The Novell Configuration Manager console (NCMCON) allows you to view status information on PCI slots and to remove and add PCI Hot Plug adapters.

The NCMCON interface constantly monitors and displays the status of all slots. If there are any errors, the appropriate error message is displayed.

There are three menus used in the NCMCON interface:

The Main Menu displays a list of all PCI slots in the system.

Figure 2
The Main Menu

For each slot, the Main Menu displays the following information:

Slot Options

This menu lists the options available for the highlighted Hot Plug slot (selection of a non-Hot Plug slot automatically displays the Slot Detailed Information screen).

Figure 3
Slot Options

Depending on the driver, the state of the slot or adapter, and the capabilities of the system, different options appear on the menu.

The interlock mechanism is one feature that can influence what appears on the Slot Options menu. The interlock is a safety mechanism that shuts off power to a slot if the slot is opened while the power is still on. Not all hardware manufacturers provide an interlock mechanism, and not all interlock mechanisms work the same way. Refer to your hardware documentation for more information.

The following table describes the options on the Slot Options menu and the conditions under which they appear.

Menu item	Appears . . .
Add Adapter	When there is no power to the slot, the interlock mechanism is closed, and the driver supports add functionality. (Add functionality means that an adapter can be added to an empty slot or an existing adapter can be replaced with a different adapter.)
Remove Adapter	When the slot is powered on, and an adapter is in the slot.
Replace Adapter	When there is no power to the slot, the driver supports only replace functionality, and the interlock mechanism is either closed or not supported. (Replace functionality means that an existing adapter can be replaced only with an identical adapter.)
Power Off Slot	When the slot is powered on, and no adapter is present in the slot.
Power On Slot	When there is no power to the slot, the driver doesn't support the interlock mechanism, and the driver supports add functionality. (Add functionality means that an adapter can be added to an empty slot or an existing adapter can be replaced with a different adapter.)
Slot Detailed Information	Under all conditions.

Slot Detailed Information

The Slot Detailed Information screen displays information about a specific slot and the adapter in that slot.

Figure 4
Slot Detailed Information Screen

Items on the screen include the following: