Setting Up the InfoServer Server

At least one system in the LAN must be designated as the InfoServer server. For OpenVMS Integrity servers Version 8.4 and later, if you select to boot via memory disk by specifying the appropriate boot flag and service name, make sure that the LAN server and the Boot server are the same system. This is the system that hosts the physical DVD drive from which network booting is performed. This system must be running OpenVMS Integrity servers Version 8.2-1 or later or OpenVMS Alpha Version 8.3 or later. The InfoServer software comes as part of the base operating system on these systems.

The following steps are necessary to set up the InfoServer software on the designated system:

  1. Copy SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAD_STARTUP.TEMPLATE to ESS$LAD_STARTUP.DAT (save the ESS$LAD_STARTUP.TEMPLATE file as a backup).

  2. Edit SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAD_STARTUP.DAT to modify parameters as needed. This file configures InfoServer parameters affecting the OpenVMS LASTport/Disk (LAD) server, which allows access to the DVD drive. The following is an example of the configuration file (with default settings):

    !++
! ESS$LAD_STARTUP.TEMPLATE
!
! Copy this file to SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAD_STARTUP.DAT and edit it
! to suit your local situation.
!
! This file is used by SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAD_STARTUP.COM to set up
! the parameters for the InfoServer Application on OpenVMS
! LASTport/Disk (LAD) server.
!
! Note:
! The LAD disk block cache is structured as a number of fixed-size
! buckets.  You must specify both the bucket size and the number of
! buckets for the cache.
!
! The LAD cache is allocated from non-paged pool and is in no way
! associated with the XFC cache. The total LAD cache size in bytes
! may be determined by the formula:
!
! cache-bytes = bucket-size-in-blocks * number-of-buckets * 512
!
! Be sure the SYSGEN parameters NPAGDYN/NPAGEVIR are sized appropriately.
!
! The following keywords with values are accepted by this procedure:
!
!       BUFFER_SIZE -   A number between 3 and 8 denoting the
!                       bucket size in blocks as follows:
!                       3 -   8 blocks
!                       4 -  16 blocks
!                       5 -  32 blocks
!                       6 -  64 blocks
!                       7 - 128 blocks
!                       8 - 256 blocks
!       CACHE_BUCKETS - Number of buckets
!       MAXIMUM_SERVICES - Maximum number of services (max=1024)
!       WRITE_LIMIT -   Server wide count of asynchronous writes
!--

BUFFER_SIZE = 3         ! default (8 block buckets)
CACHE_BUCKETS = 512     ! Default setting
WRITE_LIMIT = 0         ! No async writes
MAXIMUM_SERVICES = 256  ! default (typically more than enough)

    The following table provides a short description of each of the parameters:

    ParameterDescription
    BUFFER_SIZE

    The InfoServer block cache is structured as an array of fixed-size buffers (also called buckets). The BUFFER_SIZE parameter determines the size of each buffer or bucket. The numeric value of this parameter is an integer in the range 3 through 8, representing the bucket size in 512-byte blocks as follows. Bucket sizes larger than 32 blocks might not be appropriate for most users. The OpenVMS client segments I/O requests larger than 31 blocks into 31-block chunks, which could result in excessive I/O activity to the disk. The cache is allocated from nonpaged pool and is dedicated solely to the LAD driver.

     3

    8 blocks (default)

     416 blocks

    		532 blocks

    		664 blocks

    		7128 blocks

    		8256 blocks

    CACHE_BUCKETS

    		Determines the number of buckets in the cache. The default is 512. Numbers larger than 16384 might adversely affect performance. To reach a desirable cache size, consider increasing the BUFFER_SIZE parameter.

    MAXIMUM_SERVICES

    Sets the maximum number of services that can be defined at one time for the server. The value of this parameter must be a power of 2. The default and minimum value is 256 (adequate for most circumstances); the maximum value is 1024. Each service descriptor consumes nonpaged pool; however, unused services consume 4 bytes each.

    WRITE_LIMIT

    The number of asynchronous write operations that can be outstanding for the server at any time. The default is 0 (no outstanding asynchronous write operations).

    NOTE: As indicated in the file comments, the LAD cache comes out of nonpaged pool. If you increase the cache significantly, you might need to increase the nonpaged pool SYSGEN parameters (NPAGEDYN and NPAGEVIR).

  3. Determine which network device will be used for InfoServer LAD operations. You can use any network device that is visible to OpenVMS. Typically, any network device that works with DECnet or TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS should work. Use the LANCP command SHOW CONFIGURATION to determine which device to use, as described in Section .

    For this release of OpenVMS, the LASTport protocol runs on only a single network device. To enable this device, copy the SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAST_STARTUP.TEMPLATE file to the SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAST_STARTUP.DAT file, and then open the SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAST_STARTUP.DAT file and make the following changes:

    1. Remove the comment character (!) from the line that has the following text: DEVICE = (). Within the parentheses, specify the device name. For example: DEVICE = (EIA).

    2. Comment out the line that specifies ALL_CONTROLLERS = ON (comment out a line by inserting an exclamation point (!) at the beginning of the line).

    The following example shows the SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAST_STARTUP.DAT file with the suggested changes made (shown in bold):

    !++
 ! This file will be used to set the appropriate LASTCP qualifiers. The following
 ! LASTCP qualifiers: ALL_CONTROLLERS, CHECKSUM, TRANSMIT_QUOTA, or SLOW_MODE
 ! can be set by using the following statement format:
 ! LASTCP qualifier = 1 to enable   e.g. SLOW_MODE = 1 enables  SLOW_MODE
 ! LASTCP qualifier = 0 to disable  e.g. SLOW_MODE = 0 disables SLOW_MODE
 ! The remaining LASTCP qualifiers will require the appropriate value settings.
 DEVICE          = (EIA)    ! Uncommented; device name specified
 ! TIMEOUT         = n                           minimum interval in seconds
 ! CIRCUIT_MAXIMUM = n                           maximum number of nodes
 ! GROUP           = n                           Group number
 ! NODE_NAME       = name                        Node name
 ! CONTROLLERS     = ([{controller letter,}...]) Controller list
 ! TRANSMIT_QUOTA  = n                           Number of transmit buffers
 !--
 !ALL_CONTROLLERS = ON      ! Commented out

  4. Add the following line to the system startup file SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM:

    @SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAD_STARTUP.COM

  5. If you changed any SYSGEN parameters, run AUTOGEN and reboot (for information about running AUTOGEN, see Section ). If no SYSGEN parameters were changed, you can skip the reboot and execute the SYS$STARTUP:ESS$LAD_STARTUP.COM file manually.

    After you complete these steps, the InfoServer server software is running and available to serve boot requests. The network devices are LAD0 (the LAD Server Virtual Device) and LAST0 (the LAST Transport Layer Virtual Device).

  6. The InfoServer server can run on the same system as the InfoServer client. You might want to start the InfoServer client on this system, allowing the system to mount InfoServer devices. To start the InfoServer on this system, enter the following command at the DCL prompt:

     @SYS$STARTUP:ESS$STARTUP DISK

    To have the InfoServer client start at system boot, include the command in SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

  7. Now that you have set up and enabled the InfoServer server, you must use the InfoServer control program to create a service for the DVD drive. Follow these steps:

    1. Mount the OpenVMS distribution media systemwide. In the following example, DQA0 is the DVD drive name (typically, DQA0 or DNA0 is the drive name) and I64084 is the volume label (for OpenVMS Integrity servers):

      $ MOUNT/SYSTEM DQA0 I64084

    2. Enter the following command at the DCL prompt to define the InfoServer control program as a foreign command, or enter the line in a startup or login command file:

      $ INFOSERVER :== $ESS$INFOSERVER

      Alternatively, you can enter the following command to start the program:

      $ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:ESS$INFOSERVER

    3. Start the InfoServer control program and create the service, as in the following example (the colon after the device name DQA0 is required):

      $ INFOSERVER
INFOSERVER> CREATE SERVICE I64084 DQA0:
INFOSERVER> EXIT

      The created service should now be available for any InfoServer clients in the same LAN (these clients broadcast service solicitations over the LAN).

      Started as in this example, the InfoServer control program accepts multiple commands until you exit by entering the EXIT command (or pressing Ctrl/Z). You can also enter a single command at the DCL prompt, returning you immediately to the DCL prompt again:

      $ INFOSERVER CREATE SERVICE I64084 DQA0:
$

      The InfoServer control program commands are similar, though not identical, to those supported by the hardware InfoServer used traditionally by OpenVMS Alpha systems. For more information, see the InfoServer help (at the InfoServer prompt, enter HELP) or the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

  8. On OpenVMS Alpha systems only, you must perform the following steps:

    1. Enable MOP to use LANACP or DECnet on the system on which the OpenVMS InfoServer utility is being used. For information about enabling MOP, see the LANCP chapter in the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual: A-L.

    2. Copy the APB_084.SYS file from the OpenVMS Alpha distribution media to the MOP download directory (LAN$DLL, which defaults to MOM$SYSTEM).