. If this problem occurs, install a recent version of
DECevent and, if corrupted, recreate the binary.errlog file.
HSZ controller-specific limitations include the following:
HSZ40 and HSZ50 controllers:
The sys_check utility uses a free LUN on each target in order to
communicate with HSZ40 and HSZ50 controllers. To avoid data gathering
irregularities, always leave LUN 7 free on each HSZ SCSI target for
HSZ40 and HSZ50 controllers.
HSZ70, HSZ80 and G80 controllers:
The sys_check utility uses a CCL port in order to communicate with
HSZ70 controllers. If a CCL port is not available, sys_check will use
an active LUN. To avoid data gathering irregularities, enable the CCL
port for each HSZ70 controller.
HSV controller-specific limitations include the following:
The sys_check utility uses the SANscript utility (sssu) to collect data
from an Enterprise controller. This utility is included with the
Enterprise Platform Kit; verify that this utility is installed in
/usr/lbin and ensure that it has execute permissions.
The sys_check utility cannot dynamically determine the SAN appliance or
appliances used to manage your Enterprise storage. To do so, create the
file /etc/enterprise.txt with the element name, the user name, and the
password (separated by colons) of the SAN appliance as shown below;
these values may contain embedded spaces. Set the permissions of this
file to 600.
element:user:password
element 1:user 1:password
The sys_check utility attempts to check the NetWorker backup schedule
against the /etc/fstab file. For some older versions of Networker, the
nsradmin command contains a bug that prevents sys_check from correctly
checking the schedule. In addition, the sys_check utility will not
correctly validate the NetWorker backup schedule for TruCluster services.
EXAMPLES
1. The following command creates escalation files that are used to report
problems to your technical support organization:
# sys_check -escalate
2. The following command outputs configuration and performance
information, excluding security information and the setld inventory,
and provides an analysis of common system configuration and
operational problems:
# sys_check > file.html
3. The following command outputs all information, including
configuration, performance, and security information and a setld
inventory of the system:
# sys_check -all > file.html
4. The following command outputs only performance information:
# sys_check -perf > file.html
5. The following command provides HTML output with frames, including
configuration and performance information and the setld inventory of
the system:
# sys_check -frame -noquick
6. The following command starts the SysMan Menu config_report task from
the command line:
# /usr/sbin/sysman config_report
Entering this command invokes the SysMan Menu, which prompts you to
supply the following optional information:
· Save to (HTML) - A location to which the HTML report should be
saved, which is /var/adm/hostname_date.html by default.
· Export to Web (Default) - Export the HTML report to Insight
Manager. Refer to the System Administration for information on
Insight Manager.
· Advanced options - This option displays another screen in which
you can choose a limited number of run time options. The options
are equivalent to certain command line options listed in the
OPTIONS section.
In this screen, you can also specify an alternate temporary
directory other than the default of /var/tmp.
· Log file - The location of the log file, which is
/var/adm/hostname_date.log by default.
7. The following is an example of a stanza file vm.stanza in
/var/recovery/sys_check.*:
vm:
vm_page_free_target=256
8. The following is an example of a shell script apply.kshin
/var/recovery/sys_check.*:
#!/bin/ksh -p
cd /var/cluster/members/member/recovery/sys_check/
llist="vm.stanza "
for stf in $llist; do
print " $stf "
stanza=`print $stf | awk -F . '{print $1 }'`
print "/sbin/sysconfigdb -m -f $stf $stanza"
/sbin/sysconfigdb -m -f $stf $stanza
done
print "The system may need to be rebooted for these changes to take effect"
9. The following command displays all versions of the sys_check utility
currently installed on the system:
# use_sys_check -v
10. The following command specifies the use of version 122 of the
sys_check utility:
# use_sys_check 122
ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
The following environment variables affect the execution of the sys_check
utility. Normally, you only change these variables under the direction of
your technical support representative, as part of a fault diagnosis
procedure.
TMPDIR
Specifies a default parent directory for the sys_check working
subdirectory, whose name is randomly created; this working subdirectory
is removed when sys_check exits. The default value for TMPDIR is
/var/tmp.
LOGLINES
Specifies the number of lines of log file text that sys_check includes
in the HTML output. The default is 500 lines.
BIGNUMFILE
Specifies the number of files in a directory, above which a directory
is considered excessively large. The default is 15 files.
BIGFILE
Specifies the file size, above which a file is considered excessively
large. The default is 3072 KB.
VARSIZE
Specifies the minimum amount of free space that sys_check requires in
the TMPDIR directory. The default is 15 MB and should not be reduced.
The sys_check utility will not run if there is insufficient disk space.
RECOVERY_DIR
Specifies the location for the sys_check recovery data. The default is
/var/recovery. The sys_check utility automatically cleans up data from
previous command runs. The typical size of the output generated by
each sys_check utility run is 400 KB. This data may be useful in
recovering from a catastrophic system failure.
ADHOC_DIR
Specifies the location at which sys_check expects to find the text
files to include in the HTML output. The default is the /var/adhoc
directory.
TOOLS_DIR
Specifies the location at which sys_check expects to find the binaries
for the tools that it calls. The default is /usr/lbin.
FILES
/usr/sbin/sys_check
Specifies the command path.
Note
This file may be a symbolic link.
/usr/lbin/*
Various utilities in this directory are used by sys_check.
Note
These files may be symbolic links.
The sys_check utility reads many system files.
SEE ALSO
Commands: dop(8), sysconfigdb(8), sysman_cli(8), sysman_menu(8)
Miscellaneous: EVM(5), insight_manager(5)
Books: System Administration, System Configuration and Tuning
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