Trouble-Shooting WebSM to HMC Connectivity Problems

Published: January 21, 2009

Hey, Joe:

I'm having problems connecting to different Hardware Management Consoles (HMCs) via a single Web Based System Manager (WebSM). I can connect to our production HMC, but I am having problems accessing our backup HMC in New York. I enter an IP address for the backup HMC, but it's not accepting my user ID and password. Is it possible to access two HMCs with the same WebSM?

--Ray

Hi Ray,

Yes, it is possible to access two different HMCs through the same WebSM configuration. I do it in my shop where I use one WebSM to access three different HMCs on my local area network. And I do it pretty much the same way you described it, by changing the host name (IP address) on the WebSM log-on screen and then signing in to the new box. Here's what I do.

On my Windows XP machine, I added host names to my HOSTS file for each of the HMCs. That made the HOSTS file look like this:

10.13.1.24    HMC1
10.13.1.47    HMC2
10.13.1.69    HMC3

Then when I fire up WebSM, I just enter the host name of the HMC that I want to go to in the HMC name field of the WebSM Log On screen. WebSM finds the HMC through its associated IP address and prompts me for the User Name and Password. I usually use the hscroot user ID to sign on, which has a default password of abc123. You can also try using the root user profile, which has a default password of passw0rd.

If you are able to get to the production HMC but not to the backup HMC, I would check the following items on both your network and your HMC.

• If you're able to reach the backup HMC by putting in its IP address but the system is rejecting your sign on, are you using the right HMC user ID and password to sign on? The default passwords are listed above, but perhaps someone changed the defaults to secure the system further. Check to see if the passwords are changed and use the correct password, if needed.
• Make sure that the backup HMC server is configured correctly to accept Web-based System Manager access. I wrote up a description of how to configure the HMC to accept Internet traffic this article: Remotely Accessing an HMC System Console.
• If the backup HMC is located outside the local area network, you may also have to configure your firewall to allow Web-based System Manage traffic (and SSH traffic, if necessary). IBMoffers instructions on how to configure your HMC for firewall access in the following document: Securing the Hardware Management Console. Look under the section titled "To configure a firewall to allow Web-based System Manager and SSH traffic."
• IBM also states in the "Securing the Hardware Management Console" document that the HMC monitors the state of managed partitions over an open network by using the Resource Monitoring and Control (RMC) protocol, which uses port 657. I don't know if port 657 is required for cross-subnet access, but it might be worth looking at to see if your firewall is blocking access to this port.
• I also posed this question to Doug Bidwell, president of DLB Associates. Doug reminded me that the log-on screen for WebSM can be configured with a console preference file. The preference file is used to designate which HMC the WebSM should always log on to. Once a console preference file is specified, WebSM will always sign on to the HMC defined in that file and only that HMC. To disable this setting and to log on to another HMC via IP address or host name, uncheck the Specify a console preferences file checkbox on the WebSM Log On screen. Thanks Doug.

That's my basic checklist for troubleshooting WebSM access to an HMC. Hopefully, one of these items may be able to help you solve your problem.

Author's Note: After sending this information, Ray wrote back and told us that he was finally able to connect up to his second HMC.

Another Vendor Who Offers i5/OS Monitoring Software

In my recent series of article on "Looking for i5/OS Trouble" Part I and Part II, I mentioned three vendors who offer automated monitoring tools: Bytware MessengerConsole, Help/Systems' Robot/ALERT, and CCSS' QSystem Monitor package. However, I missed another fine package that is available for i5/OS users.

Reader Richard Shearwood wrote in to tell me that Halcyon Software offers a solution called Message Monitor, which is part of Halcyon's Monitor Suite package for iSeries. So if you're looking for monitoring tools for your system, be sure to check out Halcyon along with the other vendors.

--Joe

RELATED STORIES

Remotely Accessing an HMC System Console

Looking for i5/OS Trouble, Part I

Looking for i5/OS Trouble, Part II

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