MOP Trigger Boot for AlphaServer 1200

[Richard Wingate]

I would like to be able to trigger a server to boot from a remote location at my invocation. I can trigger all my AlphaStations without any issues. I do not know how to setup the 1200 server or if it is possible to trigger it. Does anyone know how or if this can be accomplished?

I am triggering with NCP.

[Antoniov.]

Hi Richard,
I'm not sure to get you real intention. If you want to enable your server to give boot images for terminal server you can
$ MC NCP SET CIRC SERVICE ENABLE
$ MC NCP DEF CIRC SERVICE ENABLE
but I'm dubt you want some other.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Volker Halle]

Richard,

do the mop_password, mop_version and mop_debug console environment variables exist on an AlphaServer 1200 ?

If not, I doubt that MOP trigger booting would be possible. I guess, that this feature is mainly available for AlphaStations.

Volker.

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Richard,

We have a 4100 that MOP boots in 6.2. The node serving is an 1000 running 7.2 and the serving is done thru FDDI. Setup done in lancp just as for stations.

Wim

[Volker Halle]

Wim,

just for clarification:

I'm assuming that Richard wants to run NCP TRIGGER NODE ALPHA to request network boot of an Alpha, which is sitting at the boot prompt - as he does not have console access to that node.

Volker.

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Thanks Volker.
It's also possible in lancp (trigger).

But can't try it on my system now.

Wim

[Volker Halle]

Wim,

but the question is, will the AlphaServer 1200 firmware - sitting at the boot prompt -receive and accept a MOP TRIGGER command from remote and then start booting.

Whether you send the TRIGGER command from NCP, NCL or LANCP doesn't matter.

Volker.

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

An AS500 doesn't have the console variables and is not reacting to trigger.

Wim

[Volker Halle]

Richard,

an AlphaServer 1000A Firmware V5.7-80 does NOT have any mop_* console environment variables and without them (especially mop_password), I strongly doubt, that a MOP trigger boot would be possible.

Volker.

[Volker Halle]

Wim,

that's interesting. Which FW version are you running on your AlphaStation 500 ?

The AlphaStation 500 V7.2 firmware release notes explicitly talk about having added the mop_* console environment variables.

Volker.

[Antoniov.]

Volker,
just for talking, alphastation 300 has mopv3_boot to value off.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Volker Halle]

Antonio,

this probably just means, that the system will use MOP V4 protocol (instead of MOP V3) when talking MOP.

Are there any other mop* environment variables ? Which firmware version ?

Volker.

[Antoniov.]

Volker,
no any other variable.
I'm amazed by this unique variable. It appear as MOP is disable and if it is true may be this machine could boot using MOP V3.
I pleased to try if MOP can works.

Antonio Vigliotti

[Jan van den Ende]

Richard,

from your Forum Profile:


I have assigned points to 7 of 22 responses to my questions.


Maybe you can find some time to do some assigning?

Mind, I do NOT say you necessarily need to give lots of points. It is fully up to _YOU_ to decide how many. If you consider an answer is not deserving any points, you can also assign 0 ( = zero ) points, and then that answer will no longer be counted as unassigned.
Consider, that every poster took at least the trouble of posting for you!

To easily find your streams with unassigned points, click your own name somewhere.
This will bring up your profile.
Near the bottom of that page, under the caption â My Question(s)â you will find â questions or topics with unassigned points â Clicking that will give all, and only, your questions that still have unassigned postings.

Thanks on behalf of your Forum colleagues.

PS. â nothing personal in this. I try to post it to everyone with this kind of assignment ratio in this forum. If you have received a posting like this before â please do not take offence â none is intended!

Proost.

Have one on me.

Jan

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Volker,

I also have mopv3_boot with value ON.
No other variables.
My firmware is at 7.0-10 dd 17-mar 1999.

Wim

[Volker Halle]

Wim,

according to the Firmware Release Notes, the other mop_* environment variables have been implemented starting with FW V7.2 ...

FW V7.2-2 is the 'latest and last' FW for this system:

http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/astn500.html

The link to the .pdf seems to be broken, but you can find the release notes using google.

If you get the chance, you could try and upgrade your AS500 to SRM V7.2 from a recent FW CD.

Richard,

sorry, this discussion has moved away from your original question, but the topic seems interesting enough to be continued...

Volker.

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Thx Volker.

The security over here doesn't allow downloads of exe files. Have to do it at home, disguise it as txt and mail it back to the office.

Wim

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Installed the new firmware.

On console level I set
MOP_VERSION 3
MOP_PASSWORD 01-AAAAAAAA-BBBBBBBB
MOP_DEBUG ON

Then I did
mc lancp trigger node xx/dev=ewa0/password=AAAAAAAABBBBBBBB

This while machine was at boot prompt.
Nothing happened.
The node boots via MOP without any problem when triggered from the console.

???

Wim

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Not sure about what version should contain.
http://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/archive/doc/alpha500_V72_fw_relnote.pdf

1 : pre phase 5 decnet
4 : phase 5
But what about lancp ?

Wim

[Volker Halle]

Wim,

DECnet Phase V uses MOP V4.0, earlier DECnet versions use MOP V3. LANCP should be able to use both (see SET NODE /V3 qualifier).

You can probably try MOP_VERSION 1 and 4

Volker.

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

We use MOP version 3. So I set the variable to 3. WRONG.

I tried with value 1 and it works. Btw : the password is optional and must not be specified in lancp when mop_password is set to 00-00000000-0000000.

The difference with trigger for a decserver in TSM is that trigger for an AS500 only works when the AS500 is at the boot prompt (decserver reboots when it is running). Better would have been that it also worked when the station was working (incorrectly).

Wim

Wim

[Volker Halle]

Wim,

thanks for trying this.

Richard,

with the above information I would answer your question as follows:

If there are no MOP_* console environment variables (espeically mop_password) on your AlphaServer 1200 (using the most recent SRM firmware), you won't be able to trigger it.

Volker.

[Wim Van den Wyngaert]

Nice site effect of the new firmware. My 500/400 station is now a 500/412 according hw_name.

Wim

[Richard Wingate]

If there are no MOP_* console environment variables (espeically mop_password) on your AlphaServer 1200 (using the most recent SRM firmware), you won't be able to trigger it.

I have already concluded this. I thought I would leave the thread open awhile as it seemed useful to some others. I would note that it is important to get the mop password format correct. The bytes are shifted and reversed. I can't remember what this is called. You can view the password if the debug variable is on.

Thanks
Rich