vtServer® vtAlpha/vtVAX Bare Metal V4.0.1
Reference Manual BU-0002-27
vtServer Reference Manual BU-0002-27 (January 2, 2020)
© 2019 AVT/Vere vtAlpha and vtVAX are marketed jointly by AVT and Vere Technologies LLC
Table of Contents
1. First Steps ...... 1 1.1. Why Use Virtualization ...... 3 1.2. Some Terminology ...... 4 1.3. Features Overview ...... 5 2. Installing vtServer ...... 7 2.1. Prerequisites ...... 7 2.2. Installing vtServer on a Hypervisor ...... 8 2.2.1. Impact of Running on a Virtual Host ...... 9 2.2.2. Virtual Host Criteria ...... 10 2.2.3. Performance ...... 10 2.2.4. Shared Resources ...... 10 2.2.5. CPU Requirements ...... 10 2.2.6. USB Port...... 11 2.2.7. Storage ...... 12 2.2.8. Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP) ...... 13 2.2.9. Licensing ...... 14 2.2.10. vtServer Software Installation ...... 14 2.2.11. Hypervisor Specific Information ...... 15 2.2.12. VMware ...... 15 2.2.13. Hyper_V...... 19 2.2.14. KVM ...... 20 2.3. Performing the Installation ...... 21 2.3.1. Upgrade/Repair ...... 21 2.3.2. Install vtServer ...... 22 2.4. Installation of Optional Kits ...... 23 2.5. Install vtLicense ...... 25 2.6. Unattended Installation ...... 26 2.7. Performing an Upgrade ...... 26 2.8. Snapshot Management ...... 27 2.9. Version Updates ...... 29 3. Managing vtServer/vtLicense ...... 30 3.1. Open SSH Console ...... 30 3.2. Backup Host settings ...... 31 3.3. vtScan ...... 33 4. Configuring vtServer/vtLicense ...... 35 4.1. Navigation ...... 35 4.2. Networking ...... 39 4.2.1. Introduction to Virtual Networking ...... 40 4.2.2. Configure Network ...... 44 4.2.3. Using a Virtual Switch ...... 45 4.2.4. Using a Bond ...... 46 4.2.5. Setup a VLAN ...... 48 4.3. Storage ...... 49 4.3.1. Storage Overview ...... 50 4.3.2. Using Physical Disks ...... 52
4.3.3. Creating and Using Logical Disks ...... 54 4.3.4. Tape Image Files ...... 59 4.3.5. CD/DVD Support ...... 61 4.3.6. NFS ...... 64 4.3.7. SMB ...... 66 4.3.8. iSCSI Storage ...... 67 4.3.9. Fiber Channel (SAN) ...... 68 4.4. Hostname ...... 70 4.5. Services ...... 71 4.6. Date and Time ...... 73 4.7. User Management ...... 74 4.7.1. Users ...... 76 4.7.2. Roles ...... 79 4.7.3. Security Settings for Users ...... 82 4.8. Alerts ...... 86 4.9. Keyboard ...... 90 4.10. Snapshots ...... 91 4.10.1. Important Things to Know When Using Snapshots ...... 93 4.10.2. Convert vtServer System Partition from ext4 to btrfs ...... 95 4.11. HTTPS and Certificates ...... 97 4.12. System Parameters ...... 100 4.13. System Information ...... 102 4.14. Shutdown / Reboot ...... 103 4.15. Licensing ...... 104 4.15.1. License Options ...... 105 4.15.2. License Search Order ...... 105 4.15.3. LED Color State ...... 106 4.15.4. License Management ...... 107 4.15.5. License in a Network ...... 108 4.15.6. Network License Installation ...... 110 4.16. Firewall Settings (vtLicense only) ...... 113 4.17. Proxy Settings (vtLicense Only) ...... 115 5. Virtual Machines ...... 116 5.1. Creating a Virtual Machine ...... 116 5.2. Configuring a Virtual Alpha ...... 118 5.2.1. Comment Box ...... 118 5.2.2. Virtual Machine Name ...... 118 5.2.3. Hardware Settings ...... 119 5.2.4. Advanced Options ...... 120 5.2.5. Hardware Model ...... 122 5.2.6. QBB ...... 123 5.2.7. Virtual CPUs ...... 123 5.2.8. CPU Details ...... 125 5.2.9. Memory...... 126 5.2.10. OPA0 / COM2 ...... 127 5.2.11. PCI Bus ...... 133 5.2.12. PCI Slot ...... 134 5.2.13. Ethernet Adapter ...... 136
5.2.14. Serial Lines Adapter ...... 137 5.2.15. SCSI Adapter ...... 139 5.2.16. Fiber Channel Adapter ...... 141 5.2.17. LUN Map ...... 143 5.2.18. Virtual Device Adapter ...... 145 5.2.19. Storage Devices ...... 148 5.3. Configuring a Virtual VAX Machine...... 155 5.3.1. Comment Box ...... 155 5.3.2. Virtual Machine Name ...... 155 5.3.3. Environment: License Group ...... 156 5.3.4. Environment: Temporary License ...... 156 5.3.5. CPU: VAX Hardware Model ...... 157 5.3.6. CPU: Memory ...... 157 5.3.7. CPU: NVRAM File ...... 158 5.3.8. CPU: Auto Boot ...... 158 5.3.9. CPU: EcoMode ...... 158 5.3.10. CPU: Instruction Caching ...... 159 5.3.11. CPU: Instruction Delay ...... 159 5.3.12. CPU: Instruction Delay TMO ...... 159 5.3.13. Console: OPA0 ...... 160 5.3.14. Console: Break Key ...... 160 5.3.15. Console: Password ...... 161 5.3.16. TTA Lines: TTAx ...... 162 5.3.17. vtVAX Storage ...... 162 5.3.18. Physical Devices ...... 162 5.3.19. Logical Devices ...... 163 5.3.20. MSCP Storage Configuration Parameters ...... 165 5.3.21. DSSI Storage Configuration Parameters ...... 167 5.3.22. Network ...... 169 5.3.23. Serial Lines ...... 170 5.3.24. Miscellaneous: Printer File...... 171 5.3.25. VCB02 Stub ...... 172 5.3.26. IEEE Bus Interface ...... 173 5.4. Running Your Virtual Machine ...... 175 5.5. Deleting Virtual Machines ...... 178 5.6. Cloning Virtual Machine Configurations ...... 179 5.7. Importing and Exporting Virtual Machine Configurations ...... 179 6. Logging ...... 180 6.1. Virtual Machine Logging ...... 180 6.2. vtMonitor Logging ...... 182 7. Advanced Topics ...... 184 7.1. Single Network Interface Systems ...... 184 7.2. Graphics ...... 187 7.2.1. DECwindows Setup on OpenVMS ...... 188 7.2.2. DECwindows Setup on Tru64 ...... 189 7.2.3. How to fix X-window restart failure in tru64...... 189 7.2.4. Display ...... 191 7.2.5. Autostart ...... 192
7.2.6. Video Drivers ...... 193 7.2.7. Security...... 194 7.3. vtServer in The Cloud ...... 195 7.3.1. Cloud Configuration ...... 196 7.3.2. vtServer Configuration ...... 197 7.3.3. vtLicense Configuration ...... 199 7.3.4. VPN Security Keys ...... 201 7.3.5. Export Import VPN Configuration ...... 203 7.4. Improving I/O Performance ...... 205 7.5. Transferring Files To/From vtServer ...... 206 7.5.1. Windows Client ...... 207 7.5.2. Linux Client ...... 208 7.6. vtTools ...... 209 7.6.1. Digiboard (Installing Serial Line Drivers in OpenVMS) ...... 210 7.6.2. EcoApp (vtAlpha Only) ...... 215 7.6.3. Installing EcoApp for OpenVMS ...... 216 7.6.4. Activating EcoApp for Tru64 v5 ...... 217 7.6.5. TapeMGR (For Managing Logical Tapes) ...... 218 7.6.6. VTDSK...... 222 7.6.7. XDISP ...... 223 7.6.8. vtSID (vtVAX only) ...... 226 7.6.9. Installation of vtSID ...... 226 7.6.10. Using vtSID ...... 228 7.6.11. vtSID Commands ...... 229 7.7. MOP Boot ...... 230 7.8. Clock_mode in SRM Console ...... 230 7.9. Boot from Fiber Channel (vtAlpha only) ...... 231 7.10. Installing Tru64 on a Fiber Channel Disk (vtAlpha Only) ...... 233 8. Troubleshooting ...... 235 8.1. Create Support File ...... 236 8.2. Open / Close Remote link ...... 237 9. Unattended Installation ...... 239 9.1. Unattended Installation Configuration ...... 239 9.2. Configuration Parameters ...... 240 9.3. Example parameters.conf ...... 246 9.4. Example presetup.sh ...... 248 9.5. Example postsetup.sh ...... 250 9.6. Example template.conf ...... 251 10. SRM Console vtAlpha ...... 252 10.1. BOOT ...... 253 10.2. SHOW ...... 254 10.3. INITIALIZE ...... 256 10.4. POWER ...... 257 10.5. SET / SHOW environment_variable ...... 258 10.6. WWIDMGR ...... 261 10.7. HELP ...... 262
vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 1. First Steps
Welcome to AVTware vtServer! vtServer is a virtualization product that executes on 64-bit X86 architecture computer systems, either on a physical host or in a Virtual Machine environment. What does that mean? It lets you run OpenVMS and Tru64 on an X86 architecture computer. Both VAX and Alpha models install directly on the physical or virtual host without the need for a third-party operating system (like Windows or Linux). vtServer is deceptively simple yet also very powerful. All references to vtVAX in this document refer to the vtVAX for Bare Metal product; vtVAX for Windows is documented separately. The product set consists of the following components:
vtAlpha Alpha virtualization supporting OpenVMS and Tru64. vtVAX VAX virtualization supporting VMS/OpenVMS. vtServer The host control environment that supports the Alpha and VAX emulations. It is the Virtual Machine Manager which controls the host hardware and allows multiple vtVAX and vtAlpha virtual machines to run in parallel on a single host. vtMonitor The web browser-based system management tool. vtLicense Network-based license server.
The system manager can create any number of vtVAX and vtAlpha virtual machines. The content of the license key determines the maximum number of virtual machines that may execute concurrently. 1. There are two management tools at your disposal, the Console Menu and the vtMonitor GUI. The non-graphical Console Menu is essential for first time installations and in situations where vtMonitor is not available. 2. The vtMonitor management tool, which is a web browser-based GUI, is used to define and manage vtAlpha and vtVAX configurations. It also manages the host storage elements (local storage, network storage, and SAN) and the network infrastructure.
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The following screenshot shows how vtMonitor is running and how windows are displayed throughout this manual.
vtMonitor May run from any location with HTTPS connectivity to the host(s) running vtServer. vtServer Allows a user to manage the vtServer system from a local console in case there is no network available for the vtMonitor connection. vtLicense Is a dedicated license server that allows distributing vtAlpha and vtVAX licenses in the company network, enabling the setup of disaster-tolerant installations.
vtLicense is a dedicated unit provided by AVT or Vere Technologies with a management interface that is very similar to vtMonitor. Unless specifically noted, the information provided in this manual applies to both vtAlpha and vtVAX for Bare Metal.
BU-0002-27 Page 2 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 In this User Manual, we’ll begin with a quick introduction to vtServer and how to get your first virtual machine running with the easy-to-use vtMonitor web interface. Subsequent chapters will go into more detail covering more powerful tools and features, but fortunately, it is not necessary to read the entire User Manual before you are able to use and control vtServer.
1.1. Why Use Virtualization
The techniques and features that vtServer provides are useful for several scenarios: Replace VAX and/or Alpha hardware by more modern hardware using X86 architecture. vtServer makes it possible to replace VAX and/or Alpha hardware by X86 systems without needing to touch your current OpenVMS or Tru64 software or the applications which they run. Infrastructure consolidation. Virtualization can significantly reduce hardware and electricity costs. Most of the time, today’s computers only use a fraction of their potential power and run with low average system loads. A lot of hardware resources as well as electricity are thereby wasted. So, instead of running many such physical computers that are only partially used, one can pack many virtual machines onto a few powerful hosts and balance the loads between them. ‘Green’ power savings. And when the program ecoapp (see sections 7.6.2 through 7.6.4) (designed by AVTWare) is installed, even more energy savings will result.
With ecoapp we see a decrease in energy use of 50-80%.
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1.2. Some Terminology
When dealing with virtualization (and also for understanding the following chapters of this document), it helps to acquaint oneself with a bit of crucial terminology, especially the following terms:
Host This is the computer system on which vtServer is installed. This has to be a 64-bit X86 architecture computer system, and it can be a physical system or a Virtual Machine environment. Note: This User Manual describes both of these types of vtServer installations. Guest operating This is the operating system that is running inside the system (guest OS) virtual machine, either OpenVMS or Tru64. Virtual machine (VM) This is the special environment that vtServer creates for your guest operating system while it is running. In other words, you run your guest operating system in a VM. In a more abstract way, internally, vtServer thinks of a VM as a set of parameters that determine its behavior. They include hardware settings (how much memory the VM should have, what hard disks vtServer should virtualize through which container files, what CDs are mounted etc.) as well as state information (whether the VM is currently running, stopped, its snapshots, etc.). vtAlpha Alpha virtualization supporting OpenVMS and Tru64. vtVAX VAX virtualization supporting VMS/OpenVMS. vtServer The host control environment that supports the Alpha and VAX emulations. vtMonitor The web browser-based system management tool. vtLicense Network-based license server.
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1.3. Features Overview
Here’s a brief outline of vtServers main features: Portability vtServer runs on a large number of 64-bit X86 architecture computer systems, either on a physical host or in a Virtual Machine environment. vtServer is a so-called bare-metal or type 1 hypervisor, and will directly run on the hardware. Whereas hosted hypervisors like VirtualBox (sometimes referred to as a type 2 hypervisor), need a host operating system. vtServer is functionally identical on all of the host computers, and the same file and image formats are used. This allows you to take virtual machines, created on one host, and run them on another host computer. So you are able to move virtual machines from one vtServer to any other vtServer installation without modifying the used files. Extensive hardware Among others, vtServer supports: support Systems Any 64-bit X86 host; however, there may be occasions where a specific chipset or on-board controller may not (yet) be included. Processors Intel i5, i7; Xeon models 5500, 5600; E3, E5, E7 AMD A6, A8, A10; Phenom II; Opteron 4000, 6000
On the AVT website a host compatibility list is available: https://www.avtware.com/pdf/vtserver- hpcl.pdf
Guest multiprocessing vtServer can present up to 32 virtual CPUs to each (SMP) virtual machine. CD/DVD device support vtServer implements a virtual CD controller and allows you to connect CD/DVD devices to your virtual machines without having to install device- specific drivers on the host. Hardware compatibility vtServer virtualizes a vast array of virtual devices. That includes IDE, SCSI, SATA and Fiber Channel hard disk controllers, multiple virtual network cards
BU-0002-27 Page 5 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 and virtual serial ports. Built-in iSCSI support This unique feature allows you to connect a virtual machine directly to an iSCSI storage server. The VM accesses the iSCSI target directly. Built-in NFS/SMB support This unique feature allows you to connect a virtual machine directly to a NFS or SMB storage server. The VM accesses the NFS/SMB target directly. Built-in Fiber Channel This unique feature allows you to connect a virtual support machine directly to a Fiber Channel storage device. The VM accesses the Fiber Channel storage directly without the extra overhead that is required for virtualizing hard disks in container files. Multigeneration branched vtServer can save arbitrary snapshots of the state of snapshots the virtual machine. You can go back in time and revert the virtual machine to any such snapshot and start an alternative VM configuration from there, effectively creating a whole snapshot tree. You can create and delete snapshots while the virtual machine is running. Easy to use web interface vtServer can be managed and configured using a very intuitive web interface. Using the web interface it is easy to manage all vtServer installations in just one browser window. Security options vtServer delivers a secure environment. User accounts can be given only the access rights they need for their function.
vtMonitor uses HTTP by default. The system parameter enable_http can be left blank to force HTTPS.
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2. Installing vtServer
All of the required software (vtAlpha, vtVAX, vtServer, and vtMonitor) is provided as a single installation kit, in the form of an IMG or ISO file. These can be used for an installation through a USB installation device (IMG) or a (virtual) CD device (ISO). Software updates and patches are distributed as TGZ format files that are uploaded to the host, or they may be installed from the distribution media as an update rather than a full re- installation of the software.
2.1. Prerequisites
To install vtServer you need a host environment. This can be almost any X86 based computer system, or a virtual environment like VMware. Before installing some components must be checked.
Number of CPUs Depends on the virtual machine type to use. Only one CPU is needed to install vtServer, but to run a virtual machine there must be at least one CPU for every virtual machine, so at minimum a dual-core CPU is required. vtServer will automatically take advantage of all available CPUs. Disk Space vtServer needs 40GB disk space to install and run. For logical disks (files) tally the additional space needed. Network Interface vtServer can be used with one network interface. For more performance and reliability it is better to use one network interface for vtServer, plus one for every virtual machine. License There is no license needed to install vtServer, but to start and run a virtual machine a license is needed.
vtServer can be installed on a small host. Also keep in mind the resource usage by the Virtual Machines.
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2.2. Installing vtServer on a Hypervisor
The vtServer host may be a physical system or it may be virtualized using VMware, Hyper- V, or KVM. vtServer installs on Bare Metal. That is, there is no operating system running on the x86 host system. This is similar to other hypervisors such as VMware ESX, Citrix XenServer, and Microsoft Hyper-V. Advantages of the Bare Metal approach versus running as an application on a general purpose operating system include:
Maintainability There is no external operating system to be updated and maintained separately from the vtServer environment. Reliability Only the necessary components are included in the bundled operating environment, which is integrated and tested with the emulation layer. There are no other users on the system to affect performance, stability, or the virtual Alpha/VAX operating environments. Security At installation, vtServer has only three network ports enabled: 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) for the vtMonitor management interface, and 22350 for license verification. Users must ‘opt-in’ to use additional ports.
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Placing an x86 hypervisor between vtServer and the physical hardware negates to an extent some of the advantages of the Bare Metal environment noted above:
Hardware Control The x86 hypervisor has direct control of the physical hardware. It may impose constraints that are not compatible with the way vtServer uses the hardware. Some issues of this nature and workarounds for them are discussed in the sections below. Performance The x86 hypervisor itself consumes some system resources. In addition, there are often other guest systems running at the same time as vtServer. If the resources are not allocated properly, as explained below, this can impact the performance of the virtual Alpha and VAX systems. Nevertheless, this option is reliable and popular, especially in large datacenters. Maintainability The x86 hypervisor is a software layer that can be updated independent of vtServer. While it is not expected, updates to the x86 hypervisor could impact vtServer. Always check with AVT, VERE or your reseller before upgrading hypervisors. Alpha and VAX System The vtServer user interface contains safeguards to Stability prevent the emulated Alpha and VAX systems from being shut down unintentionally when the operator is managing the vtServer host system. However, when the vtServer host is virtualized, the x86 hypervisor operator has ultimate control of the virtual host system and can shut it down unexpectedly while the virtual Alpha or VAX systems are running.
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When configuring the physical host system that the x86 virtual machine will run on, the following details should be considered.
2.2.3. Performance
The maximum achievable performance running vtServer on a virtual host will be somewhat less than that achieved when running on a physical host using the same hardware platform due to the hypervisor overhead. Typically, I/O performance will be impacted more than CPU performance. The hypervisor overhead varies considerably depending on a number of factors, such as the hypervisor used, the virtual host configuration, and the nature of the workload. Because of this variability, we are not able to estimate the hypervisor overhead.
2.2.4. Shared Resources
When other guest systems will execute on the same x86 host system, CPU-, memory-, and network-resource reservations should be made for the VM used for the vtServer host to ensure that critical hardware resources are always available when needed. Sharing of these critical resources with other VMs can result in unpredictable performance and a possible unstable operation of the virtual Alpha or VAX system.
2.2.5. CPU Requirements
The minimum CPU requirement for each virtual machine is 1.5 virtual CPU cores per virtual Alpha CPU or two cores for each virtual VAX CPU; additional cores may improve performance and avoid resource shortages on systems with heavy I/O loads. Hyper-threaded CPUs should have hyper-threading disabled in the host system BIOS or UEFI. This is to prevent logical threads (which have lower and less predictable performance than the physical cores) from being assigned to a virtual machine. Performance degradation of over 75% has been observed as a result of running vtAlpha/vtVAX on hosts with hyper- threading enabled.
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If network license servers are not available to provide access to the vtAlpha and vtVAX license information, a dedicated USB port must be provided on the physical host and dedicated to the guest VM that will run vtServer. Please see the Licensing section below and the applicable hypervisor-specific section for considerations and restrictions pertaining to the USB port.
USB ports can also be used to connect external disks. These can be used by vtServer.
BU-0002-27 Page 11 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 2.2.7. Storage
vtServer supports a variety of storage backends, including storage technologies that were not available on physical VAX or Alpha hardware. The table below shows the supported storage options for various configurations when running on a physical vtServer host vs. running on a virtual host for both standalone and clustered environments:
Standalone Clustered same host Clustered multi host
KZPBA/VTDSK KGPSA KZPBA/VTDSK KGPSA KZPBA/VTDSK KGPSA
Local Disk Container File Y Y Y Y X X Physical Disk Y Y Y Y X X
SAN Volume Container File Y Y Y Y X X Physical Disk Y Y Y Y P(2); V(2,3) P(2); V(2,3) Direct Access X P; V(1) X P;V(1) X P; V(1)
iSCSI Volume Container File Y Y Y Y X X Physical Disk Y Y Y Y P(2); V(2,3) P(2); V(2,3) NFS Mount Point Container File Y Y Y Y Y(2) Y(2)
Legend:
Y supported on both physical and virtual vtServer hosts P supported on physical vtServer hosts only V supported on virtual vtServer hosts only X unsupported
1 only FC card with PCI pass-through (VMware) 2 cache must be disabled 3 only with RAW mapping mode
KZPBA SCSI adapter KGPSA Fiber Channel adapter
BU-0002-27 Page 12 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 2.2.8. Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP)
When running on multiprocessor configurations, OpenVMS performs frequent checks to ensure that all processors are functioning and that there are no synchronization deadlocks. If abnormal conditions are detected, the system will crash with a CPUSANITY or CPUSPINWAIT bugcheck. When an emulated multiprocessor Alpha or VAX system is running on a virtual host, certain events, most notably a host migration (e.g., using VMware vMotion), can cause the virtual machine execution to stall long enough for the SMP sanity timers to expire when set to their default values. To reduce the risk of OpenVMS bugchecking in these situations, we recommend that the following SYSGEN parameter (in OpenVMS) changes should be made:
SMP_SPINWAIT increase from 100000 (1 second) to a value between 3000000 (30 seconds) and 6000000 (60 seconds) SMP_SANITY_CNT increase from 300 (3 seconds) to a value between 3000 (30 seconds) and 6000 (60 seconds)
These changes should be added to SYS$SYSTEM:MODPARAMS.DAT, and then AUTOGEN should be run so they will take effect the next time the system is restarted.
When using SMP it is a good idea to change the OpenVMS system parameters SMP_SPINWAIT and SMP_SANITY_CNT to the recommend values. Not only on VMWare installations.
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The vtAlpha and vtVAX license information is stored on a physical USB license key. In some situations (e.g., the hardware has no available USB port or the x86 hypervisor does not support attaching USB ports to virtual machines) it may not be possible to provide a USB port for the license key on the vtServer host.
In high availability and disaster resilient configurations using live host migration features such as VMware vMotion, it is desirable for the license key to be accessible to multiple host systems. The vtLicense server is a standalone network appliance that can host multiple license keys (both production and disaster recovery licenses), making the license content of these keys available across the network. Virtual Alpha and VAX systems can fail over or be migrated between multiple physical hosts without having to move the USB license keys. More information about the vtLicense server is available on our web site.
2.2.10. vtServer Software Installation
A dedicated (virtual) disk of at least 40GB should be provided for the vtServer software installation. This disk should not be used for storing logical disk container files or other user data, to avoid data loss if the vtServer software must be re-installed at a later time.
If possible use a dedicated disk for vtServer. Store data and logical disk containers on other disks. This gives more flexibility.
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vtServer can be used on many hypervisors. vtServer is tested on the following hypervisors:
- Vmware - Hyper-V - KVM
2.2.12. VMware
Supported versions: ESXi 4.1 and higher.
We discourage the use of a local USB license with VMware ESXi versions prior to 5.5 because VMware occasionally loses connection to USB devices, resulting in license problems.
A vtLicense server is recommended for all VMware environments to facilitate migration of the vtServer host across VMware hosts
When using VMware prior to version 5.5 a vtLicense server is recommended to avoid license loss.
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Storage
Supported Storage Controllers in VMware are: - LSI Logic Parallel (recommended) - LSI Logic SAS - VMware Paravirtual
Unsupported Storage Controllers are: - BusLogic Parallel
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Network
Supported Network Adapters in VMware are:
- E1000 (recommended) - E1000E - VMXNET 3
Unsupported Network Adapters are:
- VMXNET 2 (enhanced)
The adapters used for vtVAX or vtAlpha must have Promiscuous Mode, MAC Address Changes and Forged Transmits enabled on the vSwitch in VMware, as shown below.
Promiscuous mode and MAC address changes must be enable when using DECnet on OpenVMS.
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When running VMware ESX 5.5 or newer, a USB port can be assigned to the vtServer host VM to use for the vtServer license key. This is not recommended with VMware ESX versions prior to 5.5 because the USB device can become detached from the VM, resulting in a loss of the vtServer license with eventual shut down of the vtAlpha or vtVAX emulations if the problem is not corrected within the allowed time (16 hours). The VMware vMotion feature can be used to improve availability and disaster tolerance of the virtual Alpha and VAX systems by allowing the vtServer host with running emulations to be migrated between VMware host systems. When vMotion is used, we recommend the use of a vtLicense server to provide access to the license keys via the network, removing dependence on a specific host system.
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The VMware Tools package provides operations like shutdown or restart Guest OS. When vtServer is installed on a VMware machine, the option to start or stop VMware Tools is available in the Console menu and in the vtMonitor menu.
2.2.13. Hyper_V
Supported versions: Hyper-V 2012, Hyper-V Core, Hyper-V 2016
Storage
Supported Storage Controllers in Hyper-V are:
- IDE (recommended) - SCSI (only for data; Hyper-V cannot boot from SCSI)
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Network
Supported Network Adapters in Hyper-V are:
- Hyper-V NIC - Legacy NIC
The adapters used for vtVAX or vtAlpha must have MAC address spoofing enabled on the network adapter in Hyper-V.
USB License / Network License
Hyper-V does not support attaching physical USB devices to virtual machines; therefore, a remote license server is required. The remote license server may be a dedicated vtLicense server or another vtServer host that has a free USB port.
2.2.14. KVM
vtServer supports virtio for disks, which may, in some cases, improve disk I/O performance when running vtServer on a virtual host under KVM.
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2.3. Performing the Installation
Booting from the installation media, USB or a (virtual) CD, offers the following options:
2.3.1. Upgrade/Repair
This option will look for update versions on the install media and apply them in sequence. This upgrade method is especially useful when previous upgrades are skipped. The process will sort out which ones need to be applied. It also allows reparation of a damaged installation.
BU-0002-27 Page 21 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 2.3.2. Install vtServer
Installs vtServer, vtAlpha, vtVAX and vtMonitor on the x86 system and prepares it to act as a host computer for your virtual Alpha and VAX environment. Anything on the target disk will be overwritten by this installation. The installation process requires the following user input:
1. Read and accept the license terms for vtAlpha and vtVAX. 2. Select the appropriate keyboard language and time zone. 3. Select the target disk for the installation. Note: Installation is supported only when the target is a physical device (e.g., /dev/sdb), not a partition (e.g., /dev/sdb1). When installing to a device with existing partitions, all the partitions will be destroyed. 4. Acknowledge that the selected disk will be overwritten. 5. Enter and confirm the password for the root account. This account is created during installation. The root account is required to access the vtServer host menu structure and perform certain system management functions. This account cannot be removed. 6. Set the size of the storage you want to use for the vtServer software. The default value of 0 will use the entire device for the software. A non-zero value will result in a partition of the specified size being created for the software; the remaining storage on the device will be allocated to a second partition with the label data that can be mounted temporarily or permanently in the vtMonitor Storage tab. 7. The minimum required partition size for the vtServer software is 8 GB. However, we strongly recommend allocating at least 40 GB for the vtServer software to provide adequate room for dynamic files such as logs as well as future software growth. 8. Upon completion of the installation, reboot the host system from the installation target device to start vtServer.
When using more vtServer systems in the same network we advise to use the same version of vtMonitor on all systems. Keep the transition time as short as possible.
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2.4. Installation of Optional Kits
When using the Console Menu, select the option update.
Select the removable storage that contains the kit.
Select the appropriate kit from the list to install, or select remove graphics to delete a previously installed graphics kit.
BU-0002-27 Page 23 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 When using the vtMonitor GUI the Product Update is part of the Host -> Info menu.
Select the update file and start the update process.
When the update file is copied to the map update with SMB or FTP leave the file selection blank and select OK. The update process will use the file in the map update.
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2.5. Install vtLicense
Installs vtLicense and prepares it to act as a vtLicense to distribute vtAlpha and vtVAX licenses in the company network. Anything that was on the disk will be overwritten by this installation. The installation process requires the following user input:
1. Read and accept the license terms for vtAlpha and vtVAX. 2. Select the appropriate keyboard language and time zone. 3. Select the target disk for the installation
Installation is supported only when the target is a physical device (e.g., /dev/sdb), not a partition (e.g., /dev/sdb1). When installing to a device with existing partitions, all the partitions will be destroyed.
4. Acknowledge that the selected disk will be overwritten. 5. Enter and confirm the password for the root user. This user is created during installation. The root user is required to access the vtLicense host menu structure and perform certain system management functions. This user cannot be removed. 6. Upon completion of the installation, reboot the host system from the installation target device to start vtLicense.
A vtServer can get a license from any vtLicense server, independent of the vtLicense version. From the point of view of maintenance, it is advisable to keep the versions as similar as possible.
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2.6. Unattended Installation
The unattended installation function, allows users with multiple similar vtServer installations to automate the installation and configuration of these host systems using custom installation templates. The templates can perform operations such as importing prepared virtual VAX and Alpha configurations, disk images, and setting network and other configuration parameters. Please see the appendix for detailed instructions on how to prepare and execute the unattended installation templates.
2.7. Performing an Upgrade
This option will look for update versions on the install media and apply them in sequence. This upgrade method is especially useful when previous upgrades are skipped. The process will sort out which ones need to be applied. It also allows reparation of a damaged installation.
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2.8. Snapshot Management
With snapshots it is possible to preserve the state of the system at a particular point in time. When needed, a snapshot made earlier can be used to bring the system back to the state when the snapshot is made. Snapshots are only available for the vtServer installation; no user data files will be saved using snapshots. Snapshots are mainly made to restore the previous vtServer installation. To use snapshots the disk must be formatted as btrfs disk. When installing vtServer select btrfs as vtServer filesystem when this is asked for.
To use snapshots, the vtServer disk must be formatted btrfs. Consider converting the vtServer disk from ext4 to btrfs (see chapter 4.10).
BU-0002-27 Page 27 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The snapshot utility will scan all available disks to see whether at least one of them is a btrfs disk. When no btrfs disk is available an error message will be shown.
VtServer installations before version 3.2 are usually installed on an ext4 disk. To enable snapshots, vtServer must be re-installed and on a disk which is (newly) formatted with btrfs. This will remove the current installation, including all the configurations. So plan this change carefully if you wish to use snapshots.
Before the actual upgrade takes place, a snapshot will be made automatically (as long as there is enough space on the disk).
Snapshots use disk space. To avoid disk full problems perform some snapshot management, see chapter 4.10
By using the snapshot which was made before the upgrade, it is always possible to restore the system to the state it was before the upgrade. Snapshots can also be made manually when needed. It is advisable to make a snapshot before complex and/or large changes are made to vtServer or its configuration.
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2.9. Version Updates
As with the initial installation, updates to vtServer, vtAlpha, vtVAX, vtLicense and vtMonitor are bundled in a single package. There are several ways to update the software:
1. Boot from the Installation DVD for the new version and select the Upgrade/Repair option from the menu; 2. Select the Update option from the vtServer Configuration menu on the host system console; 3. Select the Product Update option from the Host tab in the vtMonitor Toolbox.
When using methods 2 or 3, a small TGZ file containing the incremental update may be copied to the /update directory on the host using FTP prior to beginning the update, or it may be installed from the installation DVD or a USB storage device. When the update is performed from vtMonitor it may also be uploaded from any location on the user’s PC at the time the update process is initiated. Incremental updates will apply only to software at the release level immediately prior to that of the update; if there is a gap, all previous updates must be applied manually in sequence. The last portion of the full release number corresponds to the suffix of the update file for that release (e.g., update49.tgz is used to update from version 3.2.0-48 to 4.0.0-49).
It is always wise to use the latest version of vtServer. New versions support more hardware and often contain performance improvements.
BU-0002-27 Page 29 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 3. Managing vtServer/vtLicense
The standard managing interface for vtServer is the Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI runs in a web browser. To perform some advanced settings the console menu must be used.
3.1. Open SSH Console
It is possible to start the Console menu from the GUI. Go to Host -> Info and select the menu Open SSH Console
This will start a new browser window. Answer yes on the first question and enter the password for root to log in.
The service SSH must be running to use the SSH console menu.
The console menu will now run in a browser window.
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3.2. Backup Host settings
To save the host settings a backup can be made. Go to Host -> Info and select the menu Backup
Select to make a Backup or to Restore the host settings.
The backup will be saved as a .tgz file on the location selected. This .tgz files contains all the configuration files for this vtServer. It has all the host settings, network settings, virtual machines, storage settings, user settings and license settings. It does NOT contain the virtual machine itself, only the configuration off the virtual machine. It can be used to make a functional copy of the vtServer.
The Backup Host Settings is NOT a replacement for an OpenVMS or Tru64 backup.
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To Restore the Hosts settings, use the “Restore Host Settings” and select the backup file to use for the restore. It is best to reboot the host after a “Restore Hosts Settings”.
To prevent network conflicts, virtual network interfaces receive a different MAC address after a host restore.
For example: mgr0 is a virtual network interface.
If the virtual network interface is set to get an IP address from a DHCP server it will get a different IP address after a restore.
It is possible to restore the host settings backup on another vtServer. This creates a functional equivalent of the vtServer used to make the backup from.
Restoring a host backup on another vtServer must be done with care. Various conflicts can arise, such as the vtServer name, the IP address and the use of logical disks by multiple emulators.
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3.3. vtScan
VtMonitor can be used to manage many vtServer hosts. The service vtScan is created to manage all vtServer hosts found in the network. Only hosts with vtScan running can be managed using one vtMonitor window. vtScan is the only host setting which is running by default. There are a number of points of attention for the management of multiple vtServers to work flawlessly:
Users It is recommended to keep the user IDs and settings synchronized across multiple systems. Roles New roles can be created and roles can be changed. It is recommended to keep the roles synchronized. Security Security settings can be set differently over the vtServer systems, but keeping the settings synchronized is recommended.
Synchronization of users, roles and security settings is not necessary for managing multiple server systems. But if users, roles and security settings are synchronized, various management tasks can be performed with far fewer actions.
BU-0002-27 Page 33 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To keep the users, roles and security settings on all vtServers the same, a selection window is created to select the vtServer systems to update. Example when updating security settings:
Only connected systems are listed in these selection windows. vtScan uses IP protocol UDP with port number 9456.
Only vtServer systems where you are logged in are visible
BU-0002-27 Page 34 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 4. Configuring vtServer/vtLicense
4.1. Navigation
The navigation window is used to navigate through the virtual machines and other connected vtServer/vtLicense servers. When a virtual machine is created, the status of this virtual machine is shown in the navigation window.
VMS-1 Stopped
A VMS-1 Stopped, A indicates Autostart enabled
VMS-1 Starting
VMS-1 Running, awaiting console input
VMS-1 Running normally
VMS-1 OpenVMS crashed and the virtual machine is writing a dump file
VMS-1 Configuration is consuming a Disaster Recovery License
VMS-1 Virtual machine runs but the license will expire within 10 days VMS-1 Warning that this virtual machine lost access to a license and will stop 16 hours after the loss was detected VMS-1 A stop request is send to the virtual machine.
BU-0002-27 Page 35 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Right-click on a virtual machine to get a context-sensitive menu with commands to perform on this virtual machine or virtual machine configuration.
The available commands are:
Start To start the virtual machine. Halt The virtual machine will be halted. This is equal to CTRL-P on the console. Stop The virtual machine will be stopped. Connect to OPA0 Open a new browser window which connects to OPA0.
After closing an OPA0 or COM2 window there is a timeout period in which no connection can be made. This is approximately 20 seconds for a Telnet port and 1 minute for an SSH port.
Connect to COM2 Open a new browser window which connects to COM2. Clear Log Clear the virtual machine log file. Enable Autostart Enable Autostart to start this virtual machine automatically when vtServer is (re)started. Disable Autostart To disable Autostart for this virtual machine. Delete Delete the virtual machine configuration. Rename … Rename the virtual machine configuration.
BU-0002-27 Page 36 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Save a Copy As… Save a copy of this virtual machine configuration as another virtual machine. Export Configuration… Save the virtual machine configuration as TGZ file. This file can be imported on the same or another vtServer.
Not all commands are always available. This depends on the state (running, halted, stopped) of the virtual machine.
When the service vtscan is active it will search the network to locate more vtServer/vtLicense systems. Select the menu -> Connect server to get a list of found vtServer/vtLicense systems.
Select the vtServer or vtLicense to connect, and manage all available server systems using one browser window.
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Right-click on the vtServer/vtLicense name to get a menu with the available options.
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4.2. Networking
The vtServer network subsystem is used to both manage the vtServer host system and to provide network connectivity for the virtual Alpha and VAX systems. In the simplest form, there is a one-to-one association between virtual and physical network interfaces, with one additional interface used for vtServer host management. In addition, vtServer provides server logical network devices that can be used to provide additional flexibility and reliability for the network configuration.
BU-0002-27 Page 39 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 4.2.1. Introduction to Virtual Networking
A virtual network consists of the following components: eth# Designates a physical Ethernet interface. A physical interface may be dedicated to either vtServer host management or a virtual network interface, connected to a virtual switch, or bonded with other physical interfaces. The latter options are described below. avt# Designates a virtual network switch (VNS). A VNS is used to allow multiple virtual interfaces, including the vtServer host management interface, to share a single physical interface. A VNS may also be used to provide connectivity between virtual machines running on the same host without routing the traffic onto the physical network. A virtual switch can be attached to one or more physical host Ethernet interfaces. Only one physical interface can be active at any given time. When more than one eth# device is assigned to a VNS, one link is the main link; the others are for fail-over only. When multiple eth# devices are connected to a virtual switch, the potential exists for a loop to be introduced into the network. To prevent this from occurring, the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is activated by default. If local policy prohibits use of STP, it can be disabled; however, careful manual review of the configuration is advised to prevent the introduction of a loop that can disrupt the entire network. mgr# Designates a vtServer host management port, which must be defined when a single physical interface is used for both the host management interface and one or more virtual network interfaces. Multiple management ports may be configured on multiple virtual switches. bond# Designates a bonded network device. A bonded device combines multiple host Ethernet interfaces into one virtual network device that can be configured to provide various combinations of load sharing and fail-over. VLAN Designates a virtual LAN, which can be assigned to eth and bond devices. VLANs should be defined only when they are supported by the local network environment and under the guidance of the local network support organization. xwi0 Designates the virtual X-Windows interface used for Alpha and VAX workstation virtualizations. The eth and xwi devices are always configured; all other devices listed above are created on demand.
# represents a unique sequence number that is assigned to each physical or logical device.
BU-0002-27 Page 40 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The configuration examples that follow show different ways the physical and logical network elements can be utilized.
Host Ethernet adapters that are connected to a virtual switch must permit promiscuous mode operation and forged transmits. When using a virtualized host system (e.g., VMware), these settings must be enabled in the hypervisor configuration.
Usage Virtual machine connected to a physical Ethernet adapter or vLAN on that adapter
Usage One or more virtual machines with more connections then physical adapters Network Failover Extra network setup Virtual Switch
Usage Connect multiple virtual machines on one host No physical network adapters Extra network setup Virtual Switch
BU-0002-27 Page 41 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Usage Connect one virtual machine to a bond device with two or more host Ethernet adapters or a vLAN on this bond device Failover/redundancy/load balancing Extra network setup Bond device
Usage Connect multiple virtual machines to a bond device with two or more host Ethernet adapters or to a vLAN on this bond device Failover/redundancy/load balancing Extra network setup Virtual Switch Bond device
Usage
Connect multiple virtual machines to a bond device with two or more host Ethernet adapters Failover/redundancy/load balancing vtServer management via bond Extra network setup
Virtual Switch Bond device
BU-0002-27 Page 42 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The network configuration details are displayed and managed using the vtMonitor GUI tab Network.
A list of the available physical and virtual network devices is displayed.
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To make a network active, it needs to be configured. A network interface must have an IP address, a subnet mask, a gateway and DNS configured. Select the network interface to configure and a setup window will be shown.
The interface can be configured to use DHCP to get the network settings from a DHCP server. When DHCP is not used, the appropriate values have to be entered manually. The interface will then have a so-called fixed IP address.
The default MTU is usually correct; change this only after consulting your vtServer support organization.
It is NOT allowed to have the same subnet on different NICS. Always use a different subnet for each network adapter including the XWI adapter.
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When using the vtMonitor GUI a network switch can be added and configured via the Network menu.
This (like most other functions) can also be done via the Console menu
Select Add Switch will create a new switch avt#, where # is the first free number starting with 0. The first switch will be avt0, the next one avt1 and so on. Right-click on the switch to connect network components to it.
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When using the vtMonitor interface, a bond can be added and configured via the Network menu.
Select Add Bond, choose the bond option and a new bond# will be created, where # is the first free number starting with 0. The first bond will be bond0, the next one bond1 and so on. The bond mode options are described below: balance-rr This is a round-robin policy where each packet is transmitted on a different physical interface. The balanced-rr mode provides load balancing and fault tolerance. active-backup Only one slave in the bond is active. A different slave becomes active only if the active slave fails. The bond's MAC address is externally visible on only one port (network adapter) to avoid confusing the switch. balance-xor Transmit based on the selected transmit hash policy. The default policy is formatted [(source MAC address XOR'd with destination MAC address) modulo slave count]. Alternate transmit policies may be selected via the xmit_hash_policy option. Broadcast Transmits each packet on all slave interfaces. This mode provides fault tolerance.
802.3ad Dynamic link aggregation: Creates aggregation groups that share the same speed and duplex settings. Utilizes all slaves in the active aggregator according to the 802.3ad specification. Slave selection for outgoing traffic is done according to the transmit hash policy, which may be changed from the default simple XOR policy via the xmit_hash_policy option, documented below. BU-0002-27 Page 46 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1
balance-tlb Adaptive transmit load balancing: Channel bonding that does not require any special switch support. In tlb_dynamic_lb=1 mode; the outgoing traffic is distributed according to the current load (computed relative to the speed) on each slave. balance-alb Adaptive load balancing: Includes balance-tlb plus receive load balancing (rlb) for IPV4 traffic, and does not require any special switch support. The receive load balancing is achieved by ARP negotiation. The bonding driver intercepts the ARP replies sent by the local system on their way out and overwrites the source hardware address with the unique hardware address of one of the slaves in the bond such that different peers use different hardware addresses for the server.
Select the bond to open a configuration window.
Right-click on a switch to connect the bond to it.
BU-0002-27 Page 47 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 4.2.5. Setup a VLAN
VLANs allow a network manager to logically segment a LAN into different broadcast domains. Since this is a logical segmentation and not a physical one, workstations do not have to be physically located together. Users on different floors of the same building, or even in different buildings can now belong to the same LAN. To create a VLAN go to Host -> Network and right-click on the network adapter.
Select Create a VLAN to create a VLAN. A VLAN must have a unique VLAN-ID.
Example: An extra adapter with the VLAN-ID is created. (VLAN-ID = 25)
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4.3. Storage
VtServer can connect various storage devices to a virtual Alpha or VAX.
This can be done exclusively via the vtMonitor GUI (not via the console menu).
- Physical disk - Physical tape - Logical disk - Logical tape
Physical disks and tapes can be assigned to any virtual system. Logical devices, disks and tapes, are virtual storage components residing on a disk, as a container file, accessible by the host system. The Storage section of the vtMonitor GUI is used to manage the host’s storage components. There are 5 tabs in the Storage section:
Devices Manage all storage devices accessible from this host File Browser Browse and manage the mounted devices NFS/SMB Add/remove NFS/SMB shares iSCSI Add/remove iSCSI storage Fiber Channel Add/remove Fiber Channel storage
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The Devices tab displays a device list. These devices are available on vtServer, not on Virtual Machines.
These can be physical, network, iSCSI or Fiber Channel devices. To mount a device, right-click on the device. A menu will appear. Devices with a mount point name are already mounted and are ready to use.
Partitions or devices can be mounted temporarily (until the next reboot), or permanently (will automatically be mounted at boot time). Clicking on a column heading will sort the list by the values in that column. Right-clicking on a device will show extra available commands. Some mount points, such as /root, are protected to prevent access by the VAX and Alpha virtual machines; the remainder can be assigned to the virtual clients in the configurations. BU-0002-27 Page 50 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Unmounted storage elements with a label are available to mount. The mount device dialog box allows the user to specify the mount point name; the volume label is used by default. The user may also specify that the volume will be mounted permanently, meaning it will be automatically mounted each time the host system reboots.
When a mounted volume is manually dismounted, it will be removed from the permanent mount list.
The File Browser tab will show all mounted file systems in the left window-pane; in the right window it displays a list of the files and directories that it contains. Container files for the client systems logical disks and tapes are listed as any other file.
Right-click on a folder to get the available folder options.
BU-0002-27 Page 51 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Right-click on a file to get the available file options.
4.3.2. Using Physical Disks
Physical disks are directly (physically) attached to the vtServer host and accessed by vtAlpha as a single device. For example, it is possible to connect SCSI drives from the Alpha system directly to the vtAlpha host.
We recommend that such configurations be limited to migrating data to new drives. The reason is that these older mechanical devices are generally slower and have much higher failure rates than more modern disks.
Physical disks are shown as /dev/s . . .
/dev/sda is the disk used by vtServer and has usually one partition /dev/sda2 (the system partition) and sometimes a second one /dev/sda3 (a data partition).
BU-0002-27 Page 52 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 /dev/sr0 is the DVD device attached to the vtServer hardware. To make this DVD accessible to a virtual machine it must be mounted.
It is only possible to mount a physical device when there is a medium available. So insert a DVD before trying to mount it.
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A logical disk (or virtual disk) is a software component that emulates an actual disk, such as a hard disk, or even an optical disk. Seen from the virtual machine, and therefore also visible to OpenVMS or Tru64, a logical disk looks and behaves like an actual physical device.
A logical disk is a file on a filesystem that can be used as a disk by the virtual machine. Follow these steps when creating a new logical disk: Choose File Browser in the Storage tab. Right-click on the desired folder (where you want to create the logical disk) and select Create logical device.
Often a virtual disk file has the file extension .vdisk and a virtual tape .vtape. This is not necessary, but gives direct insight into the type of virtual use.
BU-0002-27 Page 54 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 In the Add logical device window, enter the parameters for the new disk.
A display window containing standard disks is available to choose from. When a standard disk is selected, all necessary parameters (like disk size) are set automatically.
When creating a custom disk, the minimum parameters to enter are: Name and Size.
The size of a (custom) disk can be any size. It is only limited by the space available on the device it is created on.
Select Ok and the logical disk will be created. A newly created disk is like a factory-new disk. It is empty and it has to be initialized for (and using) the operating system it will be used on.
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In the File Browser a logical disk will be displayed as a file.
Several actions to perform on a logical disk are available in an options menu. Right-click on the filename to open this menu.
Cut To move the file to another map on the same vtServer storage area. Copy To copy the file to another map on the same vtServer storage area. Delete To delete the logical disk. A confirmation will be requested. When Yes is selected, the file will be removed. Rename Rename the file. Extend Logical disks can be extended. This can only be done when the logical disk is not in use by a running virtual machine. Compress Compress the logical disk to a ZIP file. This is very useful when logical disks need to be copied to another host.
BU-0002-27 Page 56 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Here is a Copy operation example.
Use the file browser to locate the file to copy. Right-click on the file and select Copy.
Right-click on the destination map and select Paste.
When copying a logical disk over the network, compress it first. The copy will be much faster.
BU-0002-27 Page 57 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The logging window will show the progress.
This way you can, for instance, duplicate disk and tape image files on the same host to quickly produce a second virtual machine with the same disks and tapes.
Be careful to copy only logical disk files that are not active. Active disks can have open files which make the copy an unusable disk.
When FTP or SMB is enabled (via services in the Host tab), disk and tape files can also be copied using an FTP client or using windows mapping.
When copying a Logical disk to Physical, the existing data on the physical disk will be removed.
When copying a Logical OpenVMS disk to Physical the physical disk can be mounted in OpenVMS. After the first mount, there will be a mismatch in disk size and usage. Enter the following OpenVMS commands to solve this mismatch.
$ set volume/limit “disk” $ set volume/size “disk”
BU-0002-27 Page 58 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 4.3.4. Tape Image Files
A virtual tape is a software component that emulates an actual tape unit. Seen from the virtual machine, and therefore also to OpenVMS or Tru64, a virtual tape unit looks and behaves like an actual physical tape unit.
A virtual tape is a file on a filesystem that can be used as a tape unit by the virtual machine. The initial size of a newly create tape is 0 bytes. If you do not use the maximumsize option on the virtual tape unit, the size of the tape can grow until you run out of disk space. When the Autoload setting is enabled, the tape will be loaded automatically when a VMS MOUNT or INITIALIZE command is executed.
When manual control of tape loading and unloading from the VMS system is desired, set the Autoload parameter to disabled and use the TAPEMGR utility to control the tapes.
Tapemgr is available on the vtTools disk, see chapter 7.6.
When the Compress setting is enabled, the tape is created and uses a compressed format. This is similar to the OpenVMS command:
$ INITIALIZE/MEDIA_FORMAT=COMPACTION
BU-0002-27 Page 59 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The tape format can be set in the configuration or via a TapeMGR command in OpenVMS.
Available formats are:
vtAlpha Default, MTD, LM, SMA vtVax Default ,MTD
Changing tape format in the configuration requires a reboot of the Virtual Machine. With TapeMGR you can set/change the format while OpenVMS is running. When a tape format is changed, the tape with the OLD format cannot be read anymore. Change the format back to read the OLD formatted tape.
In OpenVMS (on Alpha) you can set the format of the tape with the following command:
$ tapemgr set MKA100: /format=mtd
On VAX, by using a specific tape file extension you can force the tape to use a specific tape format (other than the default .vtape extension on VAX). By using a tape with the extension vtt or mtd on the VAX you force the tape unit to use these tape formats. So a tape with the filename tape0100.mtd will use the tape format mtd. Valid extensions on VAX are vtape, mtd and vtt.
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The Logical and Physical CD-ROM options create a logical or physical read-only disk, respectively. When viewing a saved configuration, the CD-ROM devices will be displayed as regular disks with the appropriate characteristics. A physical CD-ROM attached to vtServer is displayed in the Devices tab of the Storage menu. It is usually displayed as /dev/sr0.
Such a drive can be mounted as any other device to make it accessible to a virtual machine. It is also possible to create a virtual CD-ROM using an ISO formatted disk file.
BU-0002-27 Page 61 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 ISO files can be attached (directly) to a virtual machine as CD-ROM device. Add a Logical CD-ROM to a virtual machine, see the example below. When configuring this CD-ROM in the next step, point to the desired ISO file.
This is done in the Virtual Machine tab via Settings (this cannot be done in the Storage tab).
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The default settings for CD-ROM are Read-only and Removable.
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4.3.6. NFS
To use NFS, the NFS client service must be enabled in the vtMonitor Host Settings menu.
To set the uid/gid for NFS the console must be used. Go to Configuration -> Services -> NFS to set the uid/gid.
BU-0002-27 Page 64 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The NFS/SMB tab is used to connect and disconnect NFS and SMB storage locations to the host.
The NFS/SMB tab will show already connected storage locations and will let you connect new NFS/SMB storage locations.
Example: Adding a NFS storage location to the storage area.
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4.3.7. SMB
To use SMB, the SMB client service must be enabled in the vtMonitor GUI Host menu.
The NFS/SMB tab is used to connect and disconnect NFS and/or SMB storage locations to the host.
The NFS/SMB tab will show already connected storage locations and will let you connect to new NFS/SMB storage locations.
Example: Adding an SMB storage location to the storage area.
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The vtServer host must connect to iSCSI devices before these devices will be available in the Storage display. iSCSI device connections are added and deleted in the iSCSI tab.
The top line on the right of the iSCSI server window displays the host’s iSCSI Qualified Name, which is automatically generated from the vtServer hostname and cannot be changed. The center section of the screen displays the known iSCSI targets. Click on a target in this list to edit or delete it. The right section of the screen displays configuration details of the selected iSCSI target. These configuration items may be modified by editing the text. In most cases it is sufficient to enter only the server address.
BU-0002-27 Page 67 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 4.3.9. Fiber Channel (SAN) vtServer connects to multiple types of SAN storage (HP MSA, EVA, 3PAR, EMC, Hitachi, VPLEX, etc.) via modern host Fiber Channel (FC) adapters. At the time this document is written, most of the QLogic and Emulex Fiber-channel adapters are supported. vtServer makes the attached SAN storage transparent for the Alpha operating system (OpenVMS or Tru64), allowing it to connect SAN types for which (originally) no support was included in the OpenVMS or Tru64 operating systems.
The Fiber Channel tab shows all physical FC adapters that are installed in the vtServer Host system. vtServer allows the sharing of physical FC adapters by multiple virtual Alpha systems. When an FC adapter is shared, all storage attached to controllers connected to the FC is also shared. If this is not desirable, such as when storage zones are required, multiple virtual FC adapters may be created and attached to one physical FC adapter. Each virtual FC adapter may be shared or not, as desired, and configured to access a subset of the physical storage.
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To configure an FC adapter, right click on one of the adapters to display a context menu with available options. In the images shown above, physical FC adapter fcad3 has three virtual FC adapters assigned (fcad5, 8 and 9). By assigning a virtual FC adapter in your SAN using the IDs of the virtual storage adapter, it is possible to restrict access to portions of the storage network to certain virtual Alpha systems (Virtual Zoning).
NPIV or N_Port ID Virtualization is a Fibre Channel feature whereby multiple Fibre Channel node port (N_Port) IDs can share a single physical N_Port. This allows multiple Fibre Channel initiators to occupy a single physical port, easing hardware requirements in Storage Area Network (SAN) design.
In order to create/use a NPIV adapter:
- Host adapters link must be online. - Host adapter must support NPIV (all adapters that support speeds of 4 Gbit and higher can do this). - Host adapter must be connected to a FC Switch, and the switch must support NPIV.
- When Host adapter is connected with a Point to Point connection (no fc switch) NPIV is not possible.
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4.4. Hostname
This menu is used to change the host name and domain of this vtServer host. If no name or domain is specified, vtServer.avt will be used by default.
When maintaining multiple vtServer hosts in a network, you should assign unique names.
When using DHCP to get an IP address, the domain name is given by the DHCP server and cannot be changed using vtMonitor.
When using the Console Menu, select the option hostname and enter the host and DNS domain name in the entry-fields.
Changing the hostname also creates new certificates. So when using HTTPS to connect to vtMonitor, you have to refresh the browser window and log in again.
If multiple vtServers are available in the network, it is necessary to give each vtServer a unique name. It is not possible to “connect” to vtServers with the same name in the Navigation window.
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4.5. Services
vtServer supports several services which can be enabled (and disabled) using the services menu. Some of these services are enable/disable only, while others have extra configuration settings. By default, all services (except vtscan) are disabled. Each service can be started using the corresponding option in the Console Menu or the vtMonitor GUI. You have the option to start the service immediately and/or to enable it so it starts each time vtServer boots. The following services are available to configure:
ftp Start/stop FTP server to make it possible to use FTP for file transfer. multipath When accessing SAN LUNs as physical devices using virtual KGPSA adapters, the guest operating system (OpenVMS or Tru64) provides multipath redundancy and this setting should remain in the default OFF state. Enable it only when using logical disks with the container files located on SAN storage. The clean option removes all current multipath definitions and generates a new list. nfs Start/stop NFS service. Use NFS for access to remote disks. ssh Start/stop SSH service. Use/open a terminal window on vtServer using SSH. smb Start/stop SMB service. Use Windows share access. snmp Start/stop SNMP service. Enable SNMP access. vtscan Start/stop vtScan service. This service scans for vtServer and vtLicense systems in the local network. vmware Start/stop VMware tools. The VMware Tools package provides support required for shared folders and for drag-and-drop operations.
The VMware option is only available when vtServer is installed on a VMware virtual machine.
BU-0002-27 Page 71 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 When using the vtMonitor GUI the Host services menu is part of the Host Settings menu. Every service available in vtServer can be enabled or disabled here and setup to start automatically after a reboot.
When using the Console Menu select the option Service settings in the System configuration menu.
Every service available in vtServer can be enabled or disabled here and setup to start automatically after a reboot.
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4.6. Date and Time
Date and time can be set manually, or setup to use NTP to automate the date and time setting. The time zone has to be set to get the correct date and time when using NTP. When using the vtMonitor GUI the date/time management is part of the Host -> Settings menu.
When using the Console Menu, select the option Date and time functions in System configuration and perform the required settings. The vtServer date and time is used in many internal procedures and is also used to create readable and accurate logging. Background processes use the date and time to create daily backups.
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4.7. User Management
Users can be managed using the Console Menu and using the vtMonitor GUI. The following table shows the difference between the Console Menu and the vtMonitor GUI.
User Console vtMonitor GUI Menu Create a new user X X Add a role to a user X Manage roles X Manage security options Limited X Show detailed user settings X
In the Users tab, three options are available to manage users and security: Users, Roles and Security.
Users To create/delete and manage users. Roles To manage user roles. Security To configure security settings (password complexity, password lifetime, etc.).
BU-0002-27 Page 74 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 When using the Console Menu, select the option Account management in the System configuration menu.
The Account management menu is a subset of the vtMonitor Users menu. Not all options which are present in vtMonitor are available.
The Account menu is used to add or delete users or change passwords. All users created using the console account menu will, by default, have the role Administrator and have full access to perform all system management functions. To enhance security, password lifetime may be enabled. Password lifetime is disabled by default. There are two password expiration parameters.
Maximum Days Specifies the age at which a password must be changed. When the user logs on to vtServer or vtMonitor after this period has expired they will be forced to change the password before continuing. Minimum Days Prevents a user from changing a password before the specified period has elapsed. The default value of 0 indicates there is no minimum password lifetime.
Roles and security are extensively described in the chapter on Account configuration.
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Select the user to manage or select the menu to create a new user.
The User ID cannot be changed. Only the Role and the Password are mandatory, the other fields are for informational purposes only.
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To add a new user, select the sub-menu option Add New User.
A new user has three mandatory fields.
User ID The identification for the user, the username. Role The role this user must have. Password The password for this user.
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User definitions can be exported into an XML file.
Select the sub-menu option Export User List to get the following window.
Microsoft Excel has a good XML parse function. It will look like this
Or save it as an XML file.
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4.7.2. Roles
In order to be able to separate tasks, vtServer establishes user roles. Each user is assigned a role which gives the user the correct rights to perform his task when using vtServer. Roles are introduced to create users with different levels of responsibility. There are standard roles, but it is possible to define new roles. The standard roles are:
Administrator Gives a user access to all vtServer functions and settings. Power user Gives a user access to almost all vtServer functions and settings. Only software updates and security settings are not accessible. Operator Can perform everything related to the operation of a virtual machine, but with no access to vtServer. Guest Can see almost everything but can only change his/her password.
New roles can be given to differentiate users privileges.
BU-0002-27 Page 79 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To add a new role select the menu option Add New Role.
The Role Definition window can be used to define a custom role.
Select the desired privileges and Add the new role. To delete a role, click on it and select Remove Role.
Every role can be deleted. Users that are assigned a role that is removed cannot login anymore.
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Role definitions can be exported into an XML file.
Select the sub-menu option Export Role Definition to get the following window.
Microsoft Excel has a good XML parse function. It will look like this:
Or save it as an XML file.
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4.7.3. Security Settings for Users
To improve security, password requirements can be set. Go to Users -> Security
Every setting can be customized.
The user root can always login using the console.
To use vtMonitor, FTP or SMB all these settings also apply to the user root.
BU-0002-27 Page 82 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 It is possible to automatically lock users that are not active for a given number of days. Select Lock on inactivity to enable automatic locking and enter the inactive days threshold.
It is possible to lock users after a number of consecutive login failures. Select Lock on login failure to enable and enter the number of consecutive failed logins threshold.
Every user account which is inactive for the specified number of days will be locked for vtMonitor, FTP and SMB access.
Every user account which has more than the specified number of consecutive login failures will be locked for vtMonitor, FTP and SMB access.
The user root can always login using the console.
But to use vtMonitor, FTP or SMB the user root may not be locked.
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Only a user account with the account lock-unlock setting activated can lock and unlock user accounts.
To lock or unlock a user account, right-click on the user account.
A locked user account has a red lock to the left of the account name.
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The default timeout value is 30 minutes. This means that a user process is stopped after 30 minutes off inactivity.
Go to Users -> Security to change the settings for the timeout value.
The session timeout value can be changed or disabled. The timeout setting is set for the vtServer system and is active for all user accounts.
The timeout setting can be set using the console in the System Parameters menu.
The session timeout keeps track of the use of vtMonitor. Ongoing activities in the background, for example a copy of a logical disk, have no influence on this.
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4.8. Alerts
The vtServer alert notification feature will send messages when any of the following conditions occur:
- vtAlpha/vtVAX license is not available when an emulator is active - vtAlpha/vtVAX license expired (warnings continue for 16 hours before shutdown) - Disaster Recovery License has less than 24 hours of run-time remaining - High host memory utilization. When the swapfile use is over 80%. - OpenVMS Bug check detected - vtServer system partition/disk almost full. When there is less than 2% of free space. - There is a VPN configured, but it is not active - A Virtual Machine has Autostart enabled, but it is not started after a reboot of the vtServer host.
Additional alert conditions will be added in the future. User suggestions are welcome. All alerts are displayed in vtMonitor in the Logging/Alerts Window. To configure the mail settings for alerts there is an Alert Mail Service window. This window is part of the Host -> settings.
Alerts are always displayed in the Logging/Alerts window. To receive Alerts mail, configure the Alert Mail Service.
To monitor the whole system yourself, memory/CPU/Disk etc. SNMP is available.
BU-0002-27 Page 86 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The following information is needed to configure the Alerts Mail Service.
SMTP Server To send a mail, alerts will need an SMTP server. Enter the name of the SMTP server here. Sender A mail message originates with a from user. This is the mail address you will see as From in your mail client.
When special authentication is needed to use the SMTP server, enable it and fill in the user and password. User User to use for SMTP authentication Password Password to use for SMTP authentication
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Fill in a mail address and a test message will be sent to this address.
Or right-click on a mail address in the list to send a test mail to the selected address.
Now that the SMTP settings are correct and tested, mail addresses can be added to receive the alerts messages.
Select Add Mail Address to add more mail addresses.
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Right-click on a mail address to remove it from the list.
Alerts are always displayed in the Logging/Alerts Window. When a new alert is added to the alerts window, the alerts counter will be changed.
To lower the alert counter the alert needs to be Acknowleged. Right-click the alert message to acknowledge and select Acknowledge Alert.
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4.9. Keyboard
The keyboard settings can be changed using the Console Menu. Select keyboard.
And select the desired keyboard setting.
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4.10. Snapshots
With snapshots it is possible to preserve the state of the system at a particular point in time. When needed, a snapshot made earlier in time can be used to restore the system to the state it was in at that time. Snapshots are only available on disks formatted with the btrfs filesystem. The snapshot utility will scan all available disks to see whether at least one of them is a btrfs disk. Snapshot management is part of the Host menu.
When selecting Snapshots a list of all available snapshots will be shown. Right-click on a snapshot to get a context sensitive snapshot menu.
It is possible to delete, rename or restore the selected snapshot.
BU-0002-27 Page 91 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To restore a snapshot the vtServer will be rebooted. It is not possible to restore a snapshot on a running vtServer.
Two questions must be answered before the snapshot will be restored.
It is possible to create a snapshot from the current state, confirm whether this is desired or not. If you select Yes an extra questions needs to be answered: where to put the snapshot.
A confirmation must be given to continue the snapshot restore. Note that the vtServer will be rebooted during this process. When Yes is selected, the restore will run fully automatically and reboot vtServer two times.
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To create a snapshot manually select the context menu and select Create New Snapshot…
Accept the given name for the snapshot or fill in another name to create the snapshot.
4.10.1. Important Things to Know When Using Snapshots
Snapshots are only available when the system partition is created as btrfs partition.
1. A snapshot is NOT a replacement for a backup. A snapshot is only to preserve the state of the system partition.
BU-0002-27 Page 93 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 2. A snapshot will be made automatically before an update or patch installation. 3. A snapshot uses disk space. When there is not enough disk space available, it is not possible to create a snapshot before the update or patch installation.
vtMonitor will show the total disk space occupied by the snapshots in the Host -> Info menu.
4. During a full installation, or re-installation, the system partition will be completely overwritten. This will delete all snapshots. There are no snapshots available to restore the vtServer to the state before a full installation. 5. Snapshot is a powerful feature, but it is primarily intended to enable a fast rollback to the status before an update or patch installation. 6. A snapshot is NOT a replacement for a backup.
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4.10.2. Convert vtServer System Partition from ext4 to btrfs
VtServer installations prior to version 3.1 are installed on an ext4 formatted partition. To enable snapshots on such a system, vtServer must be re-installed and the new installation must be on a btrfs formatted disk.
Take care of the following before switching from ext4 to btrfs:
Re-installing will remove the current installation, including all the settings and virtual machine configurations.
A backup made in version 3.x cannot be restored on a version 4 of vtServer.
If you want to switch from the ext4 to the btrfs filesystem (and are currently using version 3.x), take the following steps: 1. Upgrade to vtServer V4.This will do the necessary conversion of the configuration files. 2. Make a backup via Host -> Backup -> Backup Host Settings
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3. Re-install vtServer (clean install). Choose btrfs filesystem when asked with at least 40Gb disk size. Restore the backup via Host -> Backup -> Restore Host Settings. Reboot.
On servers with a btrfs system disk, a snapshot will automatically be made when an update/upgrade is applied to the system. Using this snapshot, which is made for you before the actual upgrade takes place, it is always possible to revert back to the state before the upgrade. Snapshots can also be made manually when required. It is advisable to make snapshots before complex and/or large changes are made to vtServer or virtual machine configurations.
To convert a vtServer disk from ext4 to btrfs, first upgrade to V4. Then a V4 backup can be made.
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4.11. HTTPS and Certificates
Some explanation about SSL and certificates.
SSL Certificates are small data files that digitally bind a cryptographic key to an organization’s details. When installed on a web server, it activates the padlock and the https protocol and allows secure connections from a web server to a browser. Typically, SSL is used to secure credit card transactions, data transfer and logins, and more recently is becoming the norm when securing browsing of social media sites.
SSL Certificates bind together:
- A domain name, server name or hostname. - An organizational identity (i.e. company name) and location.
An organization needs to install the SSL Certificate onto its web server to initiate a secure session with browsers. Once a secure connection is established, all web traffic between the web server and the web browser will be secure.
When a certificate is successfully installed on your vtServer, the application protocol (HTTP) will change to HTTPs, where the ‘S’ stands for ‘secure’. Depending on the type of certificate you purchase and what browser you are surfing the internet on, a browser will show a padlock or green bar in the browser when you visit your vtServer that has an SSL Certificate installed.
When the system parameter field enable_http is left blank, HTTPS is forced when connecting to vtMonitor.
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When HTTPS is enabled to use by vtServer, it uses a so called “self-signed certificate”, a certificate that is not signed by a certificate authority (CA). To get more security it is possible to use (import) a certificate that is signed by a CA.
Go to the Host menu and select Certificates
This will show the currently active certificate.
Open the Host sub-menu to Import a Certificate.
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Select the Public and Private keyfile to use.
A commonly used tool to create Public and Private security keys is: Putty Key Generator. These certificates are NOT valid to use for HTTPS.
To update the public key open the Host sub-menu and select Update Certificate…
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4.12. System Parameters
The sysparams tab in the vtServer configuration menu can be used to set or remove some system settings.
There are four system parameter settings available:
enable_http Set this to yes to force vtMonitor to use HTTP instead of HTTPS. We encourage everyone to use HTTPS but in a mixed environment with vtServer versions V3 and V4 in the same network it is recommended to use HTTP. boot_options Can be set to any parameter that will be added to the server command line when vtServer is booting. Example: "nomodeset" to disable changing the video mode on boot. session_timeout Every user process has a timeout value. When a user does not use the session for a time longer than this timeout value, the user will be logged out. The session timeout is in minutes. 0 Session timeout is disabled
1 - . . Session timeout value in minutes, default is 30 minutes.
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startup_delay Can be set to a number that specifies the delay in seconds that should occur before a Virtual Machine is started automatically at system boot time. Is only used for Virtual Machines with autostart enabled. All Virtual Machines with autostart enabled will start one after the other, with the startup_delay time in the meantime.
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4.13. System Information
Show a summary of the system information. When using the vtMonitor GUI the Info menu is part of the Host tab.
When using the Console Menu, select the option System information in the System configuration menu.
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4.14. Shutdown / Reboot
These options allow you to perform a shutdown or reboot of the host system. When using the vtMonitor GUI the shutdown and reboot option is part of the navigation window. Right-click on the server to get a context-sensitive menu.
When using the Console Menu, select the option Shutdown Host or Reboot Host in the top menu.
A warning message will be displayed if virtual machines (vtVAX or vtAlpha) are still running. This message can be overridden in the Console menu, not in vtMonitor. In vtMonitor the running virtual machines have to be stopped first.
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4.15. Licensing
There is no limit in the number of virtual machines that can be created. There is a limit however on the number of machines that can be started or running simultaneously. Before a virtual machine starts, it checks for a proper license. If it does not find one, or the number of licenses is insufficient, it will not start.
Check the log-file of the virtual machine to check if licensing is the reason the machine won’t start.
The simplest way to use a license is the single host license. • vtServer with Alpha/VAX virtual machine. • USB license key in a local USB port
When there is more than one vtServer in the network, it is more efficient to use a vtLicense server. This will be easier to manage than multiple USB keys with multiple licenses.
A vtLicense server can be any PC hardware running on X86.
There are several advantages to using a dedicated vtLicense server:
- Commodity hardware in large datacenters often has no accessible USB slot with the result that it is not possible to use a licensed USB Key. - When using multiple vtLicense servers, there is a single location for easy management of all license keys. - With multiple vtLicense servers it is possible to create no single point of failure.
AVT, VERE or your reseller can quote a dedicated vtLicense server upon request.
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4.15.1. License Options
There are 3 license types:
1. Date limited time (e.g., annually renewable or for evaluation) License has an end date. 2. Permanent (production) No end time. 3. Pre-determined amount of runtime Disaster Recovery Licenses – low cost emergency use.
4.15.2. License Search Order
When a virtual machine starts, it will search for a valid license using the following search order:
1. Locally connected license 2. Network license 3. Locally connected DR license 4. Network DR license 5. Network broadcast to check for other vtLicense servers with an available license
A disaster Recovery license will not be charged when another license is found. It is a simple method to prevent production loss through license unavailability.
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The LEDs (for the Alpha emulator) in the USB License key have 3 states: 1. checking: orange 2. obtained license: green 3. failure to get license: red
When there is more licenses available, “normal” license, DR license or network license, the LED color will be red when the license is checked, but another license is used as current license.
Example:
A DR key is plugged into a USB port, and vtServer is configured to use the license in a license server on the network.
The license check process will first find the DR key. Because it is a DR key it continuous to look for another license and finds this on the license server. The LED color for the DR key will become red, although it has a valid key, it is not obtained as valid for that moment.
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The vtAlpha and vtVAX licensing mechanism utilizes license specifications stored on a hardware license container. By default, each vtServer host looks for the license container on a local (USB) port. The license can be managed using the Console Menu and using the vtMonitor GUI. When using the vtMonitor GUI there is a License tab with a Settings option.
Here a Remote License server can be added (or removed) and the host itself can be enabled to act as a vtLicense server for other (remote) vtServers.
When using the Console Menu, select the option License in the System configuration menu and perform the license options.
Info Displays the content of the license key(s) accessible to this host. The vtServer host can be configured to check for license containers on remote host systems or dedicated vtLicense servers. The use of remote license servers increases configuration flexibility and allows for disaster-tolerant configurations. Settings Remote Used to define one or more remote license servers that vtServer will poll for the required vtAlpha or vtVAX license. Settings Enable Used to enable the remote server capability on this host so that it may function as a remote license server.
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4.15.5. License in a Network
vtAlpha and vtVAX license information is stored on a special license key that fits into a USB slot of the host computer or vtLicense server. The Alpha and VAX virtual machine will check for the presence of a valid license when started and at periodic intervals while the Virtual Machine is running. A valid license, appropriate for the emulated system, must be detected for the virtual machine to be able to start. If the license is not found during one of the periodic checks an alert will be issued and the emulation will continue executing for up to 16 hours before the virtual machine is terminated. Each license key may contain primary or backup licenses for one or more vtAlpha and vtVAX virtual machines. The type, and number, of virtual machines that may execute simultaneously is determined by the available licenses. When primary and backup licenses are present, the primary licenses will be allocated first, and after that, the backup licenses will be allocated. In the simplest situation, the license key is inserted in a USB port on the vtServer host system. There are several circumstances under which the license key may be located on a system other than the host:
- There is no physical access to the host. - The host has no available USB slots (e.g., a blade system or virtual host). - The host is a virtualized system that may be migrated to other physical servers (e.g., VMware vMotion). - Fault tolerant configurations that provide redundancy for the host servers and/or license dongles. - Licenses for multiple host systems are stored on a single license key.
BU-0002-27 Page 108 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The vtAlpha/vtVAX licensing mechanism supports these options by the ability to access license keys installed on remote license servers that are network-accessible to the vtServer host. The remote license server may be another vtServer host on the network, or a vtLicense server, which is a dedicated network appliance with USB ports for the license keys. The diagram below shows the license key inserted in a remote license server.
To create a redundant situation, more vtLicense servers can be used. Each license server may serve licenses for multiple vtServer host systems. When using a virtual machine fail-over mechanism like VMware’s vMotion, the deployment of multiple vtLicense servers in a network in combination with production and disaster recovery licenses allows you to create a robust disaster resilient (DR) virtual Alpha/VAX installation.
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To use the network-based license setup, identify the systems that will be used as remote license servers and their IP addresses. The remote servers may be a vtLicense appliance or another vtServer host. The remote server must be accessible via IP from the vtServer host utilizing the server.
Step 1. Setup the license server computer
There are two scenarios possible: An existing vtServer can act as a license server, or a dedicated vtLicense system can be installed.
a) vtServer host On the vtServer host system hosting the license dongles: Click on the selection button in the License -> Settings window to enable this vtServer as a license server.
This activates the license server task, which runs in the background. b) vtLicense Obtain the product, assign it a network address and connect it to the network. AVT and VERE supply plug-and-play vtLicense servers.
These vtLicense servers come pre-installed and ready to use.
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Installation
1. Obtain IP settings to assign to this vtLicense server. 2. Insert the license key in one of the USB slots on the back of the unit (if not yet pre-installed), or open the cover and plug it into one of the internal USB slots. 3. Do not connect the network cable yet. 4. Plug in the power cable. 5. It will take the vtLicense server approximately 90 seconds to start. 6. The vtLicense server has IP address 192.168.0.1 factory installed. 7. Create a point-to-point network connection between the vtLicense server and your PC. 8. Assign the network address 192.168.0.2 to this PC (temporary) in order to connect to the vtLicense server. 9. Connect the network cable to the vtLicense server and open an Internet browser window 10. Enter 192.168.0.1 in the URL box and hit return. 11. A vtMonitor window should appear. 12. Default user-id and password both are root 13. Select Network Interface 14. Select the port: mgr0 15. Enter the desired IP settings. 16. Connect the vtLicense server to your network and restore the network status of your PC (i.e., remove the 192.168.0.2 address). 17. Configure vtLicense via the user interface. 18. We recommend altering the default password for security reasons.
BU-0002-27 Page 111 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Step 2: Point the vtServer host to the network server
Click on the selection button in the License -> Settings window to Add License Server to this vtServer.
Multiple remote license servers may be defined to provide increased redundancy and reliability. A secondary license key may be a full license or a disaster recovery key with a limited run- time to survive temporary unavailability of the primary license key.
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4.16. Firewall Settings (vtLicense only)
Configure the firewall for vtLicense. By default the following ports are enabled:
22350 Codemeter license service 443 HTTPS 80 HTTP 53 DNS 9456 vtScan
Do not delete a standard firewall rule.
Other ports can be added if so desired.
IP address 0 translates to localhost.
BU-0002-27 Page 113 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To delete a firewall rule right-click on the rule to delete.
To add a new rule selects the menu option and select Add New Rule.
Fill in the firewall rule to add and select Add to save the new rule on the vtLicense server.
Enable/Disable switches the Firewall function on or off. Default is Disabled. Share Rules is used to copy the current rules to another vtLicense server. Firewall rules can only be shared with vtLicense servers which are connected via the Navigation Window.
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4.17. Proxy Settings (vtLicense Only)
Proxy support can be enabled on a vtLicense server.
When Enable Proxy Support is active the option to enable authentication will be available.
BU-0002-27 Page 115 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5. Virtual Machines
5.1. Creating a Virtual Machine
To create a virtual machine click on the menu tab New Virtual Machine in the Navigation Window.
Changed Virtual Machine settings are active after a restart of the Virtual Machine.
All changes made in Virtual Machine settings are not directly active. This makes it possible to change the settings without affecting the running Virtual Machine.
BU-0002-27 Page 116 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 A selection window will pop up with all the pre-defined virtual machines you can create. Select Alpha or VAX to switch between a list of available Alphas or VAXes.
The default name for a new Virtual Machine is New_. This name can be set when creating the Virtual Machine or changed at a later time.
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5.2. Configuring a Virtual Alpha
5.2.1. Comment Box Text entered in the comment box will be used for documentation purposes only. Special characters (e.g., é, õ, ä) may be used. Use the Comment tab to open the comment window.
5.2.2. Virtual Machine Name
The default name for a new Alpha virtual machine is the Alpha system type. Right-click on the virtual machine and select Rename to rename it to a more descriptive name.
BU-0002-27 Page 118 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5.2.3. Hardware Settings When creating a virtual machine the default hardware settings depend on the selected hardware type. Select the virtual machine name to get the hardware settings window.
Using the hardware settings window, some hardware settings can be changed.
Example: When setting up a DS10 the maximum number of CPUs is 1. When setting up an ES40 the number of CPUs can be set from 1 to 4.
A virtual machine behaves exactly the same as the original hardware. Only hardware settings that are supported by the original model can be chosen or modified.
BU-0002-27 Page 119 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5.2.4. Advanced Options
Less frequently used configuration options are grouped under this heading.
These Advanced options are only to be changed under guidance of your vtAlpha support organization!
CPU Acceleration Controls software acceleration of virtual CPU performance. CPU acceleration is enabled by default; it is disabled when application code contains timing dependencies that are triggered by running on a faster CPU. This setting should only be changed upon request of your vtAlpha support organization. This setting has no effect on vtAlpha-AS virtual machines, which do not support CPU acceleration. Default: 1 (on)
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JIT Processors To be used only under guidance of your vtAlpha support organization. See also Virtual CPUs for details about this subject. Default: 0
NVRAM Specify the name of a file to be used to load the NVRAM. Please use only on the advice of your vtAlpha reseller or support organization. Default: nvram.dat
Log File Name of the log file to be used for this configuration. The same log file name may be used in different configurations without conflict. Default: logfile.log
System Trace Level Used for debugging purposes only. The trace level is a number between 0 (off) and 9 (inclusive) that controls how much data is recorded. Tracing degrades performance; therefore, the Trace Level setting should remain set to 0 unless directed by your vtAlpha support organization. Default: 0
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This option has two Hardware Model options, both of which can be set to match the values of the physical Alpha system being replaced. This option should be used only when application software checks these values for license validation.
These Advanced options are only to be changed under guidance of your vtAlpha support organization!
SMM (System Marketing Model) Default: blank Custom Model Name Default: blank
BU-0002-27 Page 122 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5.2.6. QBB In GS-series systems (GS80, GS160, GS320, GS1280, and ES80), system resources including CPU, memory and PCI busses are grouped in structures known as Quad Building Blocks (QBB). Each system is composed of one or more QBBs. Each QBB may be configured with up to 4 CPUs, 32 GB of memory, and 32 PCI slots (8 busses of 4 slots each). The configuration for the console serial ports OPA0 and COM2 is contained in QBB0, which is present in all GS configurations. Additional QBBs, up to a model-dependent maximum, may be added by right-clicking on the Alpha configuration name.
QBBs may be removed by right-clicking on the QBB and selecting remove.
QBB 0 cannot be removed.
5.2.7. Virtual CPUs
Specify the number of Alpha CPUs to virtualize. This number must be the same or less than the number of CPUs licensed for this configuration. Default: 1 The number of virtual CPUs is one of the two factors that has a direct relationship to the assigned host resources and must therefore be considered when sizing the host computer. Every virtual Alpha CPU requires a full host CPU core to run. To facilitate the Alpha CPU process, vtAlpha needs 50% extra CPU capacity on the host for adjacent and supporting tasks. This means every virtual Alpha CPU requires a minimum of 1.5 host CPU cores.
BU-0002-27 Page 123 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 For most vtAlpha implementations this will be sufficient. However, for Alphas that were exercised harder, it might be necessary to assign extra host CPU power to keep up with the high-performance demands of the Alpha-based software. This can only be assessed by running the user applications and measuring the load on that machine. vtAlpha facilitates manually assigning more host CPU resources to a virtual Alpha by using the JIT Processors parameter in the vtAlpha configuration (Advanced Options). The default value of this parameter is 0, meaning vtAlpha will claim one additional host CPU core for every vtAlpha virtual machine in the product range vtAlpha-AS to vtAlpha-ES. In case of vtAlpha-GS it claims one additional host CPU core per QBB. When manually assigned with a value other than 0, vtAlpha will allocate that number of host CPUs instead. This allows the assignment of more CPUs than the default setting.
In the case of vtAlpha-GS you can optionally assign less than what is allocated by default.
Recommendations for vtAlpha-AS to vtAlpha-ES: Alpha CPUs + 50% + additional JIT processes Recommendations for vtAlpha-GS: Alpha CPUs + 50% + QBBs Unless the JIT Processor parameter is used; in that case the following formula applies: Alpha CPUs + 50% + additional JIT processors
Ask your vtAlpha support organization to make these calculations with you. They have experience in this.
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This feature is used to set hardware information that may be needed by third-party software license verification mechanisms. Available options are:
- CPU type - CPU variant - CPU revision - CPU serial number(s) that are to be copied from the original Alpha hardware
These CPU-details options are only to be changed under guidance of your vtAlpha support organization!
BU-0002-27 Page 125 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5.2.9. Memory
Amount of Alpha memory (in MB) to be virtualized (1 GB = 1024 MB). The Memory Size option is used to specify the amount of memory to be configured. vtAlpha supports up to 32 GB (32768 MB) of virtual Alpha memory. The maximum amount of memory supported on some Alpha models is less than 32 GB. Please check the Software Product Description (SPD) for the operating system and version being used to identify the maximum amount of memory allowed. For each vtAlpha-AS to vtAlpha-ES series virtual machine running simultaneously, the total host memory required is (1.25 * the emulated Alpha memory) + 1 GB (for the host). If sufficient memory is not present, the emulation will not start. Default: 128
Count the total amount of memory of the Virtual Machines. Virtual Machines can be started, but if the total amount of memory needed is more than available in the vtServer, the chance of a non-working system is very high. The only solution is then to restart vtServer.
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vtAlpha virtualizes the two serial line ports that were available on the Alpha computer systems: OPA0 and COM2. Each of these virtual serial ports can be attached to a TCP/IP port or to a physical serial interface (e.g., /dev/tty1). Default: TCP/IP ports :20001 and :20002.
When using more than one virtual machine simultaneously, this port number must be unique (within that vtServer). When port numbers are not unique the Virtual Machine will not start. This can be checked in the logging of the virtual machine. To change the port settings, click on the port name to open the settings window.
Assign unique port numbers for every virtual machine within a vtServer. If not, the virtual machine will not start and write a message in the virtual machine log file.
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Attach to: The port OPA0 and COM2 can be attached to a TCP/IP port or to a physical device. Options available for ports attached to a TCP/IP port:
Protocol Protocol to use for the virtual OPA0 / COM2. Port number TCP/IP port number to use for this connection. Password This field is used to specify a port access password that must be provided each time a new connection is opened to the port. A password is strongly recommended for console ports that are attached to IP connections, which provide much wider access than a physical serial line connection. The passwords are stored in encrypted format and cannot be displayed once set. Default: blank Options Special serial line options (raw/nodelay). Note: To be used under guidance of your vtAlpha support organization. Default: blank When using raw on a network connection, the data will not be modified to match the telnet protocol, so communication will be transparent. When using nodelay on a network connection, characters will be passed on immediately when collected. By default, the data will go through a small buffer which can introduce a brief delay before the data is sent.
BU-0002-27 Page 128 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Logfile When a file name is specified, all data transferred on the virtual serial interface will be logged in that file. When this field is blank, no data is logged. This file is written in the vtAlpha config directory. Default: blank Timestamp When timestamp is enabled, the date and time will be added to the log file entries. Is only useful when a log file is specified. Default: disabled. Trace level For debug purposes, to be used only under the guidance of your vtAlpha support organization. Default: blank
Assign a password to OPA0. Port scanners often give problems by sending a ctrl-p command to OPA0. This will HALT the virtual machine. To prevent this assign a password to OPA0 or select SSH as protocol to use for OPA0 access.
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There are some differences, outside of the use of SSH or Telnet, when using SSH or Telnet. When Telnet is used for OPA0/COM2 you are directly connected to the selected port on the emulated system. The login prompt is send by the emulated system. When SSH is used for OPA0/COM2 the emulator prompts you for the password for the currently used user account on vtServer and then a login prompt is send by the emulated system. Example using an emulated OpenVMS system. The user account used to login on vtServer is zeus.
Telnet, select “connect to OPA0” Username: system
Password:
Welcome to OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System, Version V8.4 on node KRATOS
Last interactive login on Thursday, 2-JAN-2020 11:53:29.40
Last non-interactive login on Wednesday, 1-JAN-2020 17:00:00.04
SSH, select “connect to OPA0” login as: zeus [email protected]'s password: Connected to port 20101
Username: system Password: Welcome to OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System, Version V8.4 on node KRATOS Last interactive login on Thursday, 2-JAN-2020 11:49:05.16 Last non-interactive login on Wednesday, 1-JAN-2020 17:00:00.04
BU-0002-27 Page 130 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Options available for ports attached to a physical device:
Device
Only physical devices available on the vtServer host can be chosen. Baud rate Specify the baud rate for virtual serial interface connected to a physical serial interface. Select the correct baud rate from the quick menu. Default: blank Password This field is used to specify a port access password that must be provided each time a new connection is opened to the port. The passwords are stored in encrypted format and cannot be displayed once set. Default: blank Options Special serial line options. To be used only under the guidance of your vtAlpha support organization. Default: blank When using raw on a physical serial port there will be no Xon/Xoff flow control, so the communication will be transparent. Logfile When a file name is specified, all data transferred on the virtual serial interface will be logged in that file. When this field is blank, no data is logged. This file is written in the vtAlpha config directory. Default: blank Timestamp When timestamp is enabled, the date and time will be added to the log file entries. Is only useful when a log file is specified. Default: disabled. Trace level Debug purposes, only to be used under guidance of your vtAlpha Support organization. Default: blank
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Example: Connect to OPA0 using Putty.
To connect to OPA0 from a Virtual Machine you need the following information:
Is the port configured for Telnet or SSH? What is the port number given to OPA0? What is the IP address of the vtServer running this Virtual Machine?
In this example the port is configured to use Telnet and the port number is 20001.
Go with the mouse pointer to the Navigation Window and move over the vtServer where the Virtual Machine is running on. This will show the ip address used by this vtServer.
In this example Putty is used, but every telnet client can be used.
This opens a telnet session to OPA0.
When a firewall is used, this port (in this example 20001) should be configured to allow access to this vtServer.
BU-0002-27 Page 132 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5.2.11. PCI Bus
The number of available PCI busses and the number of slots on each PCI bus vary depending on the Alpha system model being configured. Virtual storage, network, or serial line adapters may be configured in any open slot.
vtAlpha uses the same I/O adapter configuration rules as the physical Alpha systems. These rules, which vary depending on the Alpha hardware model, are provided below:
For vtAlpha-AS and -BS models, adapters are configured in the following order: Slot 2, 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. For example, SCSI adapters configured in slots 0, 1 and 2 will be designated PKB, PKC, and PKA, respectively. If the adapters are configured in slots 0, 1, and 3, they will be designated PKA, PKB, and PKC, respectively.
For vtAlpha-CS models, the configuration sequence is slot 0, 1, 6, 7, 8.
For vtAlpha-DS and –ES models, the sequence is bus 1, slot 0 - 5, and then bus 0 slot 0 – 3.
vtAlpha-AS and -BS vtAlpha-CS vtAlpha-DS and –ES Slot 0 PKB Slot 0 Bus 1 Slot 0 Slot 1 PKC Slot 1 Slot 1 Slot 2 PKA Slot 6 Slot 2 Slot 3 PKD Slot 7 Slot 3 Slot 4 PKE Slot 8 Slot 4 Slot 5 PKF Slot 5 Slot 6 PKG Bus 0 Slot 1 Slot 7 PKH Slot 2 Slot 8 PKI Slot 3 Slot 9 PKJ Slot 10 PKK Slot 11 PKL Slot 12 PKM Slot 13 PKN Slot 14 PKO
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Each PCI-slot can host one (1) PCI adapter. Now the following PCI adapters are available:
KZPSA SCSI adapter, which provides up to 120 SCSI devices KGPSA Fiber Channel adapter, which provides up to 32.767 devices VTDSK Virtual Device adapter (MSCP. DSSI, IDE, RAID virtualization) EI1000 Gigabit Ethernet adapter DEGXA Gigabit Ethernet adapter DE600 Ethernet adapter DE500 Ethernet adapter DE450 Ethernet adapter DE435 Ethernet adapter PBXDA Serial Lines adapter (8 lines)
Position the mouse pointer over a PCI slot and right-click to display a context-sensitive menu with options to add or remove a device from the slot, depending on the current state. Example: Add a DE500 Ethernet adapter to PCI Bus 0, PCI Slot 2
BU-0002-27 Page 134 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 This will add a DE500 Ethernet adapter which has to be configured.
How to configure a network adapter will be explained in detail in the paragraph Ethernet Adapter (5.2.13).
Example: Add a logical disk to PCI Bus 0, PCI Slot 2 First add a KZPBA SCSI adapter
Then add a logical disk to this SCSI adapter. Right-click the KZPBA to get a selection menu.
How to add and configure disks will be explained in more detail in the paragraph Storage Devices (4.3).
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vtAlpha supports virtual EI1000, DEGXA, DE600, DE500, DE450, and DE435 Ethernet adapters. Normally, the same type of Ethernet adapter present in the physical Alpha system will be configured in vtAlpha to prevent the device names from changing. The speed at which data is transferred over the network interface is determined by the physical network adapter being used and the physical network utilization.
The speed as presented by the virtual network adapter will be ignored.
The virtual Ethernet adapter has 4 configuration options: Host adapter or virtual network device to connect to (eth0, eth1, avt0, bond0, etc.). MAC address. Usually not necessary (more common on VAX than Alpha), this is needed when certain software licenses are tied to the MAC address of the Ethernet adapter of the system it was running on. Device Trace Level and Driver Trace Level. These parameters are used for debugging purposes only. Default value = 0 (no tracing). Enabling tracing will add additional overhead to all network transfers, which will impact the performance; therefore, the value of this parameter should be changed only when requested by your vtAlpha support organization.
It is recommended that one physical network interface be provided for the vtServer host communications in addition to one physical interface for each virtual network interface.
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When more than two virtual serial lines (OPA0 and COM2) are required, virtual PBXDA (8- line) serial interfaces may be defined. A maximum of 8 PBXDA adapters are supported, for a total of 64 additional serial lines. To add a virtual PBXDA, right-click on a PCI slot and select Add PBXDA serial line adapter.
BU-0002-27 Page 137 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Expand the serial line adapter and select the line to configure.
The Line Numbers per virtual PBXDA are fixed and cannot be changed.
It is necessary to re-install or reconfigure the OpenVMS serial line drivers when using virtual PBXDA devices. These drivers can be found on the vtTools disk in the directory [DIGIBOARD]. This is an OpenVMS limitation that applies to both physical and virtual Alpha configurations.
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5.2.15. SCSI Adapter
The virtual KZPBA adapter is the interface between the virtual Alpha system and the physical or logical storage devices. The device name prefix of each adapter (PKA, PKB, etc.) is determined by the virtual Alpha model and the PCI slot used. To keep the device names the same on the physical and virtual Alpha systems, the virtual Alpha bus configuration should be identical to that of the physical system. The following SCSI devices are supported:
Physical SCSI disks The vtAlpha disk maps to a physical disk device on the host. Logical SCSI disks The vtAlpha disk maps to a container file in the host file system. Physical SCSI tapes Direct attached tape device. Logical SCSI tapes Implemented as container files in the host file system; can be dismounted and separately backed up after completion. Generic SCSI device Can be any kind of device as far as the host computer is concerned. The host passes any traffic through to the device; the guest operating system (OpenVMS or Tru64) must have the appropriate drivers for that device.
The Logical and Physical CD-ROM options create a logical or physical read-only disk, respectively. When viewing a saved configuration, the CD-ROM devices will be displayed as regular disks with the appropriate characteristics. To add SCSI devices, right-click the SCSI Adapter then select the desired storage device from the quick menu.
BU-0002-27 Page 139 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 There are three Main Options to configure for devices connected to a virtual KZPBA:
Target Select the desired target address for this SCSI device. The address selected will be the first 1-2 digits of the device unit number.
The target address used by the SCSI device may not be used by the SCSI adapter and must be unique for all devices connected to this SCSI adapter.
LUN Select the desired LUN (logical unit number). Trace Level Parameters used for debugging purposes only. Default value = 0 (no tracing). Enabling tracing will add additional overhead to all data transfers, which will impact the performance; therefore, the value of this parameter should be changed only when requested by your vtAlpha support organization.
BU-0002-27 Page 140 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 5.2.16. Fiber Channel Adapter
The virtual KGPSA adapter connects to the Fiber Channel storage elements or SAN that need to be connected to the virtual Alpha. In order to configure the adapter, a Fiber channel adapter must be present in the host X86 system you are using for the vtServer. This adapter will be shown in the Fiber Channel tab under the Storage tab. The configuration of a Fiber channel adapter will be described in detail in the paragraph Storage Devices. To add a virtual KGPSA adapter, right-click on the PCI Slot and select Add KGPSA Fiber Channel Adapter.
The Fiber channel adapter must be configured using a configuration window.
BU-0002-27 Page 141 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The Fiber Channel Adapter can be attached to a physical or a virtual SAN Storage Controller. A list of available Fiber Channel Adapters can be seen in the Info window in the Host menu.
When a host name is given, the SAN storage controllers will present the storage configuration to vtServer and changes to the configuration will be detected automatically. When the host name is defined, devices may not be manually configured; previously configured devices will be retained in the configuration file but will be ignored. This is the preferred method for configuring SAN storage.
When the host name is omitted, each storage device to be accessed must be manually defined. The following storage devices are supported:
Physical disks Each accessible LUN on the SAN is available as a device on the vtServer host and as a virtual disk on the vtAlpha guest. Logical disks Container files located on the SAN may be configured as logical disks which are presented to the vtAlpha guest OS as individual devices. Physical tapes Direct-attached tape device. Logical tapes Container files located on the SAN may be configured as logical tapes which are presented to the vtAlpha guest OS as individual tape units.
BU-0002-27 Page 142 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The virtual KGPSA adapter has seven parameters that can be modified:
Host Adapter Name of the Fiber Channel adapter; when assigned the adapter will manage the available storage elements. Only available when attached to a physical adapter.
LUN Map Mask devices and change device IDs. Only available when attached to a physical adapter.
Nodename Node hardware address of the FC adapter.
Portname Port hardware address of the FC adapter.
Shared Set when this adapter is shared with another virtual Alpha.
Options Special options, to be used under guidance of your vtAlpha support organization only.
Trace level To be used for debugging purposes as requested by your vtAlpha support organization; should be 0 for production situations.
5.2.17. LUN Map
The LUN Map setting can be used to mask devices and to change device IDs. Format: [portid=xxxxxx][productid=xxxxxx][,default][,lun:id],[lun:id, . . . ][;portid=xxxxxx . . . ] Example: portid=10300,default;portid=10400,1:2;portid=10800,default,1:55,7:88 Example: portid=10300,default,1:34,5:48
This means that for controller with ID, 0x10300 we will map all LUNs one-on-one to an identifier (lun 1 = id 1, lun 2 = id 2, etc.).
An optional list of mappings may follow.
It can be useful to overrule the default LUNs for a device with third-party product identification.
Example 1:
LUN 1 may be mapped to ID 34, and LUN 5 to ID 48 for SCSI identifier A6218A.
productid=A6218A,default,1:34,5:48
BU-0002-27 Page 143 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Example 2:
Enter the Host name (host4 in this example) or the unique Node name (5001-4380-029c- 16ed) in the Host name field of the virtual Alpha configuration specifications.
SAN storage configuration changes will be automatically detected by the vtServer host. OpenVMS does not support automatic storage reconfiguration: the SYSMAN IO FIND and after this the SYSMAN IO AUTOCONFIGURE commands must be used to make the changes visible to the OpenVMS operating system. This is an OpenVMS limitation that applies to both physical and virtual Alpha configurations.
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5.2.18. Virtual Device Adapter
The Virtual Device adapter (VTDSK) is a vtAlpha-specific feature that provides the capability to present to OpenVMS one type of storage as a different type of storage. The most common use of this feature is to create disk devices with the same names as those on the physical system being replaced. To add the VTDSK adapter, right-click on the PCI slot and select Add VTDSK Virtual Disk Adapter.
The adapter must be configured.
BU-0002-27 Page 145 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The following Media types are supported:
Storage type Media Type Storage device name MSCP PU DUcnnnn DSSI PI DIcnnnn IDE PQ DQcnnnn RAID PR DRcnnnn SCSI PK DKcnnnn Fiber Channel [1] PG DGcnnnn
[1] The VTDSK adapter provides limited support for Fiber Channel devices: Features such as host name and device auto detection are not supported. For full Fiber Channel support, use the virtual KGPSA adapter. Example: Defining a virtual storage adapter with type PU (MSCP) will result in all logical disks attached to that adapter presenting to OpenVMS with device names DUxnnn (e.g., DUA100). Devices supported by the VTDSK virtual device adapter are limited to physical and logical disks and CD-ROMs.
Allocation class Set to the value expected by OpenVMS Default: 0 Host name Set to the value expected by OpenVMS Default: blank Trace level To be used for debugging purposes as requested by your vtAlpha support organization; should be set to 0 for production situations
Allocation class correlates with the OpenVMS Allocation class (refer to OpenVMS documentation).
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Use of devices attached to the vtServer virtual disk adapter requires installation of a custom driver on the OpenVMS guest system. This driver is located on the vtTools logical disk (vttools_alpha_vms.vdisk), which is provided in the /tools directory of every vtServer distribution. The VTDSK driver requires a minimum OpenVMS version of 6.2-1H3 for data disks and version 7.0 for the system boot disk.
The VTDSK adapter can be used for OpenVMS system disks, but with one restriction. The VTDSK tools kit must be installed on this OpenVMS system disk before it is possible to use it as VTDSK disk.
To use an OpenVMS system disk with the VTDSK adapter perform the following steps:
1. Add a SCSI adapter to the Virtual Machine configuration. 2. Connect the OpenVMS system disk as SCSI disk. 3. Start the Virtual Machine and boot OpenVMS. 4. Install the VTDSK driver. 5. Shutdown OpenVMS and stop the Virtual Machine. 6. Disconnect the SCSI disk and optionally remove the SCSI adapter from the Virtual Machine configuration. 7. Connect this OpenVMS system disk using the VTDSK adapter. 8. Start the Virtual Machine and boot OpenVMS.
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Storage devices are managed using the menu option Storage.
Logical devices must be created before they can be attached to a virtual machine.
The following types of storage devices are available in vtAlpha:
- Physical Disk - Logical Disk - Physical Tape - Logical Tape - Generic SCSI device
Physical Disks Directly attached to the vtServer host and accessed by vtAlpha as a single device. It is possible to connect SCSI drives from the Alpha system directly to the vtAlpha host. We recommend that such configurations be limited to migrating data to new drives, because the older mechanical devices are generally slower and have much higher failure rates. Logical Disks Binary image copies of the original disks that are stored as container files on the storage that is attached to the host computer. The container files for logical disks may be stored on local drives or on shared storage such as iSCSI, NAS, or SAN. Physical Tapes Tape drives directly attached to the host and accessed by vtAlpha directly. It is possible to connect SCSI tape drives from the Alpha system directly to the vtAlpha host. Unless it is essential to retain access to archived tapes, we recommend that such configurations be limited to migrating data to new drives, because the older mechanical devices are prone to failure. Logical Tapes Used to virtualize a physical tape drive and to use tape container files instead of physical tape cartridges. For more on logical tapes read the chapter TapeMGR for managing logical tapes. Generic SCSI Device Can be any kind of device as far as the host computer is concerned. The host passes SCSI traffic raw to the device and expects OpenVMS or Tru64 to have the appropriate drivers to control the device (e.g. SCSI-to- GPIB converter).
BU-0002-27 Page 148 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To use a device, it has to be added to the virtual machine configuration.
Right-click on the storage adapter to add the device.
Select the device to add.
A disk must be present before it can be added to a configuration. Create logical disks in the Storage menu.
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Every attached storage device has three main options that can be modified and a series of details, depending on the type of device:
Target The address this adapter claims on the SCSI bus of the adapter it is attached to. The numbers (0 -15) need to be unique per storage adapter, except for the target address that is allocated by the KZPBA itself. LUN Logical Unit Number on the Target address. A number from 0 - 7. Default = 0. A device on the first storage adapter with Target Address 1 and LUN 3 will appear in your OpenVMS or Tru64 system as DxA103. Trace Level Parameters used for debugging purposes only. Default value = 0 (no tracing). Enabling tracing will add additional overhead to all data transfers, which will impact the performance. This parameter should be changed only when requested by your vtAlpha support organization. Identifier Only presented for devices that are attached to a Fiber Channel adapter. Value 1 – 32767 will override the value of the LUN number. This identifier specifies the unit number in OpenVMS/Tru64.
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BU-0002-27 Page 151 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The following device parameters will be presented depending on the type of device.
Location The location can be selected using the file icon, or it can be entered manually. Select the partition where the disk image is located and then select the disk image. Read-only To create a read-only device. Read-only is the default for CD/DVD devices. Removable A removable device can be removed when it is mounted and in use by a virtual machine. Shareable A shareable device can be attached to more virtual machines.
Logical disks on external storage cannot be shared.
Read-Cache on If set to On, this can improve I/O performance; it should not be used on shadowed disks. Write-Cache on If set to On, this can improve I/O performance; it should not be used on shadowed disks.
Enabling read/write cache may improve the I/O performance for the device.
Sharing must be disabled when a device is shared with an Alpha virtual machine running on a different vtServer host (e.g., in a cluster). Sharing may be enabled when a device is not shared or is shared with a cluster node running on the same vtAlpha host to improve I/O performance.
TruCluster Support Only relevant when this logical disk is a member of a TruCluster. Num-LBN Rarely used. Value can be set. Sectors Rarely used. Value can be set. Tracks Rarely used. Value can be set. Cylinders Rarely used. Value can be set.
The value for Num-LBN, Sectors, Tracks and Cylinders must match. When the value specified is not possible, standard values will be used. This can be seen in the emulator log file. Change this only after consulting your vtServer support organization.
Vendor ID of the vendor of the original device. Generated automatically for known device type. Value can be changed. Product type Generated automatically for known device type. Value can be changed BU-0002-27 Page 152 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Revision level Rarely used. Default = blank. Serial number Rarely used. Default = blank WWID WWID number generated for this logical disk
A unique WWID (World Wide IDentifier) value is generated when adding a logical device to a configuration. The content of this field can be edited manually.
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For logical tapes the following fields are available:
Maximum Size (in MB) Specify the maximum size in MB that the container file can expand to. Format Alternate formats besides the default are MTD, LM (LD/LMDRIVER) and SMA. Compress Enable Compress to compress the tape file during the write operation. Default is no compression. Autoload Select to set On. When not selected, tapes must be manually loaded using the OpenVMS TAPEMGR utility.
By default, a logical tape container file will grow as data is written to it. When an unload command is sent to the virtual tape drive, the tape will be disconnected from the virtual machine and the container file may be copied or moved. When the Autoload parameter is enabled, the tape will be loaded automatically when a VMS MOUNT or INITIALIZE command is executed. When manual control of tape loading and unloading from the VMS system is desired, set the Autoload parameter to off and use the TAPEMGR utility to control the tapes.
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5.3. Configuring a Virtual VAX Machine
5.3.1. Comment Box Text entered in the comment box will be used for documentation purposes only. Special characters (e.g., é, õ, ä) may be used. Use the Comment tab to open the comment window.
5.3.2. Virtual Machine Name
The default name for a new VAX virtual machine is the VAX-system-type. Right-click on the virtual machine and select Rename to give the virtual machine a more descriptive name.
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A License Group specifies which vtVAX license will be used when this virtual machine is started. The general format for License Group options is as follows: vtVAX_{memory size}{instruction caching indicator}, or vtVAX_{model number} (VAX 7600-series) Examples:
vtVAX_128 vtVAX with 128MB memory; no instruction caching vtVAX_128IC vtVAX with 128MB memory with instruction caching vtVAX_7610 – VAX 7610 (instruction caching is enabled on all 7000 models)
5.3.4. Environment: Temporary License
Temporary licenses are a special class of licenses that are distinct from usage-based (decremented minutes) or date-based (annual or permanent) licenses. Temporary licenses are used in situations where the same license server(s) must be used for production and evaluation licenses.
The Temporary License configuration setting is used to force a vtVAX virtual machine to use a temporary license at startup; when the Temporary License setting is disabled, the vtVAX will ignore temporary licenses, even when no regular license is available. A vtVAX virtual machine that is using a temporary license will, when the license expires, search for an available temporary license to replace the expired license; if none is found, it will then search for a regular license. The virtual machine will not restart with a regular license unless the Temporary License configuration setting is disabled first.
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5.3.5. CPU: VAX Hardware Model
When creating a new virtual machine, the VAX Hardware Model field is set to be the same as the model that was initially selected. The current hardware model may be changed to another hardware model in the same family. It is not possible to change an existing virtual machine to a hardware model in a different family (e.g., a VAX 3900 to a VAX 7600): a new virtual machine must be created, and the existing virtual machine deleted, if desired. When licensed software requires specific hardware identification in order to run, you can use the vtVAX vtSID utility on OpenVMS to set that exact type.
5.3.6. CPU: Memory
This is the amount of VAX memory (in MB) to be configured. The maximum that can be configured is limited by the model selected and the vtVAX license. Some virtual VAX models can be configured with more memory than was supported on the physical processor, if vtVAX licensing permits. Such configurations may not be supported.
The maximum amount of VAX memory is limited by the vtVAX license. The VAX will boot anyway, but use less memory.
This can be seen in the Virtual Machine log file in the following line:
Memory reduced from 256M to 128M, license restriction
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Physical VAX processors use a non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) to store various console settings such as the default boot device and default boot options. vtVAX uses a disk file to emulate the console NVRAM. This field defines the name of the NVRAM file. The NVRAM file is stored in a virtual machine specific directory, so the same name may be used in multiple virtual machines without conflict. The NVRAM file name should be changed only when requested by your vtVAX support organization.
5.3.8. CPU: Auto Boot
The Auto Boot parameter defines whether OpenVMS will automatically boot when the virtual machine is started. The default is Disabled, which causes the virtual machine to halt after completion of the power-on self-tests (POST). The Boot command must be issued manually at the console to start the virtual VAX system. The Auto Boot option is available only on VAX system models that originally supported this feature.
5.3.9. CPU: EcoMode
EcoMode (Energy conservation Mode) is a vtVAX virtual machine setting that reduces power consumption by allowing the host system’s physical CPUs to idle when the corresponding virtual VAX CPU is idle. Depending on the CPU utilization by the virtual VAX system, EcoMode can provide considerable savings in power consumption and heat generation, reducing operating cost and increasing the reliability and lifetime of the physical hardware. The actual savings achieved using EcoMode will vary depending on the workload and physical hardware; in one measured test, EcoMode provided over 25% reduction in power consumption over vtVAX without EcoMode. Enabling the vtVAX EcoMode option on virtual VAX systems with high CPU and/or I/O utilization can result in significant performance degradation. EcoMode should be used only on systems that are idle a significant portion of the time.
This restriction does not apply to vtAlpha EcoApp.
EcoMode is controlled by a configuration setting under the CPU group. The default state is disabled.
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The vtVAX Instruction Caching (IC) feature provides improved performance by caching the VAX code instruction stream in memory to provide faster access at execution time. Instruction caching is a licensed vtVAX option; if an IC license is not available, this setting is ignored. By default, Instruction Caching is enabled when an IC license is selected. In most cases, disabling IC will have a noticeable impact on system performance. For this reason, IC should be disabled only when requested to do so by your vtVAX support organization.
5.3.11. CPU: Instruction Delay
The Instruction Delay and Instruction Delay TMO (Timeout) parameters are used together to cause the vtVAX virtual machine to run at a slower than normal speed where the application code has timing dependencies that are violated when run on a CPU that is much faster than the original VAX system. Instruction Delay determines how much slower the emulated CPU will be allowed to run: the larger the value of this parameter, the slower the system will run. The default value for Instruction Delay is 0, which allows the virtual machine to run at full speed. This should be changed only as directed by your vtVAX support organization.
5.3.12. CPU: Instruction Delay TMO
The Instruction Delay TMO parameter specifies the duration (in seconds) that the Instruction Delay is applied to the vtVAX virtual machine. In many cases the timing dependencies that necessitate the delay occur only during the system or application startup and the system can be run safely at full-speed after that point. The default value of 0 indicates there is no timeout (i.e., the instruction delay will be applied continuously). The Instruction Delay TMO parameter should be changed only at the direction of your vtVAX support organization.
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This parameter specifies the TCP port that will be used for the system console device (OPA0). It is present only on hardware models such as the MicroVAX II that do not use a TTA device for the console. The default port is 10003.
5.3.14. Console: Break Key
The break key is a key or sequence that, when entered on the console terminal, will immediately halt the system and display the console prompt. When the break key is disabled the system can be halted by right-clicking on the configuration name in the configuration control area of the vtMonitor display and selecting option from the menu. The default setting for the break key is Ctrl-P; the alternate is F5 (located on the top row of most Windows-compatible keyboards).
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The Console Password is used to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the VAX system console and to prevent network port scans from inadvertently halting the VAX system. When the Console Password is set, pressing the ENTER or RETURN key will cause a Password prompt to be displayed. After three consecutive incorrect passwords, the connection will disconnect. After a timeout period the user must establish a new connection to the TCP port. Valid characters for the console password are A-Z, a-z, 0-9,! (exclamation mark) and – (dash).
On networks with active network scanners, these scanners sometimes send a ctrl-p command to the console port.
Put a password on the console port to block this.
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VAX models that support TTA devices (e.g., VAX 4000/100) use TTA3 as the system console; TTA0-TTA2 are general-purpose serial ports. The configuration menu contains a text entry dialog box for each TTA device which is used to specify the TCP port or physical serial communication interface used to access the corresponding virtual serial interface.
5.3.17. vtVAX Storage
vtVAX emulates DSSI, MSCP, and SCSI storage controllers and attached disk and tape devices. The controllers available to be configured depend on the VAX system model being emulated. Generally, the virtual storage configuration rules are the same as those of the corresponding physical system. Each virtual storage device must be associated with a corresponding physical storage element, which may be a logical or physical device.
5.3.18. Physical Devices
Physical storage elements must be of the same type (disk or tape) as the corresponding virtual unit. Only SCSI physical tape drives are supported. Physical disks may be directly connected SCSI, SAS, or SATA; USB, DVD or CD (read-only); NAS; SAN; or Cloud disk, with the constraint that they must map to the drive itself or a logical unit presented by a SAN or NAS.
Partitions of directly connected physical devices may not be used as a physical storage element.
When using physical disk devices, keep in mind that the device will be formatted with an OpenVMS file system (usually ODS-2), which will most likely not be readable on a non-VMS system. Also, the maximum disk size supported by older versions of OpenVMS on VAX are significantly smaller than the size of modern disk devices, and the disk space in excess of that specified for the virtual drive will not be accessible.
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Storage devices are managed using the menu option Storage.
Logical devices must be created before they can be attached to a virtual machine.
The following types of storage devices are available in vtVAX:
Physical Disks Directly attached to the vtServer host and accessed by vtVAX as a single device. Logical Disks Binary image copies of the original disks that are stored as container files on the storage that is attached to the host computer. The container files for logical disks may be stored on local drives or on shared storage such as iSCSI, NAS, or SAN. Physical Tapes Tape drives directly attached to the host that is accessed by vtVAX directly. It is possible to connect SCSI tape drives from the VAX system directly to the vtServer host. Unless it is essential to retain access to archived tapes, we recommend that such configurations be limited to migrating data to new drives, because the older mechanical devices are prone to failure. Logical Tapes Used to virtualize a physical tape drive in order to use tape container files instead of physical tape cartridges. For more information read the chapter TapeMGR for managing logical tapes.
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Right-click on the storage adapter to add the device.
Only adapters that are supported on the selected VAX virtual machine are available.
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Select the adapter to add and select the wanted Controller ID.
Add MSCP storage to the MSCP storage adapter. Right-click on the Storage Adapter.
Select the device type to add.
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Unit ID Overrides the default unit number for the device, providing more flexibility in matching the virtual system configuration to that of the system being replaced. Location Specifies where the data for the virtual device is stored. For physical disks and tapes, you will select a device visible to the host; for logical disks and tapes, you will select the container file by browsing the host’s file system. Media Type Specifies the two-letter prefix of the device name (DU, DI, or DK). This can be used to match the virtual device name to the device names on the physical VAX system. Read-Only Prevents the unit from being modified by the VAX system. Read/Write-cache Improves the performance of I/O transfers by buffering data in memory.
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Select the adapter to add and select the desired Controller ID.
Right-click on the DSSI storage adapter to add a KFMSA node to the DSSI storage adapter.
Node ID Overrides the default unit number for the device, providing more flexibility in matching the virtual system configuration to that of the system being replaced. Class The MSCP allocation class (0-255). The allocation class is added to the device name as a prefix (e.g., $1$DUA0) to help create a unique device name in a cluster environment.
Host Name Specifies the device host name (1-6 alphanumeric characters). The host name appears in some cluster management displays and is used in place of the allocation class in device names when the allocation class is 0.
BU-0002-27 Page 167 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Right-click on the KFMSA node to add storage to the DSSI storage adapter.
Example adding a logical tape:
Unit ID Overrides the default unit number for the device, providing more flexibility in matching the virtual system configuration to that of the system being replaced. Location Specifies where the data for the virtual device is stored. For physical disks and tapes, you will select a device visible to the host; for logical disks and tapes, you will select the container file by browsing the host’s file system. Read-Only To create a read-only tape device. Read-only is the default only for CD/DVD devices. Autoload Select to set On. When not selected, tapes must be manually loaded using the OpenVMS TAPEMGR utility. Format An alternate format (besides the default) is MTD. Maximum size (in MB) Specify the maximum size in MB the container file can expand to.
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EX Controllers (VAX 7000-xxx series only)
The virtual network adapters have several parameters depending on the VAX model being emulated: 1. Host (VAX 7000 only, EX Controllers only). The use of allocation classes has been made available to create unique and unchanging device names. 2. Slot (VAX 7000 only, EX Controllers only). 3. Type (VAX except 7000, XQ Controllers only). Facilitates selection of root device drivers: DELQA or DEQNA. 4. CSR (VAX except 7000). Control/Status Register (typically 6-digit address starting with 7). 5. MAC address (all VAX models). Network Media Access Control address; only needed when certain software licenses are tied to the MAC address of the Ethernet adapter of the system it was running on. The MAC address is entered in octet format (nn-nn-nn-nn-nn-nn); octets may be separated by a colon (:), dash (-), or period (.).
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5.3.23. Serial Lines
For serial line support beyond the available default serial ports (OPA0 and TTA), the virtual equivalent of the TX serial lines adapter (DHQ11/DHV11) is available in vtVAX. Each TX controller is configurable to support either 8 or 16 serial lines (Linecount field). A maximum of four virtual TX controllers (DHQ11/DHV11) are supported offering up to 64 serial lines in the vtVAX environment. To add a virtual TX controller, right-click on the Serial Lines field and select one from the list of available adapters; click on the adapter to add it to the configuration.
Next configure the DHV11 Adapter.
Controller ID Controller ID number CSR Control/Status Register (typically 6-digit octal address starting with 7) Vector Vector address (3-digit octal address) Device Count 8 or 16, the number of supported serial lines.
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Each serial device (line) will need to be configured with a unique port number by entering the address in the field provided (examples: port number – 21005; device address - /dev/ttyS0).
5.3.24. Miscellaneous: Printer File
The printer file is a disk file that receives output directed to the line printer interface (LPA0:) The default location of the printer file is the directory where the XML configuration file is stored. Default: none
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The VCB02 stub is a pseudo-device that is configurable on the virtual VAX configuration but is not usable. It is provided for VAX systems that use the presence of a graphics adapter to determine whether the system boots as a workstation or non-workstation model.
When this option is present, the VCB02 stub should be created if the vtVAX instance is replacing a VAXstation only; in all other cases do not create the VCB02 stub.
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The VAX 3900/3600 supports an IEEE Bus Interface, also known as the General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB). This interface can be added using the Miscellaneous option.
The IXA VMS Interface allows up to four controllers. Select the controller ID for the unit.
Add the IXA device (Controller ID: 0 is IXA).
Right-click the IEE Bus Interface.
Then configure your device with the IP address that will communicate with the GPIB device(s).
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There needs to be a closed network to the device.
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5.4. Running Your Virtual Machine
Virtual Machine management can be done by right-clicking the Virtual Machine in the Navigation Window. All the functions that can be done on the virtual machine will be visible. The actions depend on the state of the virtual machine. For instance, it is not possible to connect to the console port OPA0: when a virtual machine is not running.
Select Start to start the virtual machine.
BU-0002-27 Page 175 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 When the virtual machine is started other options become available.
Now that the virtual machine is started, it is possible to connect to the console port OPA0 or COM2.
Starting a configuration does not automatically mean that the configured Alpha or VAX will boot its operating system. The setting of the default boot device and the auto_action switch will boot the system.
The SRM environment variables affect the boot process of the configured Alpha or VAX. The SRM environment auto_action and clock_mode are described here.
auto_action HALT When starting the Virtual Machine without booting the operating system.
Manual intervention is needed to boot the operating system. START After a boot, the operating system will be booted automatically. No manual intervention is needed. RESTART After a shutdown or an operating failure, the operating system will be booted automatically. No manual intervention is needed.
BU-0002-27 Page 176 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 clock_mode normal After the first boot, OpenVMS will ask for date and time. After this, the date and time as recorded by OpenVMS is used. force_invalid When booting OpenVMS it will always ask for date and time.
localtime Use the time recorded by OpenVMS and do not ask for date and time.
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5.5. Deleting Virtual Machines
Right-click the Virtual Machine in the Navigation Window to delete a virtual machine. The delete option is only available when the virtual machine is in the stopped state. You need to confirm that this virtual machine should be deleted. This action cannot be undone.
The export configuration can be used to save a configuration before deleting it.
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5.6. Cloning Virtual Machine Configurations
Right-click the Virtual Machine in the Navigation Window to clone a virtual machine. A clone of a virtual machine is made using the option Save a Copy As… It is an exact copy of the virtual machine, but it must have a different name.
Enter the name for this clone and select OK.
You can only clone a configuration on the same vtServer.
To clone a configuration to another vtServer use Export Configuration and Import Configuration.
5.7. Importing and Exporting Virtual Machine Configurations
Right-click the Virtual Machine in the Navigation Window to export a virtual machine configuration. Right-click on the vtServer name in the Navigation Window to import a virtual machine configuration. To prevent problems, it is not possible to import a Virtual Machine if there is a Virtual Machine with the same name.
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There are two levels of logging:
1. Logging created by the virtual machine. 2. Logging created by vtMonitor.
6.1. Virtual Machine Logging
The virtual machine writes logging information to the virtual machine log file. The name of the log file can be changed.
- Select the Emulator - Click on Settings - Click on the Emulator type to create the options window - Select “Log File”
The default name logfile.log should not be changed, except if requested by your AVT or VERE support organization.
BU-0002-27 Page 180 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Select Logging to read the virtual machine log file.
Right-click the Virtual Machine in the Navigation Window or use the wastebasket icon to clear the log file. The virtual machine writes virtual machine messages into the log file, and messages generated by OpenVMS or Ttr64. It has license messages and startup logging. It is the first place to look when a virtual machine will not start.
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6.2. vtMonitor Logging
vtMonitor logging consists of two parts:
1. The vtMonitor logging window. 2. The Logging menu.
The vtMonitor Logging Window shows executed commands and the progress of actions that run in the background. It shows information created during the current day.
The Logging menu is the most comprehensive way to view logging information.
Select Logging -> Tasks to get detailed logging.
Use the menu selector to set a filter or to export the logging.
BU-0002-27 Page 182 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 The filter option is to access logging information from prior days (specify the number of past days).
When Debug Info is selected all actions are shown, not only user actions but also background actions. This is used for debug purposes only.
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7.1. Single Network Interface Systems
The hardware has one Ethernet adapter. In vtMonitor and the console menu this is shown as eth0.
BU-0002-27 Page 184 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To create a working network for vtServer on this hardware a virtual switch, avt0, has to be created. When only one network adapter is present, this need to be done using the console menu. Go to network configuration -> network switch configuration and create a switch.
Connect to newly created switch, avt0 the hardware adapter eth0 and the management port mgr0. Select the switch and go to add interface to switch.
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Go to IP configuration and configure the virtual management port mgr0. Assign an IP address to mgr0 or enable DHCP.
It is possible to login into vtMonitor using the IP address assigned to mgr0. Add an Ethernet adapter to every emulator and select as host adapter avt0.
When the emulator is running and the operating system is available, assign an IP address to the network interface in the emulator.
OpenVMS example:
The network device has the name EIA0 and there is an IP address assigned to it.
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7.2. Graphics
vtAlpha and vtVAX can be used to replace AlphaStation and VAXstation workstations. Instead of emulating the workstation video adapter, vtServer implements an X Windows server that interfaces to the Alpha or VAX client using an internal network interface (xwi0). The host systems video display is used as the workstation monitor.
One notable difference between the physical and virtual workstation configurations is that the host keyboard and monitor are not used as the guest system console interface. The default IP address for xwi0 is 10.143.0.1, but this can be configured to another address when so desired. EWB0 (in this example) should have an address in the same subnet (e.g., 10.143.0.2). In most cases it is necessary to install a video driver before using the graphics options. Video drivers are available on the vtServer installation USB and DVD.
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The following OpenVMS setup allows the virtual workstation to come up with the original DECwindows desktop.
Configure TCP/IP with an additional interface at address 10.143.0.2/24, and verify that TCP/IP is started in the system startup.
1. Create the file SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSMGR]DECW$DEVICE.COM with the following content:
$ decw$device == "vtServer"
(Replace vtServer with the IP host name or address of the vtServer host.) 2. Create the file SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSMGR]DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM with the following content:
$ define/nolog/system decw$default_transport tcpip $ decw$appsnode == "10.143.0.1"
(If the default IP address for xwi0 is changed, replace 10.143.0.1 with the xwi0 address.)
The following example shows how to create a display for a single X Windows application:
$ set display/create/transport=tcpip/node=10.143.0.1 $ run sys$system:decw$clock
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To support DECwindows using Tru64 V4 the X-window kernel options must be installed. Tru64 V5 has support for DECwindows always installed.
The following setup allows the system to come up with the original DECwindows desktop.
Add the following line to /usr/dt/config/Xservers:
10.143.0.1:0 foreign
The display can be referenced by setting the variable DISPLAY to 10.143.0.1:0.0 (when the IP address of the xwi0 interface is customized, adjust the addresses above accordingly).
For root login to an X display to be allowed, the name of the display must be listed in the /etc/securettys file for your workstation. If the display name is listed in that file, you can log in as root to the X display.
The /etc/securettys file usually includes the entries :0 and local:0 to allow root login to the local display. You can add entries for remote X terminals or X displays so you can log in remotely as root from those machines.
7.2.3. How to fix X-window restart failure in tru64
If the application that created the motifDragWindow crashes, the window will disappear but the _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW property on the root window will remain, thereby setting a trap for all other programs. Situation: property remains on display with an invalid window ID. prompt> xprop -root | grep _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW(WINDOW): window id # 0x5800001 prompt> xwininfo -id 0x5800001 xwininfo: error: No such window with id 0x5800001.
Results: Motif client says... _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW has been destroyed Bus error
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Solution clear the property! prompt> xprop -root -remove _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW
That should be done if you kill all clients, but are not logging out and thus causing the Xserver to exit (for complete restart by XDM) .
To prevent this:
Using Tru64 v3.2:
edit /usr/lib/X11/xdm/Xsession and add this line after 'dxsession':
/usr/bin/X11/xprop -root -remove _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW
Using Tru64 v4 and up:
mv /usr/dt/bin/dtsession /usr/dt/bin/dtsession.bin echo "#!/bin/ksh" >/usr/dt/bin/dtsession echo "/usr/dt/bin/dtsession.bin $*" >>/usr/dt/bin/dtsession echo "/usr/bin/X11/xprop -root -remove _MOTIF_DRAG_WINDOW" >>/usr/dt/bin/dtsession chown root:bin dtsession chmod 755 dtsession
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7.2.4. Display
Configuration of the host video display devices is performed using the vtServer configuration menu (configuration -> X-graphics -> display -> monitor).
The monitor configuration screen is shown in the diagram. The position of the monitor(s) can be changed by clicking on one of the monitor window icons (LVDS-1 or VGA-1 in this example) and dragging it to the correct position. Right-click on a monitor window icon to display options to enable/disable the selected monitor or to change the display resolution. Apply, applies the settings without permanently saving them. When you are satisfied, select the Save option, then click on the ‘X’ button in the upper right corner of the window to close it.
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If you want to automatically start the system as a workstation, enable the Virtual Machine autostart for the instance in the user interface, then enable autoboot for the operation system in the SRM-console by entering a default boot device and setting AUTO_ACTION to RESTART, and finally set the X-display to auto start in the vtServer console.
Enable autoboot for the OpenVMS or Tru64 operating system in the SRM-console by entering a default boot device and setting AUTO_ACTION to RESTART.
Starting a configuration does not automatically mean that the configured Alpha or VAX will boot its operating system. The setting of the default boot device and the auto_action switch will boot the system.
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If you have a workstation with an Nvidia or ATI graphics card, we recommend installing the Nvidia or ATI drivers. These can be found on the vtServer installation DVD and USB. Before installing the driver, check if your card is supported by the supplied driver. Each driver kit has an accompanying text file with a list of supported adapters. You can also go to our website where you can find the most recent update of the text files: https://www.avtware.com/downloads
Follow these steps for installing (or removing) the driver:
1. Insert the vtServer installation DVD or USB in the vtServer system. 2. Start the main vtServer menu (blue screens).
3. Then go to the vtServer Optional Kits menu via (vtServer -> System configuration -> System software update -> Install optional kits from dvd/usb -> Select storage device).
4. Choose the installation drive where the drivers are located.
Now choose to install the ATI or NVidia driver (or remove_graphics if you want to uninstall the previous installation of the driver). The installation will commence and notify you if the installation succeeded.
If you update vtServer, make sure you install the drivers that accompany the installation DVD and USB.
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The default X-server security settings restrict access to the server to localhost (127.0.0.1), 10.143.0.1 and 10.143.0.2; the vtServer configuration menu may be used to add access from other IP addresses, as needed.
The default values are usually sufficient.
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7.3. vtServer in The Cloud
There is not ONE Cloud. Several Cloud implementations are available, each with their own functionalities and advantages. Cloud providers don’t run straight Windows or Linux. They use a ‘software stack’ that includes a hypervisor that allows them to address different models of the underlying hardware in a uniform way. The first decision is a choice between an open source implementation and a vendor-specific Cloud. The advantage of an open source Cloud provider is that it is easy to switch to another vendor, because of the common software stack. Only small changes should be enough to make it work when you switch to another open source provider. The most commonly used non-proprietary open source Cloud software is OpenStack. OpenStack does not have its own hypervisor but can utilize different hypervisors, such as KVM, Xen and ESXi. When using a vendor-specific Cloud, moving to a different Cloud provider can be more complicated, because of underlying differences in Cloud architecture.
BU-0002-27 Page 195 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.3.1. Cloud Configuration When running vtCloud (vtServer in the Cloud) it needs a Compute Instance. A compute instance is a virtual machine (VM) that exists in the Cloud, having CPU, memory, storage and network connectivity. To make vtServer work in the Cloud, the following is needed:
1. A compute instance with CPU, memory, storage, and an IP address with access to the Internet. A Cloud provider will provide these components. 2. A dedicated vtLicense server connected to the customer’s network and connected to the Internet. This vtLicense server is provided by AVT or VERE or your reseller, and it is the gateway/bridge between the Cloud and the local network.
When vtServer is installed on the compute instance, the “Cloud setup” menu option (found in the console menu) must be executed to create a VPN connection between vtServer running at the Cloud provider and the vtLicense server in your office. Similarly the Cloud setup must be performed on the vtLicense server. The easiest workflow is to setup vtServer in the Cloud first, and configure vtLicense as the next step, although this has no effect on the functionality of vtCloud.
To enable and configure the Cloud in vtServer you need console access. When console access is not available in the Cloud, execute the Cloud setup first. Create a Cloud ready image and upload this to the Cloud.
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Before starting the Cloud configuration, be sure to get the following information. It is needed to complete the Cloud configuration.
1. The port number for the VPN connection. 2. The external IP address given to the compute instance.
The Cloud setup can only be executed using the vtServer console menu. Login to the vtServer console and go to the “vtServer Configuration”
Continue with “Cloud setup”.
Selected “Create Cloud config” to create a new Cloud configuration. Read the notice and continue with Yes.
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Enter the port number to use for the VPN.
The port number is the port used to setup the VPN link to vtServer in the Cloud. The port number can be any number between 1024 and 65535. The only restriction is that it is free to use on the current network. The default VPN port number is 1194. The vtServer setup continues with the setup of the Cloud Management port. This interface is used to create a VPN between vtServer in the Cloud and vtLicense. IP DHCP client functionality can be used to get an IP address for the Cloud management port. For the external Internet port eth0, the IP address given by the Cloud provider must be used. This address is also needed in the VPN configuration on the vtLicense server.
Remember the port number used for the VPN and the IP address given by the Cloud provider.
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Login into the vtLicense server and select the menu option Cloud.
A license server can establish a VPN to more than one vtServer in the Cloud. To setup a new VPN select the cloud sub-menu “Create new VPN”, otherwise select the VPN you want to change.
The server address is the Internet IP address of the vtServer in the Cloud This IP address is provided by the Cloud provider and is often called the Public IP Address.
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The port number must be the same as used in the vtServer Cloud setup.
The description is used to differentiate the VPNs.
The vtLicense server will now create a VPN connection with the vtServer in the Cloud, so that the vtServer in the Cloud will become part of the local network. The vtServer in the Cloud is now accessible on your local network.
After the VPN is set up, you can connect to the IP address that is set on the Cloud management port clm0 on the vtServer in the Cloud.
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When the VPN is created, default security keys are used. Security keys are used to make the connection secure and not accessible by other processes. The default security keys are the same for all vtCloud VPN connections. A VPN using the default key is seen with a red key in the Cloud window.
A VPN using a secure key is seen with a green key in the Cloud window. To make the VPN more secure, it is advisable to generate unique keys to use for the VPN. These keys are created on the vtLicense server at request and copied to the vtServer in the Cloud. Because these keys are generated specially for the current VPN connection, these keys are unique and make the VPN connection very secure.
Before generating unique security keys, the system time on the vtServer and vtLicense installation must be the same. When the system times are not the same, the new keys will not work immediately.
To generate unique security keys right-click on the VPN to update and get a pulldown menu with several options.
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Stop VPN Tunnel To stop the VPN connection. When the VPN connection is stopped this option will show Start VPN Tunnel. Edit VPN config To modify the VPN description. Renew Security Keys Renew the security keys. Delete VPN config Delete the whole VPN configuration. Create VPN config Create a new VPN configuration.
To renew the keys, the current VPN needs to be stopped and started to use the new keys. In most cases this is done in a short time and the network connections that make use of the VPN are not interrupted. Despite this, it is advisable to minimize the use of the VPN during the renewal of the keys.
To use the Renew Security Keys the root password must be the same on the vtCloud server and the vtLicense server. If the passwords are not the same, a renewal of the keys can only be done via the console menu.
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To restore the default keys, the option Reset Keys to Default is present when secure keys are in use.
7.3.5. Export Import VPN Configuration
For redundancy or backup it can be useful to setup a VPN configuration on more than one vtLicense servers. To make this an easy job to do it is possible to export a VPN configuration on a vtLicense server, and to import this one into another vtLicense server.
Be careful, only one VPN connection can be made to a vtServer in the cloud at the same time. When a VPN configuration is exported and imported on a vtLicense server, take care that only one VPN can be active at the same time. When two or more VPN connections are made to a vtServer in the cloud the connection will never be stable.
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To export a VPN configuration open the tab Cloud and right-click the VPN configuration to export.
Select what to do with this export, save it in a file or open it directly.
When the VPN configuration is saved in a file it can be imported in another vtLicense server. It is not possible to import a VPN configuration in a vtLicense server more than once.
Go to the cloud tab and open the sub-menu to select “Import VPN Configuration”.
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7.4. Improving I/O Performance
Disk performance of the virtual Alpha and VAX systems can be increased significantly by enabling the read and write caching options.
Care must be taken that the caches are enabled only on storage elements that are not shared by another host to prevent data corruption or reading stale data.
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7.5. Transferring Files To/From vtServer
The vtServer installation includes the Samba (SMB) server, which can be used to exchange files between the vtServer host and systems running Microsoft Windows or Linux.
By default, the SMB server is disabled.
Enable SMB in the vtMonitor Host -> settings tab.
The next two sections show how to access the vtServer host from a Windows or Linux client after the SMB server has been started.
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To access the vtServer host from a system running Microsoft Windows, open a Windows Explorer window and specify the vtServer host’s IP address or host name (if it is in DNS) in the following format:: \\IP-address or \\host-name.
After entering your username and password, a list of the accessible directories will be displayed. Select the desired directory and then transfer files using drag-and-drop, as you would when transferring files on your Windows system.
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To mount a Samba share from vtServer on a Linux client, the client should have packages installed that allow for mounting Samba shares from a remote system.
To mount /share from vtServer that has IP address 192.168.44.100 on a Linux client the command that can be used is:
mount -t cifs -o guest //192.168.44.100/share /mount_point_on_linux_client
In case the vtServer named "vtServer" is known by its hostname (through DNS for example) one could also use:
mount -t cifs -o guest //vtServer/share /mount_point_on_linux_client
To make the mount appear on reboot of the Linux client, the details above should be included in the /etc/fstab of the client.
The man-page mount.cifs for the Linux version in use may be helpful in finding specific options.
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7.6. vtTools
To make optimal use of a virtual Alpha or VAX, several added-value applications and tools are available for your use.
For Alpha:
Digiboard Used to make serial ports on a Digiboard available as terminal device(s). EcoApp To reduce power consumption up to 25%. TapeMGR To manage logical tapes. VTDSK Virtual Device Adapter to present storage as a different type. XDISP Extend the X-window display configurator to make the display settings protected. VMS Patches Several OpenVMS patches are available; some must be installed before using the vtTools software.
For VAX:
TapeMGR To manage logical tapes. vtSID To match the VAX hardware System Identification (SID) of the physical VAX system being replaced. vtUtils Some useful DCL scripts. XDISP Extend the X-window display configurator to make the display settings protected.
These vtTools are found on the vttools logical disk:
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Boot VMS with disk /tools/vttools_alpha_vms.vdisk connected to DKA100.
$ mount dka100: vttools %MOUNT-I-WRITELOCK, volume is write locked %MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, VTTOOLS mounted on _VMS84$DKA100: $ prod install * /source=dka100:[DIGIBOARD] 1 - DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER D1.3-0 Layered Product 2 - DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_7 D1.6-0 Layered Product 3 - DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_8 D1.6-0 Layered Product 4 - All products listed above ? - Help E – Exit
Choose one or more items from the menu: (1 for VMS6.x, 2 for VMS 7.x and 3 for VMS8.x)
Performing product kit validation of signed kits . . . %PCSI-I-CANNOTVAL, cannot validate DKA100:[000000]DIGI-AXPVMS-DGDRIVER_8-D0106-0-1.PCSI;1 -PCSI-I-NOTSIGNED, product kit is not signed and therefore has no manifest file The following product has been selected: DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_8 D1.6-0 Layered Product Do you want to continue? [YES] Configuration phase starting . . .
BU-0002-27 Page 210 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 You will be asked to choose options, if any, for each selected product and for any products that may be installed to satisfy software dependency requirements.
Configuring DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_8 D1.6-0: Digi AccelePort Device Driver for VMS 8.x
@ Digi International 1995. All rights reserved. Digi International
Do you want the defaults for all options? [YES] The /HELP option is required; if you didn't use it, do not continue. Do you want to continue? [YES] Do you want to review the options? [NO] Execution phase starting . . . The following product will be installed to destination: DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_8 D1.6-0 DISK$ALPHASYS:[VMS$COMMON.] Portion done: 0% . . . 10% . . . 20% . . . 30% . . . 40% . . . 50% . . . 60% . . . 80% . . . 90% . . . 100% The following product has been installed: DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_8 D1.6-0 Layered Product DIGI AXPVMS DGDRIVER_8 D1.6-0: Digi AccelePort Device Driver for VMS 8.x Post Installation Procedure Users of this product require the following process resource limits: BYTLM minimum 45000 This product requires the following SYSGEN parameters: MAXBUF minimum 45000 Insert the following lines in SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM: $! DON'T FORGET TO REMOVE THE ! FROM THE LINE BELOW $! @DIGI$DRIVER:DIGI_INSTALL_EPCA.COM
Make sure BYTLM and MAXBUF are set to a minimum of 45000 on your system. Run the Digi Setup to configure the installed PCI PBXDA's (AccelePort Xr 920 PCI).
$ SYS$COMMON:[DGDRIVER]DG_SETUP.COM ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ How many adapters do you wish to install? ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ Please enter a number between 1 and 7:1 ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
BU-0002-27 Page 211 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Choose number of adapters: 1. When asked for type of Adapter choose: A) AccelePort Xr 920 PCI.
+------+ ¦ C/X - EPC - Xem - Xr - Xr 920 Configuration Utility version 1.6.0 ¦ ¦ Copyright (c) 1998, Digi International Inc. ¦ +------+ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦+------Adapter Selection ------+¦ ¦¦ Configuring adapter 1. ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ Supported ISA Adapters: ¦¦ ¦¦ 1) AccelePort Xr ISA 2) AccelePort Xr 920 ISA ¦¦ ¦¦ 3) AccelePort Xem ISA 4) AccelePort C/X ISA ¦¦ ¦¦ 5) AccelePort EPC/X ISA ¦¦ ¦¦ Supported EISA Adapters ¦¦ ¦¦ 6) AccelePort Xem EISA 7) AccelePort C/X EISA ¦¦ ¦¦ 8) AccelePort EPC/X EISA ¦¦ ¦¦ Supported PCI Adapters ¦¦ ¦¦ 9) AccelePort Xr PCI A) AccelePort Xr 920 PCI ¦¦ ¦¦ B) AccelePort Xem PCI C) AccelePort C/X PCI ¦¦ ¦¦ D) AccelePort EPC/X PCI ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ What type is adapter 1? A ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦+------+¦
Choose 0 to select the adapter.
+------+ ¦ C/X - EPC - Xem - Xr - Xr 920 Configuration Utility version 1.6.0 ¦ ¦ Copyright (c) 1998, Digi International Inc. ¦ +------+ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦+------Adapter Selection and Configuration ------+¦ ¦¦ Configuring adapter 1. ¦¦ ¦¦ Adapter type is AccelePort Xr 920 PCI Adapter. ¦¦ ¦+------PCI Adapter Selection ------¦¦ ¦¦ Please select a node number from one of the ones listed below: ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ 0) 0 (Adapter 2, Bus 0, Slot 0, Func 0) -- Digi AccelePort Xr 920 ¦¦ ¦¦ 1) Exit without making a choice ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ Enter the selection for adapter 1: 0 ¦¦ ¦+------¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦+------+¦
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+------+ ¦ C/X - EPC - Xem - Xr - Xr 920 Configuration Utility version 1.6.0 ¦ ¦ Copyright (c) 1998, Digi International Inc. ¦ +------+ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦+------Adapter Selection and Configuration ------+¦ ¦¦ You have selected the following configuration for adapter 1: ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ Adapter Type: AccelePort Xr 920 PCI Adapter. ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ Module Port Numbers ¦¦ ¦¦ ------¦¦ ¦¦ 1 0 - 7 ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ Is this configuration acceptable (y or n)? Y ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ¦+------+¦
Answer the other questions and finally hit Enter to complete.
+------+ ¦ C/X - EPC - Xem - Xr - Xr 920 Configuration Utility version 1.6.0 ¦ ¦ Copyright (c) 1998, Digi International Inc. ¦ +------+ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦+------Message ------+¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ Configuration Complete ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ Press ANY key to continue ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦+------+¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦
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Linking the VMS configuration image . . . Linking the driver image . . . Installation complete.
To finish your setup and automatically start the driver on VMS boot, add the following lines to SYS$MANAGER:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM :
$ @SYS$COMMON:[DGDRIVER]MAKE_DIGI_LOGICAL.COM $ @DIGI$DRIVER:DIGI_INSTALL_EPCA.COM
After a reboot of VMS the TX devices will be online; if they are not online, make sure at least one of the serial ports is configured in vtAlpha (assigned to either a physical port or a virtual telnet socket).
BU-0002-27 Page 214 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.2. EcoApp (vtAlpha Only)
Normally the virtual Alpha host system emulation CPU(s) runs at 100% utilization, even when the emulated Alpha CPU is idle, which increases power consumption and heat generation. To address this problem, we developed EcoApp (Energy Conservation Application). EcoApp detects when the guest system CPU(s) are idle and allows the host to idle the corresponding physical CPUs. In typical applications this can result in power consumption reduction of up to 25%. For OpenVMS, EcoApp is supplied as a program that must be installed on the guest system (see instructions below); for Tru64 systems, EcoApp is a function provided as a console option that must be enabled before use. Currently EcoApp is available for Tru64 V5 only; versions for Tru64 V3 and V4 are in development.
With EcoApp running on a vtAlpha server the power consumption will be much lower. (The exact increase depends on how the Virtual Machine is used)
BU-0002-27 Page 215 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.3. Installing EcoApp for OpenVMS
This EcoApp driver for OpenVMS can be found on the vttools logical disk (/tools/vttools_alpha_vms.vdisk). Create a logical disk in your virtual Alpha configuration and assign the vttools logical disk as the device location. The write lock attribute should be enabled to prevent inadvertent modification of the vttools disk. The following example assumes that DKA100 is the vttools logical disk. $ mount/nowrite dka100: vttools %MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, VTTOOLS mounted on $1$DKA100: $ product install /source=dka100:[ecoapp] *
Performing product kit validation of signed kits: %PCSI-I-CANNOTVAL, cannot validate DKA100:[ECOAPP]AVT-AXPVMS-ECOAPP-V0102--1.PCSI;1 -PCSI-I-NOTSIGNED, product kit is not signed and therefore has no manifest file
The following product has been selected: AVT AXPVMS ECOAPP V1.2 Layered Product [Installed]
Do you want to continue? [YES]
Configuration phase starting ...
You will be asked to choose options, if any, for each selected product and for any products that may be installed to satisfy software dependency requirements.
Configuring AVT AXPVMS ECOAPP V1.2: Energy Conservation Application V1.2 for OpenVMS Alpha.
Copyright 2010, 2016 AVTware
ECOAPP was produced by AVTware
Do you want the defaults for all options? [YES]
Do you want to review the options? [NO] n
Execution phase starting ...
The following product will be installed to destination: AVT AXPVMS ECOAPP V1.2 DISK$SFAT-0:[VMS$COMMON.]
Portion done: 0%...10%...20%...50%...60%...90%...100%
The following product has been installed: AVT AXPVMS ECOAPP V1.2 Layered Product
By default it will be loaded on startup of OpenVMS, but it can also be unloaded or loaded manually. After installing an update, OpenVMS needs to be rebooted to activate the new version of EcoApp.
BU-0002-27 Page 216 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 EcoApp has four commands: LOAD, UNLOAD, STATISTICS and VERSION.
LOAD This command will load the ecoapp utility. If it is already running a warning will be shown. LOAD/PERMANENT This qualifier will make it load at boot time so that no manual intervention is needed anymore. After installation it is set to load at boot time. UNLOAD This command will unload the ecoapp utility. If it is not running a warning will be shown. UNLOAD/PERMANENT This qualifier will prevent loading at boot time. Only manual loading will make it run. STATISTICS Statistics will show the percent of time the CPUs have been idle. VERSION This will show the current version.
Output example for statistics:
$ ecoapp stat ECOAPP started at 26-JUN-2013 12:41:58.85 (load at boot enabled) ECOAPP Uptime: 0 00:23:02.91 CPU idle count idle time idle ------0 1318642 0 00:22:35.97 99% 1 1391681 0 00:22:49.85 100% Total system idle percentage since ECOAPP start: 99%
7.6.4. Activating EcoApp for Tru64 v5
On systems running Tru64 V5, the EcoApp is enabled using the SRM console command set ecoapp 1 before booting Tru64. To disable EcoApp, use the command set ecoapp 0 then reboot the system.
BU-0002-27 Page 217 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.5. TapeMGR (For Managing Logical Tapes)
Logical tapes can be used to virtualize a physical tape drive and use tape container files instead of physical tape cartridges. By default, a logical tape container file will grow as data is written to it. When an unload command is sent to the virtual tape drive, the tape will be disconnected from the virtual machine and the container file may be copied or moved. This applies to vtAlpha as well as vtVAX. On vtAlpha and vtVAX, you also have the option to set the “Autoload” option in the virtual machine configuration and the option to manipulate it via the TapeMGR tool. When this parameter is enabled, the tape will be loaded automatically when a VMS MOUNT or INITIALIZE command is executed. When manual control of tape loading and unloading from the VMS system is desired, set the Autoload parameter to off and use the TAPEMGR utility to control the tapes directly. If a non-existent container file name is provided to the TAPEMGR LOAD command, a new container file will be created. To use the TAPEMGR utility, the TAPEMGR driver must be installed on the OpenVMS system. This utility is located in /tools as follows: vttools_alpha_vms.vdisk vttools_vax_vms.vdisk
BU-0002-27 Page 218 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1
The following procedures are used to install the TAPEMGR driver and utility:
Assign the appropriate vttools disk to a logical disk in the virtual machine configuration. In this vtAlpha example, we use SCSI disk DKA600.
Issue the commands below:
$ product install *
Performing product kit validation of signed kits ... %PCSI-I-CANNOTVAL, cannot validate DKA600:[TAPEMGR]AVT-AXPVMS-TAPEMGR-V0106--1.PCSI;1 -PCSI-I-NOTSIGNED, product kit is not signed and therefore has no manifest file
The following product has been selected: AVT AXPVMS TAPEMGR V1.6 Layered Product
Do you want to continue? [YES]
Configuration phase starting ...
You will be asked to choose options, if any, for each selected product and for any products that may be installed to satisfy software dependency requirements.
Configuring AVT AXPVMS TAPEMGR V1.6: AVTware tape manager utility V1.6 for OpenV MS Alpha.
Copyright (C) 2013,2019 Advanced Virtualization Technologies
TAPEMGR is produced by Advanced Virtualization Technologies
* This product does not have any configuration options.
Execution phase starting ...
The following product will be installed to destination: AVT AXPVMS TAPEMGR V1.6 DISK$SFAT-0:[VMS$COMMON.]
Portion done: 0%...10%...20%...80%...100%
The following product has been installed: AVT AXPVMS TAPEMGR V1.6 Layered Product
BU-0002-27 Page 219 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Here is a vtVAX installation example:
$ @sys$update:vmsinstal tapemgr018 DKA200:[TAPEMGR] OpenVMS VAX Software Product Installation Procedure V7.3
It is 29-NOV-2018 at 12:44.
Enter a question mark (?) at any time for help.
* Are you satisfied with the backup of your system disk [YES]?
The following products will be processed:
TAPEMGR V1.8
Beginning installation of TAPEMGR V1.8 at 12:44
%VMSINSTAL-I-RESTORE, Restoring product save set A . . . Installing the TAPEMGR Utility for vtVAX %VMSINSTAL-I-MOVEFILES, Files will now be moved to their target directories . . . Installation of TAPEMGR V1.8 completed at 12:44 VMSINSTAL procedure done at 12:44
There are slight differences between the vtAlpha and vtVAX versions of TapeMGR.
One of the differences is that the tape container extension “.vtt” or “.vtape” on vtVAX is mandatory, where on vtAlpha it is not.
Beginning with vtServer version 3.2.0, vtVAX now has the option to set the format of the tape with the /format qualifier. Possible values are mtd, vtt, vtape. vtAlpha already supported these formats.
BU-0002-27 Page 220 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 Help for the TAPEMGR utility is available using the command:
$ tapemgr help
Here is an extract for vtAlpha:
TAPEMGR
The vtAlpha virtual machine allows several parameters to be specified for logical tape devices. The TAPEMGR utility can be used to create, delete or change container files, and to select the format used to read or write these files.
The utility needs OPER and CMKRNL privileges (except for the HELP and VERSION commands).
Additional information is available for the following subtopics:
CREATE DELETE LOAD UNLOAD SET SHOW VERSION HELP
TAPEMGR Subtopic?
The TapeMGR utility for example will allow you to LOAD and UNLOAD any tape container file available on the host.
The TAPEMGR SHOW command displays the name of the tape container file for the device, the tape format, the maximum size of the tape file, and the tape load status.
$ tapemgr show mka400 %TAPEMGR-I-INFO, _MKA400: file=/DiskImages/MKA400.vtape format=default maximumsize=unlimited autoload=yes status=loaded $ tapemgr load mka400: "/DiskImages/test.vtape" $ tapemgr show mka400: %TAPEMGR-I-INFO, _MKA400: file=/DiskImages/test.vtape format=default maximumsize=unlimited autoload=yes status=loaded
BU-0002-27 Page 221 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.6. VTDSK
To install the VTDSK driver, a logical disk mapped to the vtTools container file must be temporarily added to the system configuration. The driver may be installed directly from the vtTools disk, as shown below, or it may be copied to one of the permanent disks and installed from there.
Example installing VTDSK on OpenVMS server:
$ mount dka100: vttools %MOUNT-I-MOUNTED, VTTOOLS mounted on $1$DKA100: $ product install /source=dka100:[vtdsk] * Performing product kit validation of signed kits %PCSI-I-CANNOTVAL, cannot validate DKA100:[VTDSK]AVT-AXPVMS-VTDSK-V0102--1.PCSI;1 -PCSI-I-NOTSIGNED, product kit is not signed and therefore has no manifest file The following product has been selected: AVT AXPVMS VTDSK V1.2 Layered Product [Installed] Do you want to continue? [YES]
After installing the VTDSK driver, a reboot of OpenVMS is required in order to add the logical disks to the configuration.
BU-0002-27 Page 222 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.7. XDISP
An extended X Windows display configuration utility for OpenVMS.
Some applications have hard-coded assumptions about setting up a display device on OpenVMS. This may not always work in a virtual environment where we have explicit requirements, like redirecting the display to a server located on the network.
For this the 'set display' command has been modified to allow the setup of default settings that can be protected as well, thereby dictating the required parameters to an application.
The following switches have been added to the 'set display' command:
/DEFAULT This will alter the default settings. /PROTECT This will force the created display device to use the parameters that have been setup as the default.
The following switch has been added to the 'show display' command:
/DEFAULT This will show the default settings.
Example:
An application may setup the default display like this:
$ show display
Device: WSA1: [super] Node: 0 Transport: LOCAL Server: 0 Screen: 0
BU-0002-27 Page 223 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 An application that forces the display to a local display server makes it impossible to reach the desired display. For this we can setup the default characteristics of the display device like this:
$ set display/default/transport=tcpip/node=10.143.0.1/protect $ show display/default
Device: WSA0: [user] Node: 10.143.0.1 Transport: TCPIP Server: 0 Screen: 0 Protected: yes
If we create a display after that, we will force our parameters to the display device:
$ set display/create/transport=local/server=1 $ show display
Device: WSA5: [user] Node: 10.143.0.1 Transport: TCPIP Server: 0 Screen: 0 Protected: yes
You can see that the parameters at display creation time are ignored because the unit is protected.
If the parameters need to be changed we first have to unprotect the display:
$ set display/noprotect $ set display/node=1.2.3.4 $ show display
Device: WSA5: [user] Node: 1.2.3.4 Transport: TCPIP Server: 0 Screen: 0 Protected: no
The defaults will also work if an application is directly talking to the display device since the parameters are enforced on the device driver level.
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This application is supported on VAX/VMS V6.2 and up, as well as OpenVMS Alpha V6.2 and up. VMS Software Inc.’s (VSI) Alpha VMS versions are supported as well.
It is mandatory to install the VMS62TO71_PCSI kit before installation on VMS V6.2 or V7.1.
This OpenVMS patch kit is located in the directory [VMS_PATCHES] on the tools disk.
BU-0002-27 Page 225 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.8. vtSID (vtVAX only)
vtSID is a utility used with vtVAX when there is a requirement to match exactly the System Identification (SID) of the physical VAX system being replaced.
The vtSID components are provided on the vtTools logical disk that is provided in the /tools directory of the vtServer distribution. The vtTools disk is mounted on the virtual VAX system and the files are copied to the OpenVMS system disk.
7.6.9. Installation of vtSID
1. Add a new logical disk to a vtVAX virtual machine. In this example we will specify this disk as DUB0. 2. Configure DUB0 as a logical disk using container file /tools/vttools_vax_vms.vdisk. 3. Login to VMS with user ID = SYSTEM. 4. Mount the “vttools_vax_vms.vdisk” logical disk.
$ MOUNT DUB0: vttools
5. Go to the vtSID directory and start VMSinstal
BU-0002-27 Page 226 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 $ set def DUB0:[VTSID]
$ @sys$update:vmsinstal vtsid010
OpenVMS VAX Software Product Installation Procedure V6.2
It is 29-JUL-2017 at 01:57.
Enter a question mark (?) at any time for help.
* Are you satisfied with the backup of your system disk [YES]?
* Where will the distribution volumes be mounted: DUB0:[VTSID]
* Enter installation options you wish to use (none):
The following products will be processed:
VTSID V1.0
Beginning installation of VTSID V1.0 at 01:58
%VMSINSTAL-I-RESTORE, Restoring product save set A . . .
Installing the vtSID Utility for vtVAX
%VMSINSTAL-I-MOVEFILES, Files will now be moved to their target directories . . .
Installation of VTSID V1.0 completed at 01:58
VMSINSTAL procedure done at 01:58
BU-0002-27 Page 227 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.10. Using vtSID
1. Invoke the command procedure sys$manager:SID.com; record the values displayed. 2. Edit SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSMGR]VTSID.COM and replace the placeholder values in the VTSID SET command with those displayed in the previous step. 3. Manually invoke VTSID.COM to set the SID value. The procedure will display the SID before and after the change. 4. Edit the site-specific system startup procedure (SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM or SYSTARTUP_V5.COM) and add a command to invoke VTSID.COM before the startup procedures for any applications that use the SID value for license validation. 5. Reboot OpenVMS to invoke the full startup.
The vtVAX SID is modified with vtSID; therefore, it must be reset before the system is shut down or the system may crash during shutdown and not auto-reboot. If vtSID is used, the following commands should be placed in the site-specific shutdown procedure (SYSHUTDWN.COM) and this procedure should always be invoked when the system is shut down.
$ SET COMMAND SYS$MANAGER:VTSID $ VTSID RESET $ VTSID LIST/TYPE=ACTIVE
BU-0002-27 Page 228 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 7.6.11. vtSID Commands
VMS help command HELP @VTUTILS
LIST /TYPE=MODELS (default) Request listing of VAX Displays supported hardware HW_Models supported by this models/configurations. specific VMS version and their descriptions. Model number is in hexadecimal notation. /TYPE=DEFAULT Displays system default values for SID/XSID/HWMODEL and CPUs. /TYPE=ACTIVE Displays current system values for SID/XSID/HWMODEL and CPUs. SET /SID=sid_value Specifies the SID value in Set values for hexadecimal. SID/XSID/HWMODEL and CPUs /XSID=xsid_value Specifies the XSID value in hexadecimal /MODEL=model_number Specifies the model number in hexadecimal. /CPUCNT=n Specifies the number of CPUs configured under VMS. /CPUAVL=n Specifies the number of CPUs available to VMS. RESET When the SID is modified with vtSID, the VTSID RESET Resets parameters to their default command should be invoked before or during the system values. shutdown. If this is not done, the system may crash or fail to auto-restart.
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7.7. MOP Boot
Booting from a MOP server (v3 and v4) is possible in the SRM console for all network controllers except the EI1000 adapter (no VMS boot driver available for EI1000).
>>> boot [-file filename] [-flags bootflags] [ -protocol mopv3/4] device
7.8. Clock_mode in SRM Console
In the SRM console the “clock_mode” variable can be used to force the virtual machine to use the local time of the vtServer host or force an invalid time so it will always ask to enter the time. Possible values are “normal”, “localtime”, “force_invalid”. Example:
>>> set clock_mode “localtime”
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7.9. Boot from Fiber Channel (vtAlpha only)
If OpenVMS is used then the use of wwidmgr is not needed. Since the device list may become large with Fiber Channel configurations, the console will now allow a matching device name to be given for the 'show device' command:
P00>>> show device fga0.0.0.0.1 FGA0 KGPSA 1000-0000-c92b-116c gga998.10.0.0.1 GGA998 HP MSA CONTROLLER 7.20 sg58 dga100.10.0.0.1 DGA100 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg59 dga101.10.0.0.1 DGA101 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg60 dga102.10.0.0.1 DGA102 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg61 dga103.10.0.0.1 DGA103 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg62 dga104.10.0.0.1 DGA104 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg63 dga105.10.0.0.1 DGA105 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg64 dga106.10.0.0.1 DGA106 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg65 gga999.10.1.0.1 GGA999 HP MSA CONTROLLER 7.20 sg66 dga100.10.1.0.1 DGA100 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg67 dga101.10.1.0.1 DGA101 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg68 gga1000.10.2.0.1 GGA1000 DEC HSG80CCL V88F sg74 dga1.10.2.0.1 DGA1 DEC HSG80 V88F sg75 dga2.10.2.0.1 DGA2 DEC HSG80 V88F sg76 gga1000.10.3.0.1 GGA1000 DEC HSG80CCL V88F sg77 dga1.10.3.0.1 DGA1 DEC HSG80 V88F sg78 dga2.10.3.0.1 DGA2 DEC HSG80 V88F sg79 gga1000.10.4.0.1 GGA1000 DEC HSG80CCL V88F sg80 dga1.10.4.0.1 DGA1 DEC HSG80 V88F sg81 dga2.10.4.0.1 DGA2 DEC HSG80 V88F sg82 gga1000.10.5.0.1 GGA1000 DEC HSG80CCL V88F sg83 dga1.10.5.0.1 DGA1 DEC HSG80 V88F sg84 dga2.10.5.0.1 DGA2 DEC HSG80 V88F sg85 fgb0.0.0.1.1 FGB0 KGPSA 1000-0000-c93a-389c gga998.8.0.1.1 GGA998 HP MSA CONTROLLER 7.20 sg2 dga100.8.0.1.1 DGA100 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg3 dga101.8.0.1.1 DGA101 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg4 dga102.8.0.1.1 DGA102 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg5 dga103.8.0.1.1 DGA103 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg6 gga999.8.1.1.1 GGA999 HP MSA CONTROLLER 7.20 sg10 dga100.8.1.1.1 DGA100 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg11 dga101.8.1.1.1 DGA101 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg12 dga102.8.1.1.1 DGA102 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg13 dga103.8.1.1.1 DGA103 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg14 dga104.8.1.1.1 DGA104 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg15 dga105.8.1.1.1 DGA105 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg16 dga106.8.1.1.1 DGA106 HP MSA VOLUME 7.20 sg17 gga1000.8.2.1.1 GGA1000 DEC HSG80CCL V88F sg18 dga1.8.2.1.1 DGA1 DEC HSG80 V88F sg19 dga2.8.2.1.1 DGA2 DEC HSG80 V88F sg20
BU-0002-27 Page 231 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To setup a boot or dump device on the console, multiple paths may be given so that at boot time all devices are tried, and malfunctioning paths are skipped. For example, to setup boot for dga100::
P00>>> set bootdef_dev dga100.10.0.0.1,dga100.10.1.0.1,dga100.8.0.1.1,dga100.8.1.1.1
In this case we setup four paths (there are six available in this configuration) which will be tried one at a time if we boot. To boot from a specific path we can also give the complete path to the boot command:
P00>>> boot dga100.10.1.0.1
If we do not give a path but just the device name (dga100), the console will attempt to boot from the first device it finds. The GGA devices are created for the LUNs from the storage controllers itself and will be visible in VMS. They can be used to talk to the controllers with the appropriate utilities (set host/scsi, msa$util, etc.).
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7.10. Installing Tru64 on a Fiber Channel Disk (vtAlpha Only) Some special handling is required when installing Tru64 on a Fiber Channel disk. For this the console has the wwidmgr utility embedded, just like a real system. Before installing Tru64 on a Fiber Channel disk, the disk needs to be configured with the wwidmgr before it is recognized. wwidmgr supports the following commands: wwidmgr -clear This will erase all previous settings and starts with a clean configuration.
wwidmgr -show adapter This will show all Fiber Channel adapters on the virtual system:
P00>>> wwidmgr -show adapter item adapter WWN Topo [0] fga0.0.0.0.1 2000-0000-c92b-116c FABRIC [1] fgb0.0.0.1.1 2000-0000-c93a-389c FABRIC [2] fgc0.0.0.2.1 2000-00e0-8b1c-d44a FABRIC
wwidmgr -show wwid This will show all Fiber Channel devices that can be used for installation:
P00>>> wwidmgr -show wwid [0] udid:100 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7565-96a1-000f (ev:none) [1] udid:101 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7573-f10a-0010 (ev:none) [2] udid:102 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-757b-6d40-0011 (ev:none) [3] udid:103 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7586-c4fb-0012 (ev:none) [4] udid:104 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-758d-34eb-0013 (ev:none) [5] udid:105 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-abe9-c1bd-40cf-0016 (ev:none) [6] udid:106 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7585-f31e-0015 (ev:none) [7] udid:1 wwid:01000010:6000-1fe1-0000-1570-0009-0220-7484-0169 (ev:none) [8] udid:2 wwid:01000010:6000-1fe1-0000-1570-0009-0220-7484-015f (ev:none)
BU-0002-27 Page 233 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 If installation on the device with udid 105 is desired then this needs to be done: wwidmgr -quickset -udid 105
After this it will be known to the console: P00>>> wwidmgr -quickset -udid 105 P00>>> wwidmgr -show wwid [0] udid:100 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7565-96a1-000f (ev:none) [1] udid:101 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7573-f10a-0010 (ev:none) [2] udid:102 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-757b-6d40-0011 (ev:none) [3] udid:103 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7586-c4fb-0012 (ev:none) [4] udid:104 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-758d-34eb-0013 (ev:none) [5] udid:105 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-abe9-c1bd-40cf-0016 (ev:wwid0) [6] udid:106 wwid:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-a01d-7585-f31e-0015 (ev:none) [7] udid:1 wwid:01000010:6000-1fe1-0000-1570-0009-0220-7484-0169 (ev:none) [8] udid:2 wwid:01000010:6000-1fe1-0000-1570-0009-0220-7484-015f (ev:none)
Notice the ev: field which indicates that the device is now known in the wwid0 console variable:
P00>>> show wwid0 wwid0 105 1 WWID:01000010:6008-05f3-0006-aa30-abe9-c1bd-40cf-0016
At the same time this will initialize the console variables N1 and N2 which are holding the port names of the controller for that device:
P00>>> show n* N1 500805f30006aa31 N2 500805f30006aa39
The wwidmgr settings will be saved in the nvram file. On real systems the wwidmgr commands need to be followed by an init command; on vtAlpha this is not needed.
BU-0002-27 Page 234 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 8. Troubleshooting
There are two major ways to do troubleshooting.
Collect Support Info Creates a .tgz file containing information used to diagnose host system and virtual machine problems. The archive is automatically downloaded to the workstation you are running vtMonitor on. A support information file should be created and submitted to your support provider any time you are reporting a problem with vtServer, vtLicense, vtAlpha or vtVAX. Establishes a data link to the AVT support center. This link Open Remote Link allows the support engineers to connect to your host system to investigate and diagnose problems. This feature should be used only when directed to do so by your support provider. When a support link has been established a Close Link action will appear so that the user can disconnect the link at any time.
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8.1. Create Support File
To create a support file, select the option menu in the Host tab or right-click on the emulator in the navigation window.
When selecting Collect Support Info, vtMonitor starts collecting this information. This can take a little time. When the collection process is completed the generated file will be downloaded automatically to the workstation, or a window will pop up to specify the location to save it.
When reporting a problem with vtServer, vtLicense, vtAlpha or vtVAX a support file should be created and send to your support provider. This support file contains information that helps to shorten the dissolving time of problems.
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8.2. Open / Close Remote link
To open a remote link, right-click on the vtServer name in the navigation window and select Open Support Remote Link:
When a support link has been established the Remote Link ID number will be shown in the Top Window, and the virtual machine name will show in red.
BU-0002-27 Page 237 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 To close the remote link, right-click on the virtual machine name and select Close Support Remote Link:
BU-0002-27 Page 238 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 9. Unattended Installation
9.1. Unattended Installation Configuration
The unattended installation feature provides the capability to automate all or part of the vtServer software installation and configuration process. One or more customized configuration templates are provided to the end-user on removable media such as DVD, CD, or USB storage device. The user may select from one of several templates, if desired. If there is a need to provide the custom installation data and the vtServer software on the same installation media, please contact your vtServer support provider for assistance. The media containing the custom templates is formatted as a Linux–compatible file system, such as ext3. The template files are contained in the directory /vtServer/templates; each template is in a separate subdirectory. The main component of a template is the file parameters.conf. The files presetup.sh and postsetup.sh are optional bash shell scripts that can be used to perform additional installation-specific processing. As the names suggest, presetup.sh is invoked before the installation process is started and postsetup.sh after the installation has completed. If the return status from presetup.sh is zero (0) the installation will continue; any other return status aborts the installation process. The return status of postsetup.sh is not checked. The optional file /vtServer/templates.conf is used to add template options to the boot menu. Examples of all four files are provided below, following the configuration parameters. The template configuration parameters are explained in the following sections. Comments may be inserted by beginning the line with the hash or pound character (#).
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9.2. Configuration Parameters
TPL_KEYBOARD This option allows the selection of the keyboard language for the system. The allowed values are: "Arabic" "Belgian" "Canadian (Multilingual)" "Croatian" "Czech (qwerty)" "Czech" "Danish" "Dutch" "Dvorak" "English (UK)" "English (US)" "Estonian" "Finnish" "French (Canada)" "French (Switzerland)" "French" "German (Switzerland)" "German (with deadkeys)" "German" "Greek" "Hungarian" "Icelandic" "Italian" "Japanese" "Khmer" "Korean" "Lithuanian" "Norwegian" "Polish" "Portuguese (Brazil -- US accents)" "Portuguese (Brazil)" "Portuguese" "Russian" "Serbian" "Simplified Chinese" "Slovak (qwerty)" "Slovak" "Slovene" "Spanish (CP 850)" "Spanish (Latin America)" "Spanish" "Swedish" "Tajik" "Traditional Chinese" "Turkish" "Ukrainian" If not specified, "English (US)" will be used. Example: TPL_KEYBOARD="English (UK)" TPL_TIMEZONE This option allows the selection of the keyboard language for the system. The allowed values are: "Europe/Amsterdam" "Europe/Andorra" "Europe/Athens" "Europe/Belgrade" "Europe/Berlin" "Europe/Bratislava" "Europe/Brussels" "Europe/Bucharest" "Europe/Budapest" "Europe/Chisinau" "Europe/Copenhagen" "Europe/Dublin" "Europe/Gibraltar" "Europe/Guernsey" "Europe/Helsinki" "Europe/Isle_of_Man" "Europe/Istanbul" "Europe/Jersey" "Europe/Kaliningrad" "Europe/Kiev" "Europe/Lisbon" "Europe/Ljubljana" "Europe/London" "Europe/Luxembourg" "Europe/Mariehamn" "Europe/Madrid" "Europe/Malta" "Europe/Minsk" "Europe/Monaco" "Europe/Moscow" "Europe/Oslo" "Europe/Paris" "Europe/Podgorica" "Europe/Prague" "Europe/Riga" "Europe/Rome" "Europe/San_Marino" "Europe/Samara" "Europe/Sarajevo" "Europe/Simferopol" "Europe/Skopje" "Europe/Sofia" "Europe/Stockholm" "Europe/Tallinn" "Europe/Tirane" "Europe/Uzhgorod" "Europe/Vaduz" "Europe/Vatican" "Europe/Vienna" "Europe/Vilnius" "Europe/Volgograd" "Europe/Warsaw" "Europe/Zagreb" "Atlantic/Reykjavik" "Atlantic/Azores" "Atlantic/Canary" "Europe/Zurich" "Europe/Zaporozhye" "America/Anchorage" "America/Adak" "America/Phoenix" "America/Chicago" "America/Indiana/Indianapolis" "America/Indiana/Knox" "America/Detroit" "America/Denver" "America/Los_Angeles" "America/New_York" "America/North_Dakota/New_Salem" "America/Puerto_Rico" "America/St_Thomas" "Pacific/Honolulu" "Pacific/Pago_Pago" "America/Halifax" "America/Winnipeg" "America/Toronto" "America/Edmonton" "America/St_Johns" "America/Vancouver" "America/Regina" "America/Whitehorse" "America/Glace_Bay" "America/Moncton" "America/Goose_Bay" "America/Blanc-Sablon" "America/Montreal" "America/Nipigon" "America/Thunder_Bay" "America/Iqaluit" "America/Pangnirtung" "America/Resolute" "America/Atikokan" "America/Rankin_Inlet" "America/Rainy_River" "America/Swift_Current" "America/Cambridge_Bay" "America/Yellowknife" "America/Inuvik" "America/Dawson_Creek" "America/Dawson" "America/Argentina/Buenos_Aires" "America/Argentina/Catamarca" "America/Argentina/Cordoba" "America/Argentina/Jujuy" "America/Argentina/La_Rioja" BU-0002-27 Page 240 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 "America/Argentina/Mendoza" "America/Argentina/Rio_Gallegos" "America/Argentina/San_Juan" "America/Argentina/San_Luis" "America/Argentina/Tucuman" "America/Argentina/Ushuaia" "America/Araguaina" "America/Bahia" "America/Belem" "America/Boa_Vista" "America/Campo_Grande" "America/Cuiaba" "America/Eirunepe" "America/Fortaleza" "America/Maceio" "America/Noronha" "America/Porto_Velho" "America/Recife" "America/Mazatlan" "America/Mexico_City" "America/Tijuana" "America/Antigua" "America/Anguilla" "America/Aruba" "America/Asuncion" "America/Barbados" "America/Belize" "America/Bogota" "America/Caracas" "America/Cayenne" "America/Costa_Rica" "America/Curacao" "America/Dominica" "America/El_Salvador" "America/Guayaquil" "America/Grenada" "America/Guadeloupe" "America/Guatemala" "America/Guyana" "America/Havana" "America/Jamaica" "America/La_Paz" "America/Lima" "America/Managua" "America/Martinique" "America/Montevideo" "America/Nassau" "America/Panama" "America/Puerto_Rico" "America/Santiago" "America/St_Thomas" "Pacific/Easter" "Pacific/Galapagos" "Europe/Kaliningrad" "Europe/Moscow" "Europe/Samara" "Europe/Volgograd" "Asia/Anadyr" "Asia/Irkutsk" "Asia/Kamchatka" "Asia/Krasnoyarsk" "Asia/Magadan" "Asia/Novosibirsk" "Asia/Omsk" "Asia/Sakhalin" "Asia/Vladivostok" "Asia/Yakutsk" "Asia/Yekaterinburg" "Asia/Almaty" "Asia/Ashgabat" "Asia/Anadyr" "Asia/Baghdad" "Asia/Bahrain" "Asia/Baku" "Asia/Bangkok" "Asia/Beirut" "Asia/Bishkek" "Asia/Brunei" "Asia/Kolkata" "Asia/Colombo" "Asia/Damascus" "Asia/Dhaka" "Asia/Dubai" "Asia/Gaza" "Asia/Hong_Kong" "Asia/Irkutsk" "Asia/Jakarta" "Asia/Jerusalem" "Asia/Kabul" "Asia/Karachi" "Asia/Kamchatka" "Asia/Kathmandu" "Asia/Krasnoyarsk" "Asia/Kuala_Lumpur" "Asia/Kuwait" "Asia/Macau" "Asia/Magadan" "Asia/Manila" "Asia/Nicosia" "Asia/Novosibirsk" "Asia/Omsk" "Asia/Phnom_Penh" "Asia/Pyongyang" "Asia/Qatar" "Asia/Rangoon" "Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh" "Asia/Sakhalin" "Asia/Samarkand" "Asia/Tashkent" "Asia/Tehran" "Asia/Thimphu" "Asia/Vladivostok" "Asia/Yekaterinburg" "Asia/Tokyo" "Asia/Shanghai" "Asia/Beijing" "Asia/Taipei" "Asia/Seoul" "Asia/Riyadh" "Asia/Singapore" "Asia/Tbilisi" "Asia/Tokyo" "Asia/Ulaanbaatar" "Asia/Vientiane" "Asia/Yakutsk" "Asia/Yerevan" "Mideast/Riyadh87" "Mideast/Riyadh88" "Mideast/Riyadh89" "Australia/Lord_Howe" "Australia/Darwin" "Australia/Brisbane" "Australia/Adelaide" "Australia/Sydney" "Australia/Broken_Hill" "Australia/Hobart" "Australia/Currie" "Australia/Melbourne" "Australia/Perth" "Africa/Addis_Ababa" "Africa/Algiers" "Africa/Bamako" "Africa/Brazzaville" "Africa/Cairo" "Africa/Casablanca" "Africa/Ceuta" "Africa/Dakar" "Africa/Dar_es_Salaam" "Africa/Djibouti" "Africa/Freetown" "Africa/Johannesburg" "Africa/Kampala" "Africa/Khartoum" "Africa/Kinshasa" "Africa/Kigali" "Africa/Libreville" "Africa/Lusaka" "Africa/Maputo" "Africa/Mogadishu" "Africa/Monrovia" "Africa/Nairobi" "Africa/Tripoli" "Africa/Tunis" "Africa/Windhoek" "Pacific/Auckland" "Pacific/Fiji" "Pacific/Guadalcanal" "Pacific/Guam" "Pacific/Midway" "Pacific/Nauru" "Pacific/Palau" "Pacific/Pitcairn" "Pacific/Tahiti" "Pacific/Pago_Pago" "Pacific/Port_Moresby" "Pacific/Easter" "Atlantic/Bermuda" "Atlantic/Azores" "Atlantic/Canary" "Atlantic/Reykjavik" "America/Godthab" "Indian/Cocos" "Arctic/Longyearbyen" "America/Godthab" "Antarctica/South_Pole" "CET" "CST6CDT" "EET" "EST" "EST5EDT" "GMT" "GMT+0" "GMT-0" "GMT0" "Greenwich" "HST" "MET" "MST" "MST7MDT" "NZ" "NZ-CHAT" "Navajo" "PST8PDT" "UCT" "UTC" "Universal" "W-SU" "WET" "Zulu" "Etc/GMT+1" "Etc/GMT+10" "Etc/GMT+11" "Etc/GMT+12" "Etc/GMT+2" "Etc/GMT+3" "Etc/GMT+4" "Etc/GMT+5" "Etc/GMT+6" "Etc/GMT+7" "Etc/GMT+8" "Etc/GMT+9" "Etc/GMT-1" "Etc/GMT-10" "Etc/GMT-11" "Etc/GMT-12" "Etc/GMT-13" "Etc/GMT-14" "Etc/GMT-2" "Etc/GMT-3" "Etc/GMT-4" "Etc/GMT-5" "Etc/GMT-6" "Etc/GMT-7" "Etc/GMT-8" "Etc/GMT-9" "Etc/GMT"
BU-0002-27 Page 241 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 "Etc/GMT+0" "Etc/GMT-0" "Etc/GMT0" "Etc/Greenwich" "Etc/UCT" "Etc/UTC" "Etc/Universal" "Etc/Zulu" If not specified then the default will be "Europe/Amsterdam" Example: TPL_TIMEZONE="US/Eastern" TPL_HARDDISK This definition is mandatory in a template. This will select the hard disk for the vtServer system. It may be specified as an absolute device name like "/dev/sda" but be aware that device names may change when attaching an external USB device. The USB device may get that name assigned which will lead to an overwritten device. For that reason it is only advisable to use absolute device names when using a template that is stored on the vtServer installation DVD. An alternative is to use a pseudo name that will describe the disk, like "hd1" for the first hard disk, "hd2" for the second one, etc. Example: TPL_HARDDISK="hd1" TPL_HARDDISK_SYSTEM_SIZE This will select the system partition size in GB. If the size is 0, the complete disk will be used for the system partition. If not specified, the default will be 0 (use the complete disk). Example: TPL_HARDDISK_SYSTEM_SIZE=20 TPL_HARDDISK_FORMAT This selects the filesystem format for the specified hard disk. Valid formats are "ext4" or "btrfs". If not specified then it will default to btrfs. Example: TPL_HARDDISK_FORMAT="btrfs" TPL_HARDDISK_SEC_LABEL If the system disk has space left after creation of the system partition, a second partition will be created covering the rest of the disk. This option allows assignment of a label to that partition which will be used as a mount point. If not specified, the default will be "data" eventually followed by a number (like "data1") if there is already an existing partition with that label. Example: TPL_HARDDISK_SEC_LABEL="datadisk"
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TPL_DATASTORE TPL_DATASTORE creates a new data store (partition) on the specified device. The device name is provided in the same format as the value provided for TPL_HARDDISK (see above), Multiple data stores may be created; the index number in square brackets uniquely identifies each data store. TPL_DATASTORE_LABEL and TPL_DATASTORE_SIZE (see below) must be specified for each data store created. Example: TPL_DATASTORE[1]="hd2" creates a new data store on the second hard disk. TPL_DATASTORE_LABEL TPL_DATASTORE_LABEL is used to specify the name of a data store. The data store is identified using the index number used to create it. Example: TPL_DATASTORE_LABEL[1]="datastore1" TPL_DATASTORE_SIZE TPL_DATASTORE_SIZE is used to specify the data store size in GB; use 0 to allocate all unallocated space on the disk to this data store. The data store is identified using the index number used to create it. Example: TPL_DATASTORE_SIZE[1]=100 TPL_DATASTORE_FORMAT This selects the filesystem format for the specified data store. Valid formats are "ext4" or "btrfs". If not specified then it will default to ext4. Example: TPL_DATASTORE_FORMAT[1]="btrfs" TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK This option will create a logical disk (container file) in the specified directory. The path needs to be inside a data store, and may contain one or more subdirectories that will automatically be created. Example: TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK[1]="/datastore1/disks/dka100.vdisk" TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK_SIZE This selects the size for the specified container file in 512-byte blocks. This needs a number inside square brackets to select the appropriate logical disk. Example: TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK_SIZE[1]=4110480 TPL_IP_INTERFACE This option specifies the network interface (used by the vtServer host) to use for setting up IP configuration parameters. Example: TPL_IP_INTERFACE="eth0"
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TPL_IP_ADDRESS This option specifies the IP address for the TPL_IP_INTERFACE. The IP address may also be specified as "dhcp" to get an address via DHCP. These settings will override the network parameters from a full configuration import. Example: TPL_IP_ADDRESS="192.168.0.100" TPL_IP_NETMASK This option specifies the IP network mask for the TPL_IP_INTERFACE. These settings will override the network parameters from a full configuration import. Example: TPL_IP_NETMASK="255.255.255.0" TPL_IP_GATEWAY This option specifies the default gateway for the TPL_IP_INTERFACE. These settings will override the network parameters from a full configuration import. Example: TPL_IP_GATEWAY="192.168.0.1" TPL_IP_DNS1,2,3 This option specifies the DNS server for the TPL_IP_INTERFACE. These settings will override the network parameters from a full configuration import. Example: TPL_IP_DNS1="192.168.0.2” TPL_HOSTNAME This option specifies the fully qualified hostname (used by the vtServer host). Example: TPL_HOSTNAME="vtalpha.example.com" TPL_LICENSE_SERVER This option specifies the IP address or DNS domain name of one or more external license servers. This needs a number inside square brackets to select the appropriate server. Example: TPL_LICENSE_SERVER[1]="licenseserver.example.com" TPL_COPY_SRC This option allows copying a file from the template directory (or subdirectory) to a data store. The filename is relative to the template directory. If the file is a compressed file it will be decompressed on the fly at copy time. The compression is done by examining the file extension which determines the compression format. The recognized formats are zip, rar, gz, bz2 and xz. Since a zip or rar file may contain multiple files it will be extracted to the directory specified in TPL_COPY_DST; the other file types are uncompressed and copied to the single file described in TPL_COPY_DST. This needs a number inside square brackets to select the appropriate file. It needs an accompanying TPL_COPY_DST option to select the destination. Example: TPL_COPY_SRC[1]="vmsdisk.zip"
BU-0002-27 Page 244 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 TPL_COPY_DST This option will set the destination for a file copy. If the destination specifies a subdirectory it will automatically be created. This needs a number inside square brackets to select the appropriate file. It needs an accompanying TPL_COPY_SRC option to select the source. Example: TPL_COPY_DST[1]="/datastore1/vmsdisk.vdisk" TPL_IMPORT This option will import a previously exported system configuration to the installed system. The file can be exported with the vtServer user interface from a system that was prepared to be used as a template for new systems. The location of the file must be in the template directory or a subdirectory of the template directory. Example: TPL_IMPORT="subdir/production.tgz" TPL_INSTALLKIT This option allows installation of optional kits from the template directory, or from /kits on the DVD if not found in the template directory. This needs a number inside square brackets to select the appropriate kit. Example: TPL_INSTALLKIT[1]="avtpatch_nvidia_38.tgz" TPL_REBOOT This option can be specified to force a reboot at the end of the installation. The value must be either "yes" or "no". If specified as "yes" then the system will reboot after installation, and if specified as "no" then the system will halt after installation. If not specified and TPL_POWEROFF is not specified then the default action will be to reboot the system after installation. Example: TPL_REBOOT="yes" TPL_POWEROFF This option can be specified to turn off the power after installation. Example: TPL_POWEROFF="yes" TPL_PASSWORD This option will set the password for the root account. It is mandatory if the TPL_IMPORT option has not been specified. If a configuration is imported then TPL_PASSWORD will overrule the password of the imported configuration. Example: TPL_PASSWORD="secret" TPL_CONFIRM This option allows an installation without further user action. Normally when not specified the user is required to accept or reject the template right before starting the installation. Setting TPL_CONFIRM to "no" will skip that step and start the installation right away.
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9.3. Example parameters.conf
# set the keyboard language TPL_KEYBOARD="English (US)"
# use the second hard disk in the system as the vtServer system disk TPL_HARDDISK=hd2
# and make it a 20GB partition TPL_HARDDISK_SYSTEM_SIZE=20
# label the second partition (it has the rest of the disk space) TPL_HARDDISK_SEC_LABEL="secdata"
# create a 2GB data store on the third hard disk and label it "data1" TPL_DATASTORE[1]=hd3 TPL_DATASTORE_LABEL[1]=data1 TPL_DATASTORE_SIZE[1]=2
# create another data store on the same disk, use the rest of the # disk space and label it "data2" TPL_DATASTORE[2]=hd3 TPL_DATASTORE_LABEL[2]=data2 TPL_DATASTORE_SIZE[2]=0
# create a 50000 blocks (25MB) container file in the /data1 data store TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK[1]=/data1/vd1.vdisk TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK_SIZE[1]=50000
# create a 60000 blocks (30MB) container file in the /data2 data store TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK[2]=/data2/vd2.vdisk TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK_SIZE[2]=60000
# create a 10000 blocks (5MB) container file in the /secdata data store TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK[3]=/secdata/vd3.vdisk TPL_VIRTUAL_DISK_SIZE[3]=10000
# copy and uncompress a g-zipped CD # notice that .gz files need a destination file specification TPL_COPY_SRC[1]="Application Installation CD.gz" TPL_COPY_DST[1]="/data1/Application Installation CD.iso"
# copy and uncompress a zip archive to /data2 # notice that .zip files need a directory specification TPL_COPY_SRC[1]="Zippedfiles.zip" TPL_COPY_DST[1]="/data2"
# copy a prepared logical disk container file TPL_COPY_SRC[2]="testdisk.vdisk" TPL_COPY_DST[2]="/data2/testdisk.vdisk"
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# import a previously prepared system configuration TPL_IMPORT="vtAlpha_21-May-2014_083853.tgz"
# install the NVidia display driver kit TPL_INSTALLKIT[1]="avtpatch_nvidia_38.tgz"
# add two different license servers TPL_LICENSE_SERVER[1]="license1.example.com" TPL_LICENSE_SERVER[2]="license2.example.com"
# setup the vtServer host ip parameters TPL_IP_INTERFACE="eth0" TPL_IP_ADDRESS="192.168.13.199" TPL_IP_NETMASK="255.255.255.0" TPL_IP_GATEWAY="192.168.13.254" TPL_IP_DNS1="192.168.13.254" TPL_IP_DNS2="10.13.0.1"
# overrule a saved password from the imported configuration TPL_PASSWORD="secret"
# halt the system after installation TPL_REBOOT="no"
# confirm the installation template before starting the # actual installation TPL_CONFIRM="yes"
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9.4. Example presetup.sh
#!/bin/bash
# we are called with the following arguments: # $1 = template directory # $2 = presetup configuration file (to return new # parameter settings to the caller) # $3 = logfile # $4 = AVTDEBUG (debug flag)
# some constants for the dialog box
export ESCDELAY=50 DIALOG=/vtAlpha/utils/dialog DIALOG_OK=0 DIALOG_CANCEL=1 DIALOG_HELP=2 DIALOG_EXTRA=3 DIALOG_ITEM_HELP=4 DIALOG_ESC=255
# we need a temp file tempfile1=`mktemp -u`
# get the template name out of the template directory templatedir="$1" if [ "$templatedir" ] then template="`basename $1`" fi presetup="$2" logfile="$3"
# read all default parameters from our template file . "$templatedir/parameters.conf"
# setup for host network device eth0 TPL_IP_INTERFACE="eth0"
# invoke the dialog, feed it the defaults we have read from parameters.conf # and give the use a chance to change the defaults.
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$DIALOG --colors --title "Network parameters for template $template" \ --form "Enter network configuration data" \ 15 40 0 \ "interface:" 1 1 "$TPL_IP_INTERFACE" 1 13 -8 8 \ "address:" 2 1 "$TPL_IP_ADDRESS" 2 13 16 0 \ "netmask:" 3 1 "$TPL_IP_NETMASK" 3 13 16 0 \ "gateway:" 4 1 "$TPL_IP_GATEWAY" 4 13 16 0 \ "dns1:" 5 1 "$TPL_IP_DNS1" 5 13 16 0 \ "dns2:" 6 1 "$TPL_IP_DNS2" 6 13 16 0 \ "dns3:" 7 1 "$TPL_IP_DNS3" 7 13 16 0 \ 2>$tempfile1
# check if the input was accepted if [ $? -eq $DIALOG_OK ] then
# the input is accepted, setup the new parameters
TPL_IP_ADDRESS=`cat $tempfile1 | head -1` if [ ! "$TPL_IP_ADDRESS" ] then TPL_IP_ADDRESS="0.0.0.0" fi TPL_IP_NETMASK=`cat $tempfile1 | head -2 | tail -1` if [ ! "$TPL_IP_NETMASK" ] then TPL_IP_NETMASK="0.0.0.0" fi TPL_IP_GATEWAY=`cat $tempfile1 | head -3 | tail -1` TPL_IP_DNS1=`cat $tempfile1 | head -4 | tail -1` TPL_IP_DNS2=`cat $tempfile1 | head -5 | tail -1` TPL_IP_DNS3=`cat $tempfile1 | head -6 | tail -1`
# and finally write the new parameters back to the presetup configuration file
echo "TPL_IP_ADDRESS=\"$TPL_IP_ADDRESS\"" >>$presetup echo "TPL_IP_NETMASK=\"$TPL_IP_NETMASK\"" >>$presetup echo "TPL_IP_GATEWAY=\"$TPL_IP_GATEWAY\"" >>$presetup echo "TPL_IP_DNS1=\"$TPL_IP_DNS1\"" >>$presetup echo "TPL_IP_DNS2=\"$TPL_IP_DNS2\"" >>$presetup echo "TPL_IP_DNS3=\"$TPL_IP_DNS3\"" >>$presetup fi
# remove the temp file rm -f $tempfile1
# return with 0 means success, any other status aborts the installation exit 0
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9.5. Example postsetup.sh
#!/bin/bash
# $1 = template directory # $2 = presetup configuration file (to return new # parameter settings to the caller) # $3 = logfile # $4 = AVTDEBUG (debug flag)
# some constants for the dialog box
export ESCDELAY=50 DIALOG=/vtAlpha/utils/dialog DIALOG_OK=0 DIALOG_CANCEL=1 DIALOG_HELP=2 DIALOG_EXTRA=3 DIALOG_ITEM_HELP=4 DIALOG_ESC=255
logfile="$3"
# the setup is complete. ask if we need to show the logfile
$DIALOG --clear --title "Setup complete" --defaultno \ --yesno "Do you want to view the log?" 5 32
# check if the input was accepted if [ $? -eq $DIALOG_OK ] then
# ok, show the logfile
$DIALOG --clear --title "Setup log" --no-collapse --cr-wrap \ --msgbox "`cat $logfile`" 24 80 fi
# there's no need to return an exit status as all actions are # finished by now.
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9.6. Example template.conf
The file template.conf is used to add templates to the vtServer boot menu. This example assumes that there are 3 subdirectories created in ‘/vtServer/templates’, with the names ‘vaxwork’, ‘Alphaspecial’ and ‘Big Workstation’. All names are case sensitive.
timeout 0 default vaxwork
label vaxwork kernel /boot/vmlinuz append root=/dev/disk/by-label/vtServer_dvd initrd=/boot/initrd console=tty2 quiet loglevel=2 splash=silent vga=0x314 1 ro avtinstall avtdvdinstall template=vaxwork showopts
label Alphaspecial kernel /boot/vmlinuz append root=/dev/disk/by-label/vtServer_dvd initrd=/boot/initrd console=tty2 quiet loglevel=2 splash=silent vga=0x314 1 ro avtinstall avtdvdinstall template=Alphaspecial showopts
label Big Workstation kernel /boot/vmlinuz append root=/dev/disk/by-label/vtServer_dvd initrd=/boot/initrd console=tty2 quiet loglevel=2 splash=silent vga=0x314 1 ro avtinstall avtdvdinstall template="Big Workstation" showopts
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10. SRM Console vtAlpha
The SRM firmware (also called the SRM console) is the boot firmware written by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) for computer systems based on the Alpha AXP microprocessor. The acronym SRM is derived from the phrase Alpha System Reference Manual, the publication detailing the Alpha AXP architecture and which specified various features of the SRM firmware.
The following SRM commands are available at vtAlpha and are described in detail.
BOOT SHOW INITIALIZE POWER SET / SHOW environment_variable WWIDMGR HELP
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10.1. BOOT
Command to “boot” the virtual machine.
1. Initializes the processor.
2. Load the boot image from the specified boot device.
3. Transfer control to the boot image.
Examples:
P00>>> boot Default boot. A default device must be SET before using “set bootdef_dev”
P00>>> boot DKA0: Boot with DKA0: as boot device.
P00>>> boot –flags 0,1 DKA0: Boot OpenVMS conversational with DKA0: as boot device and from root SYS0.
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10.2. SHOW
Command to show: 1. All the environment variables. 2. All devices
Examples:
P00>>> show To show all environment variables.
P00>>> show e* To show all environment variables that start with e.
P00>>> show device To show the devices seen by the hardware
P00>>> show auto_action HALT boot_dev dka0.0.0.0.0 boot_file boot_osflags boot_protocol boot_reset OFF bootdef_dev booted_dev dka0.0.0.0.0 booted_file booted_osflags char_set 0 clock_mode normal com1_baud 9600 com1_flow SOFTWARE com1_misc com1_modem OFF
BU-0002-27 Page 254 January 2, 2020 vtServer Reference Manual V4.0.1 com2_baud 9600 com2_flow SOFTWARE com2_misc com2_modem OFF dump_dev ecoapp 0 enable_audit ON ewa0_mode Host language 36 license VTAlpha 4.0.0 29-Jan-2019 08:33 (4073) logfail password scsifast scsiid secure srm2dev_id sys_serial_num AV1547729226 tty_dev 0
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10.3. INITIALIZE
Command to initialize the system.
1. Set to power up state.
2. Initializes the virtual processors and memory.
3. Runs the power-up diagnostics.
4. Reset and build the devices.
Example:
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10.4. POWER
Command to power off the virtual machine. After stopping the OS running on the virtual machine, the virtual machine has the state HALT. To STOP the virtual machine, power off the virtual machine.
Example:
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10.5. SET / SHOW environment_variable
The following environment variables are implemented by AVTware to use at the vtAlpha console.
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10.6. WWIDMGR
Command to configure Fiber Channel disks.
WWIDMGR supports the following commands:
wwidmgr –clear This will erase all previous settings and starts with a clean configuration wwidmgr -show adapter This will show all Fiber Channel adapters on the virtual system wwidmgr -show wwid This will show all Fiber Channel devices that can be used for installation wwidmgr -quickset -udid 105 To make a udid know to the console, in this example the udid 105
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10.7. HELP
Command to show the available commands..
Example:
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