DS20E Boot -Halt Parameter

[Ian R Norris]

At present I have a problem with my VGA monitor so have connected a serial VT terminal to COM1 to boot OpenVMS.

When the boot commands are echoed the console display stops at "jumping to bootstrap code", the console hangs, and the OpenVMS startup commands are not displayed although the system boots OK.

Am I correct in thinking that if I had entered the -halt parameter on the boot command the console would have returned after "jumping to bootstrap code" allowing me to enter Continue and that the OpenVMS startup commands would have been displayed.

(I cannot test this at the moment as I have only just found this page in the manual and have already let users back on.)

Many Thanks

[John Abbott_2]

Hi Ian, sounds like you needed to set the "console" output variable from graphics to serial (before booting) to force the output to the serial console rather than the failed gfx device.

e.g.
>>> show console
>>> set console serial

When you get a chance to shutdown the system again, you might want to try this before rebooting, although I suspect you'll have fixed the problem with the monitor :-)

Regards
John.

[Steven Schweda]

> >>> set console serial

Or, if that fails, try another serial port.
The SRM firmware on some Alpha systems will
talk to any active serial port, up to a
point, and then start dealing with only the
right one. (It tries to be helpful, but it
tries only so hard.)

[Dean McGorrill]

on a alpha 255 box i have, i had to pull the
graphics card to make it stay on the serial
port. hope you don't have to do this Dean

[R. Verkerk]

Hello,

It is like John Abbot says. The console is in graphics mode.
An other way to get into serial mode is:
- shutdown to >>>
- Disconnect the Keyboard and mouse.
- Hit the init button.

The system will see there is no graphics keyboard and mouse and switch to serial console. After this it uses only the serial console until you connect the keyboard and mouse again and init again.

The init is VERY important.

gr,

Robert

[Hoff]

I had an AlphaStation 255, and it stayed on the serial console, once established via environment variable. As should the AlphaServer DS20E. (Though if you entered data via another console-capable port, then SRM would sometimes detect this and would try to switch. And as others have stated, this is likely the state you are in here.)

With an AlphaServer DS20E, I'd definitely also look to set up and use the RMC. Esc Esc rmc (^[ ^[ rmc) on COM1 should connect you up to the management processor.

Hanging the COM1 port off a DECserver or other terminal server -- a home-grown version of the remote access that the MP provides on the Integrity Server series -- can be very useful here, too.

http://64.223.189.234/node/445 has some basic RMC command info, and your box should typically have the same RMC widget installed as on the AlphaServer ES40. (Not sure which of the hardware manuals had the RMC commands included; some had it, and some didn't.)

Barring a weird graphics controller or weird controller setting, you should be able to switch to an LCD or to another VGA monitor. I've posted up settings for various common graphics controllers over the years; if you identify the controller, I can probably tell you how to adjust the settings if need be.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs LLC