Asset ID:	1-72-1001923.1
Update Date:	2009-09-27
Keywords:

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Solution Type  Problem Resolution Sure

Solution  1001923.1 :   Sun Fire[TM] 12K/15K/E20K/E25K: smsconnectsc command gives "Unable to obtain a lock." errors  


PreviouslyPublishedAs
202678

Symptoms

From one System Controller (SC), a user issues the command smsconnectsc in
order to obtain console access to the other SC. The command errors as
shown below:

sc0:sms-svc> smsconnectsc

Unable to obtain a lock.

sc0:sms-svc>

Resolution

From the smsconnectsc man page:

    smsconnectsc enables the bit that connects  the  local  SC's
port  B to the remote SC's RS-232 port A when you are logged
in to the local SC.

This means that the SC you are issuing the command from uses it's port B to
connect to the remote port A. There is only one allowable console
connection of this type allowed. The man page continues to state:

    smsconnectsc works in the absence of an external connection
to the remote SC. If the remote SC has an active external
connection to port A, then smsconnectsc fails and  the
session usually hangs.

Not stated in the man page is that multiple smsconnectsc connections will
also fail (although this information should be intuitive). Since only a
single pathway of local port B to remote port A exists, there can only be
one console session to an SC active at a single time.

So an SC can have either a single active remote console connection via the
external serial port, or a single active internal smsconnectsc connection.

Relief/Workaround

From the SC which got the "Unable to obtain a lock." error, do the following:

sc0:sms-svc> ps -ef | grep smsconnectsc
sms-svc 5314 5271 0 16:59:04 pts/5 0:00 smsconnectsc

If there is an smsconnectsc process, try using that console connection if
possible. If for some reason that console connection is unusable, try
exiting it gracefully by entering ~. in the smsconnectsc session. If it
is not possible to exit that connection gracefully kill the process and
retry the smsconnectsc again.

If no such process currently exists, an external serial port console
connection must exist. If so try to use that connection if possible, or
exit that session to allow the ports to be free to smsconnectsc.

Product
Sun Fire 12K Server
Sun Fire 15K Server
Sun Fire E25K Server
Sun Fire E20K Server

smsconnectsc, SC, System Controller, console, SMS
Previously Published As
74479

Change History
Date: 2005-04-18
User Name: 71396
Action: Approved
Comment: Publishing.
Version: 3
Date: 2005-04-14
User Name: 71396
Action: Accept
Comment:
Version: 0
Date: 2005-04-14
User Name: 103287
Action: Approved
Comment: I added the 20 and 25K to the title and hw platform's field as this applies to them too...I had already discussed the changes Pious made in this doc with him, and the change is correct. My original explanation had the ports reversed (though no one caught my mistake before).

Please do KE review and publish. Thanks,
Josh
Version: 0
Date: 2005-04-14
User Name: 103287
Action: Accept
Comment:
Version: 0
Date: 2005-04-14
User Name: 146765
Action: Approved
Comment: In the resolution area, I changed,
1.
...command from uses it's port A to
connect to the remote port B.
to
...command from uses it's port B to
connect to the remote port A.
2.
Since only a
single pathway of local port A to remote port B exists
to
Since only a
single pathway of local port B to remote port A exists

Please review.
Version: 0
Date: 2005-04-14
User Name: 146765
Action: Update Started
Comment: Need to switch the port a and b in the resolution area.
Version: 0
Date: 2004-03-04
User Name: 11511
Action: Approved
Comment: Doc is all set to publish.
Version: 0
Date: 2004-03-01
User Name: 11511
Action: Accepted
Comment:
Version: 0
Date: 2004-02-29
User Name: 136218
Action: Approved
Comment: Looks fine...
Version: 0
Date: 2004-02-29
User Name: 136218
Action: Accepted
Comment:
Version: 0
Date: 2004-02-27
User Name: 103287
Action: Add Comment
Comment: I just located two bugs that show this same info...maybe they are enough to document this issue, for internal use, but maybe this doc is still good for external audience...you decide.

Josh
Version: 0
Date: 2004-02-27
User Name: 103287
Action: Approved
Comment: While the man page has been quoted here, this doc isn't a copy of it. The issue has come up several times for me and I thought a quick doc would be easy enough to have for a reference. Please review and forward on.

Thanks, Josh
Version: 0
Date: 2004-02-27
User Name: 103287
Action: Created
Comment:
Version: 0
Product_uuid
077fd4c5-df8f-4320-ad69-7d01603a674d|Sun Fire 12K Server
29e4659c-0a18-11d6-9fa1-e67bbc033df8|Sun Fire 15K Server
d842dd03-059b-11d8-84cb-080020a9ed93|Sun Fire E25K Server
1404a2d3-059a-11d8-84cb-080020a9ed93|Sun Fire E20K Server

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