HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation
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HP OpenVMS Version 8.3 Upgrade and Installation Manual > Appendix B Configuring OpenVMS I64 Hardware Operation and Boot Operations, and Booting and Shutting Down Your System

Troubleshooting Procedures

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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. Another is a BIB condition in an nPartition on a cell-based server. You can use VFP to check the nPartition boot state. If VFP indicates that all cells in the nPartition are at BIB, the nPartition is inactive and you must use the MP bo command to boot the nPartition past BIB and make it active.

One way to get to the EFI Boot Manager to attempt to reboot is to use the MP rs command.

For more information about using VFP and MP, see your hardware documentation.

For Hardware Problems

If you suspect a hardware problem, do the following:

  1. Consult the hardware manual for your Integrity server.

  2. Contact HP Customer Support.

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-JUL-2006 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 “Emergency Booting”.

  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 “Configuring and Managing OpenVMS Booting on Integrity Servers ”, or reboot the system manually as explained in “Booting Manually from the Local System Disk” .

  • If the system stops responding to your commands (that is, if 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 (Hold Screen). The Hold Screen light turns on when you press either F1 or 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 if you 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, take the following steps:

  1. Force an exit from a stalled or hanging program by pressing Ctrl/Y. Note that pressing Ctrl/Y causes any work performed by the program and not saved on disk to be lost.

  2. If the system is still unresponsive, halt it (see “Halting the Integrity Server to Recover from Hangs and Crashes” for more information.)

  3. Note in detail the sequence of events that caused the problem and notify HP Customer Support.



Halt and Shutdown Procedures
  		 


Appendix C Setting Up and Performing Network Booting