topic Re: how system time updation without prompting? in Operating System - OpenVMS

how system time updation without prompting?

kumarasamy — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 01:13:18 GMT

hello
Mr/r Ian Millar and Volker.

we have to necessarily enter date while booting system every time.(microvax 3100/openvms 6.2)

sometime we feel it is redundance when in the same day second time or third time booted the system.

how to set time in order to update itself from system clock without asking .
thanks in advance

kumar.m

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

Hein van den Heuvel — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 01:44:34 GMT

Replace the battery!

I seem to remember it is a AAA pack for this system. Not sure.

Hope this helps,
Hein.

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

Volker Halle — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 03:16:29 GMT

kumar.m,

during OpenVMS boot, SYSINIT tries to automatically obtain the time and date from the time-of-year clock (from CPU HW) and the data saved in EXE$GL_TODR and EXE$GQ_TODCBASE in the base image file (SYS.EXE) on disk.

The time-of-year clock is maintained in CPU HW with a battery backup. It is implemented as a 32-bit counter, which is being incremented every 10 ms. A value of 0x10000000 represents 1-JAN 00:00:00.00 of the current year. The year can be obtained from EXE$GQ_TODCBASE.

If the value of the TODR register is invalid, SYSINIT checks the system parameters SETTIME and TIMEPROMPTWAIT (see $ MC SYSGEN HELP PARA ...) to determine how to set the system time during boot.

The value of the TODR clock is saved in the SYSTEM START-UP errlog entry:

$ ANAL/ERR/INCL=CONTROL_ENTRIES
...
SYSTEM START-UP KA420 CPU FW REV# 7.
TIME OF DAY CLOCK BFF43298
...

Do you power-off your MicroVAX 3100 to reboot it ? If not, the TODR circuitry may be bad.

You could also use $ SET TIME in the running system to read the TODR register and update your system time. This will fail with SS$_IVTIME, if the CPU TODR register value is bad. You can audit this event (and thus obtain the TODR value) with:

$ SET AUDIT/ALARM/ENABLE=TIME

Volker.

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

kumarasamy — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 04:38:17 GMT

yes I too agree for the replacement of battery
apart from that....New battery is being used.the Mother board is itself new one.
------------

Whenever we boot the system at begining it needs time to be be entered. on subsequent rebooting system does not ask time but time is updated by sys.

once switch off and switch on for booting this will happen.

I am not able to make it out from the message seen as below and just reproduced below what I got from system

for today the observation from the system

$set audit/alarms/enable=time

reply
%%%%%%%%%opcom 24-dec-2006 12:15:49.52 %%%%%

Message from user audit$server on ksug1
security alarm(sec) and security audit(sec) on KSUG!, system id:1025
Event time
Auditable event: securit alarm state set
Event time
PID
user name
Alarm flags:
.
.
audit :(illformed)

on
$ ANAL/ERR/INCL=CONTROL_ENTRIES
VAX/VMS system error report compiled 24-Dec-2006 11:24:47

Standard Micro code Patch Patch rev#10
entry 68
error sequence 200

date/time 12-dec-2000 17:43:40.12

system uptimes 0 days 9:00:40

SID:13001402

Sys_type:03226080

system start_up KA50 CPU Micro code Rev#2
Time of Day clock c8182ebe

---
thanks

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

Volker Halle — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 05:51:05 GMT

kumar.m,

fromyour description, it definitly looks like the battery is bad. Even a 'new motherboard' for a MicroVAX 3100 may be not that 'new' nowadays !

The same battery may also save the NVRAM console settings during power-down. You can test this:

>>> SHOW BFLG ! record current setting
>>> SET BFLG 1

Power down system
wait some time
power up system

>>> SHOW BFLG

If BFLG is 0, the data in NVRAM is not being correctly maintained over a power failure, so something is wrong (hardware problem).

>>> SET BFLG x ! restore current setting noted above

The TODR value shown as

Time of Day clock c8182ebe

represents about 357 days 11:25:25.74 hours, so it would be an expected value for a boot at 24-DEC 11:25:25

I do not understand the origin of:

date/time 12-dec-2000 17:43:40.12
system uptimes 0 days 9:00:40

After you've enabled time event auditing, just use the command:

$ SET TIME

It will read the contents of the TODR CPU register and adjust your system time accordingly. If the time read from TODR is bad, the command will fail.

Volker.

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

Antoniov. — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 02:48:41 GMT

Hi Kumar.m,
I guess you want to play with TIMEPROMPTWAIT parameter in SYSGEN.
For furthermore informations type
$ MCR SYSGEN
HELP SYS TIMEPROMPTWAIT

I hope this trick can help you. Anyway it's better you can solve the real battery problem.

Merry Christam and Happy New Year!

Antonio
http://it.openvms.org

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

kumarasamy — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 01:24:39 GMT

hi Antonio
thanks.
greetings for New year and merry christmas

hi volker.
it seems the supplier might have shifted to us the old working mother board. the battery is seen bad after opened its enclosure.

anye way I will try to replace the battery as soon as possible.
and further,,
I did As you advised
the followinf are system display

>>> sh bflg
0000000
>>> set bflg 1

switched of the sys
after 15 minutes switched on the sys
>>> sh bflg
0000001

---
then I changed the flag value to 0 as you said.
***
the Date referring 2000 year in my previous message ,I guess could be probably old system backup message.

***

when I use set time after Audit alarm enable

%%%%%opcom 26-DEC-2006 08:43:17.36
Message from user AUDIT$SERVER on KSUG1

security alarm (security ) on KSUG1, sys Id 1025
Auditable event system time recalibrated
Event time 26-Dec-2006 08:43:17.27
PID
Process name
.
.
.
Image name KSUG1$DKA300:[sys.syscommon.][sysexe]set.exe

New system time 26-DEC-2006 08:43:17.15

old system time 26-DEC-2006 08:43:17.16
----

thanks

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

Volker Halle — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 11:34:15 GMT

kumar.m,

looks like the NVRAM settings did survive a 15 minute power-off. Did the system ask for the time at boot ?

The SET TIME audit shows a correct synchronization of the system time.

Volker.

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

kumarasamy — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 04:58:04 GMT

hi Volker

yes. it is .system askes for date at each time of booting.
I think it is only battery problem. not from s/w problem. moreover we can not bypass thebattery source to retain the memory inform.
thanks

Re: how system time updation without prompting?

kumarasamy — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 00:11:48 GMT

hai all

I thought of getting some idea to stop system prompt asking for date by using software irrespetive of battery backup.

so battery is must for restoring the date in memery.
thanks