topic Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco in Operating System - OpenVMS

DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 05:00:17 GMT

Hi,

I hope that someone could help. But first, some background information:

I backup up one OpenVMS Workstation, and restored it on a new workstation. Later I renamed the name, change IP and DECnet address. I have to router and tow openVMS server.

I have trouble to use NITFS1, IP seems to be 100%, but DECnet doesn't work.

Hope that somebody could help be. I have no ideas anymore.
Pleeasseeeeee :-)

Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Hoff — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:16:13 GMT

OpenVMS version and platform?

DECnet Phase IV or DECnet-Plus? If you are using DECnet-Plus, are you using Phase IV or OSI or IP routing?

Check your Cisco routing. Most Cisco devices can be set up to route DECnet, or to bridge it; to treat it as its own virtual LAN. You'll need to use the Cisco monitoring to determine what IP and DECnet address(es) are where, and whether this is a routed or bridged configuration. And whether DECnet is enabled in your particular (new) configuration.

Is DECnet area routing in use? If so, is the node configured into the correct area for the DECnet network it is connected into?

Are you seeing DECnet-generated errors at startup, such as IVADDR or other such? IVADDR would imply a DECnet Phase IV address collision.

Does the new DECnet name match the new SCSNODE node name?

The spots that a node or host name can exist within OpenVMS can be found in the OpenVMS FAQ; the master copy of the FAQ is over at www.HoffmanLabs.com/vmsfaq -- there are quite a few spots that can need to be addressed when cloning nodes.

HoffmanLabs and other vendors are available to troubleshoot your node configuration and DECnet network. This would not be the first Cisco DECnet configuration with routing and bridging/VLAN oddities. And DECnet is certainly familiar territory.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 09:24:30 GMT

Geir,

this seems to be a continuation of

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1092845

Why do you start a new topic for an old problem ?!

How is node 2.81 connected to the network ? As long as CIRCUIT EWA-0 remains in on-synchronizing state, you won't be able to communicate with that node using the DECnet protocol !

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:48:07 GMT

Hi,

I'm using DECnet IV, and OpenVMS V6.2. Unfortunately, it's not possible for me to upgrade the software.

The network interface is ok, since I can use it with IP to ping FBUFS1 from NITFS1. The problem in this case is DECnet.

I'm confused, so if someone could give me hints if would be nice.

Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Hoff — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:49:27 GMT

The "EWA-0 on -synchronizing" error (from the previous thread) usually means that the network-related wiring isn't connected or isn't activated (either activated at the switch, or activated at the DECnet LINE level), or the DECnet host node NIC and the switch have incompatible settings, or you have a bad cable (or bad NIC), or other such.

If you have re-run NETCONFIG (Phase IV) or NET$CONFIGURE (DECnet Phase V, DECnet/OSI, DECnet-Plus) after having cloned this node and you (still) see this error, then it is likely that the connectivity problem is somewhere from the NIC outwards into the network cloud.

One approach would be to transfer the node to a known-working network tap, and re-try the DECnet connection there. (This assumes compatible DECnet areas are in use at both taps.)

Here are some of the usual suspects for the On Synchronizing states:

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/wizard/wiz_1930.html

If you entered the DECnet NCP commands "hot", it's quite easy to miss a SET or a DEFINE when activating stuff. Which is why I mention the configuration tools -- those will generally get you a working configuration, at least as far as the DECnet host node configuration is concerned.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 10:54:51 GMT

Geir,

the fact that you can ping NITFS1 seems to rule out a hardware problem, so it's most likely some DECnet config issue !

Shutdown DECnet using:

$ MC NCP SET EXE STATE SHUT

and start it again using:

$ @STARTNET

watch for (and report here) any error messages - after carefully checking the Wizard article pointed to by Hoff.

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:30:23 GMT

Hi,

All output tells that everything is ok, except follwing messages:

%NCP-i-NOINFO, No infrmation in database

Looks strange?? Maybe it could give some help to solve the problem??

Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:38:20 GMT

Geir,

the %NCP-I-NOINFO seems to be normal (compare it with your working OpenVMS system).

Do you get any OPCOM messages ($ REPLY/ENABLE) when starting DECnet ?

What do the LINE and CIRCUIT counters say (MC NCP SHOW KNO {LINE|CIRCUIT} COUNTER ?

WHich protocols are running on EWA0 ?
$ ANAL/SYS
SDA> SHOW LAN

SDA> SHOW LAN/FULL/DEV=EWA0 - has the Physical Address been set to the DECnet MAC address (AA-00-04-00-51-08) ?

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 11:53:26 GMT

Hi,

The outputs from the command is attached below.

Geir

PS:
Hope it helps :-)

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:01:55 GMT

Geir,

did you notice, that the EWA-0 LAN interface NEVER was able to send ANY packet -> all sends failed with Carrier Check failure. Check the interface, the cable and whatever is at the other end of the cable.

I would doubt VERY MUCH, that your - apparently successful - IP PING tests actually reach that LAN interface. The DECnet LINE counters should show the same values as the LAN interface counters shown in SDA> SHOW LAN/DEV=EWA/COUNT - do you see any successful transmits there ?

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:15:44 GMT

Hi again,

Thanks again :-)
The network cavle is 100% ok, and the IP protocols also seems to be ok. Why DECnet does not work is mysterious.

The router coluld also see the OpenVMS workstation, but the Workstation could noe see the router. Why?

Thanks Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:39:11 GMT

Geir,

the LAN interface called EWA0 did NEVER successfully send any packets. All send attempts failed with 'carrier check failure'.

Are you running IP over the same interface (UCX SHOW INT) ?

If you do SDA> SHOW LAN/COUNT you can see the counters for each protocol unit. Do the counters for IP show any packets sent ?

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:49:49 GMT

Volker,

Are you running IP over the same interface (UCX SHOW INT) ?

I see that IP use EWA2 and DECnet use EWA1 if i use SDA> SHOW LAN/COUNT. Mabye I should try to rename the circuit on DECnet??

I'm not so familiar with DECnet

Thanks

Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 12:56:27 GMT

Geir,

no, that's o.k. - EWA0 represents the physical interface, the EWAn units each represent one network protocol. Another LAN adapter would be called EWB (in OpenVMS, EWA-1 in DECnet IV).

And SDA> SHOW LAN only shows (1 station) ?!

The counters shown for EWA0 (the physical interface) are cumulative for all protocols. I cannot believe, that IP can send packets, which do not show up in the EWA0 counters in SDA.

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Hoff — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:01:36 GMT

Either put the two DECnet nodes into the same DECnet area and try your connectivity tests again, or ensure that there are DECnet area routers configured and available for both of the areas involved (1.* and 2.*), and that the DECnet area routers are adjacent.

You cannot ever connect from DECnet area 1.* into an area 2.* DECnet address without also having intervening DECnet area routers.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:07:01 GMT

Geir,

I also see that you've configured NITFS1 to be an AREA router. Do you have an appropriate DECnet routing license loaded ? It's not necessary to run this node as an area router, an end node would be fine, if the adjacent CISCO acts as an area router for area 2.

Volker.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:13:18 GMT

Hi again,

I have license for the OpenVMS host. At the beginning the VMS node was configured as a end node, and the cisco router have been configured as an area router.

Maybe It's not legal to use area 1 and area 2, when these router er connected together via a IP-tunnel??

Geir

PS:
I also tried to configure both router and VMS node in the same area as remote site, with no effect. It must be something else.

Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Hoff — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 13:55:39 GMT

Please post the NCP executor settings from each of the four nodes involved. The far-end node, the far-end DECnet router, the near-end DECnet router (Cisco) and the near-end node.

The DECnet routers should be able to see the end-nodes, too.

My most current suspicion is that the near-end box cannot reach the local DECnet (area?) router. This could be addressing, or Cisco-level or a matter of (dis)connectivity otherwise.

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

geir_2 — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:16:15 GMT

Hi Hoff,

It's only four node/router involved. The topology is:

FBUFS1(Openvms, 1.81)
|
|
FBURTR1 (Cisco Area Router, 1.1)
|
| (IP Tunnel ======)
|
NITRTR1 (Cisco Area Router, 2.1)
|
|
NITFS1(OpenVMS, 2.81)

DECnet
FBUFS1 can ping FBURTR1, NITRTR1
FBURTR1 can ping FBUFS1,NITRTR1
NITRTR1 can ping FBURTR1, FBUFS1

If i run show decnet neighbour on NITRTR1 the router seeS(?) NITFS1, but NITFS1 cannot see NITRTR1.

All nodes also run TCP/IP, and everone ping ping each other.

Geir

PS:
Is it necessary to configure both OpenVMS workstation as a area router. How's is it done. I tried follong commands:

ncp> define exec type area

and next time I reboot the computer the type is still configured as non-routing node. Hope you can help me.

Regards Geir

Re: DECnet OpenVMS and Cisco

Volker Halle — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 01:39:10 GMT

Geir,

to run the VMS node as a DECnet area router, you need a DECnet routing license (DVNETRTG). A DVNETEND license would just allow a DECnet endnode.

I would generally trust the NCP LINE counters and the EWA0 counters shown by SDA, which indicate, that node NITFS1 can not successfully send ANY packets through the EWA LAN interface. All sends fail with 'carrier check failure'.

As you've cloned this node from the other VMS system, please check the counters on FBUFS1 as well. If you also see no packets sent and only carrier check failures, I would tend to a software bug in the counter display, but I can't believe this...

You still have not shown the EWA2 (IP protocol) counters from NITFS1:

SDA> SHOW LAN/DEV=EWA2/COUNT

How about disconnecting the network cable and trying to ping NITFS1 with IP ? Does it still 'work' ?

Volker.