Sun Fire[TM] Serengeti Server: System Serial Number(SSN) in showplatform different from SSN on the label.

Asset ID:	1-72-1009228.1
Update Date:	2010-06-14
Keywords:

Solution Type Problem Resolution Sure

Solution 1009228.1 : Sun Fire[TM] Serengeti Server: System Serial Number(SSN) in showplatform different from SSN on the label.

Applies to:

Sun Fire 3800 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server
Sun Fire 4810 Server
Sun Fire 6800 Server
Sun Fire E4900 Server
All Platforms

Symptoms

Symptoms
On a Sun Fire[TM] Serengeti Server's System Controller (SC), the System Serial
Number(SSN) displayed from the command "showplatform -p mac" might not match the
SSN shown on the label located on the rear of the chassis (server).
An example of this would be a Sun Fire[TM] 4900 server which has a label on the
rear of the system which shows a SSN value of 111M1111, while the showplatform

command shows:

sc0:SC> showplatform -p mac

             MAC Address          HostID
-----------------   --------
Domain A      xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx    xxxxxxxx
Domain B      xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx    xxxxxxxx
Domain C      xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx    xxxxxxxx
Domain D      xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx    xxxxxxxx
SSC0          xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx    xxxxxxxx
SSC1          xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx    xxxxxxxx

System Serial Number: 111M1112

Why are these SSN values different and how does this get corrected?
Which serial number should be used to log a Sun Support Service call for this system?

Changes

{CHANGE}

Cause

{CAUSE}

Solution

Resolution
Steps for Resolution

This issue causes unnecessary confusion, and in reality is a "non-issue".

It is important to know the SSN rules for the Sun Fire[TM] Serengeti Servers.
There are three types of Serial Numbers:

Rack - Located on a sticker on the Sun factory rack. Third party racks do not apply.
Chassis - Located on a sticker on the rear of the chassis (server).
IDBoard - Electronic, stored in the seeprom on the IDBoard (or centerplane in the case of a 3800).

The IDBoard SSN is what is reported as "System Serial Number" in the "showplatform -p mac" command.
This is the serial number that should be used when logging a Sun Support Service call for this server.

The IDBoard SSN is derived on each system based on the configuration. The SSN rules are as follows:

Sun Fire[TM] 6800, 6900:

    IDBoard SSN = Chassis SSN
-There is no "Rack SSN" because these platform types are not rack-mountable.

Sun Fire[TM] 4810, 4800, 4900 in a rack:

    IDBoard SSN = Rack SSN

Sun Fire[TM] 4810, 4800, 4900 without a rack (standalone):

    IDBoard SSN = Chassis SSN

Sun Fire[TM] 3800 in a rack (The first 3800 in the rack - if multiple):

    IDBoard SSN = Rack SSN

Sun Fire[TM] 3800 (The second 3800 in the rack, or a 3800 with no rack):

    IDBoard SSN = Chassis SSN

Ultimately, these rules mean that labels, and the showplatform command, can
and will differ, depending on the configuration and server type.

Take the example in the Problem Description field:

The Chassis label on the rear of the Sun Fire[TM] 4900 server showed the
SSN to be 111M1111 while the showplatform command said it was 111M1112.

This difference is due to the fact that this system was rack-mounted from the
factory. Any service calls logged for this system, should use the serial number
111M1112, based on the SSN rules above for rack-mounted 4900 servers.

Assuming the platform configuration and SSN programmed into the seeprom are
correct for the SSN rules above, no action should be taken to "resolve" the
mismatch. If by chance the SSN is incorrect based on the rules above, contact
Sun Support Services to have this investigated and corrected if necessary.

Relief/Workaround

The difference in a label's SSN and the programmed SSN should be understood, and
the customer and Sun Support personnel should make sure the appropriate SSN is
used to log Sun Support Service calls for this platform. The appropriate SSN is
the IDBoard SSN as displayed by "showplatform -p mac".

If necessary, on rack-mounted systems with differing SSNs, it might be advisable
to print a new label to be placed near the chassis label as a remider of the
"correct" SSN, against which to log service calls. This will help reduce
confusion, and also make sure that platform service history is accurate, as all
service calls will be tied to the same SSN.

Product
Sun Fire 3800 Server
Sun Fire E6900 Server
Sun Fire E4900 Server
Sun Fire 6800 Server
Sun Fire 4810 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server

Internal Comments
In the rare event that a SSN programmed into the IDBoard is shown to be "SUNWtest", please create an escalation for GL-ESG.

If a SSN programmed into the IDBoard is found to be incorrect when looking at the SSN rules above, the IDBoard SSN can be changed via engineering mode on the SC. This assumes that the system will have been researched for history and that research proves that the programmed serial number truly is incorrect.

Use
http://pts-platform/twiki/bin/view/Tools/ToolPageSunFireMidRangeEngPasswordRequest to obtain an Engineering Mode password to change the SSN if absolutely sure that the current IDBoard SSN is incorrect. Engineering mode can be granted by certain persons in GL-ESG, so please do supply the details showing this change to be critical.

Please also note:
Engineering mode is an unofficial command line interface without documentation

*****************************************************************
CAUTION Engineering mode access is only for the specific purpose
mentioned and should be for use by Sun support engineer only.
*****************************************************************

Then the procedure is as follows:

1) Check the serial number:
SC[engineering]> sepromupdate ID0 -system_serial
System Serial Number = 123M4567

2) Now change the serial number:
SC[engineering]> sepromupdate ID0 -system_serial 765M4321
...where 765M4321 is the desired serial number.

System Serial Number, SSN, SN, sn, showplatform, serengeti, sun fire, label, sticker, chasis, rack, server
Previously Published As
80211

Product_uuid
29d05214-0a18-11d6-92b2-a111614865b5|Sun Fire 3800 Server
4fe39727-0599-11d8-84cb-080020a9ed93|Sun Fire E6900 Server
bed24aa9-0598-11d8-84cb-080020a9ed93|Sun Fire E4900 Server
29da7938-0a18-11d6-8a41-9ed1ad6d6779|Sun Fire 6800 Server
29d6f808-0a18-11d6-8aa8-943929fbbdd8|Sun Fire 4810 Server
29d3a694-0a18-11d6-92da-df959df44cdd|Sun Fire 4800 Server

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