Disable proxy.pac on v7 and above

HMC Fails to Boot to Logon Screen after Upgrade or Install of Version 7
Technote from http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=0&q1=hmc+upgrade&uid=nas1129a3a72a1e6c71b8625739900802cda&loc=en_US&cs=utf-8&cc=us&lang=en

Problem Description

If a Version 7 HMC is connected to a network that uses automatic Web browser proxy configuration, it may fail to boot to the logon screen. If attached to such a network, the HMC may incorrectly pick up the proxy configuration and apply this to its internal loopback (127.0.0.1) connection. The result is that the HMC will not be able to reach the logon panel.

The user may see different error messages or status screens depending on the type of network automatic proxy configuration.

One possible error is a prompt to install a Proxy Auto-configuration file (PAC). The user cannot get past this prompt:

    You have chosen to open prelogon.html
    which is a: PAC file
    from: http://127.0.0.1:8080

    What should firefox do with this file?

open with <browse>
save to disk

A second error is “ connection failed, response from 127.0.0.1 taking too long”.

Note: If the HMC is a 7310-C04 and was upgraded to V7 from any version of HMC code previous to V6 (requiring an upgrade to V6 before upgrading to V7), refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document 424621248 , HMC Hangs and Performance Problems after Upgrading to Version 6 : Database 'Rochester Support Center KnowledgeBase', View '1.0 DBManagement View\All\Software', Document 'HMC Hangs and Performance Problems after Upgrading to Version 6' for further possible resolutions.

Problem Resolution

A fix is scheduled for version after HMC V7.3.2.0. The following circumventions can be used; however, they must be re-applied after each upgrade or service pack apply (7.3.1 SP1 and 7.3.2).

Step 1: Use one of the following methods (1 through 4) to obtain a root command prompt.

Do the following: 1 Disconnect all network cables, and reboot.

Note : This method works only for the first symptom where the HMC prompts but does not successfully configure the auto-proxy configuration.

a Power off the HMC If remote access is available, use the hmcshutdown -r -t now command. Otherwise, hold the Power button in until the HMC powers off.

b Disconnect all Ethernet cables from the HMC.

c Reboot the HMC

d Open a restricted shell. Click HMC Management, Open Restricted Shell. 2 Remote ssh client

Note : This method is available only if the HMC was configured to allow ssh prior to the error (as may be the case for upgrades or recent network changes).

The easiest method is to use a remote ssh client such as PuTTY and the “PESH” procedure to log in as root. For further information, refer to Rochester Support Center knowledgebase document 398762486, Accessing the Product Engineering Shell (PESH) Command Line . To link to 398762486 immediately, click here Database 'Rochester Support Center KnowledgeBase', View '1.0 DBManagement View\All\Software', Document 'Accessing the Product Engineering Shell (PESH) - Command line '. 3 Boot to bash prompt

HMC 5.0 and later

Note: V5.1.0 to V6.1.1 requires a PS/2 keyboard. If the HMC came with a USB keyboard, you must temporary replace it with a PS/2 keyboard. Some models of HMC do not support a PS/2 keyboard connection (for example, the 7310-CR4), which makes the following process unusable for these models.

The applicable section is repeated here:

a Power off the HMC.

b Power on the HMC. As soon as the “Loading grub” message is displayed, quickly press the F1 to get into Grub. The Grub menu shows one line with the text “HMC”.

c On the Grub menu, type e for edit. The next Grub screen is shown with two lines; the text of the second line will vary depending on model and version. For example:

root (hd0,0) kernel (hd0,1)/boot/bzImage ro root=/dev/hda2 vga=0x317 apm=power-off

Move the cursor down to the line starting with kernel . Select e for edit.

d Move the cursor down to the line starting with kernel . Type e for edit.

e Move the cursor to the right, and append init=/bin/rcpwsh to the end of the string.

The final string will vary slightly by model and version but should include the appended init parameter:

kernel (hd0,1)/boot/bzImage ro root=/dev/hda2 vga=0x317 apm=power-off init=/bin/rcpwsh

Press the Enter key to save the changes.

f Move the cursor to the right, and append init=/bin/rcpwsh to the end of the string.

The final string will vary slightly by model and version but should include the appended init parameter:

kernel (hd0,1)/boot/bzImage ro root=/dev/hda2 vga=0x317 apm=power-off init=/bin/rcpwsh

Press the Enter key to save the changes.

g Type b to boot the changed selection.

This will boot to a bash shell: (none):/#.

h Verify root is mounted read/write. Type the following command:

mount -o remount,rw /dev/hda2 /

Note: The root device can vary by model: hda2 C03, C04; hdc2 for CR2,CR3; sda2 for CR4. 4 Reinstall with the HMC disconnected from the network. After the reinstallation, enable ssh (remote command execution) and allow port 22 in the firewall settings before re-attaching the HMC.

Step 2: Modify the HMC Firefox configuration 1 Locate the firefox configuration file.

a At the root prompt, run the command:

    ls /home/browser/.mozilla/firefox/

b Locate a directory with the name xxxxxxxx.default where xxxxxxxx is a random string of 8 characters.

c Verify that the directory contains a file named prefs.js:

    ls -l /home/browser/.mozilla/firefox/ xxxxxxxx .default/prefs.js
    where xxxxxxxx is a random string of 8 characters.

2 Back up the existing file using the following command:

cp /home/browser/.mozilla/firefox/ xxxxxxxx .default/prefs.js /tmp/prefs.js where xxxxxxxx is the string of 8 characters determined in Step 2, 1,b . 3 Edit the file using the following command:

vi /home/browser/.mozilla/firefox/ xxxxxxxx .default/prefs.js where xxxxxxxx is the string of 8 characters determined in Step 2, 1,b .

a Add the following line to the file:

    user_pref("network.proxy.type", 0);

b Save the file, and exit.

c Reboot.

Step 3: Enable ssh

The circumvention must be re-applied after most HMC upgrades and corrective service installations. To make the process easier for future patches, enable ssh for remote command line access. 1 Allow remote command execution

In the navigation area, click HMC management. In the work panel, Enable remote command execution, check the box to enable it, and click OK. Alternately: chhmc -c ssh -s enable 2 Enable ssh in the firewall

In the navigation area, click HMC management. In the work panel, click Change Network Settings, click the Adapter tab, click the open interface (normally eth1), and click the Details button. In the LAN Adapter Details panel, click the firewall tab. In the “available applications” panel, click “secure shell 22:tcp”. Click the “Allow Incoming” button. Click OK three times to exit.