Document revision date: 14 June 1999
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OpenVMS Management Station
Overview and Release Notes

Order Number: AA-QJGCC-TE

January 1999

This document provides an overview of OpenVMS Management Station and describes how to get started using the software. This document also includes release notes for OpenVMS Management Station.

Revision/Update Information: This manual supersedes theOpenVMS Management Station Overview and Release Notes, OpenVMS Management Station Version 2.1.

OpenVMS Management Station Version 3.0
OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.2
OpenVMS VAX Version 7.2 Compaq Computer Corporation
Houston, Texas

January 1999

Compaq Computer Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description.

Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this publication is authorized only pursuant to a valid written license from Compaq or an authorized sublicensor.

Compaq conducts its business in a manner that conserves the environment and protects the safety and health of its employees, customers, and the community.

© Compaq Computer Corporation 1999. All rights reserved.

The following are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation: Alpha, Bookreader, DECnet, DIGITAL, OpenVMS, POLYCENTER, VAX, VAXcluster, VMS, VMScluster, and the Compaq logo.

The following are third-party trademarks:

Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

ZK6403


Contents

What's New?
Overview
How to Get Started
Release Notes


Preface

Intended Audience

This document is intended for system managers, operators, and others who want to use OpenVMS Management Station to manage user accounts, printers, and storage.

Document Structure

This document is divided into the following chapters:

Chapter 1 provides information about new features.

Chapter 2 provides an overview of OpenVMS Management Station.

Chapter 3 describes how to get started using the OpenVMS Management Station software.

Chapter 4 describes pertinent release notes that you should read before you start to use OpenVMS Management Station.

Reader's Comments

Compaq Computer Corporation welcomes your comments on this manual. Print or edit the online form SYS$HELP:OPENVMSDOC_COMMENTS.TXT and send us your comments by:

Internet openvmsdoc@zko.mts.dec.com

Fax:
603 884-0120, Attention: OSSG Documentation, ZKO3-4/U08

Mail:
Compaq Computer Corporation

OSSG Documentation Group, ZKO3-4/U08
110 Spit Brook Rd.
Nashua, NH 03062-2698

How To Order Additional Documentation

Use the following World Wide Web address to order additional documentation:

http://www.openvms.digital.com:81/

If you need help deciding which documentation best meets your needs, call 800-DIGITAL (800-344-4825).

1


What's New?

This chapter provides new information about OpenVMS Management Station.

What's New in This Release?

This release of OpenVMS Management Station adds storage management support. OpenVMS Management Station now makes it easy for you to manage your disk storage devices across multiple OpenVMS Cluster systems.

With Version 3.0 of OpenVMS Management Station, you no longer need to maintain complicated command files to control your storage environment. You can create, delete, and manage storage from an easy-to-use Windows interface. OpenVMS Management Station makes it easy for you to manage a wide range of storage devices across multiple OpenVMS Cluster systems. It provides a persistent database that can automatically determine and configure your system's storage configuration at system startup.

OpenVMS Management Station is now based on the Microsoft® Management Console (MMC). The Microsoft Management Console provides a common management framework for various administration programs. OpenVMS Management Station is implemented as an MMC snap-in and includes all of the MMC components you need.

Features include:

You can create, delete, and manage a disk volume under one interface. Wizards make it easy to create a volume.

If you allow it to, OpenVMS Management Station preserves the disk configuration across reboots. OpenVMS Management Station can mount and maintain your storage configuration without intervention.

And, OpenVMS Management Station mounts volumes much faster than is possible with DCL or command procedures, so performance is enhanced.

You do not have to change your existing DCL command procedures if you don't want to. You can use the display capabilities of OpenVMS Management Station without having to use the automated mount feature. In this way, you can give OpenVMS Management Station as little or as much control as you are comfortable with.

In addition, the OpenVMS Management Station server periodically generates a DCL command procedure that includes the commands to mount all of the volumes managed by OpenVMS Management Station. If you are familiar with DCL, you can look at this command procedure to see what actions OpenVMS Management Station performs for you. And, in the event of an unforeseen system problem or a corrupt server database (SYS$SYSTEM:TNT$ACS.DAT), you could use this command procedure to mount the volumes.

The name of the generated file is SYS$SYSTEM:TNT$EMERGENCY_MOUNT.COM. The OpenVMS Management Station server limits this file to seven versions.

You can use OpenVMS Management Station to remotely manage your OpenVMS systems. Once you establish a TCP/IP dialup connection, you can then use OpenVMS Management Station to manage your OpenVMS systems from home, while traveling, and so forth.


MMC allows you to insert World Wide Web URLs directly into the viewer and access them using Microsoft Internet Explorer. You can use this feature to add web links of your own. For example, you might add a link to an internal help desk troubleshooting page or to a system management procedures page.

Other Features

Supported Configurations

OpenVMS Server Software
OpenVMS VAX
Version 6.2 or higher

OpenVMS Alpha
Version 6.2 or higher


AND
DIGITAL TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS, Version 3.2 or higher and, optionally, DECnet for OpenVMS
PC Client Software
Microsoft Windows NTTM
V4.0 (Service Pack 3 or higher) or Windows 95 or higher

Microsoft Internet Explorer
V3.02 or higher


AND
Compliant TCP/IP Stack, such as the native Windows stack
Important Notes
  • The version of MMC included in this version requires files provided by Microsoft Internet Explorer. Version 3.02 or higher of Internet Explorer must be present on the system.

  • The OpenVMS Management Station client supports only TCP/IP connections for primary servers, so at least one OpenVMS system must be running TCP/IP.

  • If you are running Version 6.2 of OpenVMS and plan to manage shadow volumes, you will need remedial kits. See the installation guide for details.

  • Additional TCP/IP stacks for OpenVMS have not been tested. However, TCP/IP stacks that are 100% compliant with the QIO interface for DIGITAL TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS should also work. Contact your TCP/IP vendor for additional information and support issues.

2


Overview

What Is OpenVMS Management Station?

OpenVMS Management Station is a powerful Microsoft Windows and Windows NT based management tool for system managers and others who perform management tasks on OpenVMS systems. OpenVMS Management Station provides a comprehensive user interface to OpenVMS account, printer, and storage management.

OpenVMS Management Station allows you to organize the systems you need to manage in ways that are meaningful to you and your environment, and allows you to manage user accounts, printers, and storage on those systems.

Plus, you can easily manage user accounts, printers, and storage across multiple OpenVMS systems. For example, assume that you have an account on three different OpenVMS Cluster systems. With OpenVMS Management Station, you can easily update a process quota, add a privilege, grant a rights identifier, and so forth, for each instance of the account.

OpenVMS Management Station consists of two components. You install the client software on a PC to perform all management operations. You install the server component on all of the OpenVMS systems you want to manage. You do not interact directly with the server component.

Storage Management

With Version 3.0 of OpenVMS Management Station, you no longer need to maintain complicated command files to control your storage environment. You can create, delete, and manage storage from an easy-to-use Windows interface.

OpenVMS Management Station makes it easy for you to manage a wide range of storage devices across multiple OpenVMS Cluster systems. It provides a persistent database that can automatically determine and configure your system's storage configuration at system startup.

Some of the tasks you can perform include:

Printer Management

OpenVMS Management Station makes it easy for you to manage a wide range of printers and print queues across multiple OpenVMS Cluster systems and OpenVMS nodes. In addition, the printer monitoring feature allows you to quickly detect and correct printer problems.

You no longer need to maintain complicated command files to control your printer environment. You can create, delete, and manage a printer and its related queues, as well as perform print job management for those printers, from an easy-to-use Windows interface.

Some of the tasks you can perform include:

Account Management

You can use OpenVMS Management Station to manage OpenVMS user accounts in a convenient, easy manner. For example, when creating an account, OpenVMS Management Station can add a user authorization file (UAF) entry, grant rights identifiers, create an OpenVMS directory, set a disk quota, set up OpenVMS Mail characteristics, and so forth.

Plus, you can easily manage user accounts across multiple OpenVMS systems. For example, assume that you have an account on three different OpenVMS Cluster systems. OpenVMS Management Station makes it easy to update a process quota, add a privilege, grant a rights identifier, and so forth, for each instance of your account.

OpenVMS Management Station can manage the following OpenVMS resources:

What Storage Management Operations Are Supported?

OpenVMS Management Station supports the following storage management operations:
For this task Choose
Create a volume
New Volume from the Action menu or right click options
Monitor storageMonitor from the Action menu or right click options
Modify volume and device attributes Properties from the Action menu or right click options
Delete a volume and move its devices to the "unassigned" list Delete from the Action menu or right click options

Mount/dismount a volumeMount and Dismount from the Action menu or right click options
Add/remove a volume set
member
Add and Remove Member from the Action menu or right click options, plus drag and drop for shadow set members

What Printer Management Operations Are Supported?

OpenVMS Management Station supports the following printer management operations:
For this task Choose
Create a printer and its queues Create from the Action menu or right-click options
Monitor printersMonitor from the Action menu or right-click options
Modify printer, queue, and job attributes Properties from the Action menu or right-click options
Delete a printer and its queuesDelete from the Action menu or right-click options
Rename a printerRename from the Action menu or right-click options
Stop, start, or restart a printer or queue Stop, Start, or Restart from the Action menu or right-click options

What Account Management Operations Are Supported?

OpenVMS Management Station supports the following account management operations:
For this task Choose
Create user accountsCreate from the Action menu or right-click options
Modify user accounts
(any aspect)
Properties from the Action menu or right-click options
Delete user accountsDelete from the Action menu or right-click options

Rename user accountsRename from the Action menu or right-click options
Display user account
attributes
Properties from the Action menu or right-click options

What Types of Systems Can an OpenVMS Management
Domain Contain?

The systems in the OpenVMS Management Domain depend on your needs. They might be some of the clusters in a network, all of the systems on a given floor of a building, a mix of clusters and nonclustered nodes, and so forth. You create the OpenVMS Management Domain based on how you want to manage the systems under your control.

OpenVMS Management Domains can include the following:

OpenVMS Cluster systems and OpenVMS Nodes

Other OpenVMS Management Domains

How Are the Systems Organized?

You use OpenVMS Management Domains to group OpenVMS systems.


You can think of an OpenVMS Management Domain as a "manageable unit"; that is, the system or collection of systems that you want to manage is one unit. OpenVMS Management Domains are the principal building blocks in the management hierarchy.

When you design your hierarchy, you determine what you want your manageable units to be. The systems in the OpenVMS Management Domain depend on your needs. They might be some of the clusters in a network, all of the systems on a given floor of a building, a mix of clusters and nonclustered nodes, and so forth. You create the OpenVMS Management Domain based on how you want to manage the systems under your control.

Once you have created your management domain, you can manage the user accounts on the systems in the domain.

What is the Scope of an Operation?

The scope of an operation is the set of OpenVMS systems on which that operation takes place. When you perform a management operation such as creating a user account, you need to be able to specify where you want the account to be created. For example, you might want to create the account on every OpenVMS system in your operation or on only one or two specific OpenVMS systems. OpenVMS Management Station gives you complete control of an operation's scope.

The scope is determined by the object you select in the hierarchy. Think of the objects in the hierarchy as parents and children. Parents contain other objects. Children are contained within parents and "inherit" the effects of operations that are performed on their parents.

If you perform an operation on an object in the hierarchy, that operation is also performed on all of that object's children. If the child object has children of its own, the operation is performed on those children as well.

Avoid Surprises

If you perform a management operation without thinking about its scope, you might be surprised by the results. For example, there might be a huge difference between creating a printer on one system and creating the printer on every system in your building.

To avoid surprises, carefully consider scope when you create your management hierarchy. Think about the logical relationships between systems and how to arrange those systems.

You should also consider what you want the scope of a management operation to be before you perform the operation. Think about the systems on which you want the operation to take place. Pay particular attention to the item you select in the hierarchy.

Choosing a Transport

When you create an OpenVMS Cluster object or OpenVMS Node object in an OpenVMS Management Domain, you choose whether to use DECnet or TCP/IP for all communications with this system.

If you choose DECnet, other OpenVMS systems will use the DECnet transport when communicating with this system. If you choose TCP/IP, that transport is used instead.

This release of the OpenVMS Management Station client supports only TCP/IP connections for primary servers. That is, the OpenVMS Management Station client will use only TCP/IP to communicate with any primary server; at least one OpenVMS system must be running TCP/IP. However, this does not prevent the OpenVMS systems from communicating with each other using DECnet.

For TCP/IP connections, OpenVMS Management Station then uses the existing Windows Sockets Dynamic Link Library (WINSOCK.DLL) and TCP/IP stack on your PC to establish connections to your OpenVMS systems.

On the OpenVMS system, the OpenVMS Management Station server automatically detects both the DECnet and TCP/IP protocols. You do not have to take any specific action to tell the server which protocol to use.

What About Compatibility with Previous Versions?

Version 3.0 of OpenVMS Management Station is a 32-bit application and is not compatible with the management domains created with any prior version of OpenVMS Management Station. You must re-create existing OpenVMS Management Domains for use with Version 3.0. (The new wizards make this process easy!)

If you install Version 3.0 of the client software on your PC, install Version 3.0 of the server on all of the OpenVMS systems that you want to manage. When it first starts up, the OpenVMS Management Station server will update an existing Version 2.1 database and journal to Version 3.0 status. This update cannot be reversed and will render the files unusable with Version 2.1.

You might never need the Version 2.1 files again, but as a safeguard the installation backs up the following files for you:

Are There Restrictions on the Systems in an OpenVMS Management Domain?

You can manage any number of OpenVMS Cluster or node objects, with the following conditions:

  1. Managing cluster members as individual nodes is not supported. OpenVMS Cluster systems are treated as indivisible entities; you can't perform an operation on individual cluster members.
  2. Creating nodes in a cluster or deleting them from a cluster is not supported.
  3. Clusters with multiple user authorization files (UAFs) are not supported.

3


How to Get Started

The OpenVMS Management Station help file contains a complete example of how to get started with OpenVMS Management Station.

This chapter describes how to create a simple OpenVMS Management Domain consisting of one OpenVMS Node. The chapter also provides an example of how to manage user accounts on that system.

Depending on the systems you need to manage, your own OpenVMS Management Domain might include many OpenVMS Cluster systems, OpenVMS nodes, or other OpenVMS Management Domains.

Getting Started

1. Select OpenVMS Management Station from the Start menu. The main viewer dialog box is displayed.


2. The Cluster/Node Wizard recognizes that you do not have an existing OpenVMS Management Domain and asks whether you want to add an OpenVMS Cluster system or OpenVMS node to the domain. Follow the wizard to create this first entry.


3. Select OpenVMS Cluster or OpenVMS system. If you have both OpenVMS Cluster systems and nonclustered nodes in your environment, you can choose either one. To get started, you might find it convenient to make the display name the cluster or node name.


4. Fill in the name or IP address of an OpenVMS Cluster system or OpenVMS node on which you want to try OpenVMS Management Station operations. (The OpenVMS Management Station server must be running on this system.) If you do not specify the IP domain, the default IP domain is assumed.


5. Specify a user name for the OpenVMS System. Although you are using a PC to manage your OpenVMS accounts, you still must have sufficient authorized privileges on the OpenVMS system to perform a given operation. The user name and password must pass the same security checks as they would if you were directly logging in to the OpenVMS system.

If your Windows NT user name is also your OpenVMS user name, you might find the option to use this username convenient.


6. Click Finish.


7. Select (single click on) the OpenVMS Accounts object to display a list of user accounts.

(At this point you can also expand the OpenVMS Printers object to view printers, queues, and jobs, and the OpenVMS Storage object to view disk volumes.)


8. Enter your password for the OpenVMS system and click OK. (You need to enter your password when you first establish a connection.)


9. Select an OpenVMS User Accounts object in the right-hand pane.


10. Right click and choose Properties to display the account attributes for that user account.


11. Take some time to see how the account attributes are presented. When you are done, click Cancel to return to the viewer.

12. Expand the OpenVMS Printers object to view printers, queues, and jobs, and the OpenVMS Storage object to view disk volumes.

13. Optionally, you can create multiple management windows, where each window has a different view of the current OpenVMS Management Domain. You can select the object you want to be the "root" object in that view. To do this:

For example, you could create a window that displays only the printer components for a given OpenVMS system:


What's Next?

Examine how the account, printer, and storage attributes are presented in OpenVMS Management Station. This is a good time to become familiar with the layout of the dialog boxes and attributes.

Click the tabs at the top of the dialog box to examine other attributes. You can switch between attribute groups and make changes anywhere.

You can click OK to make changes and return to the viewer, Apply Now to make changes without returning to the viewer, or Cancel to return to the viewer without making any changes.

4


Release Notes

This chapter contains important information regarding the OpenVMS Management Station software that is not described in the installation guide or in online help. Read this chapter before you begin using OpenVMS Management Station.

Not Compatible with Prior Versions

Version 3.0 of OpenVMS Management Station is a 32-bit application and is not compatible with the management domains created with any prior version of OpenVMS Management Station. You must recreate your OpenVMS Management Domain for use with Version 3.0.

External Authentication

OpenVMS Version 7.1 allows users to log in using an account and password maintained by an external authentication agent such as a Primary Domain Controller in a LANman domain.

To use this functionality, you need to use the AUTHORIZE qualifier /FLAGS=EXTAUTH with the ADD, COPY, MODIFY and RENAME commands. If this flag is set but a matching account does not exist in the external authenticator, the user cannot log in, even if there is a matching account in the OpenVMS UAF file.

OpenVMS Management Station does not yet display or control this flag. However, it does propagate the flag when creating, modifying, or renaming accounts. For example, when you create an account, the flag is set however it is set in the reference account.

When you create or rename an account and the EXTAUTH flag is set, the following warning is issued:

TNT-W-EXTAUTH, Newly created or renamed account is externally authenticated.
Make sure a corresponding account exists in the external domain.

This is a reminder that an account that matches the new OpenVMS account name must exist in the external authenticator's security domain in order for the login to succeed.

External authentication can be disabled by the AUTHORIZE command MODIFY account /FLAGS=NOEXTAUTH.

Launching StorageWorks Command Console

If you have the StorageWorks Command Console software installed on your PC, you can launch it from OpenVMS Management Station by right-clicking on a disk device and selecting the Launch SWCC menu entry.

Filtering Users by Rights Identifier

The time needed to filter users by their rights identifiers is directly proportional to the number of users and rights identifiers on the system.

Known Problems and Restrictions

This section details known problems and restrictions in the OpenVMS Management Station software.

Required Privileges

Although you are using a PC to manage your OpenVMS system, the account name you use to connect to the OpenVMS system must have all privileges (set as default privileges).

Only Cluster-Unique Devices Managed

This release of OpenVMS Management Station manages and displays only disks that are visible to all nodes in a cluster. This means that you will not be able to display or manage public volumes mounted on "unmanaged" devices, such as an infoserver device.
It also means that OpenVMS Management Station does not manage SCSI disks connected to VAX systems.

Bound Volumes Limited in Number of Members

OpenVMS Management Station can manage bound volumes with these restrictions:

Privately Mounted and Foreign Volumes Not Managed

OpenVMS Management Station handles privately mounted and foreign volumes as special cases and does not display or manage them.

Files Created After Error is Logged

When the OpenVMS Management Station server is first installed on a system, the TNT$SERVER_ERROR.LOG error log contains errors that indicate that the TNT$ACS.DAT and journal files could not be found. These files are, in fact, created immediately after the errors are logged. You can ignore the errors.

Write-Locked Shadow Sets Not Supported

This version of OpenVMS Management Station does not support write-locked shadow sets.

Clicking Stop to Interrupt an Operation

Expanding an OpenVMS Storage object occasionally results in a "Retrieving information from the server..." message window being displayed. If you click the Stop button while this message is displayed, the following error might be reported:

TNT-F-Writelock Locked against write access.

SYSTEM-W-NOT QUEUED, Request not queued

To work around this problem, select that same OpenVMS Storage Object and refresh the display by either using the F5 key or by choosing Refresh from the Action menu.

Server Busy Message

If the OpenVMS Management Station server returns a "busy, try again later" message, it usually means that multiple clients are using the server at the same time. Retry the operation.

Setting the DMA Attribute

If you set the direct memory access (DMA) attribute for a terminal device (TT or LAT) that does not support DMA, the device ignores the DMA setting. However, OpenVMS Management Station considers the DMA control to be set.

If DMA support is later added for the device, you must clear the DMA attribute and then reset it in order to enable DMA support on the physical device. You cannot just set DMA again because the OpenVMS Management Station believes it is already set and will not set it again until it is first cleared.

DECnet Phase IV Database and Proxies Issue

OpenVMS Management Station does not update the DECnet Phase IV NETPROXY.DAT file. If you add a proxy using OpenVMS Management Station, applications such as DFS (prior to Version 2.0) and DECnet Phase IV (components such as file access listener (FAL)) that read the Phase IV database do not see the proxy.

Use AUTHORIZE to add a proxy if you require access by DFS (prior to Version 2.0) and DECnet Phase IV components such as FAL.

Renaming Users Resets New Mail Count

If you rename a user account that has unread new mail messages, the new mail count for the renamed account is set to zero. However, the user can use the READ/NEW command to read the new mail messages.

Manually Editing the UIC Group Number

If you manually edit the UIC Group control on the Advanced UIC dialog box, the Next Available Member and Next Highest Member controls are not updated. If you select an existing group from the list, the Next Available Member and Next Highest Member controls are properly updated. Please see the online help for more information.

TCPware Print Symbiont Limitation

Queues that are based upon TCPware's print symbiont TCPWARE_TSSYM cannot be made autostartable. As such, this type of queue cannot be used as the reference printer during a Create Printer operation.

Printer Rename Fails for Reconciled Printers with DQS Queues

If you rename a printer at the OpenVMS Management Domain level, and the printer you select is a reconciled printer with two or more DQS queues from the same node, the rename operation fails to rename all reconciled printers.

Duplicate Queue Names on Create

When creating a printer at the OpenVMS Management Domain level based on a reference printer accessed using DQS, the queue naming algorithm sometimes generates duplicate queue names. To work around this problem, check the queue names and use the Rename control to correct any duplicates.

Destination Field Not Shown

When viewing the devices for a printer made up of DQS and unknown (other) devices, the Destination Node field is not shown for the DQS device.

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