C H A P T E R

C H A P T E R 4

netcon and netcontool

This chapter describes netcon (1M) and netcontool (1M), a GUI front-end to the netcon (1M) command. netcontool (1M) simplifies the process of configuring and bringing up netcon (1M) windows. You can also use the netcon (1M) command directly to display a netcon (1M) window. However, when using netcon (1M), you must know escape sequences to perform operations that can be performed by clicking on buttons under netcontool (1M).

Using netcon(1M)

The netcon (1M) command is similar to netcontool (1M) except that no GUI interface is provided, making it more functional for dial-in or other low-speed network access. Typically, you log in to the SSP machine as user ssp , and enter the netcon (1M) command in an SSP window. For example:

ssp% domain_switch domain_name

ssp% netcon

This action changes the window in which you run the netcon (1M) command into a netcon (1M) window for the domain specified by the domain_switch (1M) command. Multiple netcon (1M) windows can be opened simultaneously, but only one window at a time can have write privileges to a specific domain. When a netcon (1M) window is in read-only mode, you can view messages from the netcon (1M) window, but you cannot enter any commands.

You can specify the netcon (1M) -g option for Unlocked Write permission, -l for Locked Write permission, -f to force Exclusive Session mode, or -r for read-only mode. See TABLE 4-2 for a description of these configuration options. Also refer to the netcon (1M) man page for an explanation of how netcon (1M) behaves if you do not specify any of these arguments.

If you have write permission, you can enter commands. In addition, you can enter special commands with the tilde (~) prefix to perform the functions offered by the netcontool (1M) window.

If netcon displays the following message, " netcon_server is not running for domain_name ", the domain may not be up. If it is up, you can run " netcon_server -r & " to restart netcon_server (1M).

To Start netcon(1M) From the Command Line

ssp%  domain_switch  domain_name

ssp%  netcon

To Start netcon(1M) From the CDE Front Panel

1. From the CDE front panel, select the SSP subpanel and then select the netcon option.

2. Specify the domain name when prompted to do so.

To Start netcon(1M) From the CDE Workspace Menu

1. From the CDE Workspace menu (right click), select the SSP submenu and then select the netcon option.

2. Specify the domain name when prompted to do so.

To Exit From a netcon(1M) Window

Type a tilde (~) followed by a period in the netcon (1M) window:

# ~.

The netcon (1M) session is terminated and the window returns to its previous state.

Note Note - If you are logging on remotely to the SSP to run netcon(1M), and depending on the terminal emulation package you are using, the escape sequence of the terminal emulator might be the same as that used to exit from a netcon(1M) window. For example, if you enter the tilde period sequence remotely through an rlogin(1) session, the netcon(1M) session is terminated and the rlogin(1) window is terminated as well. If you want to avoid this behavior, you can use the sequence ~~., that is, tilde tilde period, to exit from a netcon(1M) window running inside of an rlogin(1) session, without exiting the rlogin(1) session.

For more information about escape sequences, see the netcon (1M) man page.

Using netcontool(1M)

The netcontool (1M) GUI program provides the buttons shown in FIGURE 4-1 .

FIGURE 4-1 netcontool GUI Program

explains the netcontool (1M) buttons.

TABLE 4-1 `netcontool` buttons
Button	Description
Configure	Displays the Console Configuration window. See To Configure the netcontool(1M) Window .
Connect	Displays the `netcon` (1M) window and initiates the connection process.
Disconnect	Disconnects the console window from the domain and removes the console window. The `netcontool` (1M) window is still available so that you can reconfigure for another connect session.
OBP/kadb	Breaks to the OpenBoot PROM (OBP) or `kadb` (1M) programs.
JTAG	Toggles the SSP-to-platform connection between a network connection and a JTAG connection.
Locked Write, Unlocked Write, and Exclusive Write	Requests the corresponding mode for the console window. For an explanation of the meaning of these modes, see To Configure the netcontool(1M) Window .
Release Write	Releases write access and places the console in read only mode.
Status	Displays information about all open consoles that are connected to the same domain as the current session, as well as the connection type currently used.
Help	Displays information about the `netcontool` (1M) window.
Exit	Exits the program and closes the `netcon` (1M) window if it is still open.

To Display a netcontool(1M) Window From the Command Line

ssp% domain_switch domain_name

ssp% netcontool &

To Display a netcontool(1M) Window From the CDE Front Panel

1. From the CDE front panel, select the SSP subpanel and then select the netcontool option.

2. Specify the domain name when prompted to do so.

To Display a netcontool(1M) Window From the CDE Workspace Menu

1. From the CDE Workspace menu (right click), select the SSP submenu and then select the netcontool option.

2. Specify the domain name when prompted to do so.

To Display the netcontool(1M) Window From Hostview

1. Select a board from the domain for which you want to display a netcontool (1M) window by clicking on that board with the left mouse button.

2. Select Terminal netcontool .

3. In the netcontool (1M) window, click the Connect button.

The netcontool (1M) window ( FIGURE 4-2 ) is displayed beneath the netcontool (1M) buttons.

FIGURE 4-2 netcontool Window in Hostview

To Configure the netcontool(1M) Window

1. Click the Configure button if you want to configure the netcontool (1M) window before you display a netcon (1M) window.

The Console Configuration window is displayed ( FIGURE 4-3 ).

FIGURE 4-3 netcontool Console Configuration Window

2. Select the session type in the left panel, and the terminal emulation type in the right panel.

3. When you are satisfied with the contents of the window, click Done to accept the settings and dismiss the window, or click Apply to accept the settings without dismissing the window.

The following table contains the options in the Console Configuration window.

TABLE 4-2 Console Configuration Options
Console	Options
Default Session	Causes the default type of session to be started. If no other session is running, the default is unlocked-write mode. If any other session is running, the default is read-only mode.
Read Only Session	Displays a console window where you can view output from a domain, but you cannot enter commands.
Unlocked Write Session	Attempts to display a `netcon` (1M) window with unlocked write permission. If this attempt succeeds, you can enter commands into the console window, but your write permission is taken away whenever another user requests Unlocked Write, Locked Write, or Exclusive Session permission for the same domain. If another user currently has Unlocked Write permission, it is changed to read-only permission, and you are granted Unlocked Write permission. If another user currently has Locked Write permission, you are granted read-only permission. If another user currently has Exclusive Session permission, you are not allowed to display a `netcon` (1M) window. If you are granted Unlocked Write permission and another user requests Unlocked Write or Locked Write permission, you are notified and your permission is changed to read only. You can attempt to re-establish Unlocked Write permission at any time, subject to the same constraints as your initial attempt to gain Unlocked Write permission.
Locked Write	Attempts to display a console window with Locked Write permission. If you are granted Locked Write permission, no other user can remove your write permission unless that user requests Exclusive Session permission. If another user currently has Locked Write permission, you are granted read-only permission. If another user currently has Exclusive Session permission, you are not allowed to display a `netcon` (1M) window.
Exclusive Session	Displays a console window with Locked Write permission, terminates all other open console sessions for this domain, and prevents new console sessions for this domain from being started. You can change back to multiple session mode by clicking the Release Write button to release write access, or by clicking the Disconnect button to terminate your console session for the domain. You can also simply quit from the console window (using the Control menu of the window). You are not granted Exclusive Session permission if any other user currently has Exclusive Session permission.
Terminal Emulation Type	The `netcon` (1M) window is brought up in the specified type of window, otherwise it is grayed out. The `xterm` (1), `dtterm` (1), `shelltool` (1), or `cmdtool` (1) terminal emulator are available.

netcon(1M) Communications

netcon (1M) uses two distinct paths for communicating console input/output between the SSP and a domain: the standard network interface and the CBE interface. Usually, when the domain is up and running, console traffic flows over the network. If the local network becomes inoperable, the communication mode of the netcon (1M) session automatically switches to the Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) protocol through the CBS interface. You can switch to JTAG mode even when the network is inoperable. To perform this switch, use the ~= command in the netcon (1M) window.

netcon(1M) Message Logging

Certain messages sent from the kernel are not displayed in the domain syslog messages file, such as OpenBoot trademark messages, panic messages, and some console messages. syslogd on the domain (1M) must run on the domain to log the messages; this is not possible when a panic occurs, nor is it possible at certain times during the boot sequence. Moreover, panic dumps often fail, so these types of messages may not even appear in a dump file to help you determine the cause of the failure.

However, you can capture all output displayed on an active netcon (1M) console through the LOCAL1 facility of syslog (1M). This functionality is enabled by default through the /etc/syslog.conf file. By default, netcon (1M) session output is recorded in the $SSPLOGGER/ domain_name /netcon file.