=:The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)C

The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)



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5.32 SYSBOOT-I-FILENOTLOC, Unable to locate SYS$CPU_ROUTINES?



?A message at the OpenVMS Alpha bootstrap such as the following:

 

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B%SYSBOOT-I-FILENOTLOC, Unable to locate SYS$CPU_ROUTINES_1C02.EXE =%SYSBOOT-E-LDFAIL, failed to load execlet, status = 00000910 




Eindicates that the particular OpenVMS Alpha release does not contain @support for the target platform. In this case, OpenVMS does not Erecognize Alpha family 1C member 02 as a supported platform. A later Dversion of OpenVMS might support the platform, or there might be no Hsupport on any release. Ensure that you have the most current firmware, =and review the minimum version requirements for the platform.

GThe execlet load failure and other similar bootstrap status values can :often be decoded using either of the following techniques:

 

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$ exit %x910 #%SYSTEM-W-NOSUCHFILE, no such file $  $ x = f$message(%x910) $ show symbol x +  X = "%SYSTEM-W-NOSUCHFILE, no such file" $ 




>Also see Section 14.20.{

5.33 How can I customize the DCPS device control for a new printer?



HTo customize DCPS for an otherwise unsupported printer, you can try the following sequence:



!to create your own site-specific:

 

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.SYS$LIBRARY:DCPS$FILE_EXTENSION_DATA_TYPE.DAT 




;Also see Section 5.14.y

5.34 Why do $GETDEV MOUNTCNT and SHOW DEVICE mount counts differ?



FMOUNTCNT returns the local mount count, while SHOW DEVICE returns the cluster-wide mount count.m

5.35 What software is needed for Postscript printers?



EThe NorthLake PrintKit (http://www.nls.com/) and DECprint Supervisor H(DCPS; http://www.openvms.compaq.com/openvms/Print/print_sw_prods.html) Aare common choices for support of Postscript printers on OpenVMS.

?You may also require the installation of an IP transport stack.

{Also please see Section 15.2.2 and Section 15.2.3.n

5.36 How do I remove a PCSI-installed patch (ECO) kit?



1You cannot PRODUCT REMOVE a PCSI patch (ECO) kit.

EIn order to remove an ECO kit, PCSI would have to have copies of all Hthe other version of the files from all other patches and products that Fpreviously were installed. This can clearly involve a large number of Afiles and a large archive of old file versions and a substantial ?quantity of disk space. While removal is clearly theoretically *possible, it is not currently implemented.

DThe following is the supported mechanism to remove a PCSI patch kit.

    J
  1. Execute a PRODUCT SHOW PRODUCE <product-name. /FULL command. The F "maintenance" column (132 column width) shows the patches 8 that have been installed. Keep a copy of this listing.:
  2. Acquire kits for all of the maintenance kits listed.I
  3. Re-install the prior FULL version of the product. This will remove B all patch kits, setting to product back to "original" condition.I
  4. Re-install all the patches in the list from step 1, *EXCEPT* those , which you have determined you do not want.


8The above information also applies to PCSI PARTIAL kits.u

5.37 SYSINIT-E, error mounting system device, status=0072832C



<This message can arise during an OpenVMS system bootstrap...

 

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D%MOUNT-F-DIFVOLMNT, different volume already mounted on this device 




9For details and further information, use the DCL command:

 

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 $ HELP/MESSAGE /STATUS=%X72832C 


\

5.38 Resolving License PAK Problems?



HThe PAK release date, the PAK termination date, and the PAK version are Hthe usual culprits when a license product authorization key (PAK) check failure occurs.

FThe PAK termination date is the date when the license PAK will expire.

HThe PAK release date is the date of the most recent release date of the Gsoftware package that will be permitted by the particular license PAK. F(The release date check is analogous to a product version check.) The HPAK version indicates the most recent product version that is permitted by the license.

DHaving multiple license PAKs registered (and active) can also cause Aproblems if an expired PAK gets loaded. You will want to DISABLE ,license PAKs you do not wish to have loaded.

EOther problems include a failure to register each PAK in all license Gdatabases throughout a multiple-system-disk cluster, with a consistent Cset of /INCLUDE lists specified across each of the duplicated PAKs.

AAdditionally, you could have an invalid LMF$LICENSE logical name Bdefined. (If no LMF$LICENSE logical name is defined, the standard @license database named SYS$SYSTEM:LMF$LICENSE.LDB will be used.)

HYou can display license failures by defining the following logical name:

 

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1$ DEFINE/SYS/EXEC LMF$DISPLAY_OPCOM_MESSAGE TRUE 




CEnable your terminal as a license operator (REPLY/ENABLE=LICENSE), Ddefine the LMF$DISPLAY_OPCOM_MESSAGE logical name, and then try the Cfailing operation again. You should see one or more OPCOM messages displayed.

HIf you have the LMF$DISPLAY_OPCOM_MESSAGE logical name defined, you can D(will?) see spurious license check failures---various products will Dcheck for multiple licenses, and a few products will check for PAKs Ethat either have not yet been or will not be issued. Once you figure Eout which license has failed, you will want to deassign this logical name.

HNote: that there is no license check failure does NOT indicate that the ?particular product or operation is permissible per the license.

HTo register a license PAK on a DECwindows system when DECwindows cannot Bstart (because of an expired license or other licensing problem), =follow the steps outlined in section MGMT5 up through step 4 H(inclusive). Using the console---analogous to what is done in step 5 to Gaccess the OpenVMS AUTHORIZE utility---use the console to register the license PAKs.a

5.39 Changing the OpenVMS Version Number?



HFool your friends, baffle your enemies, run the OpenVMS version of your choice!

On OpenVMS Alpha systems:

 

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#$ SET DEFAULT SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR] 
$ RUN SYSVER 
REPLACE V9.9 WRITE $ EXIT 




On OpenVMS VAX systems:

 

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#$ set default SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR] &$ copy SYS.EXE SYS.EXE_IN-CASE-I-FAIL $ patch SYS.EXE define sys$gq_version=800044b8 set mode ascii !examine sys$gq_version !examine sys$gq_version+4 "deposit sys$gq_version   = "V9.9" "deposit sys$gq_version+4 = "    " update exit $ Exit 




'Then reboot the system at your leisure.r

5.40 How to prevent users from choosing obvious passwords?



GTo prevent users from selecting obvious passwords on OpenVMS, you will Bwant to use the reserved password (password screening) mechanism. @Effectively, you merge your list of reserved passwords into the Fexisting reserved words database maintained by OpenVMS. (You can also Fthen require all users to reset their passwords---via the pre-expired Fpassword mechanism---thus forcing users to select new passwords.) For Fdetails on the password screening mechanism, of the reserved password Edatabase (VMS$PASSWORD_DICTIONARY.DATA), and details of how to merge Dyour list of prohibited passwords into the database, please see the Fassociated chapter in the OpenVMS security manual. For details of the Cpassword expiration mechanism, see the AUTHORIZE command qualifier /PWDEXPIRED.

@You can also implement a site-specific password filter with the Einformation provided in the back of the OpenVMS Programming Concepts Dmanual. The password filter permits you to establish particular and Hsite-specific password requirements. For details, please see the system parameter LOAD_PWD_POLICY=and the programming concepts manual, and see the examples in ESYS$EXAMPLES:. (Examples and documentation on V7.3 and later reflect Cboth platforms, the examples are found only on OpenVMS VAX kits on Dearlier releases. The capabilities have existed on both the VAX and #Alpha platforms for some time now.)

CTo verify current passwords, you can also use a technique known to Fsystem crackers as the "dictionary attack"---the mechanism that makes Ethis attack somewhat more difficult on OpenVMS is the hashing scheme >used on OpenVMS, and the file protections used for the SYSUAF Hauthorization database. Given a dictionary of words and the unprotected Ccontents of the SYSUAF file, a search for obvious passwords can be =performed. Interestingly, a "dictionary attack" also has the Eunfortunate side-effect of exposing the password to the user---while Hthis is clearly the goal of a system cracker, authorized privileged and Cnon-privileged system users should not know nor have access to the %(cleartext) passwords of other users.

EAccordingly, OpenVMS does not store the cleartest password. Further, HOpenVMS uses a password hashing algorithm, not an encryption algorithm. HThis means that storage of a cleartext password is deliberated avoided, Fand the cleartext value is deliberately very difficult to obtain. The Bhash is based on a Purdy Polynomial, and the hash itself includes Guser-specific values in addition to the password, values that make the 1results of the password hash unique to each user.

FRegardless of the use of a password hashing scheme, if a copy of your Dpassword file should become available to a system cracker, you will 9want to force all users to use new passwords immediately.

EIf you should require a user to verify a password, use the username, Cthe user's salt value (this value is acquired via $getuai) and the Fuser's specified cleartext password, and compare the resulting hashed @value (using a call to $hash_password) against the saved hashed Fpassword value (this value also acquired via $getqui). For reasons of Esecurity, avoid saving a cleartext password value in any data files, Aand do not maintain the cleartext password in memory longer than ;required. (Use of $ACM on V7.3-1 and later is recommended.)

DKerberos authentication (client and server) is available on OpenVMS HV7.3 and later. Integration of Kerberos support into various Compaq and &into third-party products is expected.

GExternal authentication is available in V7.3-1 and later, with support Ffor user-written external authentication expected in V7.3-2 and later.

DIf you are simply looking for OpenVMS access and the SYSTEM and all Cother privileged passwords are forgotten or otherwise unavailable, hplease see section Section 5.5 and/or the OpenVMS documentation set.

AAlso please see the C2 guidelines in the OpenVMS security manual.l

5.41 Please help me with the OpenVMS BACKUP utility?

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5.41.1 Why isn't BACKUP/SINCE=BACKUP working?



GIf you are seeing more files backed up than previously, you are seeing Ethe result of a change that was made to ensure BACKUP can perform an Gincrementation restoration of the files. In particular, if a directory Hfile modification date changes, all files underneath it are included in @the BACKUP, in order to permit incremental restoration should a directory file get renamed.`

5.41.1.1 Why has OpenVMS gone through the agony of this change?



DWhen a directory is renamed, the modified date is changed. When the Erestoration needs to restore the directory and its contents, and the Hrestoration should not result in the restoration of the older directory @name when a series of incremental BACKUPs are restored. Thus an Aincremental BACKUP operation needs to pick up all of the changes.

HConsider performing an incremental restoration, to test the procedures. EThis testing was how OpenVMS Engineering found out about the problem ?that was latent with the old BACKUP selection scheme---the old Hincremental BACKUP scheme would have missed restoring any files under a @renamed directory. Hence the change to the selection mechanisms Dmentioned in Section 5.41.1.T

5.41.1.2 Can you get the old BACKUP behaviour back?



AYes, please see the /NOINCREMENTAL qualifier available on recent FOpenVMS versions (and ECO kits). Use of this qualifier informs BACKUP Bthat you are aware of the limitations of the old BACKUP behaviour %around incremental disk restorations.T

5.41.2 What can I do to improve BACKUP performance?



EUse the documented commands in the manual for performing incremental EBACKUPs. Use the documented incremental procedures. Don't try to use 2incremental commands in a non-incremental context.

GAlso consider understanding and then using /NOALIAS, which will likely Gbe a bigger win than will anything to do with the incremental BACKUPs, Hparticularly on system disks and any other disks with directory aliases.

:See the OpenVMS V6.2 release notes for additional details.K

5.41.3 Why is BACKUP not working as expected?



%First, PLEASE READ THE BACKUP MANUAL.

.Second, PLEASE GET THE CURRENT BACKUP ECO KIT.

DBACKUP has a very complex interface, and there are numerous command Hexamples and extensive user documentation available. For a simpler user ;interface for BACKUP, please see the documentation for the BACKUP$MANAGER tool.

2As for recent BACKUP changes, oddities, bugs, etc:



+When working with BACKUP, you will want to:



*When working with the BACKUP callable API:

K

5.41.4 How do I fix a corrupt BACKUP saveset?



DBACKUP savesets can be corrupted by FTP file transfers and by tools Gsuch as zip (particularly when the zip tool has not been asked to save Hand restore OpenVMS file attributes or when it does not support OpenVMS <file attributes), as well as via other means of corruptions.

FIf you have problems with the BACKUP savesets after unzipping them or Bafter an FTP file transfer, you can try restoring the appropriate "saveset attributes using the tool:

 

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'$ @RESET_BACKUP_SAVESET_ATTRIBUTES.COM 




BThis tool is available on the OpenVMS Freeware (in the [000TOOLS] Adirectory). The Freeware is available at various sites---see the DFreeware location listings elsewhere in the FAQ---and other similar .tools are also available from various sources.

EIn various cases, a SET FILE/ATTRIBUTES command can also be used. As Cthe parameters of this command must be varied as the target BACKUP :saveset attributes vary, this approach is not recommended.

AAlso see the "SITE VMS", /FDL, and various other file-attributes Eoptions available in various FTP tools. (Not all available FTP tools %support any or all of these options.)

HBrowser downloads (via FTP) and incorrect (binary or ascii FTP transfer Gmodes) are notorious for causing RMS file corruptions and particularly ABACKUP saveset corruptions. You can sometimes help encourage the Cbrowser to select the correct FTP transfer type code (via RFC1738):



FYou can also often configure the particular web browser to choose the Cappropriate transfer mode by default, based on the particular file Gextensions, using a customization menu available in most web browsers. FYou can select that the specific file extentions involved use the FTP Gbinary transfer mode, which will reduce the number of corruptions seen.V

5.41.5 How do I write a BACKUP saveset to a remote tape?

Fp>How to do this correctly was described at DECUS long ago. On the DOpenVMS host with the tape drive, create the following SAVE-SET.FDL file:

 

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RECORD &        FORMAT                  fixed %        SIZE                    8192 




Then create BACKUP_SERVER.COM:

 

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$ ! @$ ! BACKUP_SERVER.COM - provide remote tape service for BACKUP. $ ! $ set noon $ set rms/network=16 $ allocate mka500 tapedev 3$ mount/nounload/over:id/block=8192/assist tapedev 1$ convert/fdl=SAVE-SET sys$net tapedev:save-set. $ dismount/unload tapedev $ stop/id=0 




AOn the node where you want to do the backup, use the DCL command:

 

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$ backup -     srcfilespec - 9    node"user pwd"::"task=backup_server"/block=8192/save 




GOne area which does not function here is the volume switch; multi-reel Eor multi-cartridge savesets. Since the tape is being written through FDECnet and RMS and the magtape ACP, BACKUP won't see the media switch Hand will split an XOR group across the reel boundary. BACKUP might well @be willing to read such a multi-reel or multi-cartridge saveset G(directly, not over the net) as the XOR blocks are effectively ignored Euntil and unless needed for error recovery operations. BACKUP likely Awill not be able to perform an XOR-based recovery across reel or cartridge boundaries.

GUnfortunately BACKUP can't read tapes over the network because the RMS Dfile attributes on a network task access look wrong; the attributes )reported include variable length records.




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