SYS$DECDTM_INHIBIT TRUE

[Clark Powell]

We have this logical set in SYLOGICALS.COM
$DEFINE/SYS/EXEC SYS$DECDTM_INHIBIT TRUE
But we still get this message in STARTUP.LOG
%STDRV-E-NOSUCHFILE, File SYS$STARTUP:DECDTM$STARTUP.COM does not exist.

How might we surpress this unneeded error message?

thanks
Clark Powell

[Steven Schweda]

> How might we surpress this unneeded error
> message?

Uh, replace your lost/misplaced/discarded
SYS$STARTUP:DECDTM$STARTUP.COM file?

Around here:

ALP $ show logical /system /full SYS$DECDTM*

(LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE) [kernel] [shareable,system]
[Protection=(RWC,RWC,R,R)] [Owner=[SYSTEM]]

"SYS$DECDTM_INHIBIT" [exec] = "INHIBITED"
[...]

ALP $ dire /date /prot /size SYS$STARTUP:DECDTM$STARTUP.COM

Directory SYS$COMMON:[SYS$STARTUP]

DECDTM$STARTUP.COM;1
12 29-JUN-2006 17:47:17.27 (RWED,RWED,RE,RE)
[...]

[John Gillings · Accepted solution]

Clark,

As Steven has pointed out, your DECDTM$STARTUP.COM procedure is missing. There is a reference from the SYSMAN startup data base. You can see it with:

$ MCR SYSMAN
SYSMAN> STARTUP SET DATABASE STARTUP$STARTUP_VMS
SYSMAN> STARTUP SHOW FILE
...
BASEENVIRON DIRECT DECDTM$STARTUP.COM

The (in)action based on the SYS$DECDTM_INHIBIT logical name is implemented in that procedure:

$IF (P1.NES."FULL" .AND. P1.NES."") -
.OR. -
F$TRNLNM("SYS$DECdtm_INHIBIT","LNM$SYSTEM_TABLE",,"EXECUTIVE").NES."" THEN -
$ EXIT

Without the procedure the logical name has no function, and the error from SYSMAN during STARTUP is correct.

Maybe someone has tried a "belt and braces" trick to really stop DECdtm startup, defining the logical name AND deleting or renaming the file? Maybe they thought it didn't work because someone forgot to specify DEFINE/EXECUTIVE? Note that the logical name is NOT case sensitive, even though it looks like it might be in the F$TRNLNM call.

A few options (in order of my preference):

1) As Steven has suggested, restore the procedure and retain the logical name. This should do exactly what you want, and conform to OOTB OpenVMS.

2) Create a dummy DECDTM$STARTUP.COM containing "$ EXIT". Logical name is then irrelevant.

3) Disable the SYSMAN call:

$ MCR SYSMAN
SYSMAN> STARTUP SET DATABASE STARTUP$STARTUP_VMS
SYSMAN> STARTUP DISABLE FILE DECDTM$STARTUP.COM

again, the logical name becomes irrelevant.

4) Remove the SYSMAN call

$ MCR SYSMAN
SYSMAN> STARTUP SET DATABASE STARTUP$STARTUP_VMS
SYSMAN> STARTUP REMOVE FILE DECDTM$STARTUP.COM

I recommend 1, as that's the way it "should" be, but you may want a more permanent solution.

[Jan van den Ende]

To strenghthen/amend John:

>>>

I recommend 1, as that's the way it "should" be, but you may want a more permanent solution.
<<<

Realise, that a new version, (maybe even a patch) may well deliver an updated SYS$STARTUP:DECDTM$STARTUP.COM.

Any of the other "choices" would lead to unexpected and/or unwanted behavior!

Be defensive, stick to option 1.

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[Steve Reece_3]

Although, as John says, the logical name shouldn't be case sensitive, I've seen at least one case (not with a current VMS version) where it displayed all the behaviour that one would expect if it was case sensitive. Very odd to say the least!

So, once you'e got your copy of decdtm$startup in place and if nothing else works, just try adding a mixed case logical name and see if it does the trick. It certainly can't hurt.

Steve

[tsgdavid]

Interesting...

F$TRNLNM seems to be case insensitive.
Use of a logical name in a file specification also appears to be case insensitive.
However, the logical name table will store the exact case of the original DEFINE statement if you include the logical name in double quotes.

BUT, the DEASSIGN command appears to be case sensitive. I wonder why. The system does not let you create two identical logical names with a different case.

$ define "dave" sys$login:
$ sho log dave
"dave" = "SYS$LOGIN:" (LNM$PROCESS_TABLE)
1 "SYS$LOGIN" = "SYS$SYSDEVICE:[USERS.DWILLIAMS]" (LNM$JOB_8885F8C0)
$ dir dave:*.edt

Directory SYS$SYSDEVICE:[USERS.DWILLIAMS]

EDTINI.EDT;1

Total of 1 file.
$ deass dave
%SYSTEM-F-NOLOGNAM, no logical name match
$ deass "dave"
$

Dave

[tsgdavid]

Further clarification...

My personal recommendation would be to ALWAYS use upper case in logical names to avoid confusion. The strange instance of lower case characters in the DECDTM$STARTUP.COM procedure (while it is unusual) should not cause a problem.

Dave

[Joseph Huber_1]

>> F$TRNLNM seems to be case insensitive.

It always was.
(at least since VMS5, don't remember VMS4 ...)

[Joseph Huber_1]

... and have a look into the HELP for LEXICAL F$TRNLNM: it has a CASE argument, where one can specify "CASE_BLIND". The same is true for the system service call.

[Joseph Huber_1]

Correction:
in my reply of Sep 29, 2010 12:46:08 GMT is wanted to say
... it was always case SENSITIVE, not INSENSITIVE!

As a side note:
ASSIGN dka100: xxx:
is equivalent to
DEFINE xxx dka100:
i.e. the colon ":" is stripped off.
And maybe VMSer a bit younger than me can confirm if assign/deassign was really case insensitive until DEFINE was introduced in VMS (version?).
ASSIGN was originally compatible to the RSX command ASSIGN, which only defined equivalence names to devices, not general logical names.