VAXStation II/GPX and boot from DECNA (Ethernet)

[tomeucapo]

Hello

I restoring old VAXStation II/GPX model 630QV with 190MB Maxtor Hard Drive MFM. Hard disk is dead and try to boot machine throw DEQNA (Ethernet card) using MOP. But I'm not sure how to create install server over other VMS machine and boodup MicroVMS installation over VAXStation.
I try to install mopd daemon over FreeBSD machine but nothing.

>>> b xqa0

And wait and wait, return error and return to console command prompt.

Any ideas?

 

[nadaveiron]

The easiest, if you have another VMS machine is to set up the VAXStation as a diskless VAXcluster satellite member. It's pretty straight forward, but you need your other machine to be set up to be part of a cluster first. In more recent versions of OpenVMS the info is in the Cluster Systems Manual, but it's been not too different in older versions too. @sys$manager:cluster_config is your friend.

 

[tomeucapo]

The easiest, if you have another VMS machine is to set up the VAXStation as a diskless VAXcluster satellite member. It's pretty straight forward, but you need your other machine to be set up to be part of a cluster first. In more recent versions of OpenVMS the info is in the Cluster Systems Manual, but it's been not too different in older versions too. @sys$manager:cluster_config is your friend.

The other VAX is VAXStation 4000-60 with OpenVMS 7.3 but I don’t know where to find installation packages of VAXCluster system. Maybe on bitsavers?

Thanks for advance

 

[nadaveiron]

With 7.3 all the clustering components are included in the base media. If you have 7.3 install media, you got everything you need. You just need to enable clustering.

 

[tomeucapo]

With 7.3 all the clustering components are included in the base media. If you have 7.3 install media, you got everything you need. You just need to enable clustering.

Unfortunately, I don't have base media of 7.3. I have installed system but I don't have media of it.

 

[nadaveiron]

There are kits online. A quick search turned out this (never tried it myself - there are others). It may also be that you actually just need to enable it on the system you have installed. Read the Cluster Systems Manual I linked to above (it's for 7.3)

 

[nadaveiron]

BTW, you can also try and use a simh-ed machine to set up the cluster rather than your physical 4000-60. There are several tutorials online about how to set up a VAX cluster on simh.

 

[tomeucapo]

BTW, you can also try and use a simh-ed machine to set up the cluster rather than your physical 4000-60. There are several tutorials online about how to set up a VAX cluster on simh.

Now I installed MicroVAX 4.6 into my SIMH and works. I go to take time to read documentation how about to create cluster.

 

[tomeucapo]

There are kits online. A quick search turned out this (never tried it myself - there are others). It may also be that you actually just need to enable it on the system you have installed. Read the Cluster Systems Manual I linked to above (it's for 7.3)

Thanks now I prepare my SIMH virtual machine and learn how to create cluster.

 

[tomeucapo]

Now I configured machine on SIMH with MicroVMS 4.6 and configure NCP area and node (1.1) number and SCSSYSTEMID. Then I check network connectivity with my VAXStation 4000-60 physical machine connected also with same Ethernet and configured address (1.2). And reach my physical machine from virtual VMS machine with SET HOST:



Then Ill try to enable SERVICE over CIRCUIT QNA0 on MicroVMS to boot over DECNet from my other physical VAXStation II/GPX with DEQNA Ethertnet CARD + H3350 AUI Transceiver. And configure node on NCP with Load file:



But when goes to VAXStation II/GPX machine console and do: b XQA0 ... Nothing happends except 2... and waiting and nothing until pass time and says
06 HLT INST

?15 CORRPTN

Try to see any logs into server and found this:



Strange because I configured Load file to SYS$COMMON:[MOM$LOAD]VMB.EXE.

Any ideas?

 

[tomeucapo]

Hello,

Now I solved creating new VMS machine over SIMH with VMS 4.6 and cluster configuration. Using this installation procedure to boot machine over network:

Installing, Configuring, and Testing A VMS V4.7 Local Area VAXcluster on SIMH - Computer History Wiki

gunkies.org

They works fine. I tested with other SIMH instance as satellite node and bootup over XQA0, on master VMS show OPCOM event messages:



And machine boots up!

But when I'll try to boot my VAXStation II/GPX from console with b xqa0, machine waits and waits and waits and finally
outputs CTRLERR (maybe controller had an issue?).

I continue with battle ...

 

[tomeucapo]

Appears my DEQNA its broken because I swapped by other DEQNA Card and now VAXStation II boot from XQA0.
Configured node with @SATELLITE_CONFIG and boot with b xqa0 now boots up from network.