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Chapter 5 Troubleshooting

Solving Power Problems

If you press the power button(s) and nothing happens:

Check the back of the network computer and separate logic module (if you have one) to verify the power cord is firmly attached.
Check the electrical outlet to make sure the power cord is firmly plugged in.
Try a different electrical outlet, or try plugging something else into the outlet to verify the outlet has power.

If keyboard lights flash or if a bell sounds but nothing is displayed on the screen:

On the network computer, check that the video cable is connected to the video port.
On the monitor, check that the video cable is connected to the correct video inputs (video in).

Solving Boot Problems

If the network computer powers up, but the boot fails, there are various options to try. After each option, try to boot the network computer from the BOOT> prompt by typing b or boot and then pressing Enter.

Verify the network computer keyboard, mouse and network cables are all firmly attached.

For advanced users who have access to the Tektronix NC200/NC400 Network Computer Reference manual, refer to the Boot Monitor chapter:

Verify the boot method. It typically is TFTP or NFS for UNIX computers, MOP for DEC computers, or ROM if you have an optional Flash or ROM option.
Verify host and gateway communications from the boot monitor with ping. If ping does not find the host, verify the host and network computer subnet masks are correctly set.
If an error message says the boot file is not found:

Verify the expected information was obtained from the network
Verify the boot path is correct. It should contain both the path and the boot file name.
Verify that all the files have world read permissions
If the configuration files are not found:
Verify the messages to verify which host is being polled for the files
Verify the primary and secondary paths are correctly set
Verify the paths and the read permissions on the files

Solving Log in Problems

If your network computer boots, but you are unable to log in:

If the mouse or keyboard do not respond, check the cables and then reboot.
If an error message is generated saying that the log in failed:

Retry entering your username and password
Verify you are connected to a host where you have a login account
If a message is displayed saying that a connection timed out, restart the connection as detailed in Chapter 2, Logging in to the Network Computer.
Check the Console window for error messages. Refer to The Console Window on page 5-4.

The Console Window

The Console Window is a useful tool to see what is happening with the network computer. Messages, such as a confirmation that a file was located or that a command generated an error, are sent to this window. You must explicitly open and close the Console window through the Client Launcher.

Opening the Console Window

The Console window is a valuable tool to see messages being generated by the network computer. You can display this window at any time.

To open the Console window:

Select Console from the Client Launcher. If you need a refresher on the terminology used in these procedures, refer back to Chapter 1, Terminology.

The Console Window appears on your screen.

Figure 5-1 Console Window.

The network computer's address and name (if defined) appear on the title bar. You cannot add or delete information from the Console. This window is updated whenever a confirmation or error message is received by the network computer.

Using the Console Window

Often there is more information available than will fit in the Console window. Since the Console window cannot be resized, use the methods listed below to view additional information. You can also copy and paste information from the Console to a command window.

To display the previous screen of messages: Position the mouse pointer in the scroll bar anywhere above the slider box and click the Select (left) button.
To display the next screen of messages: Position the mouse pointer in the scroll bar anywhere below the slider box and click the Select (left) button.
To scroll through the messages one line at a time: Position the mouse pointer on the up or down arrow (on the scroll bar) and click the Select (left) button once for each line.
To clear the contents of the Console window: Click on the Erase icon. The Console scrolls to just below the last line of information. Drag the slider box up to view the Console information.
To copy information from the Console window and place it in the Console buffer: Position the mouse pointer on the first character to copy and click the Select (left) button. Drag the mouse to the last character to copy. The selected text is highlighted.
To paste information from the Console buffer into a window: Position the mouse pointer in the window where you want to paste the information and click the Menu (middle) button. Information can be pasted in Telnet, Cterm, Lat, and xterm windows.

Closing the Console Window

Select Console from the Client Launcher.

The Console Window disappears from your screen.

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