topic Re: System permanent logical names in Operating System - OpenVMS

System permanent logical names

Swain — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:01:05 GMT

I have server running Open VMS 8.2
I want to define logical names which would work for all users and will remain over reboots. Pls let me know how to achieve the same.I tried the following command:
DEFINE/TABLE=LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE/EXECUTIVE_MODE /system DISK$APP AP$DKB100:
It worked for my next login,but didn't work for other users.They get an err showing:
%DCL-E-OPENIN, error opening DISK$APP:[RS1R4]RS1LOG.COM; as input
-RMS-F-DEV, error in device name or inappropriate device type for operation.

Re: System permanent logical names

Wim Van den Wyngaert — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:50:16 GMT

Read help def/sys.
The /tab= is not needed.

You have to add the command to SYLOGICALS.COM if you want it to survive boot.

Do other users see the disk ap$dkb100 (with show dev) ?

Wim

Re: System permanent logical names

Hakan Zanderau ( Anders — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:59:14 GMT

Hi,

A logical name is in use the moment you define it ( no need for a logout/login ).

You have defined the name in LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE, but if the logical is already defined in a table closer to your process ( LNM$PROCESS, LNM$JOB, LNM$GROUP ), then it will overridden by the definition in theese tables.

Do a SHOW LOGICAL/FULL DISK$APP and check for a definition in a "lower" table.

Don't forget to add the logical to your startup-scripts ( SYS$STARTUP:SYLOGICALS.COM )

regards,

Hakan Zanderau

Re: System permanent logical names

Joseph Huber_1 — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:05:25 GMT

Please note:
logicals like DISK$label are created by the MOUNT command from the volume-label of the disk .
They will replace Your own DISK$APP logical if a disk with the label APP is mounted.

In general, don't use logicals starting with DISK$ for something else.

And in Your case, if the label of the disk in question is APP, then there is no need for an extra logical, and there would be only a single point in startup where the logical is defined:
if the disk moves to another unit or server, only the mount command needs to be changed.

Re: System permanent logical names

Swain — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:20:45 GMT

yes, the other users are able to see the device using $ sh dev

Re: System permanent logical names

Wim Van den Wyngaert — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:41:44 GMT

Then check the other tables when logged in as the user having problems.

show log disk$app* /fu

and post it.

Wim

Re: System permanent logical names

Jan van den Ende — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:42:25 GMT

Amaresh,

In the construct
>>>
DISK$APP AP$DKB100:
<<<
the DISK$APP part is treated as a device name. To be able to use it as such, you need to add /TRANSLATION=CONCEALED to the DEFINE statement.

And DO look at the answers by Wim, Hakan, and Joseph: they are all part of the full answer.

hth

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

Re: System permanent logical names

Swain — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:59:18 GMT

I tried to add the logical to sylogical.com
but it's showing error
%EDT-F-OPENOUT, error opening DISK$USER:[PRT]SYLOGICALS.JOU; as output
-RMS-F-DEV, error in device name or inappropriate device type for operation
can you help,please?

Re: System permanent logical names

Swain — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:04:20 GMT

Wim,
I tried $ sh log disk$* /fu and didn't get the logical for disk$app

I have the above mentioned problem in adding the logical to sylogical.com

Re: System permanent logical names

Hakan Zanderau ( Anders — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:08:42 GMT

Hm.......

Have you tried both ASSIGN and DEFINE when you defined the logical ???
( the format is not the same for each command )
Do a

$ SHOW LOGICALS DISK$APP* /FULL

and

$ SHOW LOGICAL AP$DKB100* /FULL

And please post the results

/Hakan

Re: System permanent logical names

Hakan Zanderau ( Anders — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:13:03 GMT

Are you in a VMS Cluster ??

The last thing to do is to add the definition to SYLOGICALS.COM

/Hakan

Re: System permanent logical names

Wim Van den Wyngaert — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:26:28 GMT

Login as system. That should work better (your login directory is not valid or your login contains bad stuff).

The file is sys$manager:sylogicals.com. But as said, this is the last step.

If you did what you said, it should work.
As it's not working, something is wrong.

1) on a different node ? Note that 1 name can point to many nodes (e.g. cluster alias, lat services)
2) some tricky stuff with logicals (post in attachement show log/tab=*/fu)

Wim

Re: System permanent logical names

The Brit — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:50:36 GMT

Maybe I'm missing something here! Wouldn't the easiest solution be to modify the mount command for the disk, i.e.

Mount/sys

for example;

$ mount/sys AP$DKB100: APPS

Now you should be able to use "APPS" in any command where you would normally put the device name.

----------------

With reference to the SYLOGICALS discussion, if you choose to go that way and you want your solution to work for all users on all nodes, then make sure that the modified SYLOGICALS.COM is in "SYS$COMMON:[SYSMGR]", and that there are no versions in "SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR]" on any of the nodes.

Dave

Re: System permanent logical names

Swain — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:36:12 GMT

Thanks Dave,
disk$* logicals are working after changing sylogical.com
but
$ define/system/exec AMS$CODE ALPHA$DKB400:[AMS$CODE.]
is not creating permanent logical name. it vanishes after reboot. could you pls give any permanent solution?

Re: System permanent logical names

Duncan Morris — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:52:48 GMT

Amaresh,

no logicals are "permanent".

If you want a logical name to survive a reboot, then you must recreate it during the reboot.

For system logical names, the obvious place to put your DEFINE commands is SYLOGICALS.COM, as this gets executed every time the system reboots.

Re: System permanent logical names

Joseph Huber_1 — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:30:46 GMT

While it is true to define system-logicals somewhere in the startup sequence to be "permanent",
I would NOT follow the recommendations to put them preferable into sylogicals.com,
especially those which depend on mounting of disks.
Look into sys$startup:VMS$DEVICE_STARTUP.COM to see what happens (conditionally on FULL or MIN) before and after sylogicals.com.

The right place for disk/volume/mount dependable logicals is somewhere early in systartup_vms, best near the corresponding mount command, which in turn is best in a central command-file called from systartup.
And as said repeatedly, defining (concealed-) device names for mounted volumes should be done through the mount command itself.

Re: System permanent logical names

Duncan Morris — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:34:14 GMT

Joseph - quite correct about device dependent logical names. My comment was only meant as a general guide to system logicals as a whole.

Re: System permanent logical names

Jan van den Ende — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:35:59 GMT

Duncan wrote

>>>
If you want a logical name to survive a reboot, then you must recreate it during the reboot.
<<<

For completeness, IF you are in a CLUSTER environment, _AND_ as long as at least one (not necessarily always the same) cluster member is kept running, THEN defining the logical names in LNM$SYS_CLUSTER table WILL make them survive (actually, automatically re-defined) upon node reboot.

(Note, that even then, they will NOT survive a full CLUSTER reboot).

hth

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

Re: System permanent logical names

Robert Gezelter — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:21:11 GMT

Jan,

Excellent point re: using the cluster logical name table.

A corresponding cautionary note: While OpenVMS clusters and their facilities do have extremely long uptimes, I caution to have at least a command procedure that reconstitutes (if necessary) the cluster-wide name table (e.g., check whether the name is defined, if not, define it).

It would be rather embarrassing to define a cluster-wide name and then lose it after a decade or two of uninterrupted cluster uptime.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

Re: System permanent logical names

Swain — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 11:04:56 GMT

Thank you all for the timely response.