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Updated: 11 December 1998

OpenVMS System Manager's Manual


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Chapter 7
Managing Peripheral Devices

System managers are often responsible for setting up and managing peripheral devices such as terminals and printers. This chapter describes these tasks. For information about managing storage media such as disks and tapes, see Chapter 8.

Information Provided in This Chapter

This chapter describes the following tasks:
Task Section
Getting information about devices on the system Section 7.2
Setting security protection characteristics on devices Section 7.3
Connecting devices and loading device drivers Section 7.4
Automatically configuring devices for OpenVMS Alpha systems Section 7.5
Managing terminals Section 7.6
Managing modems Section 7.7
Managing printers Section 7.8
Managing tape drives Section 7.9
+Managing card readers Section 7.10


+VAX specific

This chapter explains the following concepts:
Concept Section
Device names Section 7.1
Device configuration Section 7.5.1
Spooled printers Section 7.8.2

7.1 Understanding Device Names

On some systems, device names follow the format ddcu, where dd is the device code, c is the controller designation, and u is the unit number.

Local Digital Storage Architecture (DSA) devices use a controller letter of "A" regardless of the physical controller the device resides on. Preceding the letter "A":

Use of a single controller letter requires that the unit number for each local DSA device be unique. Duplicate unit numbers are possible if the local disks reside on different controllers.

If the system is part of an OpenVMS Cluster environment, device names are formatted in one of the following ways:

For more information about the device name format in VAXcluster or OpenVMS Cluster environments, refer to OpenVMS Cluster Systems.

7.2 Getting Information About Devices on the System

Use the DCL command SHOW DEVICES to retrieve information about devices on your system.

When you invoke the SHOW DEVICES command and do not specify a device or use a qualifier, the system displays information about all recognized devices.

Note

If a device does not appear in the display, it is not recognized by the system. The device may not be connected, or the driver may not be loaded. For certain devices, you must manually connect them and load their device drivers. For more information, see Section 7.4.

If you specify a device name with the SHOW DEVICE command, the system displays information about the device you specified. If you use certain qualifiers with SHOW DEVICES, information is displayed about those devices that currently have volumes mounted or that have been allocated to processes. Refer to the OpenVMS DCL Dictionary for a list of qualifiers that can be used with the SHOW DEVICES command.

The following examples use the SHOW DEVICES command. Device protection is RWPL (read, write, physical, logical).

The SHOW DEVICES/FULL examples include both volume protection and device protection. In addition, if a volume has a protected subsystem enabled, it also appears in the display.

Examples

  1. The following command shows all devices on the system:


    $ SHOW DEVICES
    Device                Device        Error   Volume         Free   Trans  Mnt 
     Name                 Status        Count    Label        Blocks  Count  Cnt 
    $11$DUA9:      (SNAP)  Online           0 
    $11$DUA10:     (SNAP)  Mounted          2  PAGE             83643     3  26 
    $11$DUA13:     (SNAP)  Mounted          0  WORK1           192297    36  26 
    $11$DUA23:     (SNAP)  Online           0 
    $11$DUA24:     (SNAP)  Mounted          0  MONITORPLUS     776808    86  26 
    DAD0:         (TULIP)  Online           0 
    DAD9:         (TULIP)  Online           0 
    DAD44:        (TULIP)  Mounted wrtlck   0  CDBIN06JUL23     97947     1   1 
    ROSE$MUA0:             Online           0 
    LAVNDR$MUA0:           Online           0 
    TULIP$MUA1:            Online           0 
    IRIS$MUA1:             HostUnavailable  0 
    OPA0:                  Online           0 
    DBA0:                  Offline          0 
    FTA0:                  Offline          0 
    FTA239:                Online           0 
    LTA0:                  Offline          0 
    LTA3401:               Online spooled   0 
    LTA3402:               Online spooled   0 
    RTA0:                  Offline          0 
    RTA1:                  Mounted          1 
    RTA2:                  Mounted          0 
    RTB0:                  Offline          0 
    TXA0:                  Online           0 
    TXA1:                  Online           0 
    XT0:                   Offline          0 
    

  2. The following command requests a full listing of the status of the DAD42: RRD40 device. The device is located on node IRIS in an OpenVMS Cluster environment.


    $ SHOW DEVICES/FULL DAD42:
    Disk DAD42: (IRIS), device type RRD40, is online, mounted, software write- 
        locked, file-oriented device, shareable, error logging is enabled. 
     
     Error count                    0   Operations completed                146 
     Owner process                 ""   Owner UIC                      [SYSTEM] 
     Owner process ID        00000000   Dev Prot    S:RWPL,O:RWPL,G:RWPL,W:RWPL 
     Reference count                1   Default buffer size                 512 
     Total blocks             1218000   Sectors per track                     4 
     Total cylinders            50750   Tracks per cylinder                   6 
     Allocation class              11 
     
     Volume label      "CDBIN06JUL21"   Relative volume number                0 
     Cluster size                   3   Transaction count                     1 
     Free blocks                15153   Maximum files allowed            152083 
     Extend quantity                5   Mount count                           1 
     Mount status              System   Cache name        "_$11$DUA21:XQPCACHE" 
     Extent cache size             64   Maximum blocks in extent cache     1515 
     File ID cache size            64   Blocks currently in extent cache      0 
     Quota cache size               0   Maximum buffers in FCP cache       1330 
    Volume status:  ODS-2, subject to mount verification, file high-water 
      marking, write-through caching enabled.
    

  3. The following command requests a full informational display about each DU device. This display shows only the first two devices: the mounted DUA8: device and the unmounted DUA9: device.


    $ SHOW DEVICES/FULL DU
    Disk $11$DUA8: (SNAP), device type RA90, is online, mounted, file-oriented 
        device, shareable, served to cluster via MSCP Server, error logging is 
        enabled. 
     
     Error count                    0   Operations completed                334 
     Owner process                 ""   Owner UIC                      [SYSTEM] 
     Owner process ID        00000000   Dev Prot    S:RWED,O:RWED,G:RWED,W:RWED 
     Reference count                1   Default buffer size                 512 
     Total blocks             2376153   Sectors per track                    69 
     Total cylinders             2649   Tracks per cylinder                  13 
     Host name                 "SNAP"   Host type, avail              HS70, yes 
     Alternate host name       "DRAGON" Alt. type, avail              HS70, yes 
     Allocation class              11 
     
     Volume label            "DOCRES"   Relative volume number                0 
     Cluster size                   3   Transaction count                     1 
     Free blocks              1211964   Maximum files allowed            297019 
     Extend quantity                5   Mount count                          26 
     Mount status              System   Cache name        "_$11$DUA21:XQPCACHE" 
     Extent cache size             64   Maximum blocks in extent cache   121196 
     File ID cache size            64   Blocks currently in extent cache      0 
     Quota cache size               0   Maximum buffers in FCP cache       1330 
    Volume status: ODS-2, subject to mount verification, write-through caching 
          enabled. 
    Volume is also mounted on TANGO, WHOCRS, SIRE, BARKIN, SALT, SNEEZY, ARTIC, 
           HEMMING, ROCKUP, HUTZPA, HAPPY, TOSIR, CHAIN, BOXER, SPELLN, WAYLND, 
           ADAM, PINE, MONA, PALMER, WLDWND, ERICA, VALLEY. 
     
    Disk $11$DUA9: (SNAP), device type RA90, is online, file-oriented device, 
        shareable, served to cluster via MSCP Server, error logging is enabled. 
     
     Error count                    0   Operations completed                544 
     Owner process                 ""   Owner UIC                      [SYSTEM] 
     Owner process ID        00000000   Dev Prot    S:RWED,O:RWED,G:RWED,W:RWED 
     Reference count                0   Default buffer size                 512 
     Total blocks             2376153   Sectors per track                    69 
     Total cylinders             2649   Tracks per cylinder                  13 
     Host name                 "SNAP"   Host type, avail              HS70, yes 
     Alternate host name       "DRAGON" Alt. type, avail              HS70, yes 
     Allocation class              11
    

7.2.1 Determining If Volumes Need Rebuilding

If a volume was improperly dismounted, it may require rebuilding. Volumes are improperly dismounted when, for example, the system crashes. Use the /REBUILD_STATUS qualifier with the SHOW DEVICES command to determine if a volume needs rebuilding. Do not use the /REBUILD_STATUS qualifier with any other SHOW DEVICES qualifiers, except the /OUTPUT qualifier.

For each volume, SHOW DEVICES/REBUILD_STATUS returns one of the following values:
Value Meaning
Yes Rebuild needed
No Rebuild not needed
Not applicable The volume cannot be rebuilt; the volume is not a disk or the volume is write-locked
Information unavailable Rebuild information is not available; the volume is not mounted or mount verification is taking place

Do either of the following steps to rebuild a volume:

Device EMUL$DKB500, in the following example, needs rebuilding.


$ SHOW DEVICES/REBUILD_STATUS
Device Name             Rebuild needed? 
 
ADU15$DKA300:           Information unavailable 
EDIV$DKA300:            Information unavailable 
EMUL$DKB200:            No 
EMUL$DKB300:            No 
EMUL$DKB500:            Yes 
FTA0:                   Not applicable 
OPA0:                   Not applicable

7.2.2 Getting Information About ISO 9660-Formatted Devices

You can use the SHOW DEVICE command to retrieve information about ISO 9660-formatted devices. The following example illustrates the use of the SHOW DEVICES/FULL command to obtain information about an ISO 9660-formatted CD-ROM. Note that the ACP process name is given and that the volume status is listed as ISO 9660. The display tells the user that the mounted members of the volume set are relative volume numbers (RVN) 1, 64, and 65535.


$ SHOW DEVICE DKA1/FULL


Disk $1$DKA1: (VMSRMS), device type RRD40, is online, allocated, 
    deallocate on dismount, mounted, software write-locked, file-oriented 
    device, shareable, served to cluster via MSCP Server. 
 
    Error count                    0    Operations completed                  9 
    Owner process           "_FTA5:"    Owner UIC                    [FIN,USER] 
    Owner process ID        20200066    Dev Prot            S:RWPL,O:RWPL,G:R,W 
    Reference count                2    Default buffer size                 512 
    Total blocks                 256    Sectors per track                    32 
    Total cylinders                1    Tracks per cylinder                   8 
    Allocation class               1 
 
    Volume label          "VOLUME_1"    Relative volume number                1 
    Cluster size                   0    Transaction count                     1 
    Free blocks                    0    Maximum files allowed                 0 
    Extend quantity                0    Mount count                           1 
    Mount status             Process    ACP process name             "DKA1CACP" 
 
  Volume status:  ISO 9660. 
  Members of this volume set are $1$DKA1: (rvn 1), $1$DKA7: (rvn 64), $1$DKA16: 
          (rvn 65535). 

7.3 Setting Security Protection Characteristics on Devices

You can set security protection characteristics on devices using the following DCL commands:

For more information about these commands, refer to the OpenVMS DCL Dictionary.

By default, allocating a tape or disk device requires VOLPRO privilege. However, you can grant access to unprivileged users in two ways:

Section 8.3.4 has more information about the VOLPRO privilege.

7.3.1 Granting Access to a Specific Device

To grant access to a specific device, use the SET SECURITY command as shown in either of the following examples:


$ SET SECURITY/CLASS=DEVICE DKA300/PROT=W:RWC 

This example grants world read, write, and control access for the device DKA300.


$ SET SECURITY/CLASS=DEVICE DKA300/ACL=(IDENTIFIER=CHEKOV, ACCESS=CONTROL) 

This example grants control access for the device DKA300 to users with the CHEKOV identifier.

7.3.2 Granting Access to All Devices

Use the following method to grant a specified class of users access to all devices:

  1. Set the security template for a particular device type to allow access to a desired class of users. Use a command such as the following one, which sets the template for disk devices:


    $ SET SECURITY/CLASS=SECURITY_CLASS/PROFILE=TEMPLATE=DISK - 
    _$ DEVICE/ACL=(ID=CHEKOV, ACCESS=R+W+D+C) 
    

    This access will apply to all specified devices initialized in the future.

  2. Run the following command procedure:


    SYS$EXAMPLES:RESET_DEVICE_PROTECTION.COM 
    

    This command procedure applies the protection specified in the security template to all current devices.

7.4 Connecting Devices and Loading Device Drivers

The system uses a software component called a device driver to control I/O operations for a particular device type. For a device to function on a system, the device must be connected, and the device driver must be loaded into memory.

The AUTOCONFIGURE command connects all devices physically attached to the system and loads their device drivers. Using AUTOCONFIGURE saves effort and reduces the possibility of error.

The site-independent startup command procedure, STARTUP.COM, automatically configures devices, because it includes the AUTOCONFIGURE command.

On VAX systems, the following commands in STARTUP.COM perform autoconfiguration:


$ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN 
$ SYSGEN AUTOCONFIGURE ALL 
 
 

On Alpha systems, the following commands in STARTUP.COM perform autoconfiguration:


$ SYSMAN := $SYSMAN 
$ SYSMAN IO AUTOCONFIGURE 
 
 

During autoconfiguration, the CONFIGURE phase of STARTUP.COM creates a detached process to perform the following tasks:

The AUTOCONFIGURE command does not connect certain devices. Instead, you must manually connect these devices and load their device drivers. For example, you must perform manual autoconfiguration whenever you add a new disk to a StorageWorks BA353 or BA350 that is directly connected to a VAX or Alpha system.

In certain cases, you might want to suppress autoconfiguration of devices in system startup. See the following sections for more details.
Topic For More Information
+ Manually connecting devices and loading drivers Section 7.4.1
++ Manually connecting devices and loading drivers Section 7.4.2
Suppressing autoconfiguration Section 7.4.3


+VAX specific
++Alpha specific

7.4.1 Manually Connecting Devices and Loading Device Drivers (VAX Only)

On VAX systems, whenever possible, use the SYSGEN command AUTOCONFIGURE to connect standard devices and load device drivers. However, in some cases, such as connecting non-Compaq devices, you cannot use the AUTOCONFIGURE command. In addition, AUTOCONFIGURE does not connect the following devices or load their device drivers:

In addition to these devices, other devices and drivers might be present that AUTOCONFIGURE does not connect and load. On VAX systems, use the System Generation utility (SYSGEN) to manually connect devices and load device drivers.

For more information, refer to the SYSGEN section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual and the OpenVMS VAX Device Support Manual. (These manuals have been archived but are available in PostScript and DECW$BOOK (Bookreader) formats on the OpenVMS Documentation CD-ROM. Printed books can be ordered through DECdirect (800-354-4825).)

Caution

Use extreme care when issuing SYSGEN CONNECT and LOAD commands because the system does little error checking. An incorrect vector address or misspelled device name, for example, will damage the I/O database and could cause the system to fail.

To manually connect special devices each time the system starts up, add these SYSGEN commands to the site-specific startup command procedure SYCONFIG.COM. For more information, see Section 5.2.4.1.

Console Storage Device

To connect the console storage device on VAX systems, use the following CONNECT command:


$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSGEN
SYSGEN> CONNECT CONSOLE
SYSGEN> EXIT

Network Communication Device

To connect the network communications logical device on VAX systems, run SYS$MANAGER:STARTNET:


$ @SYS$MANAGER:STARTNET 

Virtual Terminals

For information about connecting virtual terminals and loading their driver, see Section 7.6.2.

Event-Handling Device Driver

A Compaq-supplied driver named SYS$SYSTEM:CONINTERR.EXE permits real-time processes to connect to interrupt vectors for quick response to and special handling of real-time events. The driver is not associated with any specific device type. Refer to the OpenVMS VAX Device Support Manual for more information. (This manual has been archived but is available in PostScript and DECW$BOOK (Bookreader) formats on the OpenVMS Documentation CD-ROM. A printed book can be ordered through DECdirect (800-354-4825).)

Example

The commands in the following example autoconfigure the devices attached to a VAX system, and connect the console block storage device and the network software device:


$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSGEN
SYSGEN> AUTOCONFIGURE ALL
SYSGEN> CONNECT CONSOLE
SYSGEN> EXIT 
$ @SYS$MANAGER:STARTNET 
 


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