VAX4000/300 MNS7.3 isntallation from CDROM

[Peter Coghlan]

Holm Tiffe wrote:
>
> It seems that the disk has some problems, or better the two RF31 disks.
> If I try to install VMS on the disks there is some ratteling and data where
> copied to them, after a while I get those infamous "volume is not software
> enabled" errors.
> There are no problems detected from the dssi internal support programms or
> their logs...
>

There might be something in the VMS error log:

$ ANALYZE /ERROR_LOG

>
> I've erased the disk dia0 again with the dssi tools since that overwrites
> every sector o nthe disk (for data security reasons) and I get no error.
> Now hours later I've tried to install again. (backup/image/verify
> dua3:vms073.b/save disk0$dia0:) The backup starts to shuffle data and then
> bails out with that:
>
> %PAA0, Port has Closed Virtual Circuit - REMOTE SIDE DISK0
>

As far as I know, DSSI can be used as a VAX cluster interconnect and DSSI disks
behave in similar ways to nodes in a VAX cluster.  Therefore, it may be more
correct to think of your DSSI disks as remotely served disks on another node
instead of locally attached disks.

In the case of a cluster which is using ethernet as a VAX cluster interconnect,
error messages similar to:

%PEA0, Port has Closed Virtual Circuit

normally indicate ethernet media problems causing difficulty with cluster
connections.  PEA0 is the "port emulator" device where the ethernet is
emulating a "real" CI cluster interconnect - coaxial cables and a transformer.

Perhaps your PAA0 errors indicate some sort of errors with the DSSI connections
rather than the disk media? There should be more details on this in the VMS
error log.

Regards,
Peter Coghlan.