Troubleshooting Procedures

The following sections describe procedures that you can follow if you encounter problems with your system.

If the System Does Not Boot

If the system does not boot because a hardware problem occurs, a question mark(?) usually precedes the error message displayed on the console terminal. An example of a hardware problem is a read error on a disk.

For Hardware Problems

If you suspect a hardware problem, do the following:

  1. Consult the hardware manual for your Alpha computer.

  2. Contact an HP support representative.

For Software Problems

When the operating system is loaded into memory, a message similar to the following is displayed on the terminal screen:

SYSTEM   job terminated at 27-AUG-2004 15:05:03.17

If the system does not display this message, a software problem has probably occurred. Do the following:

  1. Turn off the system. Turn it back on and try to reboot.

  2. Perform a conversational boot using the default system parameters or try one of the emergency boot procedures described in Section .

  3. If the system boots, run the AUTOGEN procedure. For more information about the AUTOGEN procedure, see the HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Detecting and Responding to System Problems

If your system exhibits unexpected behavior, note the following:

  • If the system displays a bugcheck message on the console terminal and shuts itself down, it means the system encountered a problem that made further operation impossible or dangerous. If the system does not reboot automatically, set up your system to boot automatically as explained in Section , or reboot the system manually as explained in Section .

  • If the system stops responding to your commands (that is, the system “hangs”), there is a possible failure in a system software or hardware component or a possible power failure.

  • If the system exhibits erratic behavior (it does not respond according to specifications), it indicates a possible failure in a system software or hardware component.

To determine whether the failure is a system problem:

  • Be sure that you did not press F1 (the Hold Screen key). The Hold Screen light goes on when you press either F1 or press Ctrl/S.

  • Press Ctrl/T to check the status of your process. A status line should appear, indicating the name of the program that is executing and other information. If the status line does not appear, the program you are executing might be stalled or “hanging.” (If you have disabled Ctrl/T by entering the command SET NOCONTROL=T or have set the terminal to NOBROADCAST mode by entering the command SET TERMINAL/NOBROADCAST, this procedure does not work.)

  • Make sure the cable connecting the terminal or monitor to the system is secure.

If you determine that you have a system problem:

  1. Force an exit from a stalled or hanging program by pressing Ctrl/Y. Note that when you press Ctrl/Y, any work performed by the program and not saved on disk is lost.

  2. If the system is still unresponsive, halt it by pressing either Ctrl/P or Halt. (See Section  for more information about how to halt your Alpha computer.)

  3. Note in detail the sequence of events that caused the problem and notify an HP support representative.