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VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

 
Duncan Crichton
Occasional Advisor

VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

This machine also uses EFI but I restored the system disk from another running machine and now I can no longer boot the system as it gives an error device not found with a load of characters that look like an id held somewhere
Can anybody help tell me what I need to do to get the machine booted??
5 REPLIES 5
Hoff
Honored Contributor

Re: VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

There is no OpenVMS V8.3-1 version for any platform.

There is no EFI console on Alpha.

If this is an OpenVMS I64 V8.3-1H1 configuration on an HP Integrity Itanium system, then try removing the boot alias and re-add it via the EFI configuration menus.

You may also need to issue a SET BOOTBLOCK to rewrite the boot block on the system disk, as older versions

Or you could post versions, commands, errors and hardware, and I or somebody else here could refine this current (and probably-wrong) guess into an actual answer.
Hoff
Honored Contributor

Re: VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

>You may also need to issue a SET BOOTBLOCK to rewrite the boot block on the system disk, as older versions...

as older versions and some recent OpenVMS I64 patches had issues with BACKUP (not) writing boot blocks on GPT disks after an image restore.
Shriniketan Bhagwat
Trusted Contributor

Re: VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

Hi,

On an IA64 machine while creating the bootable device using image backup, please note the below information.

BACKUP does not preserve GUID signature during an image restore operation of the system disk on IA64 systems. During restore, BACKUP calls SETBOOT to create a new GUID signature. Hence, during an image restore operation, BACKUP does not restore the original GUID signature, but creates a new GUID signature instead. As a result, an IA64 system will not boot automatically from a disk created through an image restore operation.

If required to boot an IA64 system from a disk created through an image restore operation, then either of the two methods described below has to be used to update the GUID signature of the disk.

1. Use SYS$MANAGER:BOOT_OPTIONS.COM procedure to add or validate the boot options.
$ @SYS$MANAGER:BOOT_OPTIONS.COM

2. Use $ SET BOOTBLOCK /INTEGRITY :[VMS$COMMON.SYS$LDR]SYS$EFI.SYS command to update the boot block.

Regards,
Ketan
Colin Butcher
Esteemed Contributor

Re: VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

Sounds as if you're attempting to restore the image backup of a running system to an Integrity Server box.

Assuming that to be the case, to boot successfully from the target disc aurtomatically, you have to set up the boot paths in EFI. You can do that from the EFI menu (add boot options), but it's hard work to figure it out because the way EFI shell presents bootable devices is not easy to decipher. It's easier to use @SYS$MANAGER:BOOT_OPTIONS.COM from a running system.

To get a running system from which you can use BOOT_OPTIONS.COM the simplest way is to boot from the distribution DVD or a copy of it on USB flash drive or local SAS drive.

To find a bootable device at EFI, first get to EFI shell. It will list a load of FSn: devices and BLKn: devices. Ignore the BLKn: stuff. Look carefully at the FSn: stuff and you should be able to see something in the long string that says "USB" or "SAS" or "SCSI" for local devices. Pick one of them (say USB if you know you're trying to boot from a USB flash drive or the distribution DVD on a machine with a USB connected DVD - that's how the rx2660 works for example).

Now type FSn: at the EFI shell prompt (where n is the number of the device you think is bootable). Then type CD \EFI and then type DIR. You'll probably see a VMS directory. Now type CD \EFI\VMS and again type DIR. You'll probably see a collection of files (EFI scripts). With any luck, one of them is VMS_LOADER.

Now type VMS_LOADER and with a bit of luck it'll boot and run. From there on, you should be able to set up the boot options and recreate a bootable environment.

It's worth reading the VMS installation guide & release notes. It's also worth reading the EFI (MP) guide.

While you're at the EFI shell, it might be worth checking the firmware versions and updating it if needed.

If you have an HP support contract - ask them to talk you through it, or better let then access the machine remotely and watch the console session while they help you.

If all that doesn't work for you, you'll probably need someone to come and help you through it and teach you as you go. There are plenty of people infesting the ITRC who can do that, including me!

Cheers, Colin (http://www.xdelta.co.uk).
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem (Occam's razor).
Duncan Crichton
Occasional Advisor

Re: VMS8-3.1 running on Alpha

I followed the answer from Colin and this fixed the problem