Command set time booting alpha station

[Saint-Clair]

Hi everybody

We have two alpha station ds20e running OpenVMS 7.3.1 and VXL 5.0(from CSI). If the VXL is with the aplication loaded the command set time boots the alpha station. Note that with vxl just operating (with no aplication loaded) set time operates properly. We do not have DTSS nor NTP.

Can anybody help us?

[Volker Halle]

Saint-Clair,

welcome to the OpenVMS ITRC forum.

Are you trying to say that the DCL command $ SET TIME crashes your DS20E and causes it to reboot ? What messages are displayed on the console when this happens ? What is the console varaible AUTO_ACTION set to ? Do you have a system dump file ? What does $ TYPE CLUE$HISTORY give (crash history) ?

Volker.

[Hoff]

Somebody is going to have to look at the CLUE CRASH and the system dump to see what happened here.

You'll probably want to contact Control Systems International (CSI) and potentially HP customer support as a start, and do look to patch your VXL software to current, and to patch OpenVMS Alpha V7.3-1 or move to V7.3-2, as well.

[Saint-Clair]

Dear Volker

Yes, exactly. No messages are displayed. It´s like we press the reset button. I do not know if the AUTO_ACTION is set. How can i verify it. Is it on console mode? The CLUE$HISTORY do not give information about recent crashs.

[Hoff]

From OpenVMS:

$ write sys$output f$getenv("AUTO_ACTION")
HALT
$

You want RESTART.

To view all current settings and to then change this setting (at the SRM console) use

>>> SHOW *
>>> SET AUTO_ACTION RESTART

There is AFAIK no (supported) way to change this console environment variable setting while OpenVMS is running.

[Saint-Clair]

OK Hoff

But i need DTSS working on these stations. Everytime the DTSS adjusts the time the stations will reset. The DCL set time command is reseting (since BIOS load program)and booting the stations.

[Hoff]

>But i need DTSS working on these stations.

You had indicated "We do not have DTSS nor NTP."

>Everytime the DTSS adjusts the time the stations will reset. The DCL set time command is reseting (since BIOS load program)and booting the stations.

Your original post indicates "We do not have DTSS nor NTP." So is it DTSS that is crashing the box? Or is it the DCL command SET TIME that is triggering the crash?

The SET TIME command and the use of DTSS or of NTP are mutually incompatible. If you have DTSS or NTP running, then any attempt to use the DCL command SET TIME should be rejected, and your time should continue to synchronize with your time base.

That SET TIME (or DTSS?) is crashing the system is certainly interesting, but there's little further that can be discussed here in the absence of the CLUE CRASH data or a look at the dump file or such.

If the box halts again (prior to getting the setting of the SRM console AUTO_ACTION over to RESTART), then enter the command CONTINUE at the >>> prompt, and see if you get a crashdump written.

The >>> is the SRM console prompt, which is the AlphaServer DS20e analog to what PC boxes call a BIOS. SRM is far beyond what a typical BIOS provides, too.

You're likely going to end up discussing this with CSI and/or HP and/or whomever is providing your system software support, regardless.

[Volker Halle]

Saint-Clair,

an OpenVMS Alpha systems does NOT reboot WITHOUT indicating - on the console terminal - what happened ! You need to record the console output (via the serial port), if you can't spot that message on the graphics screen.

Use >>> SET AUTO_ACTION RESTART to capture a dump, if the system halts or crashes.

Use >>> SET AUTO_ACTION HALT to have the system halt, so that you can look at the last message on the screen. This only helps, if the OpenVMS system unexpectedly executes a HALT instruction in kernel mode. It may also help, if certain hardware errors cause the machine to halt (e.g. MCHECKPAL).

If AUTO_ACTION is set to BOOT, the console will reboot OpenVMS after an unexpected HALT and you'll loose all information for troubleshooting.

Volker.

[Saint-Clair]

OK Volker.
I will modify AUTO ACTION on console mode, then i will use the set time command to see if something will be recorded or appear on the screen.

[Hoff]

And if you should capture a system dump, you will still need to contact CSI or HP support to get the issue looked at and potentially resolved. And when you call, HP is almost certain to tell you to upgrade to a supported version of OpenVMS, and apply patches; V7.3-2 with ECOs.