OpenVMS 8.2 Alpha install CD can't see fiber channel LUNs

[shashi kanth]

Hi All , I have a small issue with OpenVMS 8.2 Alpha . From the SRM prompt, show dev command shows all my fiber channel LUNs . If it boot the box with OpenVMS 8.2 media , when it asks for the device that you would like to install OpenVMS , and if say "?", then it won't shows any fiber channel LUNs. Some one please tell me , what could be the problem ?

[Hoff]

"Booting on a Fibre Channel Storage Device on OpenVMS Alpha Systems" in the V8.3 install and upgrade manual has details on using wwidmgr to set up FC SAN disk devices for booting and dumping. If you haven't already, follow the sequence for blessing the boot devices in the appendix of the manual.

If you have, post up the wwidmgr configuration display for the disk(s) you're after. Also post up the Alpha platform and the FC SAN storage controller involved here.

V8.3 manual:
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/83final/BA322_90045/BA322_90045.PDF

FC SAN info:
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/fibre/index.html

Also check the SRM firmware for whatever AlphaStation or AlphaServer is involved, and upgrade to current. And look at loading OpenVMS V8.3 and ECOs, unless you specifically need V8.2.

[Heinz W Genhart]

Hi shashi

I guess booting the V8.3 CD will solve the problem. On older CD's there are some Patches and drivers missing which you need to see the Fibre Devices

Regards

Geni

[Colin Butcher]

Hello,

One thing to check at console level. Make sure you have the SCSI_POLL environment variable set to ON. See here: http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1092875

Also make sure that you have the latest Alpha firmware (V7.3 firmware CD), and do try a OpenVMS V8.3 CD as already suggested.

Cheers, Colin (http://www.xdelta.co.uk).

[Vladimir Fabecic]

You may be missing some aditional patches.
But please give more details: storage type, SRM firmware version, output of ">>> wwidmgr -show wwid".
You can fix the problem by doing the following:
1. Install VMS 8.2 on LOCAL SCSI disk
2. Install required patches
3. Check if you see FC disks
4. Then backup/image that local disk to FC disk, but that may be a problem (but just may be)
It would be perfect if you have two local disks so you can first clone disk to another local disk, boot from it and clone it to FC disk.
Other way may be doing "backup/image/ignore=interlock" method, i.e. boot from local disk, then do online backup to FC disk. Stop queue manager before that.
This methods work for sure. I did not have problems with SAN disks, but did it for fun (curiosity).

[Jon Pinkley]

shashi kanth,

Vladimir Fabecic's suggestion to install to a local disk is most likely to work. Some FC adapters are not supported on Base VMS 7.3-2 and possibly not base VMS 8.2. Therefore, it may be impossible to install directly to SAN disks depending on the FC adapters you have on your Alpha.

For example:

DS-A5132-AA
(370426-B21) PCI-X 64BIT 133MHZ 2Gb-ALPHA LP10000, FCA2684

http://h18002.www1.hp.com/alphaserver/options/ases40/ases40_ds-a5132-aa.html

Has this in the restrictions:

---------------------------------------
For VMS:
OpenVMS V7.3 not supported.
The OVMS base OS CD cannot build to an LP10000 based disk, at this time. See Release Notes for proper boot and recognition process for LP10000 and OpenVMS.
v7.3-2:
TIMA Kit: VMS732_FIBRE_SCSI-V0400 required. See most up-to-date patch information.
All earlier versions of OpenVMS are not supported.
---------------------------------------

Does anyone know how to create a "patched" installation CD? It would be nice to have the latest FC patches, and to install utilities like HSZTERM to support legacy StorageWorks controllers all on a Bootable "recovery" CD, Ideally it could also be used for a base VMS installation.

Jon

[Hoff]

>>> Does anyone know how to create a "patched" installation CD? It would be nice to have the latest FC patches, and to install utilities like HSZTERM to support legacy StorageWorks controllers all on a Bootable "recovery" CD, Ideally it could also be used for a base VMS installation.<<<

It's trivial.

Here's one way:

replicate the existing distro onto a scratch disk. BACKUP /IMAGE works here.

Apply the ecos to the disk.

Dismount the disk, and burn a new CD.

If you want an approach involving somewhat more work, create an LD, replicate the "master" distro over onto it (BACKUP/IMAGE, block copy, etc), and then pull apart the installation kits in question and manually load the files from the kits into the target environment. Burn the disk.

Details on generating bootable OpenVMS disks and on recording optical media on OpenVMS are here: http://64.223.189.234/node/28

Was HP to authorize such, it would be quite easy to provide an ISO image you could burn yourself.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs LLC

[Willem Grooters]

> Dismount the disk, and burn a new CD.

If you need the CD, you'll have to.
But if you can mount the disk, and SRM console can access it, boot from it and you're done.

Besides it's faster, you can add all patches to the disk and add all products you have, so you have all you need together (and without a backup loose it all if the disk fails. So take precautions...)

[shashi kanth]

The problem solved . When i created LUN previously, i have not mentioned the OS Unit ID on the EVA . If i give some number, and if do all wwidmgr steps once again, it's booting. Thank you all.

[Jan van den Ende]

shashi,

on how to say "thank you" in these forums, please review

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe