DSA editions

Two editions of DSA are available:

• DSA Portable

  DSA Portable Edition runs within the operating system; you do not have to restart the compute node to run it. It is packaged as a self-extracting file that you download from the web. When you run the file, it self-extracts to a temporary folder and performs comprehensive collection of hardware and operating-system information. After it runs, it automatically deletes the temporary files and folder and leaves the results of the data collection and diagnostics on the compute node.

  If you are able to start the compute node, use DSA Portable.

• DSA Preboot

  DSA Preboot runs outside of the operating system; you must restart the compute node to run it. It is packaged as an ISO image that you download from the web, or it is provided in flash memory on the compute node. In addition to the capabilities of the other editions of DSA, DSA Preboot includes diagnostic routines that would be disruptive to run within the operating-system environment (such as resetting devices and causing loss of network connectivity). It has a graphical user interface that you can use to specify which diagnostics to run and to view the diagnostic and data collection results.

  If you are unable to restart the compute node or if you need comprehensive diagnostics, use DSA Preboot.

  DSA Preboot performs the following tasks:

  • Collects system information into a compressed XML file that you can send to Support
  • Provides a bootable image that you can use to run extended hardware tests independent of the operating system or applications
  • Collects the version and license information from local VMware ESXi hypervisor software