HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

HP OpenVMS Version 8.3 New Features and Documentation Overview

Before creating a VLAN device, make sure that the hosting VLAN-capable physical LAN device is connected to a VLAN-capable switch. Also make sure that the selected switch port is configured to handle VLAN-tagged traffic.

The following sections contain additional VLAN management details.

3.21.2.1 Probing a Switch Port

To make it easier to manage VLAN devices, OpenVMS LAN includes limited support for IEEE 802.1Q management functions. A LANCP qualifier helps you probe a switch port and list VLAN configuration information. The new command is the following:

LANCP> SHOW DEVICE PHYSICAL-LAN-DEVICE/VLAN

After you enter the command, LANCP listens for IEEE 802.1Q GVRP (Generic Attribute Registration Protocol) VLAN Registration Protocol packets and displays the following:

• The VLAN tags that have been configured on the switch port
• The VLAN devices that have been configured on the physical LAN device

For example:

LANCP> SHOW DEVICE LLB /VLAN

Listening for VLAN configuration on LLBO ......
   VLAN tag 190 configured as VLB
   VLAN tag 206 configured as VLJ
   VLAN tag 207 not configured

This command shows VLAN information only if GVRP capability is enabled on the switch port.

3.21.2.2 Creating a VLAN Device

To create a VLAN device, enter a LANCP command using the following format:

LANCP> SET DEVICE VLc/VLAN_DEVICE=PHYSICAL-LAN-DEVICE/
TAG=value

where:

• VLc is the name of the virtual LAN device (c is the controller letter a - z).
• PHYSICAL-LAN-DEVICE is the LN device that will host the VLAN.
• value is the IEEE 802.1Q tag. (The valid range is 1 - 4095.)

For example:

LANCP> SET DEVICE VLA/VLAN=EIB/TAG=42

This command fails if the physical LAN device does not exist, if the physical LAN device is not VLAN-capable, or if the VLAN tag is invalid.

Associating a Text Description with a LAN Device

Also new in this version of OpenVMS, you can associate a text description with a LAN device. You do this by entering a LANCP SET or DEFINE DEVICE command with the qualifier /DESCRIPTION=<quoted-string> to provide the additional context. For example, to identify a VLAN device as part of the "Finance VLAN", enter the following command:

LANCP> SET DEVICE VLA/DESCRIPTION="Finance VLAN"

To deactivate a VLAN device, use the following command format:

LANCP> SET DEVICE VLc/NOVLAN

This command fails if the device is in use, that is, if other applications are still using the device.

3.21.2.4 Displaying VLAN Device Information

To display information about the VLAN device, enter the LANCP commands SHOW DEVICE and SHOW CONFIGURATION. For example:

LANCP> SHOW DEVICE VLK/CHARACTERISTICS

Device Characteristics VLKO:
                  Value   Characteristic
                  _____   ______________
                  ...
                  "206"   VLAN 802.1Q tag
                    "1"   VLAN device flags
    "Procurve 2315 P15"   VLAN description
                Link Up   Link state

Device Parent Medium/User Version Link Speed Duplex Size     MAC Address    Current Address   Type
------ ------ ----------- ------- ---- ----- ------ ---- ----------------- ----------------- ----
EWA0          Ethernet    X-51    Up   1000  Full   1500 00-D0-59-61-72-F3 AA-00-04-00-1B-4D UTP DEGXA-TA
EWB0          Ethernet    X-51    Up    100  Full   1500 00-D0-59-61-72-D8 00-D0-59-61-72-D8 UTP DEGXA-TA
EWC0          Ethernet    X-59    Up   1000  Full   1500 00-60-CF-21-71-9C AA-00-00-21-71-9C UTP DEGPA-TA
EWD0          Ethernet    X-59    Up   1000  Full   1500 00-60-CF-20-9A-C6 00-60-CF-20-9A-C6 UTP DEGPA-TA
EIA0          Ethernet    X-16    Up   1000  Full   1500 00-12-79-9E-20-AE AA-00-04-00-1B-4D UTP AB352A
EIB0          Ethernet    X-16    Up   1000  Full   1500 00-12-79-9E-20-AF 00-12-79-9E-20-AF UTP AB352A
LLB0          Ethernet    X-19    Up   1000  Full   1500 AA-00-00-21-71-9C AA-00-00-21-71-9C DEGPA-TA
VLB0          Ethernet    X-BA1   Up   1000  Full   1500 AA-00-00-21-71-9C AA-00-00-21-71-9C LLB
VLC0          Ethernet    X-BA1   Up   1000  Full   1500 00-12-79-9E-20-AF 00-12-79-9E-20-AF UTP EIB
VLD0          Ethernet    X-BA1   Down  100  Full   1500 00-00-00-00-00-00 00-00-00-00-00-00
VLJ0          Ethernet    X-BA1   Up   1000  Full   1500 AA-00-00-21-71-9C AA-00-00-21-71-9C LLB
VLK0          Ethernet    X-BA1   Up   1000  Full   1500 00-12-79-9E-20-AE AA-00-04-00-1B-4D UTP EIA

Most VLAN problems are related to configuration. A list of things to check when you are troubleshooting a VLAN problem:

1. To OpenVMS, not all LAN devices are VLAN-capable. If you attempt to create a VLAN device on a non-VLAN-capable device, LANCP displays an error message.
   To verify that a LAN device is VLAN-capable, use SDA to check device characteristics by entering the following commands:

   $ ANALYZE/SYSTEM SDA> SHOW LAN/DEVICE=physical-device-name or SDA> LAN DEVICE/DEVICE=physical-device-name

   
   VLAN bit 4 should be set in the device characteristics, which the text string "VLAN" indicates.
2. Verify that VLAN capability is enabled on the switch port that is connected to your LAN device and that the correct VLAN tag is configured. If GVRP is enabled on the switch, you can verify that the VLAN tag is enabled by entering the following LANCP command:

   LANCP> SHOW DEVICE physical-device-name/VLAN

   
   This command displays the VLAN tags configured on the switch port. Next, verify that the tag displayed is the one that was used to create the VLAN device.
3. Verify that the VLAN device was configured correctly. Enter the following command to see the characteristics and status maintained by the VLAN driver:

   LANCP> SHOW DEVICE vlan-device-name/INTERNAL_COUNTERS

   
   For example:

   LANCP> SHOW DEVICE VLC/INTERNAL_COUNTERS Device Internal Counters VLCO: Value Counter _____ _______ --- Internal Driver Counters --- " EIB" Device name 00000001 Device Flag 1 <online> 190 VLAN Tag ID 86514000 Physical LSB 11834 Failure status FFFFFFFF 805E28CC Failure PC

   
   Check the following:
   1. The device name and tag should be the same as those specified when you created the VLAN device.
   2. Verify that the "online" bit is set on the Device Flag 1 field; if not, the failure status might provide more information.
   3. The physical LSB field is the address of the LAN physical device LSB (LAN Station Block) structure. To look at the characteristics and status of this device, enter the following commands:

      $ ANALYZE/SYSTEM SDA> LAN DEVICE/ADDRESS=physical LSB address

For more information about OpenVMS VLAN support, see the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

3.22 Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS

The following new features for HP Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS are available in OpenVMS Version 8.3:

• Automatic bitmap creation on volume processing
• New SET SHADOW qualifier, /RESET

Automatic bitmap creation on volume processing means that an existing HBMM bitmap is made available to function as a minicopy bitmap when connectivity to one or more shadow set members is lost and is not restored during the shadow member timeout period.

When such connectivity is lost, the shadow set is paused for volume processing---that is, writes and reads are temporarily suspended until connectivity is restored or the timeout period (established by the value of SHADOW_MBR_TMO) expires, whichever comes first.

If connectivity is not restored by the end of the timeout period, the member or members are expelled from the shadow set, read and write I/O to the remaining member or members resumes, and the bitmap keeps track of the writes. The bitmap, whose name has changed from HBMMx to rrsex, functions as a minicopy bitmap for the member or members that were expelled.

When connectivity is restored to one of the expelled shadow set members, you can mount it back into the shadow set. If the expelled member's metadata matches a bitmap that exists, it is used for a minicopy operation to restore that member to the shadow set. If a second shadow set member was removed at the same time, that member can also use that bitmap. After the members are restored to the shadow set, the name of the bitmap reverts to its HBMM bitmap name.

The reasons to minimize the time when one or more members are expelled from a shadow set are:

• During a period of reduced membership of the shadow set, data availability is at risk.
• If a shadow set member is expelled, reads and writes to the remaining members continue. The more writes that take place before the expelled member or members are returned, the longer it takes to restore the member or members to the shadow set. This is especially significant in a disaster tolerant (DT) configuration.

Before the introduction of automatic bitmap creation on volume processing, returning expelled members to a shadow set, after connectivity was restored, was a lengthy process. The expelled members could be returned only by undergoing a full copy. The availability of a bitmap enables the use of a minicopy operation, which takes considerably less time than a full copy operation.

To enable automatic bitmap creation on volume processing, you need to establish an HBMM policy for the shadow sets, and include the new MULTIUSE keyword in the policy. For more information, refer to the HBMM chapter in the HP OpenVMS Version 8.2 New Features and Documentation Overview manual.

3.22.2 New SET SHADOW /RESET Qualifier

The /RESET qualifier to the SET SHADOW command is introduced in this release. SET SHADOW/RESET=COUNTERS resets the shadowing-specific counters that are maintained for each shadow set.

The counters that are reset to 0 are:

HBMM Reset Count
Copy Hotblocks
Copy Collisions
SCP Merge Repair Cnt
APP Merge Repair Cnt

You can display the current settings of these counters using the SHOW SHADOW command.

The HBMM Reset Count refers to how many times the RESET_THRESHOLD value was met. The RESET_THRESHOLD is the setting which determines how frequently a bitmap is cleared. With the ability to clear the HBMM Reset Count, system managers can better gauge the rate of threshold resets.

For a complete description of SET SHADOW/RESET, refer to the HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary: N--Z and DCL Help.

This chapter describes the creation (or mastering) of CD or DVD media on OpenVMS.

The process of mastering CD or DVD media includes the following tasks:

1. Creating a disk volume structure in a staging area
2. Populating that structure with the required files
3. Copying the master onto the target optical media

On OpenVMS, you must use a logical disk (LD) device as the staging area and DCL commands such as INITIALIZE, MOUNT, COPY, and BACKUP to generate and populate the disk volume in the staging area. You can then copy the contents of the disk volume by using the COPY/RECORDABLE_MEDIA command.

4.1 LD, CD, and DVD Device Concepts

The following sections discuss concepts that pertain to mastering optical media on OpenVMS.

4.1.1 Logical Disk Devices

A logical disk (LD) device provides a mechanism for staging the master copy of the data to be written to the optical media. You can create the source for the recording operation using an LD disk device and then enter the COPY/RECORDABLE_MEDIA command to transfer the master onto the optical media.

You use the LD utility to create and manage LD disk devices. You can then initialize, mount, and access these LD disk devices using standard OpenVMS DCL commands.

For more information about LD disk devices, see the HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual.

4.1.2 CD and DVD Devices

You can use various recording formats with optical media devices. In general, OpenVMS can read formats that correspond to the target device you use.

OpenVMS can record the following four media formats:

The particular characteristics and capabilities of the target CD and DVD devices are specific to the system, the recording device, and the recording media. For example, the local hardware and software configuration can further restrict the maximum permissible CD recording speed to a value less than the speed supported by the CD recording device. You might attempt to record a CD from an OpenVMS system that does not have the I/O bandwidth you need to keep the data cache of the target CD device from underflowing. However, such attempts can result in recording errors and failures, and can waste recording media.

Recording devices can support a variety of recording formats and media. Conversely, OpenVMS or a particular device might not support a particular recording format. For the currently supported device hardware and their associated platform configurations, see the following Web site:

Find your particular I64 or Alpha platform, and then look for the support matrix for that platform.

4.2 General Steps for Mastering Data Disks

The steps for mastering (sometimes called recording or burning) optical media are the following:

1. Start to create an OpenVMS logical disk (LD) by entering the following command:

   $ @SYS$STARTUP:LD$STARTUP.COM

   Note LD$STARTUP requires the TMPMBX, NETMBX, and SYSLCK privileges. The COPY/RECORDABLE_MEDIA command, used later in these steps, is installed with the necessary privileges.

   
   Enter this command only once each time the OpenVMS system is booted. To have the system perform the command for you, include the command in your site-specific SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM system startup procedure. In this way, the command executes each time the OpenVMS system is bootstrapped.
2. Create a logical disk (LD) to act as the staging area for your media master. This LD disk device appears and operates like a standard physical disk device but also provides flexibility because it can be easily sized or resized. In addition, you can create or delete the device as needed.
   The LD driver, which enables you to connect to and manage an LD disk device, uses a back-up storage file that allows the contents of the LD disk device to be preserved over a reboot. The capacity of the LD disk device---and the corresponding size of the back-up file---must be equal to or larger than the size of the files and the volume structure data to be stored. The capacity of the LD disk device must also be equal to or smaller than the capacity of the target optical media. The contents of the master must fit on the target media.
   Approximate maximum capacities are usually the following:

   Media	Maximum Blocks	Capacity
   CD-R	1,200,000 blocks	600 MB/s
   CD-RW	1,400,000 blocks	700 MB/s
   Single-layer DVD+R	9,180,416 blocks	4.6 GB/s
   Single-layer DVD+RW	9,180,416 blocks	4.6 GB/s

   
   You can create sizes up to the maximum for the target media. Because optical media uses a sector size of 4 blocks (2048 bytes), you must always create and use an LD disk device with a capacity that is a multiple of 4 blocks. HP recommends that you use a multiple of 16 blocks.
3. To create your LD master, first create an LD backing storage file for the master. Use a command similar to the following:

   $ LD CREATE /size=9180416 filespec.ISO

   
   You need to create this LD storage file only once.
4. Connect the LD storage file to an LD logical disk. Use a command similar to the following:

   $ LD CONNECT filespec.ISO LDA1:

   
   You need to reconnect the LD disk device once each time the OpenVMS system bootstraps. You can include the LD CONNECT command in the SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM site-specific system startup and have the system execute the command for you each time the system bootstraps.
5. Prepare the master for use.
   Consider erasing the LD master completely before proceeding. This action prevents you from unintentionally disclosing confidential information about your local system. You can erase the disk master in various ways, including using the DCL command INITIALIZE/ERASE if you are creating an ODS-2 or ODS-5 volume structure.
   If you choose to use the OpenVMS ODS-2 or ODS-5 volume structure for your target media, use the DCL command INITIALIZE to create the volume structures. Then use the standard MOUNT command to make the master disk volume accessible to other OpenVMS commands:
   Use commands similar to the following:

   $ INITIALIZE LDA1: volume-label - /SYSTEM [/ERASE] [/...] - [/CLUSTER=n] [/STRUCTURE=n] [/...] $ MOUNT LDA1: volume-label

6. Once the volume structure is available, you can copy the data onto the master.
   The data to be copied onto the LD master can include data files, installation kits, executable images, tools, or other files. As with a standard physical disk formatted as an ODS-2 or ODS-5 volume, you can use the BACKUP, COPY, CREATE/DIRECTORY, and other standard DCL commands and procedures to create the contents of the LD master.
   If you plan to use ODS-2 or ODS-5 volume structures, avoid placing OpenVMS security identifiers or ACLs on the master. These are system specific and can unexpectedly allow or deny access when you mount or access the recorded media on other OpenVMS systems.
7. After copying your selected contents onto the LD disk device containing the master, dismount the device using a command similar to the following:

   $ DISMOUNT LDA1:

8. Record the contents of the LD master onto the optical media.
   First place the appropriate blank media in the optical media disk drive. Then enter a command similar to the following:

   $ COPY/RECORDABLE_MEDIA LDA1: DQA0: - _$ [/FORMAT][/BELL][/SPEED=speed][/VERIFY]

   
   This command copies the contents of the LDA1: master to the target device.
   In this example, note the following:
   • The target device is assumed to be DQA0: and is assumed to have rewritable media loaded. The particular target device name can vary according to your local hardware configuration.
   • The /FORMAT qualifier is applicable only with rewritable media; it causes the rewritable media to be erased and to be prepared for recording.
   • Specifying the /SPEED qualifier reduces the recording speed from the default speed calculation; this might be necessary if your attempted CD or DVD recordings fail with buffer underrun or data starvation errors, or (when recording CD formats) if you use underrated CD media (that is, CD media rated for speeds less than those of your CD recording device).
     You can use /SPEED to select the CD or DVD recording speed up to the I/O performance of the local OpenVMS system. Use of this qualifier is limited to the maximum recording speed ratings for the target drive and for the target recording media.
     Remember that /SPEED is more a go-slow than a go-fast mechanism. You need to choose to "go slow" when something goes wrong, such as when you use low-quality media or partially defective media.
   
   Differences exist between CD and DVD media in encoding a maximum speed:
   • CD media does not encode a maximum speed, although the media is manufactured with a maximum speed rating. Because there is no encoded limit, you can easily exceed the rated speed when recording.
   • DVD media encodes a maximum speed; the recording speed cannot exceed the rated limit for the media.
   
   Regardless of the media, other limits within the configuration can dictate a lower maximum recording speed; above this maximum speed, the recording operation fails.
   The /BELL qualifier specifies that a bell sound on completion of the operation.
   After the recording operation completes, the /VERIFY qualifier requests that OpenVMS read and compare the contents of the recorded media with the input data.
9. After successfully mastering your optical media, and you no longer need the particular LD logical disk for mastering, you can recover the disk storage occupied by the associated back-up storage file. Enter the following commands to disconnect and remove the LDA1: device from the system. You can then delete the back-up storage file:

   $ LD DISCONNECT LDA1: $ DELETE filespec.ISO;*