CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE and list of crashdump devices

[Rudolf Wingert]

Hello,
I would like to have two local DoSD devices and as last fall back the system disk. AFAK the dump will be written to the first available device. Is this right? DUMP_DEV the console envonmental variable can be a list of devices. But the description of CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE within the System Manager's Manual page 16-16 and 16-20 is not clear to me. Can I specify a list of devices too? And if yes, which strategy uses CLUE to find the right crashdump?
Best regards R. Wingert

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

to set up DOSD on OpenVMS Alpha (or I64), you need to:

- set bit 2 in the DUMPSTYLE system parameter (typically changing the default value from 9 to 13). Run AUTOGEN or manually set the new value with SYSGEN.

- create the DOSD dump file on dosd_disk:[SYSn.SYSEXE]SYSDUMP.DMP, e.g.

Mount dosd_disk:
Add DUMPFILE_DEVICE="dosd_disk:" to MODPARAMS.DAT
make sure there is no DUMPFILE=0 in MODAPRAMS.DAT
Run @AUTOGEN GETDATA GENFILES NOFEEDBACK
to create the DOSD dump file (and directory)

- set console environment variable DUMP_DEV to point to your DOSD device, then your system disk(s), e.g.

>>> set DUMP_DEV DKA100, DKA0

- MOUNT the DOSD device in SYCONFIG.COM or SYLOGICALS.COM and assign the system logical name CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE to point to that device, so that CLUE will work, e.g.

$ MOUNT/SYS/NOASSI dosd_disk label CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE

Volker.

By Wim

[Rudolf Wingert]

Sorry Volker, your answer do not satisfy me. In your example you don't show that CLUE can handle multiple DoSD devices! The description of the logical (page 16-20) is written in singular expression ("to point to the device where the dump file resides"). So my question is: "can I specify a list of devices (DEF/SYS CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE "device_list" and if yes, how do CLUE find the right crashdump?
TIA and regards Rudolf

[Wim Van den Wyngaert · Accepted solution]

clue$startup.com is handling clue$dosd_device as a single value. So no list of devices.

But clue needs 1 device. You can verify yourself which disk it must use (e.g. based on dump file mod date) and then set the logical correctly.

Wim

[Andreas Vollmer]

Hello Rudolf,
I assume the list of devices is referring to SAN disks.
In most environments you will have at least two different paths to the same SAN disk because of the two Fibre-HBA's.
For example the following SAN disk on a server with two Fibre-HBA's is called (on the console prompt) DGA2210 and a DGB2210.
Both devices should be defined at the environmental variable dump_dev.
>>> set DUMP_DEV dga2210.n.n.n dgb2210.n.n.n
In case of problems with one SAN path the disk will be still accessible via the remaining SAN Ppath via CLUE for the dumps.
... yes, for these disks you can also use the wwidmgr "quicksets" (refer to the firmware manual for proper syntax etc.)
Older SAN and alphaserver firmware were quite tricky. The number of SAN boot devices as well the dump devices are limited by the number of available N & W parameters on the console.
See also this forum entry:
http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=968397&admit=-682735245+1175113261410+28353475

I hope my entry completed the answer from Wim.
Kind Regards
Andres