Network diagnostics

Use this page to initiate ping or trace route commands to any IP address or hostname from this IBM® TS7700 cluster. You can use these commands to test the efficiency of grid links and the network system.

Network Test
The type of test to be performed from the accessing cluster.
Note: If the IP Address/Hostname is a domain name system (DNS) address you must activate and configure a DNS server on the Cluster network settings TS7700 Customer Information Center Cluster network settings page before performing the test.
The accessing cluster is identified to the right of this field in this format:
"Cluster Nickname[Cluster ID]" (#Distributed Library Sequence Number)
Possible values include:
Ping
Select this option to initiate a ping test against the IP Address or Hostname entered in the IP Address/Hostname field.
This option tests the length of time required for a packet of data to travel from your computer to a specified host, and back again. This option can test whether a connection to the target IP Address or Hostname is enabled, the speed of the connection, and the "distance" to the target.
Traceroute
Select this option to initiate a trace route test against the IP Address or Hostname entered in the IP Address/Hostname field.
This option traces the path a packet follows from the accessing cluster to a target address and displays the number of times packets are rebroadcast by other servers before reaching their destination.
Important: The Traceroute command is intended for network testing, measurement, and management. It imposes a heavy load on the network and should not be used during normal operations.
IP Address/Hostname
The target IP address or host name for the selected network test. The value in this field can be an IP address in IPv4 or IPv6 format or a fully qualified host name.
A valid IPv4 address is 32 bits long, consists of four decimal numbers, each ranging from 0 to 255, separated by periods, like:
98.104.120.12
A valid IPv6 address is an 128-bit long hexadecimal value separated into 16-bit fields by colons, like:
3afa:1910:2535:3:110:e8ef:ef41:91cf
Leading zeros can be omitted in each field, so that :0003: can be written as :3:. A double colon (::) can be used once per address to replace multiple fields of zeros. For example,
3afa:0:0:0:200:2535:e8ef:91cf
can be written as:
3afa::200:2535:e8ef:91cf
A fully qualified host name is a domain name that uniquely and absolutely names a computer. It is composed of the host name and the domain name. The domain name is one or more domain labels that place the computer in the DNS naming hierarchy. The host name and the domain name labels are separated by periods and the total length of the hostname cannot exceed 255 characters.
Number of Pings
Use this field to select the number of pings sent by the Ping command. The range of pings available is 1-100. The default value is 4.
This field is only displayed if the value in the Network Test field is Ping.
Start
Click this button to begin the selected network test. This button is disabled if required information is not yet entered on the page or if the network test is in progress.
Cancel
Click this button to cancel a network test in progress. This button is disabled unless a network test is in progress.
Output
This field displays the progress output resulting from the network test command. Information retrieved by the web interface is displayed in this field as it is received. You can scroll within this field to view output that exceeds the space provided.
The status of the network command is displayed in line with the Output field label and right-justified above the Output field. Information displayed is like:
Pinging 98.104.120.12...
Ping complete for 98.104.120.12
Tracing route to 98.104.120.12...
Trace complete to 98.104.120.12