ML Starkey's Weblog: Service with a smile!
Providing Technical Support to Sun's customers and other topics

Sun Alert 271519 (public Sun Alert) outlines possible negative impacts to probe-based IPMP (IP Multipathing) configurations after 141444-09 (Sparc) and 141445-09 (x86) kernel patch installation.

Full details are in the Sun Alert including:

* affected Solaris versions
* how to determine if your system is affected
* Symptoms, messages and snoop outputs for this problem

Sun does not recommend removing the offending patches and provides binary relief to contract customers via normal support channels.

I was just sent a link to Dell's tech support page that confirms the issue and resolution on their platform. You can find my original entry on this here.

I started over on my install project and received some unexpected, but welcome assistance to explain the problems I've been having with missing packages AND a method to overcome them.

Now I have a jumpstart version of Solaris 10 8/07 up and running on sunny with everything included. I'll need to upgrade the antique OBP firmware in my antique Ultra 5 in order to get around the can't read the CD issues I had with install disk #2. This is faster and allows me to move on.

But even though it's a fresh install I still have some little bugaboos to deal with.

Switched from dhcp to static. I decided I don't like dhcp always overwriting everything, I'm too used to having control. I guess I should have listened to Dennis Clarke.

GNOME won't work unless add FQHN to /etc/hosts (thought I did that, but perhaps left remnants of dhcp around, although I did remove the /etc/hostname.dhcp0 file)

JDS: The U5 doesn't have enough horsepower or decent graphics capability to run JDS; graphics very poor, but not going to be using them. It's a good thing because it takes all the Xscreensaver problem; errors on JDS start, etc. items off the list. I can use network neighborhood to view shared docs file from my laptop after providing windows username and password of the account I'm signed into.

nmbd doesn't start at boot on s10 u4. I had heard about that and will have to look into it.

Good stuff:

ttya console works great with a CablesToGo USB to serial DB25 adapter and a Belkin DB25F/DB25M null modem block. That little addition was about $40, but worth it to be able to get rid of a monitor I don't have space for anyway.

A non-network console is always a nice item for watching or logging console messages and upgrades.
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I ordered a free copy of Opensolaris from the "Get Free Media - OpenSolaris CD" link at opensolaris.com/get. It arrived a few days ago and I had the 1st opportunity to boot it up yesterday. I have a "white box" system (actually the case is a cool black) from apexnh.com: Intel Core2 Duo 2.33 GHz with 2GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, 2 - DVD/CD-ROM/RAM drives and a Turtle Beach sound card. Before I can install it, I have to create another partition on my drive. Luckily, there is a nice tutorial here. You can find that link and others off the OpenSolaris Knowledge Center page .

In the meantime, I'm booting up the Live CD and finding the experience very Ubuntu-like. Live CD like Ubuntu: check. Simple desktop with the menu bar at the top: check. Pleasing blue-black screen: there's a change! Found my Canon Pixma IP3000 printer (to be expected as this model is several years old). The default user for the Live CD is "jack" with a default password of "jack". The root password is opensolaris, which is also the default hostname in this mode. I couldn't figure out how to use Rhythmbox to play an mp3 from my WD USB drive. Either the app is not intuitive or there is something wrong. I thought perhaps not all the abilities are enabled in Live CD mode, but that's speculation on my part. I'm not going to waste cycles on it until I get it installed for real.

Next up: Continue picking away at the S10 U4 annoyances as needed. Boot up the Live CD on my 2 year old Toshiba laptop and see how it works there (especially the wireless capabilities). Start organizing the desktop PC to be backed up and repartition the disk (plan A). Have Windows CD and all drivers at the ready in case the partitioning goes all wrong and a reload is needed (plan B).

Solaris 10 8/07 (a.k.a. Update 4) contains full support for RFCs 826 and 3927 meaning it will no longer ignore arp info off the wire that is incorrect. Introduce a Broadcom NIC driver on a PC configured as "teamed" that likes to send out bogus arps, and the fun begins.

See the opensolaris.org discussion here.

If you have Solaris 10 Update 4 machines experiencing intermittent hangs or inability to communicate, only to clear up and re-occur, time to rule this in or out. It's pretty easy to identify if you are running into this:

for example:

capture "netstat -p" to a file when communication is normal and then again when the communication is hung, (but not yet recovered). A diff will show you this:

# diff /tmp/netstat_p4_working /tmp/netstat_p4_notworking

< e1000g0 123.45.67.100 255.255.255.255 00:14:4f:2d:6c:86
> e1000g0 123.45.67.100 255.255.255.255 00:15:17:3d:bc:2c

If you find incorrect MACs, they will most likely start with an Intel or Dell vendor code. Those intrusive MACs will belong to a PC using a Broadcom NIC in "teamed" mode. (The opensolaris discussion link above has a snapshot of this in Ethereal.)

Solaris will conform to RFC 3927 and will "defend" it addresses. When that happens, the problem will resolve. Until the next time the teamed NIC interfaces send out bogus info. As an immediate workaround, unconfigure "nic teaming" on the affected Windows interfaces. Contact your PC vendor for an updated driver.

Sun has always recommended using printer vendor software to install network printers. There are many benefits to this, but the most important benefit is that the vendor's software "driver" allows the use of special printer functions (tray selection, double-sided prints, landscape vs. portrait, etc.)

The most popular printers that we hear about are the models from Hewlett-Packard. You could say they are a "de-facto standard". The HP Unix printing software is "JetDirect" (which is also how HP refers to the printer's network interface). A call I had yesterday reminded me just how useful the JetDirect software/interface can be and why this nifty little package will save the sysadmin hours of frustration.

The customer was configuring printers and had trouble getting proper printouts and on some of the queues, any printouts at all. He was using Solaris 10 and mostly HP printers. The queues needed to be able to handle output from a financial program with lots of columns and landscape orientation.

I asked the customer why he was not using the HP software. He told me that he couldn't find the version for Solaris 10, so he assumed that HP no longer provided this support for Solaris.

This is an easy conclusion to come to if you are lucky enough to find the page on the HP website where you can download JetDirect. Here's the real story.

There is only one version of JetDirect software and it's SOLe134.PKG. This works for Solaris 2.5.1 through Solaris 10 (in the global zone).

It can be a challenge to find and it seems that the page changes often. There is one article on BigAdmin that contains a link to the download page.

Here's how to find the page everytime if the link shifts:

1. start at hp.com. Click the Software and driver downloads link. At that link "Download drivers and software (and firmware)" and search on: Printer Installer for Unix. NOTE: if you search on "Solaris", you will get a page that lists both JetDirect AND JetAdmin for Solaris. JetAdmin was EOL by HP in 2002.

2. This should give you a search page with a "HP JD Printer Installer for Solaris".

3. At the Printer Installer link, you will see a list of Solaris versions. Here's a tip: they are ALL the same and while Solaris 10 is not specifically listed, SOLe134.PKG will install and run in the global zone.

So why does HP hide this? HP has their own OS to support and, like any sort of search, knowing what to search FOR can make all the difference.

The customer I worked with had a working test queue up and running literally in minutes.

Too bad this announcement is hidden away on the Sun website in the PR section:

SANTA CLARA, Calif. October 16, 2007 Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: JAVA) today announced it is the first major network infrastructure solutions vendor to be certified under the coveted J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service and Support Program. This distinction recognizes Sun for delivering outstanding customer support in North America to customers across its industry-leading Sun product portfolio that includes the industry-leading Solaris Operating System (OS).

The Certified Technology Service and Support program was jointly developed by J.D.Power and Associates and the Service and Support Professionals Association (SSPA) in 2005, to evaluate overall customer satisfaction and help technology support organizations increase their efficiency and effectiveness in customer service. This rigorous certification program includes 290 criteria and 50 separate metrics for key support performance that companies must exceed.

"Achievement of the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service & Support (CTSS) award is a testament to the dedication and skills of our entire Services team," said Ian White, senior vice-president Global Customer Services. "This honor is in line with Sun's commitment to deliver the highest levels of satisfaction with customers and we'll continue to set and raise the bar for customer satisfaction now and in the future."

Sun achieved certification by scoring in the top 20 percent for high customer satisfaction among technology support organizations. J.D. Power and Associates worked with Service and Support Professionals Association (SSPA) to measure Sun's service delivery by surveying satisfaction among over 1,400 customers who recently experienced technical support. J.D. Power and Associates then calculated a Customer Satisfaction Index for Sun to determine their industry ranking against other technology vendors.

"80% of IT buyers in an SSPA study say that certifying support quality is a competitive advantage for a vendor," said Tom Pridham, Senior Vice President of Advanced Programs, SSPA. "With service excellence being such a critical factor, companies like Sun have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in support and customer satisfaction."

Sun is among an elite group of enterprise hardware and software companies to achieve this honor. The industry leader joins a short list of technology leaders that have passed the rigorous audit from J.D. Power and Associates.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun Microsystems develops the technologies that power the global marketplace. Guided by a singular vision -- "The Network is the Computer" -- Sun drives network participation through shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.