Problems to define LAN Failover devices

[Lachnitt_1]

Hi,
I've a Alpha 800 with 2 DE600 & 1 DE602 adapters. (additional a DE500 on board)

Now I try to make under VMS 7.3-2 (with the actual Lan-0200 Patch installed!)
a Failoverset:
$ MC LANCP
LANCP> DEFINE LLA /Fail=(EIA,EIC)/ENABLE
LANCP> EXIT
$ REBOOT

But after the reboot they're not there!!!
Where's the mistake?

Thx, Kuddel

[Uwe Zessin]

Is this system running VMScluster software? The physical device must not be in use when is should become a member of the failover set. The cluster software, on the other hand, automatically grabs all LAN adapters and starts sending out 'hello' messages.

I have not tried it myself, but it looks like you must do the following during startup:
- stop the cluster protocol on EIA0 and EIC0
(you should still have connectivity via EIB0 and EWA0)
- run LANCP and do a 'SET LLA/FAIL...'
- now you can start your networking protocols

[Jeff Wolfe_1]

When you say the're not there, what isn't there? I have also created a lan failover set similar to yours and mine is fine. You should see a number of lla devices after the reboot.

Have you redefined your IP stack to use the new device? Have you changed Decnet to use the new device? Same for LAT if you are using it. We needed 2-3 boots before we got everything to use the LLA devices.

Also, if you are using Decnet Phase IV there are some other things you need to do. You will need to remove all refrences to EIA and EIC as lines and circuits. If you don't Decnet can't bind the LLA device. In our case the only line and circuit defined is LLA. Also make sure Decnet is the first network to load, before LAT and TCPIP.

[Lachnitt_1]

Hi and thx, Uwe & Jeff,

This is a standalone Test-System, so I'm not running Cluster.
And after the reboot there's no LLx device, only the 4 EIx & 1 EWA devices.

And the things you described, like first stopping SCA then SET LLx, I see no need for it, because i made a DEFINE and reboot it!?

The first time I tried it, i made it with SET and defined DEcnet V and TCPIP on the LLA device and unset all EIx definitions!

Do you've further ideas for my problem?

Bye, Kuddel

[Jeff Wolfe_1]

Very strange!

From LANCP, when you do a list device/char, what are the results? I've attached the results from my system for comaprison. You should see the LLA device with all the members and it should say it's enabled.

[Lachnitt_1]

Hi Jeff,

you're right. With "LIST DEV" the LLA is there. I looked always with "SHOW DEV".
(see attachement)

And only when i then use "Set DEV", it appears on DCL.

How do I've to setup this correctly, that the LLA device is available before I start DECnet?

Ciao, Kuddel

[Uwe Zessin]

Can you post a 'show device/full EIA' and EIC, please?

[Lachnitt_1]

Here it is.
Ciao, Kuddel

[Uwe Zessin]

Apparently you have DECnet-Plus running and it has captured the interfaces. I recall that at least some parts start rather early in the boot process (before SYSTARTUP_VMS). It is possible that the 'LAN startup' is a bit too late.

I don't have a recent systeme here, so I cannot dig into this myself, but I hope it helps you further.

[Volker Halle]

LLDRIVER error messages are only sent to the console and do not show up in SYS$MANAGER:LAN$ACP.LOG

Try to capture the %LLDRIVER messages on the console terminal during boot to find out what's going on.

[Jeff Wolfe_1]

Lachnitt,

I would try a min startup. The lan failover device always loads even in a min startup. But none of the network apps will. Once the boot is complete, see if the LLA device is present. This will verify the LANCP settings are correct. As the system boots, there will be messages from LANCP that the LLA device is created and which port is selected as active. From there you can move on to see what is causing the rest of the problems.

[Ian Miller.]

If you try a min startup watchout for some devices not being configured as the usual autoconfigure processing is not done. Do MCR SYSMAN IO AUTOCONFIG after the min startup.

[Jeff Wolfe_1]

Agreed Ian, but the only objective of the min startup is to see if the LAN failover device is being created. I'm thinking some layered product is grabbing one of the network interfaces and causing a problem.

[Lachnitt_1]

@All

The most problem was that the Interfaces, that i tried to configure in the Failoverset wasn't connected to the LAN.
And it seems that they will not be added, if they aren't connected.
I tried it with the connected EWA0 (a unsupported DE500) and it appears immediately after reboot!!!

So i'm continuing to configure it.
Thx at all for help.

Bye, Kuddel

[Lachnitt_1]

@All

Some weekends ago, i tried to activate the failoverdevices in our production-cluster with 4 ES40 and one DS20.

At 4 nodes it worked fine.
But on one ES40 it looped at the boot-phase, when he's building the Failover devices:

"...
%DECnet-I-LOADED, network base image loaded, version = 05.10.00


%SMP-I-SECMSG, CPU #01 message: P01>>>START
%SMP-I-SECMSG, CPU #02 message: P02>>>START
%SMP-I-CPUTRN, CPU #01 has joined the active set. %SMP-I-CPUTRN, CPU #02 has joined the active set.
%SYSINIT-I- waiting to form or join an OpenVMS Cluster %VMScluster-I-LOADSECDB, loading the cluster security database %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN driver loaded. New device is LLA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is unavailable, LLA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN fail over device added to failset %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is unavailable, LLA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN fail over device added to failset %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset devices are all unavailable for LLA0


%EWA0, Link state change - link up: 1000 mbit, full duplex %PKA0, Copyright (c) 1998 IntraServer Technology Inc. PKW V2.1.21 ROM V2.0 %PKA0, SCSI Chip is SYM53C895, Operating mode is LVD Ultra2 SCSI %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.23 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is available, EWA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:38.23 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN connected to physical port EWA0


%EWB0, Link state change - link up: 1000 mbit, full duplex %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:39.02 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is available, EWB0


%EWA0, Link state change - link down
%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:40.23 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN disconnected from physical port EWA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:40.23 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is unavailable, EWA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:40.23 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN connected to physical port EWB0


%EWB0, Link state change - link down
%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:40.96 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN disconnected from physical port EWB0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:40.96 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is unavailable, EWB0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:40.96 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset devices are all unavailable for LLA0


%EWA0, Link state change - link up: 1000 mbit, full duplex %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:41.97 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is available, EWA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:41.97 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN connected to physical port EWA0


%EWB0, Link state change - link up: 1000 mbit, full duplex

%EWA0, Link state change - link down
%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:36:43.23 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN disconnected from physical port EWA0

..."
and so on.

I fixed this only, by I plugged the network cable off at EWA, then he could build the LLA and went on with the boot:

"...
%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:42:42.45 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset devices are all unavailable for LLA0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:42:43.46 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN failset device is available, EWB0

%LLDRIVER, Logical LAN event at 25-SEP-2004 15:42:43.46 %LLDRIVER, Logical LAN connected to physical port EWB0

%CNXMAN, Discovered system EZK24

%CNXMAN, Established connection to system EZK24

..."

On next WE we'll try it again, cause we think that a defective network equipment has disturbed the machine.

But next time such a defect can disturb us, at the same way.

And EWA and EWB are plugged in different Routing-Switches on different places (Difference ~ 500 meters).

So, why has the LL-Driver not chosen the EWB without my help?

Regards Kuddel