System Service Processor
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The System Service Processor (often abbreviated as SSP) is a SPARC-based computer that is used to control the
Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc., often known as Sun for short, was an American technology company that existed from 1982 to 2010 which developed and sold computers, computer components, software, and information technology services. Sun contributed sig ...
Enterprise 10000 platform. The term SSP is often used to describe both the
computer hardware Computer hardware includes the physical parts of a computer, such as the central processing unit (CPU), random-access memory (RAM), motherboard, computer data storage, graphics card, sound card, and computer case. It includes external devices ...
and the
software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
that are necessary to accomplish this task.


Functionality

The System Service Processor software provided for the following functionality: *
Environmental monitoring Environmental monitoring is the processes and activities that are done to characterize and describe the state of the environment. It is used in the preparation of environmental impact assessments, and in many circumstances in which human activit ...
and automated domain-shutdown in the event of an out-of-bounds condition, such as a CPU getting too hot. * The creation and destruction of domains * The ability to boot domains * Domain console device * Dynamic Reconfiguration of domains, in which CPU, memory, and/or Input-Output boards are added to or removed from a running domain. * Assign multiple paths to Input-Output devices for increased availability * Monitor and display platform
environmental statistics Environment statistics is the application of statistical methods to environmental science. It covers procedures for dealing with questions concerning the natural environment in its undisturbed state, the interaction of humanity with the environmen ...
, such as the temperatures, currents, and voltages present on System Boards * Monitor and control power flow to the platform components such as System Boards and Control Boards * Power On Self Test and similar platform diagnostics * Logging and Notification for various platform events * The creation and destruction of Inter Domain Networks (IDNs) which allow for
TCP/IP The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...
connectivity between domains, across the platform's centerplane. * Support for a dual power-grid option Several
utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...
were provided with the SSP software packages, including ''hostview'', a program that provided an
X Window System The X Window System (X11, or simply X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays, common on Unix-like operating systems. X originated as part of Project Athena at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1984. The X protocol has been at ...
interface for platform maintenance, and several
CLI CLI may refer to: Computing * Call Level Interface, an SQL database management API * Command-line interface, of a computer program * Command-line interpreter or command language interpreter; see List of command-line interpreters * CLI (x86 instruc ...
programs.


Implementation

Normally, two System Service Processors were used per platform. One was configured as ''Main'' and the other as ''Spare''. Only the SSP in the role of ''Main'' could control the platform at any given time. Failover between ''Main'' and ''Spare'' was performed automatically by the SSP software.


Supported hardware platforms

The following systems were supported for use as System Service Processors: * Sun SPARCstation 5 * Sun Ultra 5 * Sun Enterprise 250 * Sun Netra T1


See also

*
Baseboard Management Controller The Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) is a set of computer interface specifications for an autonomous computer subsystem that provides management and monitoring capabilities independently of the host system's CPU, firmware (BIOS or ...
* IBM System Guard, a service processor on most RS/6000 machines *
Intel Management Engine The Intel Management Engine (ME), also known as the Intel Manageability Engine, is an autonomous subsystem that has been incorporated in virtually all of Intel's processor chipsets since 2008. It is located in the Platform Controller Hub of m ...


References

* Sun Enterprise 10000 SSP 3.5 User Guide, October 2001


External links


Sun Enterprise 10000 SSP 3.5 Collection
{{Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems hardware Sun Microsystems software SPARC microprocessor products Computer-related introductions in 1997