Operating System - OpenVMS
1748336 Members
3999 Online
108762 Solutions
New Discussion

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

 
Tschroeder
Advisor

Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

I have an Alpha Server running OPenVMS 7.3-2.    When it boots, I get the regular operator console, but then at the end of the boot it asks for the system account and password and it goes into Xwindows and from there I can launch a terminal emulator and issue vms commands.   Is there a way to have the machine boot but NOT go into Xwindows?

11 REPLIES 11
Steven Schweda
Honored Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

 
Bob Blunt
Respected Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

Yes, there are ways.  You need to know what your system/user base needs first, though.  Do you want the system to be a "server only" without any support for X-Windows at all?

 

You could either 1) take out the graphics card, disconnect the mouse and keyboard or 2) you could set the system parameter WINDOW_SYSTEM to 0.  It all depends on what you need that system to do.  OpenVMS itself will, most likely, work just fine either way.

 

bob

Tschroeder
Advisor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

I set Window_system to 0 and rebooted.   Xwindows still comes up.   I checked the window_system parameter after boot and it is still set to '0'.   Any other ideas?

Steven Schweda
Honored Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

 
Steven Schweda
Honored Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

 
Hoff
Honored Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

See Disabling DECwindows Startup for a newer description.

 

>(Boy, that "reading" thing is a miracle. In this context, "not particularly reliable" seems to be a synonym for "doomed".)

 

That text was intended as a generic comment to folks that were then-attempting to use the then-older approach on the then-newer releases.  At the time, setting WINDOW_SYSTEM did work on older releases (and was the
"preferred" approach, but it wasn't be reliable on the then-newer releases.   That particular text was written shortly after that, well, silly "yes I really mean to disable DECwindows" switch-over was implemented.

 

Off-hand, I don't recall which version of OpenVMS and DECwindows implemented the WINDOW_SYSTEM reset.

Willem Grooters
Honored Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

DE you want Xwindows to be started jus on your console but be able to use it in a later state: You can change systartup_vms.com to bypass Xwindows to start. There are lines that state:

 

$! The following command should be used only if you do not wish the DECwindows
$! startup file to be run.  The DECwindows startup file should be run on all
$! types of machines, even if they are not using a DECwindows display.  If
$! you wish to run the DECwindows startup file at a later time during system
$! startup remove the comment delimiter ($!) from the line below.
$!
$! Until a solution if found for the problems using DecWindows, ignore it.
$!
$! DEFINE DECW$IGNORE_DECWINDOWS TRUE
$!

 Just uncomment the last line
It will disable DecWindows to start at teh console but allows you to use it at a later moment (eg from a xwindows emulator)

Willem Grooters
OpenVMS Developer & System Manager
Steven Schweda
Honored Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

 
Rick Retterer
Respected Contributor

Re: Bypass Xwindows after VMS boots?

The method of using window_system, was changed back in 6.2 of OpenVMS.  This was a sysgen resource setting that allowed a system manager to toggle between, EWS, Decwindows, and No Windows.

 

window_system = 0 - Disabled Windows

window_system = 1 - Decwindows XUI/Motif

window_system = 2 - EWS  - Elan Windowing System.

 

The use of window_system sysgen parameters are no longer used by OpenVMS for enabling or disable the window system.  The setting should be set to 1 on all systems.

 

To disable Decwindows from starting, you can use the logicals

 

$ DEFINE DECW$IGNORE_DECWINDOWS TRUE

$! Disables the Startup of Decwindows completely, including the loading of any Decw$* images into memory.

 

$ DEFINE DECW$IGNORE_WORKSTATION TRUE

$! Disables the startup of the Decw$server_0 process (which is the X display Server) but enables and

$! defines the logicals needed to run Decwindows and X based applications remotely to remote X Servers

$! running on PC's using eXcursion, ReflectionX, or Hummingbird eXceed, or any Open Source X Server, Unix

$! system, Linux Systems, or other OpenVMS systems that has the Decw$server_0 process running.

 

You can find details about these logicals and other Decwindows Logicals in the OpenVMS Decwindows System Management Guide. 

 

http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/83final/decwindows/dwindows_mgmt.pdf

 

Page 2-6  Section: 2.3.1 Definining DECwindows System Logicals

 

Cheers,

Rick Retterer

 

- Rick Retterer