5 Known Problems and Workarounds
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1. Introduction
Silicon Graphics' Electronic Services is a family of support
tools that provides you with immediate, online access to
product, support, and technical information and services.
These release notes describe the Silicon Graphics'
Electronic Services Server used to route information from
various Electronic Services clients to Silicon Graphics.
The server process is:
o callsvr
This program runs in the background on the site's
server machine. It listens for requests from clients
and forwards the requests to Silicon Graphics, and
maintains a central database of call information for
the site.
This document contains the following chapters:
1. Introduction
2. Installation Information
3. Known Problems and Workarounds
Note: Packaged with these release notes is a separate sheet
that contains the Software License Agreement. This
software is provided to you solely under the terms
and conditions of the Software License Agreement.
Please take a few moments to review the Agreement.
1.1 Release_Identification_Information
Following is the release identification information for
Silicon Graphics' Electronic Services Server:
Software Option Product Electronic Services
Server
Version 1.2.1
Product Code SC4-SUPADV
System Software Requirements 4D1-5.2
Modem Connection Requirements eoe2.sw.slip
eoe2.sw.uucp
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1.2 On-Line_Release_Notes
After you install the on-line documentation for a product
(the relnotes subsystem), you can view the release notes on
your screen. Select ``Release Notes'' from the Tools
submenu of the Toolchest. This displays the grelnotes(1)
graphical browser for the on-line release notes.
Refer to the grelnotes(1) man page for information on
options to this command.
1.3 Product_Support
Silicon Graphics, Inc., provides a comprehensive product
support maintenance program for its products.
If you are in North America and would like support for your
Silicon Graphics-supported products, contact the Technical
Assistance Center at
1-800-800-4SGI.
If you are outside North America, contact the Silicon
Graphics subsidiary or authorized distributor in your
country.
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2. Installation_Information
This chapter lists information supplemental to the IRIS
Software Installation Guide. The information listed here is
product-specific; use it with the Installation Guide to
install this product.
2.1 Electronic_Services_Server_Subsystems
The Electronic Services Server product includes the
following subsystems:
elec_svcs_server.man.callsvr Electronic Services Server Man
Pages
elec_svcs_server.man.relnotes The online version of these
release notes
elec_svcs_server.man.setup Electronic Services Server Setup
Man Pages
elec_svcs_server.sw.callsvr Electronic Services Server
software
elec_svcs_server.sw.resources Electronic Services Server
shared resources
elec_svcs_server.sw.setup Electronic Services Server setup
software
2.2 Electronic_Services_Server_Disk_Space_Requirements
This section lists the subsystems (and their sizes) of the
option.
If you are installing this option for the first time, the
subsystems marked "default" are the ones that are installed
if you use the "go" menu item. To install a different set
of subsystems, use the "install," "remove," "keep," and
"step" commands in inst to customize the list of subsystems
to be installed, then select the "go" menu item.
Note: The listed subsystem sizes are approximate. Refer to
the IRIS Software Installation Guide for information
on finding exact sizes.
Subsystem Name Subsystem Size
(512-byte blocks)
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elec_svcs_server.man.callsvr 4
elec_svcs_server.man.relnotes (default) 20
elec_svcs_server.man.setup (default) 2
elec_svcs_server.sw.callsvr (default) 615
elec_svcs_server.sw.resources 2643
elec_svcs_server.sw.setup 250
2.3 Installation_Method
All of the subsystems for Electronic Services Server can be
installed using IRIX. You do not need to use the miniroot.
Refer to the IRIS Software Installation Guide for complete
installation instructions.
2.4 Prerequisites
Your workstation must be running at least IRIX release 4D1-
5.2 to use release 1.2.1 of this product.
2.5 Other_Installation_Information
Important Please read this section carefully. It details
installation information specific to the
Electronic Services Server software.
2.6 Electronic_Services_Server_Software_Installation
To install all subsystems, type:
Inst> install *
To install one subsystem, type:
Inst> install
To install Electronic Services Server software, type:
Inst> install elec_svcs_server.sw.callsvr
Inst> install elec_svcs_server.sw.setup
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Proceed with special instructions below for the subsystems
you have loaded.
2.7 Electronic_Services_Server_Configuration
Electronic Services is based on a system of distributed
servers. Clients such as escall contact a server (callsvr)
maintained on each customer network. The callsvr acts as a
communications hub, allowing distributed use of resources
such as modems, phone lines, or internet connections.
You can connect to the Silicon Graphics Electronic Services
server either over a SLIP/modem link or over the Internet.
In either case, first become superuser and run the
Electronic Services configuration program:
/usr/sbin/esinst
You will first be prompted whether to perform daily updates
of Electronic Services calls. If you answer "yes", an entry
will be added to your system's /usr/spool/cron/crontabs/root
file to start callsvr once per day to update any open calls.
You may edit this file if you wish to change this frequency.
If you are connecting via the Internet answer "No" when
asked if a modem will be used. In this case, the esinst
program simply configures the etc/hosts file and exits,
skipping the following steps.
Note: If your site has a "firewall" between the system
running the callsvr, and the Internet, then you will have to
configure the firewall to pass outgoing packets with a
destination of insight.sgi.com.esport (192.82.208.6.6006).
This is the system and port used for connecting to Silicon
Graphics' Technical Assistance Center.
If connecting via SLIP and a modem (Esinst supports Telebit
T2500, Telebit QBlazer, and Hayes Smartmodem, modems),
attach the modem to an available serial port, and run
esinst, which initializes the modem for dialing out, and
creates entries in /usr/lib/uucp/Dialers and
/usr/lib/uucp/Devices, as well as the following entries:
o In your /etc/hosts file:
192.82.208.5 insight.sgi.com
192.82.208.6 slip-insight
192.132.164.1 slip-esuser001
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Note: If your site uses NIS or BIND name services, you
must add these entries and the entry retrieved
by esinst to the hosts database on your server.
o In your /usr/lib/uucp/Systems file:
slip-insight Any ACUSLIP (baud-rate) 18008001546 "" @\r\c og
in:--ogin:-\b\d-ogin:--ogin: esuser001 sword: espAss7
When this is done, the program uses these default entries to
contact Silicon Graphics and retrieve an address that will
be used for all subsequent communication. The /etc/hosts
and /usr/lib/uucp/Systems files are then updated with the
new entries.
After completing these steps, configure the server to start
automatically at boot time:
/etc/chkconfig callsvr on
/etc/reboot
For more information, refer to the elec_svcs release notes, the
esinst(1), and callsvr(1) man pages, and the IRIS InSight
Support Library.
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3. Changes_and_Additions
o Callsvr uses a new method of determining whether to
start SLIP or not. If /usr/spool/es/.slipname exists,
callsvr will attempt to use SLIP, otherwise, it assumes
it can connect over the Internet to insight.sgi.com.
The '-s' parameter to callsvr has been made obsolete.
If you attempt to use this option, you will get a
warning message, and callsvr will continue starting in
"Internet" mode.
o The /etc/init.d/callsvr script now reports errors when
it fails to start the callsvr.
o The esinst program now requests the user set a specific
baud rate for the supported modems.
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4. Bug_Fixes
o Automatic update (callsvr -u via cron or manually), now
works correctly. There had been a bug such that the
program always reported a successful update, even when
none was made.
o Esinst is more careful about preserving any existing
configuration files if the ES configuration fails.
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5. Known_Problems_and_Workarounds
This chapter describes the known problems with the current
release of the IRIS InSight Electronic Services product and
how to work around them.
o Currently, only Silicon Graphics representatives can
close calls, there is no way for a customer to do this.
Electronic Services users can close a call by entering
new text for the call, requesting that it be closed.