This package provides a complete set of support tools for verifying, troubleshooting, and monitoring HP 9000 system hardware, including CPUs, memory, interface cards, mass storage devices, etc.

The Support Tools include:

• The Support Tool Manager (STM). Upon startup, STM provides a representation of all of the hardware devices on your system. Using this view, you select devices, receive information, or execute online tools. STM tools include Verifiers, Exercisers, Information Modules, and Utilities. Some STM tools are for HP use only and are password-protected.
• EMS Hardware Monitors (HP-UX 11i, 11.00, and 10.20 only). The hardware monitors are an important tool for maintaining system availability. The EMS monitors allow you to monitor the operation of a wide variety of hardware products and be alerted immediately if any failure or other unusual event occurs.

• Offline Tools: The offline tools enable you to troubleshoot a system which cannot be tested via the online tools, for example when the system cannot boot. A subset of the most commonly used offline tools (e.g., MAPPER) is loaded when you load the Support Tools from HP Software Depot. The complete set of offline tools is only available on the Support Plus CD-ROM.
• HP Predictive Support tools (HP-UX 11.00 and 10.20, Series 800 only).
Predictive Support provides you with a predictive analysis on key elements of the system (support contract required). It involves your entire HP support team to help you monitor, prevent, and resolve problems with your system and peripherals.

With the Support Tools, you can:

• Test the system online or offline for proper operation.
• Obtain hardware-related information (MAPPER in offline or the Information modules in STM).
• Review and analyze log file information for CPU-, Memory- or I/O-related events (logtool in STM).

To ensure the reliability of your computer system, install Support Tools before trouble arises:

• It's faster and easier to solve problems if you have Support Tools already loaded on your system.
• Hardware monitors notify you proactively of suspicious hardware events that might lead to failure.
• Some error logs are saved only if STM is installed. Without these logs it may be impossible to identify the cause of some problems.
• Memory Page Deallocation (which reduces the possibility of system failures due to memory problems) is only available if STM is installed.

The Support Tools are distributed on the Support Plus Media. This Web site provides an alternate method for downloading the most current version of the Support Tools, even if you don't have the Support Plus Media.

A new version of the Support Tools is released quarterly (every three months). Each new version incorporates improvements to the interface, tools, or functionality (for example, more hardware is supported). If you have new hardware to support, you must update to a version that supports the new hardware. Or you may wish to load a new version to get a new feature (for example, "logtool" in STM). If in doubt, update to the most current version of STM.

There is a different downloadable version of the Support Tools for the following versions of HP-UX:

• HP-UX 11i (11.11) (S700/S800, Mar 01 release).
  ID: B.11.11.02.xx, STM vers.: A.25.00
• HP-UX 11.00 (S700/S800, Mar 01 release).
  ID: B.11.00.16.xx, STM vers.: A.25.00
• HP-UX 10.20 (S800, Mar 01 release).
  ID: B.10.20.21.xx, STM vers.: A.25.00
• HP-UX 10.20 (S700, Mar 01 release).
  ID: B.10.20.21.xx, STM vers.: A.25.00
• HP-UX 10.10 (S800).
  ID: B.10.10.11.03, STM vers.: A.13.00
• HP-UX 10.10 (S700).
  ID: B.10.10.11.03, STM vers.: A.13.00
• HP-UX 10.01 (S800).
  ID: B.10.01.04.xx, STM vers.: A.09.00
• HP-UX 10.01 (S700).
  B.10.01.04.xx, STM vers.: A.09.00

"S700" means workstation; "S800" means servers.

The "ID" number (for example B.10.20.17.xx) is the Software Depot ID number which can be displayed with the "swlist command". The "xx" in the string means "don't care."

The "STM version" number (for example A.24.00) appears when the xstm, mstm, or cstm program is first executed.

There are new 11i, 11.00, and 10.20 versions of the Support Tools at each release. In contrast, the 10.01 and 10.10 versions are no longer updated at each release.

Terms and Conditions

The Support Tools are not part of the core operating system and are not sold as a product. Hence, the Support Tools are not subject to direct support as the operating system is. Documentation for Support Tools is available over the Web. You can also consult your HP Service Representative.

Patches for the Support Tools may occasionally be produced at the discretion of HP.

Not applicable.

Tue Feb 13 10:12:06 PST 2001