MOUNT-F-INVALIDSCB

[Willem Grooters]

In preparation of installing patches, I did an image backup of my system disk (while logged in). After I lost connection, the process continued executing the backup, and it disappeared when done (I checked before reboot).

Now I want to retrieve some files from that backup disk but I'm not able to MOUNT it:

$ mount/over=id $116$dka103
%MOUNT-F-INVALIDSCB, I/O error with storage control block on relative volume 1,
location 6

The disk can be mounted /FOREIGN; the HSZ-50 controller doesn't tell of any error.

What does the error mean and how can I get to this disk's contents?

(Reboot is not a real problem at the moment)

[Willem Grooters]

VMS 8.3, patched up-to-date (except last one). HSZ50 firmware V57Z (00)

[Hoff · Accepted solution]

The BACKUP didn't complete, and that's the expected error for that case.

"A MOUNT command on a disk that was the target of a failed BACKUP restore operation does not fail, as it should. With the change included in this kit, MOUNT will now fail with a %MOUNT-F-INVALIDSCB error."

An older OpenVMS release might be willing to mount this disk, but I don't know of a way to get at this disk (other than with brute-force techniques) with a more recent release.

A trip through the source listings should turn up a way to patch the disk to get past the validation check to recover the disk, if this is important enough. The DISKBLOCK tool might be useful here, and Jur's most excellent LD can potentially be used to trace I/O activity:

http://64.223.189.234/node/1127

[Willem Grooters]

Good to know for next time.
I looked through the docs and didn't find this note - somewhere in realease-notes, perhaps?