=;The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)D

The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)



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14.3.9 Why do my EFI Boot Aliases Fail?



GOpenVMS I64 boot aliases contain signature information referencing the Cspecific volume, meaning that the entries are specific to the disk =volume and not the disk device. This also means that certain 9operations, such as the SET BOOTBLOCK command or the RUN SYS$SETBOOT.EXE operationGthat can rewrite these volume signatures (signature or GUID values) can&render existing boot aliases unusable.

EIf your boot aliases do not function as expected, first try removing Fand re-adding them; this will resynchronize the boot aliases with the Bvolume contents. If you are using the SET BOOTBLOCK command or theERUN SYS$SETBOOT.EXE operation to rewrite the disk bootblock, you can Drequest that the current signatures (if any) be preserved, and this Fwill typically maintain the validity of your EFI console boot aliases.W

14.3.10 Can OpenVMS access the EFI console Boot Aliases?



For access to the EFI. console environment from OpenVMS I64, see theD BOOT_OPTIONS.COM command procedure, and the EFI SET, SHOW and BCFG > mechanisms. Details on these are in the System Manager's and 7 particularly in the System Manager's Utilities manual.

iFor related information on boot aliases, please see Section 14.3.5.1.P

14.3.11 Downloading and using EFI Console Firmware?



DHP Integrity EFI system firmware can be downloaded in the form of a Ebootable image master, unzipped and then burned onto CD or DVD media c(please see Section 9.7 for details of recording optical media Fdirectly on OpenVMS), and the system can then generally be booted off 6the created media to perform the EFI firmware upgrade.

FThe HP Integrity Server website is accesssable via the following URL, Fand the available services and support information there has links to Dthe available platform-specific firmware images and upgrade-related materials:



FTo use the following sequence, you will need a writable or rewritable ECD drive and software, and a blank CD-R or CD-RW disk. If you use CD Fwriter software for another platform, you will want to use the block, Bbinary, ISO or raw mode operations appropriate for the particular Achosen recording package. The following directions assume use of eOpenVMS and native CD-R capabilities, please see Section 9.7 for associated details.

    E
  1. First, you must acquire the Integrity server firmware from the A above URL. Select the platform, and navigate to the supporting H information and specifically to the Download Drivers and Software link:
  2. Select Cross operating system (BIOS, Firmware, etc.)I
  3. Locate the appropriate ISO-format firmware file. There are several F firmware file formats available and there are also various off-line 9 diagnostic images, choose the ISO-format firmware file.C
  4. Read the directions for the firmware file, then download the H ISO-format firmware (zip-compressed) file. A binary-mode FTP transfer  should be used.
  5. UnzipG the file into the corresponding .ISO data file. Somewhat confusingly, H the .ISO extension can indicate either a block-oriented raw image of a G disk, or a disk with the ISO-9660 volume structure. In this case, the H former is intended and this file contains a a block copy or disk image @ of the firmware disk for the platform, and may or may not be anG ISO-9660 volume structure. The unzip tool is available on the OpenVMS g Freeware and elsewhere; please see Section 13.11 for details and locations.A
  6. Use CDRECORD or other available recording tool (please see e Section 9.7 for related details) to burn a CD-R or CD-RW disk, ? specifying the ISO file as the source for the burn operation.E
  7. Shut the Integrity Server system down to the EFI console level.F
  8. Unload the recorded CD media from the CD-R drive, label it, and G load it into the Integrity console drive. This assuming the disk was J not generated directly on an Integrity CD-R/RW-capable drive, of course.J
  9. Using the EFI shell, display the current firmware version using the command

     

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    info fw 
    
    
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  10. Exit the EFI shell and select the boot options maintenance menu; H create a boot alias for the removable media drive for the CD; for the  newly-created firmware disk.J
  11. Boot it. Follow the directions displayed by the firmware loader and F related documentation, heeding the release notes that were reviewed earlier.5
  12. Perform a cold restart of the Integrity server.


CFor information on Alpha SRM console firmware upgrades, please see 8Section 14.3.7.m

14.4 What platforms will OpenVMS operate on?



DFor the list of boxes that are officially and formally supported by =OpenVMS Engineering, please see the OpenVMS Software Product Description (SPD).



ESometimes a particular and officially unsupported Alpha box or Alpha @motherboard will sufficiently resemble a supported box that the :platform can effectively mimic and can bootstrap OpenVMS. BAlternatively, somebody (usually one or more engineers within the EOpenVMS Engineering group) will have put together a bootstrap kit -- @such as the kit for the Alpha Multia---which permits OpenVMS to bootstrap on the platform.

DContrary to the assumptions of some folks, there are platform-level Bdifferences even within the VAX and within the Alpha platforms--- Fhardware-level differences that can require moderate to extensive new Bcoding within OpenVMS. Within a platform series, and particularly ?within Alpha platforms (and those few VAX systems) that support@Dynamic System Recognition (DSR), OpenVMS can usually bootstrap.

ADSR is a mechanism by which OpenVMS can gather platform-specific Ginformation, and DSR is the reason why newer Alpha systems can be more Heasily and more commonly supported on older OpenVMS Alpha releases. DSR His implemented with OpenVMS Alpha code, with SRM console code, and with platform non-volatile memory.

DOpenVMS users with experience on older OpenVMS VAX releases and VAX Bhardware will recall that then-new VAX systems either required an COpenVMS VAX upgrade, or that earlier releases would mis-identified Dthen-newer VAX systems---such as the case of the VAX 7000 model 800 Cbeing (mis)identified as a VAX 7000 model 600 when bootstrapped on COpenVMS VAX V5.5-2. (This (mis)identification was the outcome of a Bdeliberate engineering effort to permit the VAX 7000 model 800 to Ebootstrap on V5.5-2; the system manager could configure the VAX 7000 Gmodel 800 to (mis)identify itself as a model 600, to permit the system Hto bootstrap on V5.5-2.) OpenVMS VAX and VAX platforms lack DSR support.

OpenVMS I64i(please see Section 14.4.5 for Intel Itanium terminology) supports a Cplatform-level feature similar to the OpenVMS Alpha DSR mechanism, based on theA ACPI interface and the byte-code interpreter implemented within G OpenVMS, within the EFI console, and particularly within non-volatile G memory located on (byte-code interpreter compliant) PCI I/O hardware. F ACPI tables provide the information that was formerly retrieved from I DSR and from the SRM, and the byte-code interpreter can (theoretically) C permit at least limited operations with (compliant) PCI hardware, A whether or not OpenVMS has a driver for the particular hardware.

DThe byte code interpreter may or may not permit operations with any Hparticular PCI hardware, and may or may not have sufficient performance Dfor local requirements, and PCI hardware may or may not include the Fnecessary ROM-based drivers in the PCI hardware non-volatile storage. D(The intent of this Intel platform-level effort is to move the host Gsoftware drivers out onto the specific PCI hardware, and to permit the Gsame byte code to operate regardless of the particular host platform.) DAt least the initial releases of OpenVMS I64 will not have Fsupport for the byte code interpreter nor for arbitrary PCI or system Ehardware, but will have support for ACPI-based system identification and system configuration.9

14.4.1 on the Alpha Multia?



HYes, there are a set of unsupported images that permit specific OpenVMS GAlpha versions to bootstrap on the Multia UDB system. These images and Bthe associated instructions are available at the OpenVMS Freeware website:

-Look in the Freeware V5.0 /multia/ directory.

EInstructions are included IN the kits. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. PLEASE!

ESome of the restrictions involved when running OpenVMS on the Multia >system include (but may well not be limited to) the following:



GThe Multia images are not included on the OpenVMS Freeware V4.0 CD-ROM Ckit, the kit that was distributed with OpenVMS V7.2. (These images .became available after Freeware V4.0 shipped.)

;Other sources of information for OpenVMS on Multia include:

F

14.4.2 on AlphaPC 164LX? AlphaPC 164SX?



FOpenVMS Alpha is not supported on the AlphaPC 164LX and 164SX series, Dthough there are folks that have gotten certain of the LX series to ?load SRM and bootstrap OpenVMS. (The Aspen Durango II variant, specifically.)

COne problem has been generally reported: ATA (IDE) bootstraps will 8fail; SCSI storage and a SCSI CD-ROM device is required.

@Also see Section 14.4.2.1.F

14.4.2.1 on the NoName AXPpci33 system?



GInformation on bootstrapping OpenVMS (using the Multia files described gin Section 14.4.1) on the (unsupported) NoName AXPpci33 module is available at:

2Tips for using the Multia files with the AXPpci33:=

14.4.3 on the Alpha XL series?



No.

GOpenVMS Engineering does not formally support the Alpha XL series, nor ;will OpenVMS (informally) bootstrap on the Alpha XL series.

BOpenVMS can not, will not, and does not bootstrap on the Alpha XL Aseries. The Alpha XL series was targeted for use (only) with the 'Microsoft Windows NT operating system. 

BThe Alpha XL platform does not resemble other supported platforms.\

14.4.4 OpenVMS on the Personal Workstation -a and -au series?



FThough OpenVMS is not supported on the Personal Workstation -a series @platforms, OpenVMS might or might not bootstrap on the platform.

GIf you wish to attempt this, you must ensure that all graphics and all FI/O controllers in the system are supported by OpenVMS. You must also 6ensure that you have the most current firmware loaded.

>Here are some salient differences within the various Personal Workstation series:



GFor obvious reasons, most folks will prefer and will select a Miata GL Hsystem, given the choice between the Miata MX5 and the Miata GL series. AAnd as for your next question, you cannot necessarily nor easily Fdistinguish the Miata MX5 from the Miata GL based solely on the model number.

OSee Section 14.4.4.2 for related details.[

14.4.4.1 OpenVMS on the Whitebox Windows-Only series Alpha?



FThough OpenVMS is not supported on the "Whitebox" series of GAlpha platforms, OpenVMS might or might not bootstrap on the platform. HThese systems were specifically configured, targeted and supported only 7for use with the Microsoft Windows NT operating system.

GOn some of the "Whitebox" systems, the following sequence of Gconsole commands can potentially be used to convert the system over to Dunsupported use by and for OpenVMS Hobbyist users. (But please note Hthat if you wish to attempt this, you must ensure that all graphics and Dall I/O controllers in the system are supported by OpenVMS, and you Emust ensure that you have the most current SRM firmware loaded. (For Cinformation on locating and downloading the most current Alpha SRM kfirmware, please see Section 14.3.7.1.) And you must realize that the Fresulting Whitebox configuration will be entirely unsupported and may !or may not be stable and useful.)

 

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set os_type vms 2cat nvram  ! too see what is in this, if anything edit nvram 10 set srm_boot on 20 e init 




CIf your nvram has other contents, you will need to change the line Fnumbers (10 and 20) to reflect the contents of your configuration. To Hobtain documentation on the commands of the console editor, enter the ? command within the editor.

DThe above sequence was reportedly tested on the DIGITAL Server 3300 Eseries, a relative of the AlphaServer 800 series. The DIGITAL Server G3300 is not supported by OpenVMS, though the AlphaServer 800 series is @a supported platform. The sequence may or may not work on other Gplatforms, and may or may not work on the DIGITAL Server 3300 platform.

;Also see Section 5.33.]

14.4.4.2 OpenVMS and Personal Workstation ATA (IDE) bootstrap?



HOpenVMS will boot and is supported on specific Personal Workstation -au Bseries platforms, though OpenVMS will require a SCSI CD-ROM if theHIntel Saturn I/O (SIO) IDE chip is present in the configuration--- only @the Cypress IDE controller chip is supported by OpenVMS for IDE Abootstraps. (Configurations with the Intel SIO are not generally $considered to be supported systems.)

GIf you have an -au series system, you can determine which IDE chip you #have using the SRM console command:

 

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  SHOW CONFIGURATION 




BIf you see "Cypress PCI Peripheral Controller", you can ?bootstrap OpenVMS from IDE storage. If you see "Intel SIO :82378", you will need to use and bootstrap from SCSI.E(A procedure to load DQDRIVER on the Intel SIO---once the system has Hbootstrapped from a SCSI device---is expected to be included as part of Cthe contents of the DQDRIVER directory on Freeware V5.0 and later.)

CMany of the -a series systems will include the Intel SIO, and thus cannot bootstrap from IDE.

MSee Section 14.4.4 for related details.H

14.4.5 On the Intel Itanium IA-64 platform?



?OpenVMS has been ported to the Intel IA-64 architecture; to HP >Integrity systems based on the Intel Itanium Processor Family.

EThe first release of OpenVMS I64 was V8.0, with the first general or Hfirst production release of OpenVMS I64 known as V8.2. Yes, there was a V8.1 release, too.

GSome Intel and HP terminology: Itanium Processor Family is the name of Gthe current implementation; of the current Intel microprocessor family Dimplementing the IA-64 architecture. IA-64 is the name of the Intel Garchitecture implementing the VLIW (Very Long Instruction Word) design :known as EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing).

BI64 is the name of a family of HP computer systems that use Intel BItanium processors and that are supported by "HP OpenVMS for Integrity Servers"G(and itself more commonly known as "OpenVMS I64"); by one of <the HP operating systems that runs on HP Integrity hardware.

CThe Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) is the name of the console Fenvironment for Itanium systems, and the Baseboard Management Console F(BMC) and the optional Management Processor (MP) are the most typical ,hardware interfaces into the system console.P

14.4.5.1 Where can I get Intel Itanium information?



AIntel Itanium Processor Family and IA-64 Architecture, Hardware, @Software, and related docoumentation materials are available at:



EInformation on the classic Intel Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) A(for IA-64) and of the multi-platform Unified EFI (UEFI) console :project documentation are available at the following URLs:



\Please see Section 14.4.5 for Intel Itanium terminology.v

14.5 What is the least expensive system that will run OpenVMS?



GThe cheapest systems that are or have been recently offered by HP that <will run OpenVMS Alpha are the AlphaServer DS10 server, the GAlphaStation XP900 workstation, the AlphaStation VS10 workstation, and Hthe AlphaStation XP1000 workstation. Other companies sell Alpha-powered Csystems and Alpha motherboards, some of which will run (and can be Gpurchased with) OpenVMS---see the OpenVMS Software Product Description E(SPD) for details on the supported systems and configurations. There Bare also many used AlphaStation, AlphaServer, and DEC 3000 series Hmodels available which are quite suitable. For more experienced OpenVMS Fsystem managers, the (unsupported) Multia can bootstrap OpenVMS---see @Section 14.4.1 for details.

?Used Itanium-based systems that a hobbyist could likely use to Ebootstrap OpenVMS I64 have been seen selling on auction websites for #under US$1000. New Integrity rx2620Gseries systems (officially supported by OpenVMS I64) have been offered Fas part of a week-long DSPP porting and training package for US$2000. jSee Section 2.8.3 for details on the DSPP program. Also see the HP GRenew used- and/or refurbished-equipment program for any hardware that might be available.

HFree and commercial VAX software-based hardware emulators are available dfor various platforms. See Section 13.12 for details on those.

íHobbyist-related hardware platform selection information---various options and considerations around VAX, Alpha and Integrity systems, and an introduction to hardware emulation---is available at: !http://www.hoffmanlabs.org/ )

@Depending on the OpenVMS version and configuration, the OpenVMS 3Software Product Description (SPD) is available at:



FWhen purchasing a system, ensure that the system itself is supported, Hthat the system disk drive is supported or closely compatible, that the Doptical (CD or DVD) drive is supported or is closely compatable and Athat (in the case of SCSI devices) it also specifically supports 512-byte blockBtransfers; no equivalent requirement exists for IDE devices. Also Cparticularly ensure that the video controller is supported. Use of Esupported HP hardware will generally reduce the level of integration effort involved.

:A CD-ROM, CD-R or DVD drive is required for OpenVMS Alpha Ginstallations, and a DVD-ROM or recordable or rewritable DVD DVD drive *is required for OpenVMS I64 installations.

7CD-ROM drive compatibility information is available at:






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