Two editions of Dynamic System Analysis are available.
DSA Portable
DSA Portable Edition runs within the operating system; you do not have to restart the server 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 server.
If you are able to start the server, use DSA Portable.
DSA Preboot
DSA Preboot runs outside of the operating system; you must restart the server to run it. It is provided in the flash memory on the server, or you can create a bootable media such as a CD, DVD, ISO, USB, or PXE using the Lenovo ToolsCenter Bootable Media Creator (BoMC). For more details, see the BoMC Installation and User's Guide at the IBM Bootable Media Creator website. 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 server or if you need comprehensive diagnostics, use DSA Preboot.
For more information and to download the utilities, go to the IBM Dynamic System Analysis (DSA) website.