System booting problem after VMS83A_UPDATE-V0400 installation

[NE-Obrien]

Hi All,

Every time system is not booting after successful installtion of VMS update V4.0 for OPENVMS V8.3 on AlphaServer DS10 617 MHz.


Thanks in advance,
Arumugam M

[Volker Halle]

Arumugam,

what happens when you boot ? Bugcheck ? Please attach a console output from your boot attempt as an ASCII .TXT file to your next reply.

Volker.

[Volker Halle]

Arumugam,

you can remove the patch by booting from the OpenVMS Alpha V8.3 CD:

$$$ MOUNT/OVER=ID DKA0: ! assuming this is your V8.3 system disk
$$$ define pcsi$sysdevice DKA0:
$$$ define PCSI$SPECIFIC PCSI$SYSDEVICE:[SYS0.] ! assuming there is a [SYS0] root
$$$ prod undo patch/remote

I've just successfully done this to recover from a CPUSPINWAIT crash during boot after installing VMS83A_UPDATE-V0400 on a PersonalAlpha V1.2.2 emulator...

Volker.

[Volker Halle]

Hi,

is anybody running V8.3 with VMS83A_UPDATE-V0400 installed on a non-SMP system ? I'm trying to determine, if this a generic patch kit problem...

Volker.

[Duncan Morris]

Hi Volker,

I have it running without issue on a DS10 EV6/466MHz system.

I also have it running on my own and my colleague's Personal Alpha.

Regards,

Duncan

[Volker Halle]

Duncan,

thanks for the reply. Do you have any additional patches installed on top of VMS83A_UPDATE-V0400 ? And did you install those patches at the same time without rebooting immediately after the installation of the V0400 update patch ?

Volker.

[Duncan Morris]

Volker,

I have attached a list of recent prod install activity.

Regards,

Duncan

[Volker Halle]

Duncan,

it looks like you've installed VMS83A_UPDATE V4.0, VMS83A_MANAGE V1.0 and VMS83A_DCL V1.0 in one step (the V8.3 PROD SHOW HIST does not list the time anymore). At that time, you could not have been running PersonalAlpha V1.2.2. Which version of PersonalAlpha are you running now ?

Thanks,

Volker.

[Duncan Morris]

Volker,

original list was from the DS10.

New prod hist attached from Personal Alpha.
Currently at 1.2.2, but obviously was prior version at the time of the UPDATE-V0400 patch.

The UPDATE-V0400 patch was applied on its own, followed by the other 2 patches, and then the reboot.

contact details in the attachment

Duncan

[Volker Halle]

Arumugam,

sorry for hi-jacking your thread. If you provide details of your problem, I will also help you to solve your boot problem.

Duncan,

I had installed HP IDLE V1.0 on that PersonalAlpha. This causes the CPUSPINWAIT early during boot after applying VMS83A_UPDATE-V0400.

>>> b -fl 0,30000 shows
...
%SYSINIT-I-ALTLOAD, loading site specific execlets
%LOADER-I-INIT, initializing NET$MESSAGE.EXE
%LOADER-I-INIT, initializing SYS$IDLE.EXE

**** OpenVMS Alpha Operating System V8.3 - BUGCHECK ****

** Bugcheck code = 0000078C: CPUSPINWAIT, CPU spinwait timer expired

After removing IDLE V1.0 and installing IDLE V1.1, I could successfully boot after applying VMS83A_UPDATE-V0400.

IDLE is a utility provided by HP through Emulators-International or SRI (idleloop.vdisk) with PersonalAlpha or CHARON-VAX/AXP and provides a callout in the idle loop to allow the emulator to release the CPU and drastically reduces the host system (Windows) CPU consumption when running the CHARON emulators.

$ prod sho hist idle
------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- --- -----------
PRODUCT KIT TYPE OPERATION VAL DATE
------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- --- -----------
HP AXPVMS IDLE V1.1 Full LP Install Val 23-NOV-2007
HP AXPVMS IDLE V1.0 Full LP Remove - 23-NOV-2007
HP AXPVMS IDLE V1.0 Full LP Install 29-APR-2006
------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- --- -----------
3 items found

Volker.

[Duncan Morris]

Volker,

I have had IDLE 1.1 installed from an early stage,

HP AXPVMS IDLE V1.1 Full LP Install Val 15-MAY-2007

so that is probably why I have had no issues!

Duncan

[NE-Obrien]

Hi All...

Thanks for all your supports. I dont have IDLE V1.1.
Let me try install to IDLE V1.1 and UPDATE patch then see.

Thanks again for all your times,
Arumugam M

[Volker Halle]

Arumugam,

please, wait a minute ...

Please first provide information about your boot problem. Then I'll tell you what the problem is and what needs to be done...

IDLE is a special utility for Alpha emulators and there is no need to install it on REAL Alphas.

Volker.

[NE-Obrien]

Last 4 lines in console while booting by setting flag 0,10000 or 0,30000
=======
%SWAPPER-I-SHUFFLE, executing swapper initialization code.

%SWAPPER-I-SYSDISK, checking status of system disk


%PKA0, copyright (c) 1998 Intraserver technology Inc, PKW V2.1.22 ROM V2.0

%PKA0, scsi chip is SYM53c895, operating mode is LVD Ultra2 SCSI.

=========System hangs here============

[Volker Halle]

Arumugam,

so the system hangs during boot...

There is something wrong with access to the system disk. You may need to force a crash

CTRL-P
>>> CRASH

Then boot from the OpenVMS V8.3 CD and try to have a look at the crashdump on that disk. What's the state of the system disk ?

$$$ ANAL/CRASH disk:[SYSn.SYSEXE]
SDA> SHOW DEV disk:

Volker.

[Volker Halle]

Arumugam,

after printing the message

%SWAPPER-I-SYSDISK, checking status of system disk

the SWAPPER code checks the VALID-bit of the system disk. It will loop endlessly, if the VALID bit is clear.

Once you've opened the dumpfile on the system disk with ANAL/CRASH, use the following command:

SDA> show dev/addr=@exe$gl_sysucb
...
Device status: 88021810 online,valid,...
...

If you don't see the 'valid' string on the Device status line, that's the reason while the system hangs.

Try to find out, if error have been logged during boot:

SDA> CLUE ERRLOG

Was that system disk working before ? What is the config (controller and disk) ?

Volker.