topic Re: DECServer90M questions in Operating System - OpenVMS

DECServer90M questions

Willem Grooters — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 08:12:43 GMT

On behalf of a collegue:

Configuration: DECServer90M, with the DEChub management extension, with two management ports. The MNENG2.SYS image is loaded onto a 4Mb on-board flash card. The box fails to start. VT terminal attached to port1

When booting from flash, the image is loaded successfully after self-test (gets "image loaded" message). However, all ports seem dead, and leds 1-4 burn for 1 second, then 5-8 for one second, and so on. The manual says that all leds should be off, and does not contain any hints on this behaviour.

Reset to factory settings has been tried but that doesn't help either: same behaviour.

The machine has also been tried connected to a Linux box that has DHCP service available. It has been requested to boot over the network (BOOTP). That's Ok - the Linux DHCP serevr supplies the IP configuration. So appearently, network is Ok.

Question: What is wrong and (obviously) how to solve it?

The VMS boxes it will connect to do NOT have DECNet configured but according my collegue, it should be able to get the box running using LANCP. If that would succeed and the machine is up and running, next question is how to get the image on flash?

Any extra information can be supplied but it won't be fast - he's on another location ;-)

Willem

Re: DECServer90M questions

Uwe Zessin — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 10:05:54 GMT

How long did you wait? If I remember, the DS90M takes half a person's life for a boot :-(

Re: DECServer90M questions

Antoniov. — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 10:10:38 GMT

Uwe,
you are right if terminal server hasn't a flash on board. With flash, only a quarter of life is needed :-)
Willem,
I never used terminal server outside of DecNet IV, so I'm sorry but I'm not sure to help you.
If you give me command you used, I can try on my network.

Antonio Vigliotti

Re: DECServer90M questions

Uwe Zessin — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 10:15:10 GMT

I've successfully booted AlphaServers and DECservers using LAN(A)CP instead of DECnet/NETACP. For the client, it's the same MOP - just the management commands are different.

Re: DECServer90M questions

Veli Körkkö — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:32:00 GMT

well, the step what you described takes about 5 minutes and DECserver 90M is decompressing the image from flash in main memory. Just wait that wait five minutes and it will start running.

_veli

Re: DECServer90M questions

Bill Hall — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 15:28:08 GMT

Willem,

Are you sure you have loaded the correct firmware image? I have 90Ms with either the 1MB (compressed image) or the 2MB (non-compressed image) flash cards. I don't have any 90M+ with the 4MB flash cards.

I made the mistake updating a 1MB flash card with MNENG3.SYS, INIT DELAY 0 FROM ETHERNET MNENG3 UPDATE FLASHRAM. Of course the image won't fit, but the server blindly downloads it and updates flash until it is full. The server will then attempt to load it from flash. IIRC, the console output on port one looks normal... :-).

DECserver 90M with 1MB flash -> MNENG2.SYS
DECserver 90M with 2MB flash -> MNENG3.SYS
DECserver 90M+ with 4MB flash -> MNENG4.SYS

If you do have a 90M+, MNENG2 will fit in the flash card, but maybe it has to run MNENG4.

Bill

Re: DECServer90M questions

stan jenereski — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 10:45:20 GMT

This is for Bill Hall...

Have you ever updated a deserver 700 flash? and if you did could you please post the steps required

my thanks in advance

Re: DECServer90M questions

Ian Miller. — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 11:17:40 GMT

syntax to update flash will be similar to that already given by Bill - At your DECserver 700 local prompt do HELP INIT and check.

Re: DECServer90M questions

Bill Hall — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 11:53:03 GMT

Stan,

The DS700 was initially shipped with WWENG1. I don't recall if they switched to WWENG2 when DNAS was released or if there was an intermediate version of the DS700 software. You probably should check your servers before reloading, just in case someone loaded a special version. In the past, especially with bridged networks, we often renamed the DECServer images to force terminal servers to load a specific image from a specific host(s).

From the command line on the terminal server, SHOW SERVER CHARACTERISTICS will display the software name you are currently loading. On a DS700 I would expect to see either WWENG1 or WWENG2 by default.

The following command line will re-itialize the server from the network, requesting WWENG2, update flash memory with the downloaded image and do so immediately: INIT FROM ETHERNET IMAGE WWENG2 UPDATE FLASHRAM DELAY 0

Bill

Re: DECServer90M questions

Terry Yeomans — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 03:36:17 GMT

Hi Willem,
The alternating flashing lights are a normal load-up sign. The 90M goes through each port light, loads from memory (the fast flashing light) and then alternating from side to side. The side to side bit seems to take an eternity. The best idea is not to watch it ! (It takes longer if you watch it)!!!
Hope this helps.
Terry.

Re: DECServer90M questions

Willem Grooters — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 03:45:29 GMT

My collegue told me it took indeed aboutr 5 minutes, and the DECSerevr is running happly now.
Keyword: PATIENCE....

Willem