vmunix:

[Dan Boxall]

I have received the following message in the kern.log

vmunix: prom_getenv:Invalid ev type:0
vmunix: prom_getenv:Invalid ev type:0

Has anyone seen this before? Can you shed any light?

TIA

[Johan Brusche]

It tells you that a console variable is set to an invalid value.
Check /usr/include/machine/prom.h for the names of the console variables that the prom_getenv() function migth be trying to obtain.

The simple execution of command "consvar -l", could trigger this event to appear in /var/adm/messages.

If you get this message by executing
"consvar -g language", you know immediately that the console variable "language" is set to an invalid value.

rgds,
__Johan__

[Ralf Puchner]

in codestream v5.x it is a bug which may be fixed. The message does not have any sideeffects it is only an informational message generated by the os.

But without giving any technical informations i can only guess it is v5.x

[Dan Boxall]

Thanks Johan, sorry Ralf.
The system at question is a GS60 6/525 DEC21000 with 4xEV6 cpus and 8Gb ram running v4.0f.
It would appear that issuing consvar -g sys_serial_num is triggering this message. Why would this value be set incorrectly?

[Kris Smith]

Hello,
I get the same error whenever I issue this same command. I have recently had service performed on my machine that involved a new main board, and my cpu serial number does not match my system serial number. In addition, my firmware was installed for T64 V5.1B, but I am running V4.0F. Have you recently had service performed or did your machine originally come with a higher version ?
This may have been an issue all along with my DS10 AlphaServer, but I noticed it after looking at the serial number when the main board was changed.
I suspect that this is an issue with the firmware, as I do not get the error when I issue the #consvar -nc -g sys_serial_num. This command does not convert between the hex values and strings. If you issue the command #consvar -v -g sys_serial_number, you will see all of the detail in the conversion, and you will get the error. I can recreate the error using several of the consvar commands, and I suspect it is due to the SRM firmware (6.4-9) being much more advanced than the OS.

[Ralf Puchner]

depending on the use machine type there is a command on console which reinit the board and corrects the serial number. But this is a question to a hardware engineer and not a for a software specialist.