bmc-watchdog man page on DragonFly

Man page or keyword search:  
man Server   44335 pages
apropos Keyword Search (all sections)
Output format
DragonFly logo
[printable version]

bmc-watchdog(8)			System Commands		       bmc-watchdog(8)

NAME
       bmc-watchdog - BMC watchdog timer daemon and control utility

SYNOPSIS
       bmc-watchdog command [OPTION...] [COMMAND_OPTIONS...]

DESCRIPTION
       bmc-watchdog  controls a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) watchdog
       timer. The bmc-watchdog tool typically executes as a cronjob or	daemon
       to  manage the watchdog timer. A user must be root in order to run bmc-
       watchdog.

       Listed below are bmc-watchdog details, option  details,	examples,  and
       known  issues.  For  a  general	introduction  to  FreeIPMI  please see
       freeipmi(7).

BMC WATCHDOG DETAILS
       A BMC watchdog timer is part of	the  Intelligent  Platform  Management
       Interface  (IPMI)  specification and is only available to BMCs that are
       compliant with IPMI. When a BMC watchdog timer is  started,  it	begins
       counting	 down  to  zero from some positive number of seconds. When the
       timer hits zero, the timer will execute	a  pre-configured  pre-timeout
       interrupt and/or timeout action.

       In order to stop the pre-timeout interrupt or timeout action from being
       executed, the watchdog timer must be periodically  reset	 back  to  its
       initial beginning value.

       The  BMC	 watchdog timer automatically stops itself when the machine is
       rebooted. Therefore, when a machine is brought  up,  the	 BMC  watchdog
       timer must be setup again before it can be used.

       Typically,  a  BMC  watchdog  timer  is	used  to automatically reset a
       machine that has crashed. When the operating system  first  starts  up,
       the BMC timer is set to its initial countdown value. At periodic inter‐
       vals, when the operating system is functioning properly,	 the  watchdog
       timer  can  be  reset by the OS or a userspace program. Thus, the timer
       never counts down to zero. When the system crashes, the timer cannot be
       reset by the OS or userspace program. Eventually, the timer will count‐
       down to zero and reset the machine.

       See EXAMPLES below for examples of how bmc-watchdog is commonly used.

COMMANDS
       The following commands are available to bmc-watchdog.

       -s, --set
	      Set BMC Watchdog Configuration. BMC watchdog timer configuration
	      values  can  be  set  using the set command options listed below
	      under SET OPTIONS. If a particular  configuration	 parameter  is
	      not  specified on the command line, the current configuration of
	      that parameter will not be changed.

       -g, --get
	      Get BMC Watchdog Configuration and State. The current configura‐
	      tion and state is printed to standard output.

       -r, --reset
	      Reset BMC Watchdog Timer.

       -t, --start
	      Start BMC Watchdog Timer. Does nothing if the timer is currently
	      running. Identical to --reset command when the timer is  stopped
	      with  the	 exception  of	the start command options listed below
	      under START OPTIONS.

       -y, --stop
	      Stop BMC Watchdog Timer. Stops the current timer.

       -c, --clear
	      Clear BMC Watchdog Configuration. Clears all configuration  val‐
	      ues  for the watchdog timer, except for timer use, which is kept
	      at its current value.

       -d, --daemon
	      Run bmc-watchdog as a daemon. Configurable  BMC  watchdog	 timer
	      options are listed below under DAEMON OPTIONS. The configuration
	      values are set once, then the daemon will	 reset	the  timer  at
	      specified	 periodic  intervals.  The daemon can be stopped using
	      the  --stop  command,  --clear  command,	or  by	 setting   the
	      stop_timer flag on the --set command.

GENERAL OPTIONS
       The following options are general options for configuring IPMI communi‐
       cation and executing general tool commands.  These options are  generic
       and can be used by any command.

       -D IPMIDRIVER, --driver-type=IPMIDRIVER
	      Specify  the  driver type to use instead of doing an auto selec‐
	      tion.  The currently available inband  drivers  are  KCS,	 SSIF,
	      OPENIPMI, SUNBMC, and INTELDCMI.

       --disable-auto-probe
	      Do not probe in-band IPMI devices for default settings.

       --driver-address=DRIVER-ADDRESS
	      Specify  the  in-band  driver  address to be used instead of the
	      probed value. DRIVER-ADDRESS should be prefixed with "0x" for  a
	      hex value and '0' for an octal value.

       --driver-device=DEVICE
	      Specify the in-band driver device path to be used instead of the
	      probed path.

       --register-spacing=REGISTER-SPACING
	      Specify the in-band  driver  register  spacing  instead  of  the
	      probed  value. Argument is in bytes (i.e. 32bit register spacing
	      = 4)

       --target-channel-number=CHANNEL-NUMBER
	      Specify the in-band driver target channel number	to  send  IPMI
	      requests to.

       --target-slave-address=SLAVE-ADDRESS
	      Specify  the  in-band  driver  target  slave number to send IPMI
	      requests to.

       -v, --verbose-logging
	      Increase verbosity of logging.

       -n, --no-logging
	      Turns off all logging done by bmc-watchdog.

       --config-file=FILE
	      Specify an alternate configuration file.

       -W WORKAROUNDS, --workaround-flags=WORKAROUNDS
	      Specify workarounds to vendor compliance issues. Multiple	 work‐
	      arounds  can be specified separated by commas. A special command
	      line flag of "none", will indicate no workarounds (may be useful
	      for overriding configured defaults). See WORKAROUNDS below for a
	      list of available workarounds.

       --debug
	      Turn on debugging.

       -?, --help
	      Output a help list and exit.

       --usage
	      Output a usage message and exit.

       -V, --version
	      Output the program version and exit.

SET OPTIONS
       The following options can be used by the set command to	set  or	 clear
       various BMC watchdog configuration parameters.

       -u INT, --timer-use=INT
	      Set timer use. The timer use value can be set to one of the fol‐
	      lowing: 1 = BIOS FRB2, 2 = BIOS POST, 3 = OS_LOAD, 4 = SMS OS, 5
	      = OEM.

       -m INT, --stop-timer=INT
	      Set  Stop	 Timer	Flag.  A flag value of 0 stops the current BMC
	      watchdog timer. A value of 1 doesn't turn off the current watch‐
	      dog timer.

       -l INT, --log=INT
	      Set  Log	Flag. A flag value of 0 turns logging on. A value of 1
	      turns logging off.

       -a INT, --timeout-action=INT
	      Set timeout action. The timeout action can be set to one of  the
	      following:  0  =	No action, 1 = Hard Reset, 2 = Power Down, 3 =
	      Power Cycle.

       -p INT, --pre-timeout-interrupt=INT
	      Set pre-timeout interrupt. The pre timeout interrupt can be  set
	      to one of the following: 0 = None, 1 = SMI, 2 = NMI, 3 = Messag‐
	      ing Interrupt.

       -z SECONDS, --pre-timeout-interval=SECONDS
	      Set pre-timeout interval in seconds.

       -F, --clear-bios-frb2
	      Clear BIOS FRB2 Timer Use Flag.

       -P, --clear-bios-post
	      Clear BIOS POST Timer Use Flag.

       -L, --clear-os-load
	      Clear OS Load Timer Use Flag.

       -S, --clear-sms-os
	      Clear SMS/OS Timer Use Flag.

       -O, --clear-oem
	      Clear OEM Timer Use Flag.

       -i SECONDS, --initial-countdown=SECONDS
	      Set initial countdown in seconds.

       -w, --start-after-set
	      Start timer after set command if timer is stopped. This is typi‐
	      cally  used  when bmc-watchdog is used as a cronjob. This can be
	      used to automatically start the timer after it has been set  the
	      first time.

       -x, --reset-after-set
	      Reset timer after set command if timer is running.

       -j, --start-if-stopped
	      Don't execute set command if timer is stopped, just start timer.

       -k, --reset-if-running
	      Don't execute set command if timer is running, just reset timer.
	      This is typically used when bmc-watchdog is used as  a  cronjob.
	      This  can be used to reset the timer after it has been initially
	      started.

START OPTIONS
       The following options can be used by the start command.

       -G INT, --gratuitous-arp=INT
	      Suspend or don't suspend gratuitous ARPs while the BMC timer  is
	      running.	A flag value of 1 suspends gratuitous ARPs. A value of
	      0 will not suspend gratuitous ARPs. If this option is not speci‐
	      fied, gratuitous ARPs will not be suspended.

       -A INT, --arp-response=INT
	      Suspend  or  don't suspend BMC-generated ARP responses while the
	      BMC timer is running. A flag value of 1 suspends ARP  responses.
	      A	 value	of 0 will not suspend ARP responses. If this option is
	      not specified, ARP responses will not be suspended.

DAEMON OPTIONS
       The following options can be used by the daemon command to set the ini‐
       tial BMC watchdog configuration parameters.

       -u INT, --timer-use=INT
	      Set timer use. The timer use value can be set to one of the fol‐
	      lowing: 1 = BIOS FRB2, 2 = BIOS POST, 3 = OS_LOAD, 4 = SMS OS, 5
	      = OEM.

       -l INT, --log=INT
	      Set  Log	Flag. A flag value of 0 turns logging on. A value of 1
	      turns logging off.

       -a INT, --timeout-action=INT
	      Set timeout action. The timeout action can be set to one of  the
	      following:  0  =	No action, 1 = Hard Reset, 2 = Power Down, 3 =
	      Power Cycle.

       -p INT, --pre-timeout-interrupt=INT
	      Set pre-timeout interrupt. The pre timeout interrupt can be  set
	      to one of the following: 0 = None, 1 = SMI, 2 = NMI, 3 = Messag‐
	      ing Interrupt.

       -z SECONDS, --pre-timeout-interval=SECONDS
	      Set pre-timeout interval in seconds.

       -F, --clear-bios-frb2
	      Clear BIOS FRB2 Timer Use Flag.

       -P, --clear-bios-post
	      Clear BIOS POST Timer Use Flag.

       -L, --clear-os-load
	      Clear OS Load Timer Use Flag.

       -S, --clear-sms-os
	      Clear SMS/OS Timer Use Flag.

       -O, --clear-oem
	      Clear OEM Timer Use Flag.

       -i SECONDS, --initial-countdown=SECONDS
	      Set initial countdown in seconds.

       -G INT, --gratuitous-arp=INT
	      Suspend or don't suspend gratuitous ARPs while the BMC timer  is
	      running.	A flag value of 1 suspends gratuitous ARPs. A value of
	      0 will not suspend gratuitous ARPs. If this option is not speci‐
	      fied, gratuitous ARPs will not be suspended.

       -A INT, --arp-response=INT
	      Suspend  or  don't suspend BMC-generated ARP responses while the
	      BMC timer is running. A flag value of 1 suspends ARP  responses.
	      A	 value	of 0 will not suspend ARP responses. If this option is
	      not specified, ARP responses will not be suspended.

       -e, --reset-period
	      Time interval to wait before resetting timer. The default is  60
	      seconds.

ERRORS
       Errors are logged to syslog.

WORKAROUNDS
       With  so	 many different vendors implementing their own IPMI solutions,
       different vendors may implement their IPMI protocols  incorrectly.  The
       following describes a number of workarounds currently available to han‐
       dle discovered compliance issues. When possible, workarounds have  been
       implemented so they will be transparent to the user. However, some will
       require the user to specify a workaround be used via the -W option.

       The hardware listed below may only indicate the hardware that a problem
       was  discovered	on.  Newer  versions  of hardware may fix the problems
       indicated below. Similar machines from vendors may or may  not  exhibit
       the  same  problems.  Different vendors may license their firmware from
       the same IPMI firmware developer, so it may be worthwhile to try	 work‐
       arounds listed below even if your motherboard is not listed.

       If  you	believe	 your hardware has an additional compliance issue that
       needs a workaround to be implemented, please contact the FreeIPMI main‐
       tainers on <freeipmi-users@gnu.org> or <freeipmi-devel@gnu.org>.

       assumeio	 - This workaround flag will assume inband interfaces communi‐
       cate with system I/O rather than being memory-mapped.  This  will  work
       around  systems	that report invalid base addresses. Those hitting this
       issue may see "device not supported" or "could not find inband  device"
       errors.	Issue observed on HP ProLiant DL145 G1.

       spinpoll	 -  This workaround flag will inform some inband drivers (most
       notably the KCS driver) to spin while polling rather than  putting  the
       process to sleep. This may significantly improve the wall clock running
       time of tools because an operating system scheduler's  granularity  may
       be  much larger than the time it takes to perform a single IPMI message
       transaction. However, by spinning, your system may be  performing  less
       useful work by not contexting out the tool for a more useful task.

       ignorestateflag	-  This	 workaround  option  will ignore the BMC timer
       state flag (indicating if the timer is running or stopped) when running
       in  daemon mode. On some BMCs, the flag is broken and will never report
       that a BMC timer is running, even if it is. The	workaround  will  take
       notice  of  changes in the countdown seconds to determine if a timer is
       running or stopped. With this type of implementation, the  reset-period
       must be large enough to ensure minor fluctuations in the countdown will
       not affect the workaround. Due to  the  implementation  of  this	 work‐
       around,	if  another  process  stops  the  watchdog  timer,  it	may be
       detectable. This option is confirmed to work around compliances	issues
       on Sun x4100, x4200, and x4500.

EXAMPLES
       Setup  a	 bmc-watchdog  daemon that resets the machine after 15 minutes
       (900 seconds) if the OS has crashed (see default bmc-watchdog rc script
       /etc/init.d/bmc-watchdog for a more complete example):
	       bmc-watchdog -d -u 4 -p 0 -a 1 -i 900

DIAGNOSTICS
       Upon  successful	 execution, exit status is 0. On error, exit status is
       1.

KNOWN ISSUES
       Bmc-watchdog may fail to reset the watchdog timer if it is  not	sched‐
       uled  properly.	It is always recommended that bmc-watchdog be executed
       with a high scheduling priority.

       On some machines, the hardware based SMI Handler may disable a  proces‐
       sor after a watchdog timer timeout if the timer use is set to something
       other than SMS/OS.

REPORTING BUGS
       Report bugs to <freeipmi-users@gnu.org> or <freeipmi-devel@gnu.org>.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (C) 2007-2015 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
       Copyright (C) 2004-2007 The Regents of the University of California.

       This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
       under  the  terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
       Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at  your
       option) any later version.

SEE ALSO
       freeipmi(7)

       http://www.gnu.org/software/freeipmi/

bmc-watchdog 1.5.1		  2016-02-18		       bmc-watchdog(8)
[top]

List of man pages available for DragonFly

Copyright (c) for man pages and the logo by the respective OS vendor.

For those who want to learn more, the polarhome community provides shell access and support.

[legal] [privacy] [GNU] [policy] [cookies] [netiquette] [sponsors] [FAQ]
Tweet
Polarhome, production since 1999.
Member of Polarhome portal.
Based on Fawad Halim's script.
....................................................................
Vote for polarhome
Free Shell Accounts :: the biggest list on the net