OpenVMS 8.2-1 on HP Itanium RX2620 keep asking to enter date & time

[Chan Chee Hang]

We have 7 Itanium RX2620 server with OpenVMS 8.2-1 encounter the same problem on 1st Jan 2010.
Everytime the system shutdown or reboot, it will ask to enter the date & time. But the time for system & management processor is correct. We did change the system board & management processor card battery & it doesn't solve the problem. So, how to solve it. Thank you.

[Hein van den Heuvel · Accepted solution]

What asks for the time? OpenVMS I assume?

I believe the system asks when the difference for the last saved time with the current time is 'suspect'

Try a $SET TIME command to save a new time value?

Why keep running on 8.2-1?
That's like a beta release almost.
Please consider 8.3-1h1.
So much nicer and transparent to all applications.

hth,
Hein.

[Volker Halle]

Hi,

this could be a problem in OpenVMS I64 or the RX2620 hardware/firmware. OpenVMS will read the time from some Itanium register during boot. If that value is 'suspect', SYSINIT will ask for the correct time to be entered manually. This question will also always be asked during boot, if the system parameter SETTIME is set to 1 - please check this first.

Note that OpenVMS does NOT ask for the time during SHUTDOWN, only during boot, so make sure, it's really OpenVMS asking for the time.

Volker.

[MichelleP_1]

I have the same symptom on my system from the porting workshop, also 8.2-1 - otherwise known as XAV1-D2Y on SHOW SYS. :-) I will be installing a newer version of VMS soon and I'm the only user so it's just a (temporary) nuisance for me.

It is OpenVMS that's prompting for the time during boot (just before waiting to form or join a cluster).

SYSGEN SETTIME is 0

I have done a $ SET TIME at least once, but the next boot still prompted for the time.

Thanks,
Michelle

[Chan Chee Hang]

OpenVMS version upgrade is not possible at the moment. The server has been running few years without any problem until 31 Dec 2009.

[Somkiat_1]

You can Fix Problem Date & Time by update 2 patch as follows

VMS821I_PCSI-V0300
VMS821I_UPDATE-V1500

Cheers
Mong

[Volker Halle]

Mong,

is your advice based on actual experience observing the problem and solving it by installing those 2 patches ? Or is it just the 'install recent patches' kind of advice ?

Does any of the patches included in the VMS82I_UPDATE-V1500 patch list this problem as solved ?

Volker.

[Chris Warnes]

The problem is fixed after installing
HP I64VMS VMS821I_UPDATE V8.0 or higher

This has been tested on a system as follows:

$ prod show hist *vms821*
----------------------------------- ----------- ----------- --------------------
PRODUCT KIT TYPE OPERATION DATE AND TIME
----------------------------------- ----------- ----------- --------------------
HP I64VMS VMS821I_UPDATE V8.0 Patch Install 07-JAN-2010 19:06:56
HP I64VMS VMS821I_UPDATE V7.0 Patch Install 07-JAN-2010 17:46:19
HP I64VMS VMS821I_UPDATE V6.0 Patch Install 07-JAN-2010 17:22:39
HP I64VMS VMS821I_LMF V3.0 Patch Install 25-JAN-2007 00:28:08
HP I64VMS VMS821I_UPDATE V5.0 Patch Install 25-JAN-2007 00:19:36
HP I64VMS VMS821I_UPDATE V3.0 Patch Install 19-JUN-2006 13:03:02
HP I64VMS VMS821I_PCSI V1.0 Patch Install 19-JUN-2006 13:01:06
HP I64VMS VMS821I_ACRTL V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
HP I64VMS VMS821I_DDTM V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
HP I64VMS VMS821I_FIBRE_SCSI V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
HP I64VMS VMS821I_IMATHRTL V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
HP I64VMS VMS821I_IPC V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
HP I64VMS VMS821I_IPMI V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
HP I64VMS VMS821I_KITTING V1.0 Patch Install 11-JAN-2006 17:02:42
----------------------------------- ----------- ----------- --------------------

Before upadte 8 was installed the boot was

HP OpenVMS Industry Standard 64 Operating System, Version V8.2-1
© Copyright 1976-2005 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

%DECnet-I-LOADED, network base image loaded, version = 05.14.00

%PKB0, Copyright (c) 2001 LSI Logic, PKM V1.1.01
%PKB0, SCSI Chip is LSI53C1030, Operating mode is LVD Ultra320 SCSI
%PKB0, LSI53C1030 firmware version is 1.3.35.0
Please enter date and time (DD-MMM-YYYY HH:MM) 7-JAN-2010 18:57:26
%STDRV-I-STARTUP, OpenVMS startup begun at 7-JAN-2010 18:57:29.41

After installing update 8

HP OpenVMS Industry Standard 64 Operating System, Version V8.2-1
© Copyright 1976-2005 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

%DECnet-I-LOADED, network base image loaded, version = 05.14.00

%PKB0, Copyright (c) 2001 LSI Logic, PKM V1.1.01
%PKB0, SCSI Chip is LSI53C1030, Operating mode is LVD Ultra320 SCSI
%PKB0, LSI53C1030 firmware version is 1.3.35.0
%STDRV-I-STARTUP, OpenVMS startup begun at 7-JAN-2010 19:11:25.42
%RUN-S-PROC_ID, identification of created process is 00000404
%%%%%%%%%%% OPCOM 7-JAN-2010 19:11:31.37 %%%%%%%%%%%
Operator _I64UTR$OPA0: has been enabled, username SYSTEM

No longer any enter date and time prompt

HP always recommends to install the latest patches and as already mentioned for 8.2-1 this general update kit is at version 15.

[Volker Halle]

Chris,

thanks for the confirmation.

The 'solution' seems to be hidden in VMS82I_MOUNT96-V0100, which brings a new SYSINIT.EXE, which contains the code to set the system time.

This problem and solution is NOT DOCUMENTED, which is a bit disappointing !

Volker.

[Peter Capriccio]

Is anyone else seeing this problem on OpenVMS IA64 V8.2 (in my case, on rx2600 hardware) since the clock has rolled to 2010? I had the same problem back in July of 2009 when a power outage made me aware of some patches that repaired the same scenario for 2009 (see http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.vms/browse_thread/thread/992e48ecac9330ca ). The patches mentioned in that thread fixed the problem for me, but after a power outage today, the problem is "back". The MP battery is good, the date/time is okay from the MP and the EFI shell, the "SETTIME" and "TIMEPROMPTWAIT" SYSGEN parameters have not changed, but every boot I get prompted to "Please enter date and time". The latest "VMS82I_UPDATE" available from the ITRC is V6.0, which I already installed back in July (which contains "VMS82I_TZ V2.0" and "VMS82I_TDF V3.0") along with "VMS82I_PCSI V1.0" (a prerequisite for "VMS82I_UPDATE").