OpenVMS Version 7.3 New Features and Documentation Overview

Document revision date: 30 March 2001

OpenVMS Version 7.3
New Features and Documentation Overview

Contents

Index

4.10 OpenVMS SMP Performance Improvements (Alpha)

OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.3 contains software changes that improve SMP scaling. Designed for applications running on the new AlphaServer GS-series systems, many of these improvements will benefit all customer applications. The OpenVMS SMP performance improvements in Version 7.3 include the following:

Improved MUTEX Acquisition
Mutexes are used for synchronization of numerous events on OpenVMS. The most common use of a mutex is for synchronization of the logical names database and I/O base. In releases prior to OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.3, the manipulation of a mutex was completed with the SCHED spinlock held. Because the SCHED spinlock is a heavily used spinlock with high contention on large SMP systems and only a single CPU could manipulate a mutex, bottlenecks often occurred.
OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.3 changes the way mutexes are manipulated. The mutex itself is now manipulated with atomic instructions. Thus multiple CPUs manipulate different mutexes in parallel. In most cases, the need to acquire the SCHED spinlock has been avoided. In cases where a process must be placed into a mutex wait state or when mutex waiters must wake up, SCHED will still need to be acquired.
Improved Process Scheduling
Changes made to the OpenVMS process scheduler reduce contention on the SCHED spinlock. Prior to OpenVMS Version 7.3, when a process became computable, the scheduler released all IDLE CPUs to attempt to execute the process. On NUMA systems, all idle CPUs in the RAD were released. These idle CPUs competed for the SCHED spinlock, which added to the contention on the SCHED spinlock. As of OpenVMS Version 7.3, the scheduler only releases a single CPU. In addition, the scheduler releases high numbered CPUs first. This has the effect of avoiding scheduling processes on the primary CPU when possible.
To use the modified scheduler, users must set the system parameter SCH_CTLFLAGS to 1. This parameter is dynamic.
Improved SYS$RESCHED
A number of applications and libraries use the SYS$RESCHED system service, which requests a CPU to reschedule another process. In releases prior to OpenVMS Version 7.3, this system service would lock the SCHED spinlock and attempt to reschedule another computable process on the CPU.
Prior to OpenVMS Version 7.3, when heavy contention existed on the SCHED spinlock, using SYS$RESCHED system increased resources contention. As of OpenVMS Version 7.3, the SYS$RESCHED system service attempts to acquire the SCHED spinlock with a NOSPIN routine. Thus, if the SCHED spinlock is currently locked, this thread will not spin. It will return back to the caller.
Lock Manager 2000 and 180 improvements
There are several changes to the lock manager. For OpenVMS Clusters, the lock manager no longer uses IOLOCK8 for synchronization. It now uses the LCKMGR spinlock, which allows locking and I/O operations to occur in parallel.
Remaster operations can be performed much faster now. The remaster code sends large messages with data from many locks when remastering as opposed to sending a single lock per message.
The lock manager supports a Dedicated CPU mode. In cases where there is very heavy contention on the LCKMGR spinlock, dedicating a single CPU to performing locking operations provides a much more efficient mechanism.
Enhanced Spinlock Tracing capability
The spinlock trace capability, which first shipped in V7.2-1H1, can now trace forklocks. In systems with heavy contention on the IOLOCK8 spinlock, much of the contention occurs in fork threads. Collecting traditional spinlock data only indicates that the fork dispatcher locked IOLOCK8.
As of OpenVMS Version 7.3, the spinlock trace has a hook in the fork dispatcher code. This allows the trace to report the routine that is called by the fork dispatch, which indicates the specific devices that contribute to heavy IOLOCK8 contention.
Mailbox driver change
Prior to OpenVMS Version 7.3, the mailbox driver FDT routines called a routine that locked the MAILBOX spinlock and delivered any required attention ASTs. In most cases, this routine did not require any attention ASTs to be delivered. Because the OpenVMS code that makes these calls already has the MAILBOX spinlock locked, the spinlock acquisition was also an unneeded second acquire of the spinlock.
As of OpenVMS Version 7.3, OpenVMS now first checks to see if any ASTs may need to be delivered prior to calling the routine. This avoids both the call overhead and the overhead of relocking the MAILBOX spinlock that was already owned.

4.11 New SYSMAN Commands and Qualifiers

The SYSMAN utility has the following new commands:

CLASS_SCHEDULE commands
The class scheduler provides the ability to limit the amount of CPU time that a system's users receive by placing users in scheduling classes.

Command	Description
CLASS_SCHEDULE ADD	Creates a new scheduling class
CLASS_SCHEDULE DELETE	Deletes a scheduling class
CLASS_SCHEDULE MODIFY	Modifies the characteristics of a scheduling class
CLASS_SCHEDULE RESUME	Resumes a scheduling class that has been suspended
CLASS_SCHEDULE SHOW	Displays the characteristics of a scheduling class
CLASS_SCHEDULE SUSPEND	Temporarily suspends a scheduling class

IO FIND_WWID and IO_REPLACE_WWID (Alpha-only)
These commands support Fibre Channel tapes, which are discussed in Section 4.9.4.1.

Command	Description
IO FIND_WWID	Detects all previously undiscovered tapes and medium changers
IO REPLACE_WWID	Replaces one worldwide identifier (WWID) with another

POWER_OFF qualifier for SYSMAN command SHUTDOWN NODE
The /POWER_OFF qualifier specifies that the system is to power off after shutdown is complete.

For more information, refer to the SYSMAN section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual: M--Z.

4.12 New System Parameters

This section contains definitions of system parameters that are new in OpenVMS Version 7.3.

4.12.1 AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV

AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV is set to either 1 or 0. The default is 0.

If AUTO_DLIGHT_SAV is set to 1, OpenVMS automatically makes the change to and from daylight saving time.

4.12.2 FAST_PATH_PORTS

FAST_PATH_PORTS is a static parameter that deactivates Fast Path for specific drivers.

FAST_PATH_PORTS is a 32-bit mask. If the value of a bit in the mask is 1, Fast Path is disabled for the driver corresponding to that bit. A value of -1 specifies that Fast Path is disabled for all drivers that the FAST_PATH_PORTS parameter controls.

Bit position zero controls Fast Path for PKQDRIVER (for parallel SCSI), and bit position one controls Fast Path for FGEDRIVER (for Fibre Channel). Currently, the default setting for FAST_PATH_PORTS is 0, which means that Fast Path is enabled for both PKQDRIVER and FGEDRIVER.

In addition, note the following:

CI drivers are not controlled by FAST_PATH_PORTS. Fast Path for CI is enabled and disabled exclusively by the FAST_PATH system parameter.
FAST_PATH_PORTS is relevant only if the FAST_PATH system parameter is enabled (equal to 1). Setting FAST_PATH to zero has the same effect as setting FAST_PATH_PORTS to -1.

For additional information, see FAST_PATH and IO_PREFER_CPUS.

4.12.3 GLX_SHM_REG

On Galaxy systems, GLX_SHM_REG is the number of shared memory region structures configured into the Galaxy Management Database (GMDB). If you set GLX_SHM_REG to 0, the default number of shared memory regions are configured.

4.12.4 LCKMGR_CPUID (Alpha)

The LCKMGR_CPUID parameter controls the CPU that the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager runs on. This is the CPU that the LCKMGR_SERVER process will utilize if you turn this feature on with the LCKMGR_MODE system parameter.

If the specified CPU ID is either the primary CPU or a nonexistent CPU, the LCKMGR_SERVER process will utilize the lowest nonprimary CPU.

LCKMGR_CPUID is a DYNAMIC parameter.

For more information, refer to the LCKMGR_MODE system parameter.

4.12.5 LCKMGR_MODE (Alpha)

The LCKMGR_MODE parameter controls usage of the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager. Setting LCKMGR_MODE to a number greater than zero (0) indicates the number of CPUs that must be active before the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager is turned on.

The Dedicated CPU Lock Manager performs all locking operations on a single dedicated CPU. This can improve system performance on large SMP systems with high MP_Synch associated with the lock manager.

For more information about usage of the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager, see the OpenVMS Performance Management manual.

Specify one of the following:

Value Description

0 Indicates the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager is off. (The default.)

>0 Indicates the number of CPUs that must be active before the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager is turned on.

Value	Description
0	Indicates the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager is off. (The default.)
>0	Indicates the number of CPUs that must be active before the Dedicated CPU Lock Manager is turned on.

LCKMGR_MODE is a DYNAMIC parameter.

4.12.6 NPAGECALC

NPAGECALC controls whether the system automatically calculates the initial size for nonpaged dynamic memory.

Compaq sets the default value of NPAGECALC to 1 only during the initial boot after an installation or upgrade. When the value of NPAGECALC is 1, the system calculates an initial value for the NPAGEVIR and NPAGEDYN system parameters. This calculated value is based on the amount of physical memory in the system.

NPAGECALC's calculations do not reduce the values of NPAGEVIR and NPAGEDYN from the values you see or set at the SYSBOOT prompt. However, NPAGECALC's calculation might increase these values.

AUTOGEN sets NPAGECALC to 0. NPAGECALC should always remain 0 after AUTOGEN has determined more refined values for the NPAGEDYN and NPAGEVIR system parameters.

4.12.7 NPAGERAD (Alpha)

NPAGERAD specifies the total number of bytes of nonpaged pool that will be allocated for Resource Affinity Domains (RADs) other than the base RAD. For platforms that have no RADs, NPAGERAD is ignored. Notice that NPAGEDYN specifies the total amount of nonpaged pool for all RADs.

Also notice that the OpenVMS system might round the specified values higher to an even number of pages for each RAD, which prevents the base RAD from having too little nonpaged pool. For example, if the hardware is an AlphaServer GS160 with 4 RADs:

NPAGEDYN = 6291456 bytes NPAGERAD = 2097152 bytes

In this case, the OpenVMS system allocates a total of approximately 6,291,456 bytes of nonpaged pool. Of this amount, the system divides 2,097,152 bytes among the RADs that are not the base RAD. The system then assigns the remaining 4,194,304 bytes to the base RAD.¹

4.12.8 RAD_SUPPORT (Alpha)

RAD_SUPPORT enables RAD-aware code to be executed on systems that support Resource Affinity Domains (RADs); for example, AlphaServer GS160 systems.

A RAD is a set of hardware components (CPUs, memory, and I/O) with common access characteristics. For more information about using OpenVMS RAD features, refer to the OpenVMS Alpha Partitioning and Galaxy Guide.

4.12.9 SHADOW_MAX_UNIT

SHADOW_MAX_UNIT specifies the maximum number of shadow sets that can exist on a node. The setting must be equal to or greater than the number of shadow sets you plan to have on a system. Dismounted shadow sets, unused shadow sets, and shadow sets with no write bitmaps allocated to them are included in the total.

This system parameter is not dynamic; that is, a reboot is required when you change the setting.

The default setting on OpenVMS Alpha systems is 500; on OpenVMS VAX systems, the default is 100. The minimum value is 10, and the maximum value is 10,000.

Note that this parameter does not affect the naming of shadow sets. For example, with the default value of 100, a device name such as DSA999 is still valid.

4.12.10 VCC_MAX_IO_SIZE (Alpha)

The dynamic system parameter VCC_MAX_IO_SIZE controls the maximum size of I/O that can be cached by the Extended File Cache. It specifies the size in blocks. By default, the size is 127 blocks.

Changing the value of VCC_MAX_IO_SIZE affects reads and writes to volumes currently mounted on the local node, as well as reads and writes to volumes mounted in the future.

If VCC_MAX_IO_SIZE is 0, the Extended File Cache on the local node cannot cache any reads or writes. However, the system is not prevented from reserving memory for the Extended File Cache during startup if a VCC$MIN_CACHE_SIZE entry is in the reserved memory registry.

VCC_MAX_IO_SIZE is a DYNAMIC parameter.

4.12.11 VCC_READAHEAD (Alpha)

The dynamic system parameter VCC_READAHEAD controls whether the Extended File Cache can use read-ahead caching. Read-ahead caching is a technique that improves the performance of applications that read data sequentially.

By default VCC_READAHEAD is 1, which means that the Extended File Cache can use read-ahead caching. The Extended File Cache detects when a file is being read sequentially in equal-sized I/Os, and fetches data ahead of the current read, so that the next read instruction can be satisfied from cache.

To stop the Extended File Cache from using read-ahead caching, set VCC_READAHEAD to 0.

Changing the value of VCC_READAHEAD affects volumes currently mounted on the local node, as well as volumes mounted in the future.

Readahead I/Os are totally asynchronous from user I/Os and only take place if sufficient system resources are available.

VCC_READAHEAD is a DYNAMIC parameter.

4.12.12 WBM_MSG_INT

WBM_MSG_INT is one of three system parameters that are available for managing the update traffic between a master write bitmap and its corresponding local write bitmaps in an OpenVMS Cluster system. (Write bitmaps are used by the volume shadowing software for minicopy operations.) The others are WBM_MSG_UPPER and WBM_MSG_LOWER. These parameters set the interval at which the frequency of sending messages is tested and also set an upper and lower threshold that determine whether the messages are grouped into one SCS message or are sent one by one.

In single-message mode, WBM_MSG_INT is the time interval in milliseconds between assessments of the most suitable write bitmap message mode. In single-message mode, the writes issued by each remote node are, by default, sent one by one in individual SCS messages to the node with the master write bitmap. If the writes sent by a remote node reach an upper threshold of messages during a specified interval, single-message mode switches to buffered-message mode.

In buffered-message mode, WBM_MSG_INT is the maximum time a message waits before it is sent. In buffered-message mode, the messages are collected for a specified interval and then sent in one SCS message. During periods of increased message traffic, grouping multiple messages to send in one SCS message to the master write bitmap is generally more efficient than sending each message separately.

The minimum value of WBM_MSG_INT is 10 milliseconds. The maximum value is -1, which corresponds to the maximum positive value that a longword can represent. The default is 10 milliseconds.

WBM_MSG_INT is a DYNAMIC parameter.

4.12.13 WBM_MSG_LOWER

WBM_MSG_LOWER is one of three system parameters that are available for managing the update traffic between a master write bitmap and its corresponding local write bitmaps in an OpenVMS Cluster system. (Write bitmaps are used by the volume shadowing software for minicopy operations.) The others are WBM_MSG_INT and WBM_MSG_UPPER. These parameters set the interval at which the frequency of sending messages is tested and also set an upper and lower threshold that determine whether the messages are grouped into one SCS message or are sent one by one.

WBM_MSG_LOWER is the lower threshold for the number of messages sent during the test interval that initiates single-message mode. In single-message mode, the writes issued by each remote node are, by default, sent one by one in individual SCS messages to the node with the master write bitmap. If the writes sent by a remote node reach an upper threshold of messages during a specified interval, single-message mode switches to buffered-message mode.

The minimum value of WBM_MSG_LOWER is 0 messages per interval. The maximum value is -1, which corresponds to the maximum positive value that a longword can represent. The default is 10.

WBM_MSG_LOWER is a DYNAMIC parameter.

4.12.14 WBM_MSG_UPPER

WBM_MSG_UPPER is one of three system parameters that are available for managing the update traffic between a master write bitmap and its corresponding local write bitmaps in an OpenVMS Cluster system. (Write bitmaps are used by the volume shadowing software for minicopy operations.) The others are WBM_MSG_INT and WBM_MSG_LOWER. These parameters set the interval at which the frequency of sending messages is tested and also set an upper and lower threshold that determine whether the messages are grouped into one SCS message or are sent one by one.

WBM_MSG_UPPER is the upper threshold for the number of messages sent during the test interval that initiates buffered-message mode. In buffered-message mode, the messages are collected for a specified interval and then sent in one SCS message.

The minimum value of WBM_MSG_UPPER is 0 messages per interval. The maximum value is -1, which corresponds to the maximum positive value that a longword can represent. The default is 100.

WBM_MSG_UPPER is a DYNAMIC parameter.

4.12.15 WBM_OPCOM_LVL

WBM_OPCOM_LVL controls whether write bitmap system messages are sent to the operator console. (Write bitmaps are used by the volume shadowing software for minicopy operations.) Possible values are shown in the following table:

Value Description

0 Messages are turned off.

1 The default; messages are provided when write bitmaps are started, deleted, and renamed, and when the SCS message mode (buffered or single) changes.

2 All messages for a setting of 1 are provided plus many more.

Value	Description
0	Messages are turned off.
1	The default; messages are provided when write bitmaps are started, deleted, and renamed, and when the SCS message mode (buffered or single) changes.
2	All messages for a setting of 1 are provided plus many more.

WBM_OPCOM_LVL is a DYNAMIC parameter.

Note

¹ The system actually rounds up to an even number of pages on each RAD. In addition, the base RAD is never assigned a value less than the smaller of the value of NPAGEDYN and 4 megabytes.

4.13 Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS

Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS introduces three new features, the minicopy operation enabled by write bitmaps, new qualifiers for disaster tolerant support for OpenVMS Cluster systems, and a new /SHADOW qualifier to the INITIALIZE command. These features are described in this section.

4.13.1 Minicopy in Compaq Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS (Alpha)

The new minicopy feature of Compaq Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS and its enabling technology, write bitmap, are fully implemented on OpenVMS Alpha systems. OpenVMS VAX nodes can write to shadow sets that use this feature but they can neither create master write bitmaps nor manage them with DCL commands.

The minicopy operation is a streamlined copy operation. Minicopy is designed to be used in place of a copy operation when you return a shadow set member to the shadow set. When a member has been removed from a shadow set, a write bitmap tracks the changes that are made to the shadow set in its absence, as shown in Figure 4-1.

Figure 4-1 Application Writes to a Write Bitmap

When the member is returned to the shadow set, the write bitmap is used to direct the minicopy operation, as shown in Figure 4-2. While the minicopy operation is taking place, the application continues to read and write to the shadow set.

Figure 4-2 Member Returned to the Shadow Set (Virtual Unit)

Thus, minicopy can significantly decrease the time it takes to return the member to membership in the shadow set and can significantly increase the availability of the shadow sets that use this feature.

Typically, a shadow set member is removed from a shadow set to back up the data on the disk. Before the introduction of the minicopy feature, Compaq required that the virtual unit (the shadow set) be dismounted to back up the data from one of the members. This requirement has been removed, provided that the guidelines for removing a shadow set member for backup purposes, as documented in Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS, are followed.

For more information about this new feature, including additional memory requirements for this version of Compaq Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS, refer to Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS.

4.13.2 New Volume Shadowing Features for Multiple-Site OpenVMS Cluster Systems

OpenVMS Version 7.3 introduces new command qualifiers for the DCL commands DISMOUNT and SET for use with Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS. These new command qualifiers provide disaster tolerant support for multiple-site OpenVMS Cluster systems. Designed primarily for multiple-site clusters that use Fibre Channel for a site-to-site storage interconnect, they can be used in other configurations as well. For more information about using these new qualifiers in a multiple-site OpenVMS Cluster system, see the white paper Using Fibre Channel in a Disaster-Tolerant OpenVMS Cluster System, which is posted on the OpenVMS Fibre Channel web site at:

http://www.openvms.compaq.com/openvms/fibre/

The new command qualifiers are described in this section. Section 4.13.2.1 describes how to use these new qualifiers.

DISMOUNT/FORCE_REMOVAL ddcu:

One new qualifier to the DISMOUNT command, DISMOUNT/FORCE_REMOVAL ddcu:, is provided. If connectivity to a device has been lost and the shadow set is in mount verification, /FORCE_REMOVAL ddcu: can be used to immediately expell a named shadow set member (ddcu:) from the shadow set. If you omit this qualifier, the device is not dismounted until mount verification completes. Note that this qualifier cannot be used in conjunction with the /POLICY=MINICOPY (=OPTIONAL) qualifier.

The device specified must be a member of a shadow set that is mounted on the node where the command is issued.

SET DEVICE

The following new qualifiers to the SET DEVICE command have been created for managing shadow set members located at multiple sites:

/FORCE_REMOVAL ddcu:
If connectivity to a device has been lost and the shadow set is in mount verification, this qualifier causes the member to be expelled from the shadow set immediately.
If the shadow set is not currently in mount verification, no immediate action is taken. If connectivity to a device has been lost but the shadow set is not in mount verification, this qualifier lets you flag the member to be expelled from the shadow set, as soon as it does enter mount verification.
The device specified must be a member of a shadow set that is mounted on the node where the command is issued.
/MEMBER_TIMEOUT=xxxxxx ddcu:
Specifies the timeout value to be used for a member of a shadow set.
The value supplied by this qualifier overrides the SYSGEN parameter SHADOW_MBR_TMO for this specific device. Each member of a shadow set can be assigned a different MEMBER_TIMEOUT value.
The valid range for xxxxxx is 1 to 16,777,215 seconds.
The device specified must be a member of a shadow set that is mounted on the node where the command is issued.
/MVTIMEOUT=yyyyyy DSAnnnn:
Specifies the mount verification timeout value to be used for this shadow set, specified by its virtual unit name, DSAnnnn.
The value supplied by this qualifier overrides the SYSGEN parameter MVTIMEOUT for this specific shadow set.
The valid range for yyyyyy is 1 to 16,777,215 seconds.
The device specified must be a shadow set that is mounted on the node where the command is issued.
/READ_COST=zzz ddcu:
The valid range for zzz is 1 to 4,294,967,295 units.
The device specified must be a member of a shadow set that is mounted on the node where the command is issued.
This qualifier allows you to modify the default "cost" assigned to each member of a shadow set, so that reads are biased or prioritized toward one member versus another.
The shadowing driver assigns default READ_COST values to shadow set members when each member is initially mounted. The default value depends on the device type, and its configuration relative to the system mounting it. There are default values for a DECRAM device; a directly connected device in the same physical location; a directly connected device in a remote location; a DECram served device; and a default value for other served devices.
The value supplied by this qualifier overrides the default assignment. The shadowing driver adds the value of the current queue depth of the shadow set member to the READ_COST value and then reads from the member with the lowest value.
Different systems in the cluster can assign different costs to each shadow set member.
If the /SITE command qualifier has been specified, the shadowing driver will take site values into account when it assigns default READ_COST values. Note that in order for the shadowing software to determine if a device is in the category of "directly connected device in a remote location," the /SITE command qualifier must have been applied to both the shadow set and to the individual device.
Reads requested for a shadow set from a system at Site 1 are performed from a shadow set member that is also at Site 1. Reads requested for the same shadow set from Site 2 can read from the member located at Site 2.
/READ_COST=y DSAnnnn
The valid range for y is any non-zero number. The value supplied has no meaning in itself. The purpose of this qualifier is to switch the read cost setting for all shadow set members back to the default read cost settings established automatically by the shadowing software. DSAnnnn must be a shadow set that is mounted on the node from which this command is issued.
/SITE=(nnn, logical_name) (ddcu: DSAnnnn:)
This qualifier indicates to the shadowing driver the site location of the shadow set member or of the shadow set (represented by its virtual unit name). Prior to using this qualifier, you can define the site location in the SYLOGICALS.COM command procedure to simplify its use.
The valid range for nnn is 1 through 255.
The following example shows the site locations defined, followed by the use of the /SITE qualifier:

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OpenVMS Version 7.3 New Features and Documentation Overview

4.10 OpenVMS SMP Performance Improvements (Alpha)

4.11 New SYSMAN Commands and Qualifiers

1 The system actually rounds up to an even number of pages on each RAD. In addition, the base RAD is never assigned a value less than the smaller of the value of NPAGEDYN and 4 megabytes.

OpenVMS Version 7.3
New Features and Documentation Overview

¹ The system actually rounds up to an even number of pages on each RAD. In addition, the base RAD is never assigned a value less than the smaller of the value of NPAGEDYN and 4 megabytes.