EVA using VMS & Windows

[Aaron Lewis_1]

On a nightly basis I need to FTP several gigabytes to a windows server. The problem is that sometimes the FTP's don't work properly. My network guys have looked at it without any success. If I added some drives to my EVA3000 and presented them to the windows server is there a easy {cheap} way to move the VMS data to the windows disks? Or would I still need to 'FTP' the data even though all drives reside in the same cabinet?

[Volker Halle]

Aaron,

you could use SAMBA (or Advanced Server/Pathworks) to provide access for your Windows system to the data on the OpenVMS disks via a file share. You wouldn't even have to move the data to the Windows system in this case.

Volker.

[Aaron Lewis_1]

Volker, I move the data from a dismounted shadow set. The VMS & windows apps both need exclusive access to the data.

[Volker Halle]

Aaron,

it may be possible to delete the presentation of a disk to the VMS system on the EVA and then present the same disk to the Windows system. But how would you handle the on-disk structure/file system/file access semantics from Windows (or from VMS) ?

There are tools available for OpenVMS to read/write FAT12/16/32 volumes (e.g. WINFX on the Freeware CDs).

Volker.

[Aaron Lewis_1]

I need this to be an automated / scripted processes. The data needs to be moved every night, including weekends. I don't want to have to come in to the office to delete / present disks everyday, and I definantly do not want to give this controll to the operations staff.

[Volker Halle]

Aaron,

would you want to delegate the EVA config change task to your Windows system ?

...
Comprehensive scripting: Command View EVA now ships with the HP Storage System Scripting Utility (SSSU), a powerful scripting utility. The SSSU provides a host to array communications bridge for documenting and automating EVA local and remote configuration tasks.


As you cannot access the same EVA disk from 2 different operating systems without prior intervention, why not consider an Advanced Server or SAMBA solution, assuming your network people can get this protocol to work...

Volker.

[Vladimir Fabecic]

What do you mean with "FTP's don't work properly"?

[Aaron Lewis_1]

Any idea where I can get a copy of SSSU?
Running Advanced Server or SAMBA is not really an option on our network. To many insane security policies on the windows side to make them work properly.

As for the FTP's not working properly, every once in a while the connection gets dropped.

STOR \clients\cache.dat
<125 Data connection already open; Transfer starting.
net write: %MULTINET-F-ECONNCLOSED, Connection closed
[Aborting data transfer]
<426 Connection closed; transfer aborted.
ABOR
<225 ABOR command successful.

Process says that windows is dropping the connection, and my windows guys say that this event is not recorded in any of the event logs, so it must be any Alpah issue.

It is really a random problem. We can go a couple of weeks with hitting it. Then we might get it 3 or 4 nights in a row. I have the FTP scripts setup to re-send on failure, usually on the 2nd or 3rd attempt the file goes okay, but occasionally all 10 retrys fail. I can't re-create during the day, and rebooting the windows server right before the FTP's happen seems to have no effect either.

[Antoniov.]

Aaron,
you want create a little partition on EVA3000 with a disk readable by windows and vms. Is it true?
I'm afraid this is impossible. Vms uses its own file system, called ODS2 or ODS5 while windows uses FAT32 ot NTFS file system. Totally different.
However, if you have Advanced Server installed on VMS, there is a little unknow utility, called PCDISK.
In this case, you can create a little FAT32 partition, readable by windows.
In some way this partition must be visible by vms with EVA3000 firmware.
If you have A/S and partition may be visible by vms you can read and write data with follows commands:
$ MCR PCDISK
$ USE B:

Warning: I never tryed with SAN/NAS disk. PCDISK works with local disk like DVA0:

Antonio Vigliotti

[Antoniov.]

Aaron,
another solution may be NFS. You can create a local vms drive and a remote windows drive. Both operating systems supports NFS.

Antonio Vigliotti