Digital Equipment digital VAX 8200 User manual

dt
OpenVMS Systems Operations Guide:
VAX 8200 and VAX 8300 Systems
EK–V8283–OG. A01
Digital Equipment Corporation

February, 1993
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not
be construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment
Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document.
Copyright © Digital Equipment Corporation 1993
All Rights Reserved.
Printed in U.S.A.
FCC NOTICE: The equipment described in this manual generates, uses, and may emit
radio frequency energy. The equipment has been type tested and found to comply with
the limits for a Class A computing device pursuant to Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC
Rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such radio frequency
interference when operated in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in
a residential area may cause interference, in which case the user at his own expense may
be required to take measures to correct the interference.
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: CI, HSC, MSCP,
OpenVMS, RT-11, RX50, VAX, VAX 8200, VAX 8300, VAX 8350, VAXBI, VMS, and the
DIGITAL logo.

Contents
About This Guide v
1 Console Subsystem
1.1 Introduction ...................................... 1–1
1.2 Console Terminal . . . ............................... 1–1
1.3 Control Panel ..................................... 1–1
1.4 Console Dual-Diskette Drive . . ....................... 1–5
1.4.1 Inserting or Removing a Diskette ................... 1–5
1.5 Console Command Language . . ....................... 1–7
2 System Boot Procedures
2.1 Introduction ...................................... 2–1
2.2 Boot Command Procedures . . . ....................... 2–2
2.3 The BOOT58 Program .............................. 2–4
2.4 Booting from a Local Drive . . . ....................... 2–6
2.4.1 Automatic Boot . . ............................... 2–6
2.4.2 Manual Boot ................................... 2–7
2.4.3 Creating Auxiliary Boot Command Procedures . . . ...... 2–8
2.4.4 Using Auxiliary Boot Command Procedures ........... 2–11
2.4.5 Writing a New Boot Block on a Local System Disk ...... 2–12
2.5 Booting from an HSC Drive . . . ....................... 2–14
2.5.1 Using the BOOT58 Program ....................... 2–14
2.6 Creating Default Boot Command Procedures ............. 2–17
2.6.1 Booting with DEFBOO.CMD ....................... 2–20
2.6.2 Booting with DEFBOO.GEN ....................... 2–20
2.7 Conversational Boot . ............................... 2–21
2.7.1 Local Drive..................................... 2–21
2.7.2 HSC Drive ..................................... 2–23
2.8 Booting from a Different Directory on the System Disk ..... 2–24
2.9 Booting from SYSF During an Upgrade . . ............... 2–27
iii

iv Contents
3 System Shutdown Procedures
3.1 Orderly Shutdown with SHUTDOWN.COM ............. 3–1
3.2 Emergency Shutdown with CRASH Commands ........... 3–1
4 System Backup Procedures
4.1 Introduction ...................................... 4–1
4.2 Using Standalone BACKUP . . . ....................... 4–2
4.3 Installing Standalone BACKUP on the System Disk . ...... 4–3
4.4 Booting Standalone BACKUP from the System Disk . ...... 4–3
4.5 Installing Standalone BACKUP on Floppy Diskettes . ...... 4–8
4.6 Booting Standalone BACKUP from Floppy Diskettes ...... 4–11
4.7 Backing Up the Console RX50 . ....................... 4–15
Examples
3–1 Sample CRASH Command Sequence ................... 3–3
Figures
1–1 Control Panel ..................................... 1–2
1–2 Inserting a Diskette into CSA2 ....................... 1–6
Tables
1–1 Upper Keylock Switch Settings ....................... 1–2
1–2 Lower Keylock Switch Settings ....................... 1–3
1–3 Indicator Lights ................................... 1–3
1–4 Restart Push Button Functions ....................... 1–4
1–5 Most Commonly Used Console Mode Commands .......... 1–8
2–1 BOOT58 Commands. ............................... 2–4

AboutThisGuide
This document is a quick reference guide of basic systems operations for
VAX 8200 and VAX 8300 systems. It summarizes such system tasks as
booting and console operation as they relate to VAX 8200 and VAX 8300
systems.
Intended Audience
This guide is designed primarily for the following:
• System software support personnel
• Digital Services personnel
• System managers
• Instructors and participants in certain OpenVMS operating system
courses:
Systems Troubleshooting
System and Network Management I, II, and III
Document Scope
This guide describes various aspects of VAX 8200 and VAX 8300 systems
operations including:
• Console subsystem overview
• Operators control panel
• Console command language
• System boot procedures
• System shutdown procedures
• System backup procedures
v

1
ConsoleSubsystem
1.1 Introduction
The console subsystem provides the means to control and monitor system
operations and to examine and deposit data in memory or processor
registers. The console subsystem consists of the following:
• Console terminal
• Control panel
• Console diskette drive
• Console command language
1.2 Console Terminal
The console terminal is a hardcopy terminal which prints a log of
processor activities. Ensure that the terminal always contains enough
paper.
1.3 Control Panel
VAX 8200 and VAX 8300 control panels are nearly identical. The panel is
located on the front of the system cabinet and includes the following:
• A 4-position keylock switch
• A 3-position keylock switch
• Three processor indicator lights
• Restart push button
1–1

1–2 Console Subsystem
Figure 1–1 shows the control panel. Refer to Tables 1–1 to Table 1–4 for
descriptions of the two keylock switches, the three indicator lights, and
the restart push button.
Figure 1–1 Control Panel
Standby
Enable
Secure
Update
Halt
Auto Start Restart
Fault
Battery
Run
ZK−7445−GE
0
Table 1–1 Upper Keylock Switch Settings
Setting Meaning
Off Turns off power in the entire system, including the battery
backup unit. There is no corresponding light for this key
position.
Standby Turns on the power supply, the blower in the main unit, and
system memory; the corresponding indicator light glows red.
Enable When the switch setting is changed from Standby to Enable, the
system self-tests run. When the upper keylock switch is set to
Enable, the corresponding indicator light glows yellow. Power
is supplied to the entire system. You can use the local console
terminal in console mode to control the computer.
If the lower keylock switch is set to Auto Start, pressing the
Restart push button reboots the system.
Secure This setting maintains power to the entire system and is used
for normal operation; the corresponding indicator light glows
green. You cannot use the local console terminal in console mode
to control the processor. You cannot reboot the operating system
by pressing the Restart push button.

Console Subsystem 1–3
Table 1–2 Lower Keylock Switch Settings
Setting Meaning
Update When the lower keylock switch is set to Update, the
corresponding indicator light glows red. You can change data
in the Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
(EEPROM) using the EEPROM utility.
Halt When the lower keylock switch is set to Halt, the corresponding
indicator light glows yellow. The system halts in console
mode. It displays the console-mode prompt (>>>) at the console
terminal when power is turned on after a power failure, after
an error halt, or after a shutdown. This setting prevents
booting of the operating system when power is turned on.
Auto Start When the lower keylock switch is set to Auto Start, the
corresponding indicator light glows green. Use this setting for
normal system operation to let the system reboot automatically
when power is restored after a power failure, after an error
halt, or after a shutdown. If the upper keylock switch is set to
Enable, pressing the Restart push button reboots the system.
Table 1–3 Indicator Lights
Label Meaning
Run Glows when the processor is running and the console subsystem is in
program mode.
Battery Indicates the state of the backup battery unit (BBU):
Indicator State BBU State
Steady glow Fully charged
Slow flashing Charging
Quick flashing Supplying power to system
No light Not present or failed
Fault Glows during self-tests and turns off when self-tests complete
successfully. If the Fault light continues to glow after self-tests
complete, the self-tests have detected a hardware fault. If the Fault
light glows after self-tests complete and the OpenVMS operating
system boots, the system has detected a failure in a hardware module.

1–4 Console Subsystem
Table 1–4 Restart Push Button Functions
Upper Keylock
Switch Setting Lower Keylock Switch Setting Restart Button Function
Enable Autostart Runs self-test and reboots the
OpenVMS operating system
Enable Update or Halt Runs self-test
Stand by or Secure Any position Disabled