Home · Articles · Downloads · Hobby Wear · Forums · Web Links · News CategoriesFriday, March 29, 2024
Navigation
Home
Articles
Downloads
Hobby Wear
FAQ
Forums
Web Links
News Categories
Contact Us
Photo Gallery
OpenVMS Bigot
Search
Users Online
Guests Online: 5
No Members Online

Registered Members: 7,708
Newest Member: nifseg
Sponsors
Island Computer
View Thread
OpenVMS Hobbyist Program | Alpha Systems Forums | Alpha Hardware Forum
Author Firmware upgrade breaks DS20e CPU
dittman
Member

Posts: 4
Location: Plano, TX
Joined: 22.04.08
Posted on January 04 2010 18:12
I have a DS20e with two 667MHz CPUs. The system was running firmware V7.1. I installed OpenVMS V8.2 without any issues. I then found my OpenVMS V8.3 CD and decided to reinstall. Before I did that I upgraded the firmware to V7.3. I then booted and started the VMS V8.3 install. After the initial install finished I shutdown the system and then booted from the hard drive to continue the install. VMS bugchecked with:

%SYSTEM-I-BOOTUPGRADE, Coordinated Startup not performed
%EWA0, Auto-negotiation mode set by console (EGA0_MODE)
%EWA0, DEGXA-TA located in 64-bit, 33-mhz PCI slot
%EWA0, Device type is BCM5703C (UTP) Rev A2 (10020000)

**** OpenVMS Alpha Operating System V8.3 - BUGCHECK ****

** Bugcheck code = 00000215: MACHINECHK, Machine check while in kernel mode
** Crash CPU: 00000000 Primary CPU: 00000000 Node Name: BALDER
** Supported CPU count: 00000002
** Active CPUs: 00000000.00000003
** Current Process: STARTUP
** Current PSB ID: 00000001
** Image Name: BALDER$DKA0:[SYS0.SYSCOMMON.][SYSEXE]SYSMAN.EXE;1

That's usually hardware which I found odd since it had been running V8.2 just fine and did the boot from the V8.3 CD without any problems.

I pulled the PCI cards and swapped around memory without any help. I then tried to boot from a VMS V7.3-2 CD to see what would happen if I tried an install of V7.3-2. It crashed while booting from the CD with the same failure:

Configuring devices...
%EWA0, Auto-negotiation mode set by console (EGA0_MODE)
%EWA0, DEGXA-TA located in 64-bit, 33-mhz PCI slot
%EWA0, Device type is BCM5703C (UTP) Rev B2 (10020000)

**** OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System V7.3-2 - BUGCHECK ****

** Bugcheck code = 00000215: MACHINECHK, Machine check while in kernel mode
** Crash CPU: 00 Primary CPU: 00 Active CPUs: 00000003
** Current Process = STARTUP
** Current PSB ID = 00000001
** Image Name = DQA0:[SYS0.SYSCOMMON.][SYSEXE]SYSMAN.EXE;1

**** Error log buffers not dumped to SYS$ERRLOG.DMP
**** Canceled memory dump, no dump file available

(I find it odd that it says "Active CPUs: 00000003"smiley

I then pulled CPU 1 and the V7.3-2 CD booted just fine. I then rebooted from the disk I installed V8.3 and it continued the installation just fine.

After the firmware upgrade the system could still see the CPU:

OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System, Version V8.3
. Copyright 1976-2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

%DECnet-I-LOADED, network base image loaded, version = 05.13.00

%DECnet-W-NOOPEN, could not open SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSEXE]NET$CONFIG.DAT

%SMP-I-SECMSG, CPU #01 message: P01>>> START
%SMP-I-CPUTRN, CPU #01 has joined the active set.

Does anyone have any ideas on what might have went wrong with the firmware upgrade?
Author RE: Firmware upgrade breaks DS20e CPU
dittman
Member

Posts: 4
Location: Plano, TX
Joined: 22.04.08
Posted on January 06 2010 19:36
I decided to play around some more. If I use just one of the CPUs everything works fine. I tested both CPUs alone in each slot and everything worked.

I then reinstalled both CPUs but switched slots and again got the failures. I checked the CPUs to make sure they were the same pass and had the same SROM firmware and they do:

Processors
CPU 0 Alpha EV67 pass 2.2.3 666 MHz SROM Revision: V1.13.44
Bcache size: 8 MB

CPU 1 Alpha EV67 pass 2.2.3 666 MHz SROM Revision: V1.13.44
Bcache size: 8 MB


As a final test I booted the VMS V8.3 disk that had completed the installation with only one CPU and it booted just fine with both of them.

I'm puzzled by these results. I don't believe this is a general problem with the DS20e and firmware V7.3 since I think I would have seen complaints about it and the firmware has been out for quite a while.
Author RE: Firmware upgrade breaks DS20e CPU
ddsnyder
Member

Posts: 15
Location: BUTLER, PA
Joined: 03.12.06
Posted on January 07 2010 01:27
I am puzzled by this as well. I have a DS20E with VMS 8.3. I did not
encounter any problems. Note that I only updated to FW 6.9, the minimum recomended. The Bugcheck data made no sense, I am no
expert at analyzing crashes.

I was hoping someone else would jump in here to offer a solution,
as I may encounter this sometime in the future.
Author RE: Firmware upgrade breaks DS20e CPU
dittman
Member

Posts: 4
Location: Plano, TX
Joined: 22.04.08
Posted on January 07 2010 07:07
I suppose I can try to downgrade the firmware.
Author RE: Firmware upgrade breaks DS20e CPU
dittman
Member

Posts: 4
Location: Plano, TX
Joined: 22.04.08
Posted on January 07 2010 07:08
By the way, is your DS20e a production or hobbyist system? If it's hobbyist, would you be interested in trying my CPUs in your system to see what happens?
Author RE: Firmware upgrade breaks DS20e CPU
ddsnyder
Member

Posts: 15
Location: BUTLER, PA
Joined: 03.12.06
Posted on January 08 2010 02:17
My DS20E is a hobbyist system, was production. I would be willing to
test your CPU's. I currently run duals plus one spare.

It has been running VMS 8.3 since 10/09, loaded with Oracle,
WASD and numerous other packages.
Jump to Forum:
Login
Username

Password



Not a member yet?
Click here to register.

Forgotten your password?
Request a new one here.
Member Poll
Are you going to OpenVMS Boot Camp 2016?

Yes

No

You must login to vote.
Shoutbox
You must login to post a message.

malmberg
August 04 2022
No more VAX hobbyist licenses. Community licenses for Alpha/IA64/X86_64 VMS Software Inc. Commercial VMS software licenses for VAX available from HPE.

ozboomer
July 20 2022
Just re-visiting.. No more hobbyist licenses? Is that from vmssoftware.com, no 'community' licenses?

valdirfranco
July 01 2022
No more hobbyist license...sad

mister_wavey
February 12 2022
I recall that the disks failed on the public access VMS systems that included Fafner

parwezw
January 03 2022
Anyone know what happened to FAFNER.DYNDS.ORG? I had a hobbyist account here but can longer access the site.

gtackett
October 27 2021
Make that DECdfs _2.1A_ for Vax

gtackett
October 27 2021
I'm looking for DECdfs V2.4A kit for VAX. Asking here just in case anyone is still listening.

MarkRLV
September 17 2021
At one time, didn't this web site have a job board? I would love to use my legacy skills one last time in my career.

malmberg
January 18 2021
New Hobbyist PAKs for VAX/VMS are no longer available according to reports. Only commercial licenses are reported to be for sale from HPE

dfilip
January 16 2021
Can someone please point me to hobbyist license pak? I'm looking for VAX/VMS 7.1, DECnet Phase IV, and UCX/TCPIP ... have the 7.1 media, need the license paks ... thanks!

Bart
October 16 2020
OpenVMS, and this website!

malmberg
September 05 2020
VSI community non-commercial licenses for AXP/IA64 are available now.

malmberg
September 05 2020
See the forum about licensing. Don't know if HPE hobby licenses still being issued. Commercial licenses still being sold.

silfox70
September 01 2020
I need the license for OpenVMS7.3. Where can I find them?

malmberg
August 29 2020
Eisner, which is currently being moved, got an SSH update and the keys were updated to more modern encryption standards.

Shoutbox Archive