DECdfs for OpenVMS Installation Guide


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Chapter 3
Postinstallation Procedures

This chapter describes the procedures that can be performed after installing DECdfs on a system:

3.1 Running the Installation Verification Procedure

The DECdfs software distribution kit contains a command procedure that verifies the correct installation and operation of DECdfs. The installation procedure places the procedure file, DFS$IVP.COM, in the SYS$TEST directory. The Installation Verification Procedure (IVP) tests whether the major components of DECdfs were installed correctly. Successful completion of the IVP indicates that the DECdfs software operates properly.

You can run the IVP when you install the DECdfs software (as shown in steps 7 and 13 in Section 2.2) or at any time after the software is installed and running. If you want to run the IVP during the installation, VMSINSTAL invokes the IVP after the DECdfs components are moved to their target directories. The procedure displays a message that the IVP is running. You then enter information that VMSINSTAL needs to complete the IVP. To the IVP independent of the installation procedure, supply the same information.

To verify a client-only software installation, supply the name of an access point that was previously added on an accessible DECdfs server. The IVP uses this access point name to test a DECdfs mount and dismount operation. The IVP can then verify that the DECdfs client can communicate successfully with the DECdfs server and the Digital Distributed Name Service (DNS) server.

To verify a server software installation, supply a unique, temporary access point name (a DECdns name, as discussed with the DECdns manager). The IVP uses this name to add the access point, mount and dismount the access point, and remove the access point from the DECdns namespace. This verifies successful communication among the DECdfs clients and the DECdfs server and DECdns server.

To run the IVP, you need the account privileges SYSNAM, OPER, NETMBX, and TMPMBX, or the privilege SETPRV (allows all privileges to be set). On a DECdfs client, read access to the DECdns namespace directory that stores an access point name for that client is sufficient to run the IVP. You need read and write access rights in the DECdns namespace directory to run the IVP on a DECdfs server. Your DECdns manager grants these access rights. The IVP fails if you do not have the appropriate access rights.

You need the read and write access rights for your user name on a specific DECnet node for the DECdns namespace directory that you plan to use. You need access to at least one DECdns directory (usually the directory where you plan to add access points) to perform an IVP on a DECdfs server. For example, if the DECdns manager grants the access rights to the SALES.WEST directory, you can add a unique access point name to that directory, such as SALES.WEST.DFSIVPTEST.

To run the IVP independently from the installation procedure, enter the following command:


$ @SYS$TEST:DFS$IVP

You can delete the DFS$IVP.COM file without adversely affecting any DECdfs operations. However, Compaq recommends that you not delete this file as you may want to run the IVP later.

3.2 Editing the Local System Startup Command File

Edit your system startup command file if you want to start DECdfs automatically.

For VAX/VMS Version 5.5-2 systems running DECnet Phase IV, the system startup command file is SYS$STARTUP:SYSTARTUP_V5.COM.

For other OpenVMS systems, the system startup command file is SYS$STARTUP:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

Edit the file so that it invokes the DECdfs startup command file, SYS$STARTUP:DFS$STARTUP.COM, by adding the following line:


@SYS$STARTUP:DFS$STARTUP.COM 

For DECnet Phase IV systems, insert this line after the statement that invokes the DECnet startup command file:


STARTNET.COM. 

For DECnet Phase V systems, the network startup command file does not appear in the system startup file.

DECnet software must be started before the DECdfs software. If you use a batch job to start the DECnet software, start the DECdfs software later in the same batch stream to ensure that the DECdfs software starts after the DECnet software.

The following sample portion of a system startup file shows the statement that invokes the DECdfs startup command file. This statement executes the DFS$STARTUP command procedure in your SYS$STARTUP directory. The sample applies to both DECnet Phase IV and DECnet Phase V systems.


                   . 
$ !Command procedure to start up DECnet 
$ ! 
$ IF F$SEARCH("SYS$SYSTEM:NETACP.EXE") .NES. "" - 
        THEN @SYS$STARTUP:STARTNET.COM 
                   . 
                   . 
                   . 
$ !Command procedure to start up DECdfs 
$ ! 
$ IF F$SEARCH("SYS$STARTUP:DFS$STARTUP.COM") .NES. "" - 
        THEN @SYS$STARTUP:DFS$STARTUP.COM 
                   . 
                   . 
                   . 

3.3 Using DECdfs Command Files

The DECdfs startup command procedure (DFS$STARTUP) executes two DECdfs command files: DFS$CONFIG.COM and DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM. Modify these files to suit your network environment.

When DECdfs starts, the DFS$STARTUP.COM file invokes SYS$MANAGER:DFS$CONFIG.COM. This configuration file sets configuration parameters. To change the static DECdfs parameters, you must change the values for the parameters in the DFS$CONFIG.COM file. A related file named DFS$CONFIG.TEMPLATE contains the default settings for each parameter.

The DFS$STARTUP.COM file also invokes SYS$STARTUP:DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM, which adds access points to the DECdfs server and mounts DECdfs client devices that are shared throughout the system.

If you have files DFS$CONFIG.COM or DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM from earlier versions (prior to Version 2.3) of DECdfs, you may wish to process them as follows, because they can contain obsolete commands:

  1. Rename existing versions of DFS$CONFIG.COM and DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM files to DFS$CONFIG.OLD and DFS$SYSTARTUP.OLD, respectively.
  2. Create new DFS$*.COM files by copying the DECdfs Version 2.3 DFS$CONFIG.TEMPLATE file to DFS$CONFIG.COM and the DFS$SYSTARTUP.TEMPLATE file to
    DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM in the SYS$MANAGER directory.
  3. Copy any changed configuration and access point information from DFS$CONFIG.OLD and DFS$SYSTARTUP.OLD files into the new command files in the SYS$MANAGER directory.
    Do not copy any values for the following obsolete parameters from old versions of DFS$CONFIG.COM:
    If you decide to use older DFS$*.COM files, Compaq recommends that you move them to the SYS$MANAGER directory if possible. Then edit the DFS$CONFIG.COM file to remove the following lines:

    DECnet Phase V:

    On DECnet Phase V systems, do not copy any of the following parameters from old versions of DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM:


    Edit the DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM file to remove the following NCP commands if they are present in the file:

Note

Failure to remove the obsolete commands from older DFS$CONFIG.COM and DFS$SYSTARTUP.COM files as recommended in this section does not affect DECdfs operation. However, any values entered for the preceding list of obsolete commands are meaningless and will not be displayed in response to the SHOW COMMUNICATION or SHOW SERVER commands.

If your system is in a cluster, see Section 1.10.3 before you edit any startup command files.

For more information, see the DECdfs for OpenVMS Management Guide.

3.4 Setting Additional DECnet and System Parameters

The DECdfs for OpenVMS software was designed to provide excellent performance using the default DECnet parameters and default RMS parameters. In some cases, however, you might enhance performance by setting several parameters. See Appendix C in the DECdfs for OpenVMS Management Guide for information about setting network and RMS parameters.

3.5 Creating OpenVMS Proxy Accounts

You must create OpenVMS proxy accounts, a DFS$DEFAULT account, or both, on DECdfs server systems to ensure that users on client systems can access a DECdfs server.

To create proxy accounts, run AUTHORIZE on the server system and use the ADD/PROXY command to equate an end user on a DECdfs client system to a local user with appropriate rights and privileges.

The following example assumes that the client end user already has an account (WPINE) on the server and an account on node WRKSTN:


$ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM
$ RUN AUTHORIZE
UAF> ADD/PROXY WRKSTN::WPINE WPINE/DEFAULT
UAF> EXIT
$

Note that OpenVMS VAX Version 6.2 and later systems running DECnet Phase V provide long name support in the proxy database. On these systems, refer to the following example:


$ SET DEFAULT SYS$SYSTEM
$ RUN AUTHORIZE
UAF> ADD/PROXY FOO:.NET.WRKSTN::WPINE WPINE/DEFAULT
UAF> EXIT
$

To provide access to your DECdfs server to users on client systems without explicit proxy, create a default DECdfs account (DFS$DEFAULT). To make this account available for use by DECdfs only (and not for logging in), create DFS$DEFAULT as a restricted account following the example in the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual. You can use the DFS$DEFAULT account as an example of how to create proxy accounts that can only be used for DECdfs access. Make sure you choose a user identification code (UIC) for the DFS$DEFAULT account that does not match the UIC of an existing user.

Note

When creating the DFS$DEFAULT account or a proxy account on a server, note the authorized privileges as well as the default privileges of the DFS$DEFAULT account and the proxy accounts. The authorized privileges can become effective for users, depending on the current privileges on the DECdfs client when the file was accessed.

For more information about the DFS$DEFAULT account, see the DECdfs for OpenVMS Management Guide. For detailed information about creating proxy accounts, see the OpenVMS Guide to System Security and the DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS Network Management.

Note

Make sure you set up the proxy accounts so that DECdfs users have the necessary rights and privileges they need to gain access to files. If there is a DFS$DEFAULT account (and its DISUSER and CAPTIVE flags are not set), all the users who do not have explicit proxy in the proxy database file (NETPROXY.DAT on systems running DECnet Phase IV and NET$PROXY.DAT for DECnet Phase V) have only the rights and privileges of the DFS$DEFAULT account.

3.6 Reinstalling DECdfs

Although it is not usually necessary, you can reinstall the DECdfs software on your system at any time. Note that you must reinstall DECdfs if you change versions of OpenVMS or DECnet software. After you reinstall the DECdfs software, you need to reboot the system to use the DECdfs software if DECdfs drivers were previously loaded.

When you reinstall DECdfs software, the installation procedure copies new DFS$CONFIG.TEMPLATE and DFS$SYSTARTUP.TEMPLATE files to the SYS$MANAGER directory. These files contain default DECdfs settings.

3.7 Changing DECdfs Configurations

With DECdfs Version 2.3, there are now two types of license: a full license called DFS, and a client-only license called DFS-CLIENT. To change a DECdfs client-only system to a server system may require loading and registering the full DFS license PAK, if that PAK is not already loaded.

To change a DECdfs system from client-only to server (or server to client-only), edit the following lines in the SYS$STARTUP:DFS$STARTUP.COM file:


 
$! Installation specific parameters: 
$! 
$ START_CLIENT_FLAG = "TRUE" 
$ START_SERVER_FLAG = "FALSE" 
$! 
$! 
$! Title = DFS$STARTUP.COM 

The START_CLIENT_FLAG = "TRUE" flag indicates that the DECdfs client software can be started on this system. When you convert from a client-only system to a server system, you must change the value of the flag START_SERVER_FLAG from "FALSE" to "TRUE." When you convert from a server system to a client-only system, you must change the value of the flag START_SERVER_FLAG from "TRUE" to "FALSE."

Note

The two flags, START_CLIENT_FLAG and START_SERVER_FLAG, are the only two lines that you should edit in the DFS$STARTUP.COM file.

3.8 Deleting Server Software from Client-Only Systems

The DECdfs installation procedure always copies all of the DECdfs software to your disk, whether you are installing server software or client-only software. If you do not want to install the server software, VMSINSTAL changes SYS$STARTUP:DFS$STARTUP.COM to prevent it from starting the server. To free disk space, delete the following server software from client-only systems:

You can also save these files so that a client-only system can regain its server capability in the future. See Section 3.7 if you want to convert a client-only system to a server system.

3.9 Checking OpenVMS Cluster Systems After Installing DECdfs

If you are installing DECdfs on a system in a cluster that uses a system-specific system disk, you must install DECdfs on each system disk on the cluster before you can run DECdfs in the cluster. See Section 1.10.3 for more information about OpenVMS Cluster systems.

If you install DECdfs on an OpenVMS Cluster system that uses a common system disk, you do not need to install DECdfs on any other cluster members. However, you must install the appropriate licenses before running the IVP or running DECdfs in your cluster.

3.10 Error Handling

When you encounter a problem while installing or using the DECdfs for OpenVMS, running the installation and verification procedure (IVP), or installing the DECdfs or DECnet license Product Authorization Keys (PAKs), an error message appears on the screen. Appendix A in the DECdfs for OpenVMS Management Guide lists the DECdfs error messages.

When you encounter problems while using the license PAK or the License Management Utility (LMF), see the OpenVMS License Management Utility Manual for a list of error messages. Determine which software issued the error message by its standard format (%facility-l-ident, text). For example, all DECdfs error messages begin with the %DFS-facility prefix.

For additional problem-solving information, see Appendix B in the DECdfs for OpenVMS Management Guide.

3.11 Problem Reporting

If you encounter an error while using DECdfs and you cannot determine the cause, or if you believe that an error is caused by a problem in the DECdfs software, report the problem to Compaq Computer Corporation according to the terms of your product support contract.

You can report a problem if an operation gives unexpected results or when you get undocumented or unknown failures using DECdfs commands. Gather all information possible about a problem and submit it with your report.

Note

Many problem reports do not contain enough information to duplicate or identify the problem. Complete and concise information will help Compaq provide accurate service and a timely response to software problems.

When you prepare to report a problem, please use the following guidelines:

  1. To ensure a timely response, describe one problem only in each report.
  2. Describe as accurately as possible the state of the system (such as specifying whether the system failed) and the situation when the problem occurred. In this description, include the version numbers of OpenVMS and DECdfs software for both the client and the server. Indicate the version number for each client and server in a cluster. To determine these numbers, enter the DFS$CONTROL command SHOW VERSION. If you cannot gain access to the DFS$CONTROL program, enter the following command at the DCL prompt to determine the DECdfs version number for clients:


    $ ANALYZE/IMAGE SYS$LOADABLE_IMAGES:DFSCDRIVER.EXE
    

    To determine the DECdfs version number for servers, enter the following command:


    $ ANALYZE/IMAGE SYS$LOADABLE_IMAGES:DFSSDRIVER.EXE
    

    The version numbers appear in the Image Identification Information section, in the same line as the text "Image File Identification."

  3. Pinpoint or narrow down the problem, if possible. Use examples.
  4. Make suggestions that can help to isolate your problem.
  5. Remember to include listings of any command files and other relevant data files.
  6. If possible, provide a listing of the user programs that were running when the problem occurred.
  7. Send the following files from the SYS$MANAGER directory if possible:
  8. Include source files or data files on machine-readable media (floppy diskette or magnetic tape) if possible. All media will be returned to you when your report is answered.
  9. If you have questions, state them as simply as possible and include all pertinent information so that a clear and correct answer can be provided.
  10. If you report a severe error (the system hangs or fails), include a description of the events that led to the problem, any messages received at the console, or other specific information.
  11. When a system fails, include a copy of the crash dump file (SYS$SYSTEM:SYSDUMP.DMP).


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