topic Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200 in Operating System - OpenVMS

Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Guillou_2 — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:02:57 GMT

Hi,

I have several Alphaserver 1000 4/200 with OpenVMS 6.2 and we experience sometime problem with the console system Opa0 (vt520).
The device is blocked with a black screen and a blinking cursor in a corner.

To solve the problem we have to reboot the server.

Someone can help me with this problem?

Regards

Steph.

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Volker Halle — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:08:13 GMT

Steph,

does the system otherwise work, i.e. can you login via DECnet/TELNET/LAT ? If so, what is the state of OPA0 (SHOW DEV/FULL OPA0) ?

Was a user logged in on the terminal ? Can you type CTRL/Q ? Does Reset Communication on the VT520 help ?

Do you think it's a problem with the system or just the console port HW/SW ?

Volker.

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Robert_Boyd — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 14:31:27 GMT

And what if you power cycle the display?

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Guillou_2 — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 03:15:05 GMT

Hi,

Login via decnet, telnet and lat works and the system is ok.

Noone works on this VT and I doesn't think that the display is "frozen" by a ctrl/s.

Power cycle the console doesn't solve the problem.

How can i reset the communication on the vt?

you can find in attachment the result of a show dev/full opa0. The device has a lot of error.

Steph.

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Volker Halle — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 03:50:16 GMT

Steph,

errors on OPA0: ? Did you check the cable and the connectors ?

Can you write to OPA0: ? Does the text appear on the VT520 ?

$ REPLY/TERM=OPA0: "HELLO"
or
$ OPEN/WRITE x OPA0:
$ WRITE x "HELLO"
$ CLOSE x

To reset communications, you need to enter the setup menue: F3 -> Actions -> Clear Communications

Does the VT520 work normally for a while after you've rebooted the Alpha ? If you login and do a SHO TERM, you are on OPA0:, right ?

If the VT520 (or the console port) seems to 'hang', can you connect another terminal or laptop serial port and get any response from OPA0: ?

Volker.

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Wim Van den Wyngaert — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 04:02:43 GMT

When logged in on the node, do
$ sh us/fu/int/noclus

If someone is logged in on terminal OPA0: then the console was in use. You can see what program he started with sh proc/con/id=x and stop the process with stop/id=x.

Wim

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

faris_3 — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 05:13:58 GMT

Hi,

This type of Opa0: are often due to multiple processes with the SHARE privilege who access the console.

Otherwise you may try to enable error logging on OPA0:
$ set dev /error opa0:

There had been some problems around 2000 with OPA0: hangs in 6.2 but i don't remember if it was fixed by a new image or by installing the V6.1 sys$opdriver.

Anyway have you installed the latest opdr ?

"o Operators at console see timeout errors under heavy usage."

http://ftp.support.compaq.com.au/pub/ecoinfo/ecoinfo/556.htm

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Wim Van den Wyngaert — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 06:25:05 GMT

Also check if control-p is still reacting.
Once had a machine that was still reacting but didn't show anything, so be carefull. Test after control-p if telnet is still possible to the node.

Wim

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Guillou_2 — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 09:59:28 GMT

Hi thanks all for your help

Nobody is connected to Opa0.

If I try to send a message on the console using "open/write" I get a "device timeout"
and with "reply/term" nothing appears to the screen

Clearing communication with the setup menu of the VT doesn't solve the problem.

After a server reboot, the console worked during few days, I can connect on it, with SHOW TERM I can see that I am on Opa0.

Nothing is logged in errlog when the problem occurs despite enabling error logging .

Patches ALPOPDR04_062 and ALPOPCO01_062 are installed.

Other idea?

Regards

Steph

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Vladimir Fabecic — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:27:44 GMT

Did you upgrade console firmware recently?
Long time ago (1999) I upgraded all customer's alpha servers to firmware 5.1. Just one alpha server (AS 1000) made problems simular to yours.
I downgraded this alpha server to firmware 3.6 and server worked OK. This alpha server is dead now and I don't know if it was the real reason of problem.
This AS1000 worked OK for few years.

On how many AS1000 you have the same problem?
When did it happen first time?

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Guillou_2 — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 08:41:46 GMT

I have two Alpha 1000 with this kind of problem, no firmware upgrade was done recently.Firmware version is V5.4-101 on both.

I can't remember special event that would have triggered this problem.

regards

Steph

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Vladimir Fabecic — Fri, 24 Feb 2006 10:35:55 GMT

Do you have >>> prompt after pressing HALT button?

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Allan Bowman — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 11:44:08 GMT

You might want to try running a "keep-alive" DCL script from OPA0 immediately after a reboot. It can just be a simple loop that displays the time once a minute. This way you will be able to tell exactly when it stops working, and possibly make it keep working. See if the behavior is the same on the two consoles with the problem.

If this happens to be a valid workaround, you'll want to make the script a little fancier and shift the output a few characters for each display line so you don't get any screen burn.

Allan in Atlanta

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Volker Halle — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 11:48:53 GMT

Steph,

another alternative would just achieve the opposite:

Do not issue any IOs to the console port OPA0: by SET TERM/NOBROADCAST/PERM OPA0:

Volker.

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Antoniov. — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 03:28:10 GMT

Hi Guillou,
when console is unavaiable, do you see noowner after sho term opa0?
I remember, openVMS V6.2 had a problem when some process crashed while was writing on console. Opa0 was locked by noowner until system rebooted.
In my mind you have to disable all messages to console, such as operator.

Antonio
http://it.openvms.org

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Guillou_2 — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 09:33:39 GMT

Thanks all for your help

If I disable broadcasting on Opa0, will I still receive on system console information about startup, shutdown, crash, alarm from audit process, etc?

regards

Steph

Re: Problem with Opa0 on Alpha 1000 4/200

Ian Miller. — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 10:43:35 GMT

"If I disable broadcasting on Opa0, will I still receive on system console information about startup, shutdown, crash, alarm from audit process, etc?"

No.