OpenVMS Version 7.1 Release Notes

Support for Synchronous Arbitration is latent in the HSJ controller family. In configurations containing both CIPCAs and HSJ controllers, Digital recommends enabling the HSJs to use Synchronous Arbitration. Use the following HSJ CLI command to do this:

CLI> SET THIS CI_ARB = SYNC

This command takes effect upon the next reboot of the HSJ.

4.15.2 Problems and Restrictions

This section describes problems and restrictions pertaining to OpenVMS Cluster systems.

4.15.2.1 Booting Satellites with DECnet--Plus

V7.1

Digital recommends the use of the LANCP utility for all MOP booting requirements. If you choose to use DECnet-Plus MOP booting instead of LANCP, note the following restriction when adding a satellite: CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM uses the first circuit configured for MOP in the NET$MOP_CIRCUIT_STARTUP.NCL file.

To use a different circuit, you must edit NET$MOP_CIRCUIT_STARTUP.NCL before invoking CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM. Place your desired circuit at the beginning of the NET$MOP_CIRCUIT_STARTUP.NCL file; then invoke CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM.

4.15.2.2 SCSI Cluster Restrictions (Alpha Only)

V7.1

Most SCSI cluster restrictions are described in the SCSI OpenVMS Cluster appendix in Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations. (See Section 4.15.3.1 for a correction to that appendix.) Section 4.15.2.3 describes a SCSI cluster restriction that is not documented in the manual.

4.15.2.3 AlphaServer 4000/4100 Systems Problem in SCSI Clusters

V7.1

An AlphaServer 4000/4100 system that accesses its system disk through a KZPSA adapter may not boot or write a crash dump file if another system on the SCSI bus is booting or shutting down at the same time. Subsequent attempts to boot should succeed.

The system firmware on the Version 3.8 firmware CD--ROM, and earlier versions, exhibit this problem. A correction to this problem is planned for the next firmware CD--ROM release, Version 3.9.

Digital recommends that you not attempt to perform these operations simultaneously in this configuration until you have updated your firmware.

4.15.2.4 CI-to-PCI (CIPCA) Adapter (Alpha Only)

V7.1

The release notes in this section describe restrictions for using the CIPCA module on OpenVMS Alpha systems.

4.15.2.4.1 HSC40 and HSC70 Controller Revision Levels

The HSC40 and HSC70 controllers must have a Revision F (or higher) L0109 module. If your HSC40 or HSC70 controller does not meet this requirement, contact your Digital support representative.

4.15.2.4.2 HSJ50 Firmware Requirement for Use of 4K CI Packets

Do not attempt to enable the use of 4K CI packets by the HSJ50 controller unless the HSJ50 firmware is Version 5.0J--2 or higher. If the HSJ50 firmware version is less than Version 5.0J--2 and 4K CI packets are enabled, data can become corrupted. If your HSJ50 firmware does not meet this requirement, contact your Digital support representative.

For more information about the use of 4K CI packets by the HSJ50 controller, see Section 4.15.1.4.

4.15.2.4.3 Link Module DIP Switch Settings

For link module Rev. A01, use the DIP switch settings described here to prevent arbitration timeout errors. Under heavy CI loads, arbitration timeout errors can cause CI path errors and CI virtual circuit closures.

The DIP switch settings on the CIPCA link module select cluster size and node address. Follow these instructions when setting the DIP switches for link module Rev. A01 only:

If the cluster size is set to 16, do not set a CI adapter to node address 15 on that star coupler.
If the cluster size is set to 32, do not set a CI adapter to node address 31 on that star coupler. Also, do not set any CIPCA to node address 0 or do not set any CI adapter to node address 16.

These restrictions do not apply to link module Rev. B01 and higher.

4.15.2.4.4 Systems Using CIPCA, CIXCD, and KFMSB

The following restrictions apply when CIPCA, CIXCD, and KFMSB adapters are used in systems:

AUTOCONFIGURE must be run before the end of booting.
When you perform a normal installation boot, AUTOCONFIGURE runs automatically. If you have customized your booting sequence, make sure that AUTOCONFIGURE runs or that you explicitly configure all CIPCA devices before SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM exits.
For CIPCA, CIXCD, and KFMSB, AUTOGEN will initially allocate 2 MB of bus addressable pool (BAP) for each CIPCA or CIXCD, and 4 MB for each KFMSB, as follows:
- For systems with more than 1 GB of physical memory, OpenVMS creates a separate BAP. OpenVMS allocates this BAP memory for CIPCA, CIXCD, and KFMSB.
- For systems with less than 1 GB of physical memory or with none of these devices, any bus addressable pool is merged with normal, nonpaged dynamic memory (nonpaged pool). In this case, the initial amount and maximum amount of nonpaged pool (as displayed by the DCL command SHOW MEMORY/POOL/FULL) does not match the value of the SYSGEN parameters NPAGEDYN and NPAGEVIR. Instead, the value of SYSGEN parameter NPAG_BAP_MIN is added to NPAGEDYN to determine the initial size, and the value of NPAG_BAP_MAX is added to NPAGEVIR to determine the maximum size.
  Your OpenVMS system may not require as much merged pool as the sum of these SYSGEN parameters. After your system has been running a few days, use AUTOGEN with feedback to fine-tune the amount of memory allocated for the merged, nonpaged pool and bus addressable pool.

These restrictions exist because SYS$PCADRIVER (the CIPCA driver) and SYS$PNDRIVER (the CIXCD and KFMSB driver) must be able to allocate physical memory guaranteed to have addresses below 1 GB.

4.15.2.4.5 MULTIPROCESSING and SYSTEM_CHECK Parameter in Systems with CIPCAs

The value of the SMP_SPINWAIT system parameter must be reset to 300000 (3 seconds) instead of the default 100000 (1 second) if you operate with either SYSTEM_CHECK set to 1 or MULTIPROCESSING set to either 1 or 2.

If you operate with either of these SYSTEM_CHECK or MULTIPROCESSING settings and do not change the value of SMP_SPINWAIT, a CIPCA adapter error could generate a CPUSPINWAIT system bugcheck similar to the following:

**** OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System V6.2-1H3 - BUGCHECK **** 
** Code=0000078C: CPUSPINWAIT, CPU spinwait timer expired

This restriction will be removed in a future OpenVMS release.

4.15.2.4.6 DECevent Required to Analyze Errors

Digital requires that you use DECevent to analyze error log files for the CIPCA adapter. The DCL command ANALYZE/ERROR_LOG has not been updated to support CIPCA and other new devices; using that command will result in improperly formatted error log entries.

Install the DECevent kit supplied on the OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 CD--ROM and then use the following commands to invoke DECevent to analyze dump files:

DIAGNOSE --- Analyzes the current system error log file
DIAGNOSE filename --- Analyzes the error log file named filename.sys

Use the HELP DIAGNOSE command to get more information about using DECevent.

4.15.2.5 MEMORY CHANNEL (Alpha Only)

V7.1

The following sections contain guidelines and restrictions that apply to MEMORY CHANNEL.

Note
If you are setting up a MEMORY CHANNEL cluster and need the hardware user's guide, you can copy it from the OpenVMS Version 7.1 CD--ROM using the following file name:
[DOCUMENTATION]HW_MEMORY_CHANNEL_UG.PS

You can set up the MEMORY CHANNEL software by making specific selections when running the CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM procedure. For more information about implementing MEMORY CHANNEL, see the MEMORY CHANNEL Technical Summary appendix in Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations.

4.15.2.5.1 Memory Requirements

MEMORY CHANNEL consumes memory during normal operations. Each system in your MEMORY CHANNEL cluster must have at least 128 MB of memory.

4.15.2.5.2 Adapter Support

OpenVMS Cluster Software Version 7.1 supports MEMORY CHANNEL using Version 1.0 MEMORY CHANNEL adapters (part number CCMAA--AA). These adapters have a bandwidth of approximately 35 megabytes per second. (The actual bandwidth depends on the system type and the read/write ratio.)

A higher performance MEMORY CHANNEL adapter (Version 1.5, part number CCMAA--BA), which provides approximately 55 megabytes per second bandwidth, can be ordered now and will be supported by OpenVMS Cluster Software Version 7.1 once you apply a remedial kit. This kit is expected to be available in March 1997. Contact your Digital support representative to obtain the kit.

4.15.2.5.3 MEMORY CHANNEL PCI Adapter Configuration Guidelines

This section contains system-specific guidelines and restrictions to use when configuring a system with a MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter.

AlphaServer 1000/1000A Requirements
To work with MEMORY CHANNEL, your console firmware must be at Rev 4.6 or higher. Digital recommends that you install the latest release of console firmware.
A MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter can be installed in any of the three PCI slots of an AlphaServer 1000. For an AlphaServer 1000A, you can install a MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter in the highest three PCI slots (PCI 11, PCI 12, or PCI 13). The same is true for a second adapter.
AlphaServer 2000/2100 Requirements
- To work with MEMORY CHANNEL, your console firmware must be at Rev 4.3 or higher. Digital recommends that you install the latest release of console firmware.
- Some older AlphaServer 2000/2100 systems may not have an I/O module that supports MEMORY CHANNEL. To check this, use the following procedure:
  - At the console prompt, enter the following:
```
 
       P00>>> examine -b econfig:20008 
       econfig:             20008 04
 
```
  - If a hexadecimal value of 04 or greater is returned, as shown in the previous example, your I/O module supports MEMORY CHANNEL.
    If a value of less than 04 is returned, contact your Digital support representative for an upgrade. If you install the MEMORY CHANNEL hardware and power up on a system that is not hardware-ready for MEMORY CHANNEL, the following console error message is displayed:
```
 
******************************************************** 
** Memory Channel hardware requirement ERROR  # 1     ** 
** See release notes, or Memory Channel User's Guide. ** 
******************************************************** 
```
- A MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter can be installed in any of the three PCI slots in your AlphaServer 2000/2100 system (PCI 0, PCI 1, and PCI 2.)
AlphaServer 2100A Requirements
To work with MEMORY CHANNEL, your console firmware must be at Rev 4.3 or higher. Digital recommends that you install the latest release of console firmware.
A MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter can be installed in any one of the bottom four PCI slots (PCI 4, PCI 5, PCI 6, and PCI 7) in your AlphaServer 2100A system. The same is true for a second adapter.
AlphaServer 4000/4100 Requirements
To work with MEMORY CHANNEL, your console firmware must be at Rev 2.0-3 or higher. This firmware version sets the PCI arbitration mode to round-robin, which is required by MEMORY CHANNEL. Please do not change this setting. Digital recommends that you install the latest release of console firmware.
A MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter can be installed in any one of the PCI slots in your AlphaServer 4000/4100 system.
AlphaServer 8200/8400 Requirements
To work with MEMORY CHANNEL, your console firmware must be at Rev 2.3 or higher. Digital recommends that you install the latest release of console firmware.
Install the MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter in PCI slots 0 through 7 of AlphaServer 8200/8400 systems.
On AlphaServer 8200/8400 systems, there is a configuration restriction on the number of MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapters that may be installed in a DLWPA card cage. If the DWLPA card cage contains an EISA bridge, an ISA bridge, or any other PCI devices, the maximum number of MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapters that may be installed is one. If the DWLPA card cage contains only MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapters, a maximum of two may be installed. This restriction does not apply to DWLPB card cages.

4.15.2.5.4 Rolling Upgrades

If MEMORY CHANNEL adapters (CCMAA-xx) have been added to the cluster before upgrading OpenVMS to Version 7.1, an MC_FORCEDCRASH bugcheck occurs on the first system when the second and subsequent systems perform AUTOGEN and SHUTDOWN during their Version 7.1 installations. This problem is caused by conflicting system parameters; it can be avoided by using one of the following procedures when upgrading:

Upgrade all systems to OpenVMS Version 7.1 before adding the CCMAA-xx MEMORY CHANNEL adapters.
If you have MEMORY CHANNEL hubs, power them off before upgrading each system to OpenVMS Version 7.1.
After all systems have been upgraded to Version 7.1, power on the MEMORY CHANNEL hubs.
If the nodes are connected directly in a virtual hub configuration, disconnect the BC12N cables before upgrading each system to OpenVMS Version 7.1.
After all systems have been upgraded to Version 7.1, reconnect the BC12N cables.

4.15.2.5.5 MEMORY CHANNEL System Parameter Settings

This section contains a description for all MEMORY CHANNEL system parameters and recommendations for setting them. All numeric values in the following section are decimal numbers. Digital reserves the right to change the names of these parameters in a future release.

The system parameters specific to MEMORY CHANNEL are:

MC_SERVICES_P0 (Dynamic)
Controls whether other MEMORY CHANNEL nodes in the cluster continue to run if this node bugchecks or shuts down.
A value of 1 causes other nodes in the MEMORY CHANNEL cluster to crash with bugcheck code MC_FORCED_CRASH if this node bugchecks or shuts down.
The default value is 0. A setting of 1 is only intended for debugging purposes; the parameter should otherwise be left at its default value.
MC_SERVICES_P1 (Dynamic)
This parameter is reserved by Digital. Its value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P2 (Static)
Specifies whether to load the PMDRIVER (PMA0) MEMORY CHANNEL cluster port driver.
PMDRIVER is a new driver that serves as the MEMORY CHANNEL cluster port driver. It works together with MCDRIVER (the MEMORY CHANNEL device driver and device interface) to provide MEMORY CHANNEL clustering. If PMDRIVER is not loaded, cluster connections will not be made over the MEMORY CHANNEL interconnect.
The default value for MC_SERVICES_P2 is 1. This default value causes PMDRIVER to be loaded when you boot the system. When you run CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM and select the MEMORY CHANNEL option, PMDRIVER is loaded automatically when you reboot the system.
Digital recommends that this value not be changed. This parameter value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P3 (Dynamic)
Specifies the maximum number of tags supported. The maximum value is 2048 and the minimum value is 100.
The default value is 800. Digital recommends that this value not be changed.
This parameter value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P4 (Static)
Specifies the maximum number of regions supported. The maximum value is 4096 and the minimum value is 100.
The default value is 200. Digital recommends that this value not be changed.
This parameter value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P5 (Dynamic)
This parameter is reserved by Digital, and must remain at the default value of 8000000. This value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P6 (Static)
Specifies MEMORY CHANNEL message size, the body of an entry in a free queue, or a work queue. The maximum value is 65536 and the minimum value is 544. The default value is 992. This value is suitable in all cases, except for systems with highly constrained memory.
For such systems, you can reduce the memory consumption of MEMORY CHANNEL by slightly reducing the default value of 992. This value must always be equal to or greater than the result of the following calculation:
- Select the larger of SCS_MAXMSG and SCS_MAXDG
- Round that value up to the next quadword
This parameter value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P7 (Dynamic)
Specifies whether to suppress or display messages about MEMORY CHANNEL activities on this node. Can be set to a value of 0, 1, or 2.
A value of 0 indicates nonverbose mode - no informational messages will appear on the console or in the error log.
A value of 1 indicates verbose mode---informational messages from both MCDRIVER and PMDRIVER will appear on the console and in the error log.
A value of 2 provides the same output as a value of 1, with the addition of PMDRIVER stalling and recovery messages.
The default value is 0. Digital recommends that this value not be changed except while debugging MEMORY CHANNEL problems or adjusting the MC_SERVICES_P9 parameter.
MC_SERVICES_P8 (Static)
This parameter is reserved by Digital, and must remain at the default value of 0. The value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.
MC_SERVICES_P9 (Static)
Specifies the number of initial entries in a single channel's free queue. The maximum value is 2048 and the minimum value is 10.
Note that MC_SERVICES_P9 is not a dynamic parameter; you must reboot the system after each change in order for that change to take effect.
Default value is 150. Digital recommends that this value not be changed.
This parameter value must be the same on all nodes connected by MEMORY CHANNEL.

Setting the SYSTEM_CHECK and MULTIPROCESSING System Parameters

To avoid a CPUSPINWAIT problem, Digital recommends the following settings for system parameters:

Parameter Setting

SYSTEM CHECK 0 (default is 0)

MULTIPROCESSING 3 or 4 (default is 3)

Parameter	Setting
SYSTEM CHECK	0 (default is 0)
MULTIPROCESSING	3 or 4 (default is 3)

With these two parameters set at the recommended values, the SYSTEM_SYNCHRONIZATION_MIN version of the SYSTEM_SYNCHRONIZATION execlet is loaded. This avoids a problem that arises when the SYSTEM_SYNCHRONIZATION_MON form of the execlet is loaded.

If you have reason to set SYSTEM_CHECK and MULTIPROCESSING to different values from those recommended, you can reduce the likelihood of encountering a problem by setting the SMP_LNGSPINWAIT system parameter to a value of 9000000.

NPAGEVIR Parameter on Systems with Very Large Memory

On systems containing very large amounts of nonpaged pool memory, the MEMORY CHANNEL may be unable to complete initialization. The symptom is a repetitive message "Hub timeout - reinitializing adapter" on the console. To fix this problem, examine the value of the SYSGEN parameter NPAGEVIR. If its value is greater than 1 gigabyte, consider lowering it to about half of that. Thereafter, a reboot of your system should allow the MEMORY CHANNEL to complete initialization.

4.15.2.6 System Startup in an OpenVMS Cluster Environment (Alpha Only)

V6.2

In an OpenVMS Cluster environment on Alpha systems, under some circumstances the system startup procedure may fail to write a new copy of the ALPHAVMSSYS.PAR file. If this occurs, the console output from the boot sequence reports the following messages:

%SYSGEN-E-CREPARFIL, unable to create parameter file 
-RMS-E-FLK, file currently locked by another user

This error creates an operational problem only when changing SYSGEN parameters using a conversational boot. For a normal, nonconversational boot, this error message is purely cosmetic because the parameter file has not changed. If a conversational boot is used, and SYSGEN parameters are changed at boot time, these changed parameters will be correctly used for the current boot of the system. However, since the boot procedure does not successfully write a new copy of the parameter file, these changed parameters will not be used in subsequent boots.

To permanently change SYSGEN parameters that have been changed by a conversational boot, run SYSGEN after the system has completed booting, and execute the following commands:

SYSGEN> USE ACTIVE
SYSGEN> WRITE CURRENT

4.15.3 Documentation Changes and Corrections

The following notes describe corrections to cluster documentation.

4.15.3.1 Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations

V7.1

In Figure A--9 in Guidelines for OpenVMS Cluster Configurations, the labels for the differential host adapters should be KZPSA-BB, not KZPSA-AA. The KZPSA-AA is not available.

4.15.3.2 OpenVMS System Manager's Manual

V7.1

In Figure 20--2 of the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, the CLUSTER Report section was inadvertently omitted from the hardcopy and Bookreader versions of the manual. Figure 4-1 contains the information that was missing in the manual.

Figure 4-1 SHOW CLUSTER Display with CLUSTER Report

4.16 POLYCENTER Software Installation Utility

The release notes in this section pertain to the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility. Also see Section 5.16 for notes about this utility that are of interest to programmers.

4.16.1 Changes and Enhancements

This section describes changes to the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility and the DCL interface for the PRODUCT command.

4.16.1.1 PRODUCT Command Changes

V7.1

Changes to the PRODUCT command are described in the following sections.

4.16.1.1.1 New /INTERFACE Qualifier Invokes Motif Interface

All functions of the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility are available from the DCL interface through a set of PRODUCT commands. In addition, workstation users can perform a subset of these functions through an optional Motif interface. Starting with Version 7.1, the method of accessing the Motif interface has been changed to use a new /INTERFACE qualifier. (The Motif interface will be retired with the next OpenVMS release.)

The default is /INTERFACE=CHARACTER_CELL. You now must explicitly specify /INTERFACE=DECWINDOWS in order to invoke the Motif interface on a workstation:

$ PRODUCT /INTERFACE=DECWINDOWS

If you do not specify /INTERFACE=DECWINDOWS, the DCL interface is used by default. As of Version 7.1, full prompting for PRODUCT command parameters is now provided when you enter only the PRODUCT command at the DCL prompt.

4.16.1.1.2 Qualifiers Removed from Documentation

Prior to OpenVMS Version 7.1, the following qualifiers were mistakenly included in the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual and in DCL help:

The /[NO]KEEP qualifier for the PRODUCT INSTALL command.
The /[NO]TEST qualifier for the PRODUCT RECONFIGURE command. (Note that this qualifier is supported for the PRODUCT INSTALL command.)

The documentation has been corrected to remove these qualifiers.

4.16.1.1.3 Qualifiers Retired

Prior to OpenVMS Version 7.1, the /DEVICE and /DIRECTORY qualifiers for the PRODUCT SHOW OBJECT command were documented in the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual and in DCL help, but they did not function as described. These qualifiers are no longer supported.

The documentation has been corrected to remove these qualifiers. Digital expects to enhance the PRODUCT SHOW OBJECT command in a future release and may provide the features of these qualifiers in a different manner.

4.16.2 Problems and Restrictions

Notes in this section pertain to problems and restrictions with using the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility to install, remove, and reconfigure software products. Problems and restrictions of interest to programmers are described in Section 5.16.1.

4.16.2.1 PRODUCT Command Lacks Options to Control Output

V6.2

Commands such as PRODUCT FIND and PRODUCT SHOW that can display more than a screen of text do not provide qualifiers such as /PAGE to control scrolling or /OUTPUT to redirect output to a file. As a result, information can scroll off the screen. Digital expects to enhance these commands in a future release.

4.16.2.2 Product Removal Restrictions

V6.1

Removing a product using the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility results in the removal of accounts created for that product. This happens regardless of whether the SYSUAF.DAT file is shared by another system disk.

The same problem exists with rights identifiers and the file RIGHTSLIST.DAT.

4.16.3 Corrections

The following note describes a correction to the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility.

4.16.3.1 Estimated Disk Space Requirements

V7.1

  6481P004.HTM
  OSSG Documentation
  11-DEC-1996 07:51:58.83

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