Target dev name for installing I64 OVMS on rx2660

[Len w]

Am installing OVMS V8.3 on rx2660 with SAS disk drives and am getting an error "template device cannot be allocated" in the target drive selection area on vms install. OVS thinks the device name is DAD0. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Len Whitwer len@psds.com

[John Gillings]

Is something attempting to mount DAD0? That's not a valid name for a FC disk.

Maybe you need to change the LUN on the SAN?

[Len w]

Hi John:

My system is a basic rx2660 with 146GB SAS disk drives attached to the integrated SAS controller. (Not FC) In the install question and answer section when doing a fresh install the first question asked is "What is targe disk name" if unknown type "?" The install comes back with a device name of dad0 as a device. I type in dad0 and thats when I get the error. "template device cannot be allocated" I'm wondering if I need VMS 8.3-1H1?? OPen to any thoughts.

Len W

[Hoff]

Did you configure the installed storage controller before launching the OpenVMS I64 installation? There's a manual for the

There is a need a trip through (probably) the ORCA tool (or ACU), if/when you are using a RAID SmartArray controller here.

DAD0: is the InfoServer template device.

There is a requirement for V8.3-1H1 for some features around the virtualized pieces. The vDVD? and vKVM? pieces. The basic rx2660 box configuration and the typical controllers that were shipped with this box should work just fine with V8.3.

See the "HP Smart Array P800 Controller for Integrity Servers User Guide" or such for ORCA and ACU, which is available at the rx2660 support web site. There's also a set-up guide, and which should include some related details.

[Len w]

Thanks Hoff:

Let me run that down.

Len W

[Colin Butcher]

You need to use the "DRVCFG" utility at EFI shell to configure the embedded 8 port SAS controller if you want to make use of integrated mirror arrays.

The latest firmware changes the "scan order" relative to earlier formware and with the latest (V1.22.33.00) firmware a system configured with 8 drives total and IM arrays in slots 1&2, 3&4 and hot spare in slot 5, thus three plian vanilla drives in slots 6 to 8 gives the following:

DKA1 = IM array in slots 1&2
DKA3 = IM array in slots 3&4
the two IM arrays share the hot spare in slot 5
DKA600 = drive in slot 6
DKA700 = drive in slot 7
DKA800 = drive in slot 8

With the earlier firmware what is now DKA1 showed up as DKA7 and what is now DKA3 showed up as DKA5 (I think it was that way round). The new firmware presents devices in a more sensible manner as far as I'm concerned. I'm talking about stuff created from scratch here by deleting all the arrays and cleaning up before the firmware update. I don't know what happens if you just upgrade the firmware with arrays already created.

I also don't know what the "scan order" ID allocation algorithm is - I couldn't find that documented and I don't have the time at the moment to play around and try to deduce it. Anyone know for certain how it's supposed to behave?

Here's some notes on "drvcfg": http://docs.hp.com/en/J6369-90070/J6369-90070.pdf - ignore the HPUX bits.

As described in another thread http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1194813 - I found some issues with unpatched V8.3 (and the V8.3 installation DVD) with the latest embedded SAS array controller firmware. V8.3-1H1 and patched V8.3 (up to end Dec. 2007) are fine. I haven't had the time to figure out exactly which patches are needed for V8.3 to get it to work properly with the latest embedded SAS controller firmware.

Although it's a bit out of date now, you might find this useful: http://www.downloads.xdelta.co.uk/decus%20uk%202005/rx2600%20bare%20metal%20install%2001mar2005%20issue%201%2028feb2005.pdf

Maybe this too: http://www.downloads.xdelta.co.uk/hp_nl_vmstud_2007/2007_10_02-nl_vmstud_porting-colin_butcher-v1_2.pdf

Good luck.

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

[Colin Butcher]

While I remember...

You can see what names VMS will give devices from the EFI shell. Find the bootable device (via the fsN: partition visible to EFI), then get to the folder containing the EFI scripts that let you boot VMS (usually it's cd \efi\vms at the EFI shell prompt, but bootable optical media have the scripts in a different directory whose name I can't remeber at the moment), then use the VMS_SHOW EFI script.

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