OpenVMS ALPMC01_071 Alpha V7.1 MCDRIVER/PMDRIVER ECO Summary
TITLE: OpenVMS ALPMC01_071 Alpha V7.1 MCDRIVER/PMDRIVER ECO Summary
NOTE: An OpenVMS saveset or PCSI installation file is stored
on the Internet in a self-expanding compressed file.
The name of the compressed file will be kit_name-dcx_vaxexe
for OpenVMS VAX or kit_name-dcx_axpexe for OpenVMS Alpha.
Once the file is copied to your system, it can be expanded
by typing RUN compressed_file. The resultant file will
be the OpenVMS saveset or PCSI installation file which
can be used to install the ECO.
*OpenVMS] ALPMC01_071 Alpha V7.1 MCDRIVER/PMDRIVER ECO Summary
Copyright (c) Compaq Computer Corporation 1998. All rights reserved.
Modification Date: 25-SEP-1998
Modification Type: Updated Documentation to include V7.1-1Hx support.
********************** WARNING! **********************
* *
* *BEFORE* installing this ECO kit on your system, *
* please study the installation instructions in the *
* Installation Notes section below. If the kit is *
* not properly installed, disk corruption may *
* occur. *
* *
******************************************************
OP/SYS: OpenVMS Alpha
COMPONENT: MCMSG.EXE
SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE
SYS$PMDRIVER.EXE
SOURCE: Compaq Computer Corporation
ECO INFORMATION:
ECO Kit Name: ALPMC01_071
ECO Kits Superseded by This ECO Kit: None
ECO Kit Approximate Size: 1296 Blocks
Kit Applies To: OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 through V7.1-1H2
System/Cluster Reboot Necessary: Yes
Installation Rating: 2 - To be installed by all customers using
the following feature(s):
To be installed by all customers with Memory Channel
VMSclusters experiencing periodically high error rates,
high connection failure rate, or high Virtual Circuit
closure rate, or those customers that have greater than
4 node Memory Channel VMSclusters.
Note that while these new Memory Channel drivers can
withstand higher error rates and connection and Virtual
Circuit failures, the cause of this high failure rate
should be addressed and fixed. The fact that these new
drivers recover from this condition should not be used
as a solution because it is really only masking the
real problem.
NOTE: In order to receive the full fixes listed in this kit,
the following remedial kits also need to be installed:
ALPCPU101_071 will need to be installed in order to
provide Memory Channel support for the following systems:
- AS1000a-5/266
- AS800-5/333
- AS800 5/400
- AS1000 5/266
New Functionality and Hardware Support Added:
This kit introduces support for 8-node MEMORY CHANNEL
OpenVMS Cluster systems and CCMAA-BA MEMORY CHANNEL
Adapters.
ECO KIT SUMMARY:
An ECO kit exists for MCDRIVER and PMDRIVER on OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 through
V7.1-1H2. This kit addresses the following problems:
o An OpenVMS Cluster node, connected by the MEMORY CHANNEL
cluster interconnect, might be set permanently offline, stall,
or crash when the MEMORY CHANNEL cluster experienced an
abnormally high error rate during reinitialization of the
MEMORY CHANNEL nodes.
In an OpenVMS Cluster system that uses the MEMORY CHANNEL
cluster interconnect, each MEMORY CHANNEL port reinitializes
the other MEMORY CHANNEL ports whenever one of the following
events occurs:
+ Hardware error specific to MEMORY CHANNEL
+ Error on a device served over the MEMORY CHANNEL
+ SCS connection over the MEMORY CHANNEL is lost
+ Virtual circuit over the MEMORY CHANNEL is lost
During this reinitialization, an abnormally high error rate or
other type of high fault insertion rate can cause a MEMORY
CHANNEL port to lose synchronization with the other MEMORY
CHANNEL ports.
When a MEMORY CHANNEL port is no longer synchronized with the
other MEMORY CHANNEL ports, one of the following events may
happen:
+ The unsynchronized MEMORY CHANNEL port is set
permanently offline.
+ A node, which is waiting for data structure updates
from the node with the unsynchronized MEMORY CHANNEL
port, stalls. The data structure updates cannot be
delivered because the sending node's MEMORY CHANNEL
port is no longer synchronized with the other MEMORY
CHANNEL ports.
+ The node with the unsynchronized MEMORY CHANNEL
port can crash due to corrupted MEMORY CHANNEL data
structures. An additional sympathetic crash can also
occur.
A node that is stalled and a node whose MEMORY CHANNEL port
is set permanently offline cannot rejoin the MEMORY CHANNEL
cluster without a reboot.
If a second OpenVMS Cluster interconnect is present, the node
can failover to that interconnect and continue to participate
in an OpenVMS Cluster system. However, it cannot use the
MEMORY CHANNEL cluster interconnect until it is rebooted.
The drivers in this kit prevent the problems associated with
an abnormally high error rate during reinitialization of
MEMORY CHANNEL nodes from occurring.
o Some MEMORY CHANNEL messages were difficult to read
because the formatting was flawed
The formatting problems have been fixed. In addition,
timestamps have been added to all error messages.
INSTALLATION NOTES:
______________________________ CAUTION _____________________________
Do not install these new drivers on a node in a MEMORY CHANNEL
cluster while other nodes are running the original OpenVMS Version
7.1 MEMORY CHANNEL drivers. Attempting to use these new drivers in
a cluster with the original drivers can stall the cluster and can
also cause disk corruption.
___________________________________________________________________
These new drivers are not compatible with the original OpenVMS
Version 7.1 MEMORY CHANNEL drivers. This kit does not support a
rolling upgrade if MEMORY CHANNEL is the only cluster interconnect.
o SINGLE CLUSTER INTERCONNECT:
If Memory Channel is the only cluster interconnect, OpenVMS
Engineering recommends the following installation procedure.
1) Shut down the entire cluster.
2) Reboot one node. Install the kit on that node.
Doing this will insure that SYS$SPECIFIC: does
not contain any older versions of the Memory Channel
driver.
Rename SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE to
SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE_MESSAGE_ONLY.
Rename SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER_NEW.EXE to
SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE;.
3) Shut down this node.
4) Repeat steps 2 through 3 for all remaining Memory
Channel capable nodes of the cluster. Following
this procedure will insure that SYS$SPECIFIC: does
not contain any older versions of the Memory
Channel driver.
5) The cluster can now be rebooted.
o MULTIPLE CLUSTER INTERCONNECT:
If each node in the VMScluster has another interconnect to
support cluster traffic, the following procedure is recommended.
To prevent any interaction between the V7.1 SSB Memory Channel
driver and the driver in this kit, each node will require two
reboots.
6) Install this kit on one of the Memory Channel capable nodes
in the VMScluster. Doing this will insure that SYS$SPECIFIC:
does not contain any older versions of the Memory Channel
driver.
7) Reboot this node. The use of the Memory Channel will
be disabled on this node, and a warning message will be
displayed, instructing that these INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
should be read. The use of this interim driver will cause
cluster communication to fail over to another available
cluster interconnect.
NOTE: Steps 6 and 7 must be performed on every Memory Channel
capable node before moving onto step 8.
8) On one node:
Rename SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE to
SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE_MESSAGE_ONLY.
Rename SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER_NEW.EXE to
SYS$COMMON:[SYS$LDR]SYS$MCDRIVER.EXE.
9) REBOOT this node.
10) Repeat steps 8 through 9 for all remaining nodes in
the cluster.
After these steps are completed, all nodes will be back up
and running cluster communication traffic over the MEMORY
CHANNEL.
In order for the corrections in this kit to take effect, the system must
be rebooted. If the system is a member of a VMScluster, the entire
cluster should be rebooted.
This patch can be found at any of these sites:
Colorado Site
Georgia Site
Files on this server are as follows:
alpmc01_071.README
alpmc01_071.CHKSUM
alpmc01_071.CVRLET_TXT
alpmc01_071.a-dcx_axpexe
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