Exam NS0-094 Topic 1 Question 98 Discussion

To analyze the provided panic error, the two sections of AutoSupport that are essential for investigation are:
1. HA-RASTRACE.TGZ
What it is:
HA-RASTRACE.TGZ contains HA (High Availability) system trace logs. It records hardware diagnostics, error traces, and the HA system's response to hardware events. These logs are critical when analyzing hardware-related panics, including those caused by PCI errors.
Why it's relevant to the panic:
In the given panic message, the NMI (Non-Maskable Interrupt) error originates from a Qlogic FC
16G adapter. HA-RASTRACE.TGZ will provide detailed diagnostics, including the error reporting from the HA interconnect and other hardware diagnostics. Specifically, it may include information about how the system detected the PCI fault and any actions taken to protect the system state.
How to analyze:
Extract the HA-RASTRACE.TGZ file from the AutoSupport bundle. Review hardware-related trace messages for entries associated with the PCI bus or the Qlogic FC adapter.
Look for specific error codes or keywords like PCI Error, NMI, or Qlogic.
2. SSRAM-LOG
What it is:
SSRAM-LOG records low-level hardware error details, including PCI device register states and uncorrectable memory errors. It is particularly useful for analyzing errors originating in peripheral hardware like network or storage adapters connected via PCI.
Why it's relevant to the panic:
The panic message explicitly references a PCI Error NMI caused by a Qlogic FC adapter.
SSRAM-LOG captures detailed state information for PCI devices, which can help identify whether the fault originated in the adapter hardware, the PCI bus, or another related component.
How to analyze:
Extract the SSRAM-LOG from the AutoSupport bundle.
Search for PCI-related errors, including the specific error source IDs (e.g., ErrSrcID(CorrSrc(0xf00),UCorrSrc(0x18))).
Review the log entries to confirm the root cause of the NMI.