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The Question is: Can I take a image backup from an Alpha 2100 with 6.2.1h3 and restore it over the top of an existing Alpha 4100 with 7.1? If so, can you list some complications, i.e. license, hardware support, etc. Thank you for your support. The Answer is : The Wizard would encourage you to continue to operate on OpenVMS Alpha V7.1. Yes, you can take a BACKUP/IMAGE and restore it pretty much anywhere. Downgrading the operating system and changing the hardware underneath gets rather interesting, however. You may find that controllers or other I/O widgets or software you have installed in your AlphaServer 4100 series system are not supported by OpenVMS Alpha V6.2-1H3 -- without a list of the hardware and software, the Wizard cannot state the requirements with any certainty. Various software considerations could include software dependent on the 64-bit addressing capabilities of V7.1, and any device drivers that are coded for the OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 internals. You may also find you need/want to downgrade your system firmware to match the older OpenVMS Alpha release. You will need to root out any incompatible device-specific references. These can include but are not limited to your DECnet and IP databases, your local command procedures and tools, your local logical names, in application databases, etc. This work can be anything from a easily fixed and generally minor inconvenience, to a major project. You will need to remove any unauthorized license PAKs, and re-register the correct license PAKs for the AlphaServer 4100 series system. You will want to consider software support contracts, as well, as any standard contracts may not cover the older release -- you may need to add a "prior version support" contract. This is certainly not a complete list of the considerations involved in an operating system downgrade.
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