Alphastation 255 Open VMS troubles

[Willem Grooters]

@Jan:

Stupid me. You're right ;-)

(0 points)

Willem

[James Dolomount]

Antonio

Got pulled away on another issue around the plant.

Not sure what your asking me to do here but i'll give it a try.

I've had the tape drive connected into ribbon cable of the computer not through the rear SCSI port....so there were no terminators installed anyway.

Do i need a terminator on the rear SCSI port if there is no cable/device connected?

Thanks,
Jamie

[Robert_Boyd · Accepted solution]

James,

Usually there should be terminators on both ends of the chain of SCSI devices. Sometimes you can get away without them on one end or the other, but you can easily have significant problems instead.

One way to check out the firmware loaded in the SCSI drives is to boot from the CD and get to the DCL prompt and do the following:

$ RZT == "$SYS$ETC:RZTOOLS_ALPHA"
$ RZT DKA0:/INQ

You can attempt to reformat the drive by doing the following:

$ RZT DKA0:/FO

If the drive is in fact using straight RZ28 firmware (and not RZ28D or RZ28M) you can load the most recent firmware by doing

$ RZT DKA0:/LOAD=SYS$ETC:RZ28_442D_DEC2104.FUP

If you're going to format the drive, you would probably want to update the firmware first.

Robert

[Antoniov.]

James,
try to explain.
You have 4 SCSI devices (from your post of Aug 2, 2005 11:11:14 GMT): internal DKA0:, DKA100: and DKA400 and external MKA500:
Inside your machine, you have a SCSI flat cable, starting from any disk and ending to external connector where you plug tape unit.
You must have 1 terminator on tape unit (that has two sockets).
You must have another terminator connected on starting of internal SCSI flat cable. To avoid this terminator you can enable terminator 1.st disk connected to SCSI flat cable (the most far away the connector where you plug the tape).
All other device can't have terminator enable.

Antonio Vigliotti

[James Dolomount]

Robert,

I quered for the firmware version of DKA0 as you suggested, but don't see any reference to RZ28 at all. The last few lines show.....

Vendor ID : Seagate
Product ID : ST32550N
Product Revision: 0021
Module Number : 0000
Module Name :
Volume Number :
Fireware Version: 11210021
Firmware Date : 3035

I also tried to update the firmware with the command you gave, but as I suspected, I did not work as the drive types did not match. Message I received.....

Not the same drive type!!!
Drive
FUP Image

Can this firmware be upgraded and what command do I need?

Thanks,
Jamie

[Lawrence Czlapinski]

James: Device type ST32550N isn't a supported disk on VMS.
http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/options/as400/as400_15_3_options.html#OptListHead
Lawrence

[Lawrence Czlapinski]

James: http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/workstations/retired/a255series.html
The VMS hard drive options for the AlphaStation 255 were:
PBXRZ-EB 1.05 GB (RZ26N)
PBXRZ-ED 1.08 GB(RZ26N)
PBXRZ-JB 2.1 GB
PBXRZ-NA 4.3 GB (RZ29B-E)
Lawrence

[James Dolomount]

Lawrence,

I see what you are saying... however, I have several other AlphaStation 255 units here, two of which are currently running with the Seagate Barracuda ST32550N drive installed.

Maybe this one particular drive I have here, has the incorrect firmware???

[Robert Gezelter]

James,

Ok, let's backup one very small step. You mentioned that ST32550N drives are installed on other Alphastations 255 in your facility. That is very important. You can now do what physicians refer to as "differential diagnosis".

Several possibilities exist:
- the drive needs a firmware update
- the console firmware/PALcode in the Alphastation needs an update
- the OS version is a problem
- the cabling has a problem (possible broken conductor/cracked conductor; not always clear to the naked eye)
- the drive may have an electronics or mechanical problem

The starting point here is to look at a functioning examplar of the failing system, and see what differs. Once you have checked the differences, you will know:
- if you have a hardware problem (swap drives and cables)
- a firmware revision problem (call Seagate for an update)
- update the Alphastation
- or, if the drive is gone bad, repair/replace the drive

I hope that the above is helpful.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

P.S. Before everybody else reminds you, I see that a number of people have spent the time to respond and assist you with your problem. It is appreciated if you can take a few moments to rate the answers.

[Jan van den Ende]

Bob forgot to mention ONE other aspect (which may, or may not berelevant)

You try to BOOT from that disk.
Are thaose disks on the other systems also SYSTEMDISKS, or "just" data disks?
The requirements for boot devices are somewhat more demanding than those for non-SD use.

-- just for completeness

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[James Dolomount]

Jan,

The other system is using the ST32550N disk as the Application Disk, as we call it. It's the DKA100 drive.

I've compared much of both systems as R.G. suggested and other than the SCSI address' of the two drives the only difference i can see is that one system is Console_Version = V7.0-9 and the other is V6.8-2. Both systems are same Palcode_Version = 5.56.

Both disks have same firmware version, etc.

I also tried to format the DKA0 drive using... $RZT DKA0:/FO

kind of goes like this...

$RZT DKA0:/FO
Drive is not in ready state
Use TUR command to check drive state
%SCSI-F-NOTFORMATTING, Drive did NOT accept the formatting command

$RZT DKA0:/TUR
%SCSI-NEEDSTART, Drive requires initialization (START) cmd.

$RZT DKA0:/START
((I hear the HD click twice and get a $$$ prompt))
$RZT DKA0:/TUR
%SCSI-F-HARDWARE, Hardware failure.

I'm starting to think that that last statement just about sums it all up.... Hardware failure.

You agree???

Thanks everyone,
Jamie

[Robert Gezelter]

James,

Please, Check the cable. I have seen many, many apparently "dead" drives where the problem was a cracked ribbon cable. Visually, it appears OK, but it is not ok. Cables are often the least expensive of hardware items.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

[James Dolomount]

Will do.... get back to ya soon.

[James Dolomount]

Just finished the cable swap from another system.... no change.

Can't mount, can't format!!

What do you think....DOA ??

Jamie

[Antoniov.]

James,
may be console version.
Also my machine after upgrading of SRM has V7.0 and works while before could not work.

Antonio Vigliotti

[James Dolomount]

I think i have the procedure here somewhere on upgrading the console..... might have to dig a bit. Worth a try i guess.

Stay tuned.

[James Dolomount]

Can't find it !

Can someone please provide instructions for, or point me to, the proper procedure to upgrade my Aphastation 255 from current console version of V6.8-2 to new version V7.0-9?

Many thanks,
Jamie

[Peter Quodling]

ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/astn255.html

would be a good starting point.

[James Dolomount]

Peter,

that link didn't work for me.

Jamie

[William Webb_2]

Here's the main AS255 page from Alpha - Retired Systems section of HP website.

http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/workstations/retired/a255series.html

There are numerous links from it to resources you might find to be of use.

[William Webb_2]

Whoops, just saw that URL in a previous post.
Sorry for the duplication.

And this firmware link *does* work-
and the AS255 Firmware V7.0 is listed in the dropdown list entitled "Firmware Not on CD".

ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/index.html

WWWebb

[James Dolomount]

These FTP sites do not work for me... i'm behind a very tight firewall and apparently don't have rights to access this site.

[Volker Halle]

James,

if you cannot access the WEB site, you would need to find an Alpha Firmware Update CD version V6.0 (or lower). The ALPHA255 firmware files have been removed from the firmware CDs as of V6.1

Volker.

[Martin Vorlaender]

>>>
These FTP sites do not work for me... i'm behind a very tight firewall and apparently don't have rights to access this site.
<<<

The FTP URL that leads to the download page works using HTTP as well:

http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/astn255.html

cu,
Martin

[Antoniov.]

Alphastation 255 is not present at ftp site of HP.
I remember of some HP user gruop in Australia with old version of firmware, but at now I can't remember the exact name. I have to search.

Antonio Vigliotti