Using SYSMAN to Centralize System Management

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HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 1:...

Using OpenVMS System Management Utilities and...

Logging In to the SYSTEM Account

Using OPCOM to Communicate with System Users

Using SYSMAN to Centralize System Management

If you manage more than one computer, you can use the System Management (SYSMAN) utility to centralize system management.

The following table lists some major SYSMAN features and points to sections in this chapter that contain more information.

Feature For More Information

Enable a system to execute SYSMAN commands from remote nodes
Enabling a Remote System to Execute SYSMAN Commands

Define your SYSMAN management environment
Defining the SYSMAN Management Environment

Adjust your SYSMAN profile to set privileges, default device and directory, and DCL verification
Adjusting Your SYSMAN Profile

Execute DCL commands from SYSMAN
Executing DCL Commands from SYSMAN

Create SYSMAN command procedures
Creating SYSMAN Command Procedures

Set up SYSMAN with an initialization file
Setting Up SYSMAN with an Initialization File

Feature	For More Information
Enable a system to execute SYSMAN commands from remote nodes	Enabling a Remote System to Execute SYSMAN Commands
Define your SYSMAN management environment	Defining the SYSMAN Management Environment
Adjust your SYSMAN profile to set privileges, default device and directory, and DCL verification	Adjusting Your SYSMAN Profile
Execute DCL commands from SYSMAN	Executing DCL Commands from SYSMAN
Create SYSMAN command procedures	Creating SYSMAN Command Procedures
Set up SYSMAN with an initialization file	Setting Up SYSMAN with an Initialization File

Understanding SYSMAN

SYSMAN centralizes system management, so that you, as system manager, can manage nodes or clusters from one location. Rather than logging in to individual nodes and repeating a set of management tasks, SYSMAN enables you to define your management environment to be a particular node, a group of nodes, or an OpenVMS Cluster environment. With a management environment defined, you can perform traditional system management tasks from your local node; SYSMAN executes these tasks on all nodes in the target environment.

Privileges Required

You must have the following to run SYSMAN:

OPER and TMPMBX privileges

A separate account with no more than 125 rights, or enough identifiers removed from the current account so the total number of rights falls within the appropriate range.

The rights limitation of 125 includes a minimum of three identifiers that are granted during login when the process rights list is created:

Usage Restriction

If you run SYSMAN from an account with more than 125 rights identifiers, and the environment is set to a remote node, the following error message is displayed:

SMI-E-RIGHTSLIM, Rights limit exceeded.

Note that this rights identifier limitation includes a minimum of three identifiers besides the rights identifiers that are associated with a user authorization record:

A UIC identifier

A system identifier

Depending upon the environment in which the process is operating, at least one environmental identifier

To run SYSMAN, you must have either of the following:

A separate account with no more than 125 rights identifiers

Enough identifiers removed from your current account so that the total number of rights falls within the appropriate range

Tools and Commands

SYSMAN uses many of the same software tools that you traditionally use to manage a system. It can process most DCL commands, such as MOUNT and INITIALIZE. It can also execute many system management utilities and command procedures, such as AUTHORIZE and AUTOGEN.

SYSMAN also includes its own commands that let you perform the following tasks:

Command Task For More Information

ALF (automatic login facility)
Associate a terminal or port with a user name
Setting Up an Automatic Login Account with SYSMAN

CONFIGURATION
Inspect or modify OpenVMS Cluster parameters
HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems

DISKQUOTA
Control and monitor disk usage
Establishing Disk Quotas

IO¹
Control and display the I/O configuration of an Alpha system
Manually Connecting Devices and Loading Device Drivers (Alpha Only)

LICENSE
Load and unload licenses
Registering and Loading Licenses

PARAMETERS
Inspect and modify system parameters
HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems

STARTUP
Customize startup databases by inspecting and modifying software startup components
Customizing Startup Databases with SYSMAN

Command	Task	For More Information
ALF (automatic login facility)	Associate a terminal or port with a user name	Setting Up an Automatic Login Account with SYSMAN
CONFIGURATION	Inspect or modify OpenVMS Cluster parameters	HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems
DISKQUOTA	Control and monitor disk usage	Establishing Disk Quotas
IO¹	Control and display the I/O configuration of an Alpha system	Manually Connecting Devices and Loading Device Drivers (Alpha Only)
LICENSE	Load and unload licenses	Registering and Loading Licenses
PARAMETERS	Inspect and modify system parameters	HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems
STARTUP	Customize startup databases by inspecting and modifying software startup components	Customizing Startup Databases with SYSMAN

Enabling a Remote System to Execute SYSMAN Commands

The SMISERVER process must be running on a remote node for SYSMAN commands to execute on that node. SMISERVER is the detached process responsible for executing SYSMAN commands on remote nodes.

Any node that is part of an OpenVMS Cluster system normally starts the SMISERVER process in the system startup procedure SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM. (The system parameter VAXCLUSTER on the node must have a value of 1 or more.)

To start the SMISERVER process on a workstation that is not part of an OpenVMS Cluster system, include the following command line in the site-specific startup command procedure SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM:

$ @SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP SMISERVER

For more information about SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, see Modifying SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to Perform General Operations.

You can also enter this command interactively to restart the SMISERVER process without rebooting the system.

Understanding a SYSMAN Management Environment

When you use SYSMAN, you must define the management environment you will be working in. The management environment is the node or nodes on which subsequent commands will execute.

By default, the management environment is the local node (the node from which you execute SYSMAN). To execute commands on one or more other nodes, you can redefine the management environment to be any of the following:

Your own OpenVMS Cluster system

A subset of nodes in your OpenVMS Cluster system

A nonclustered node available through DECnet

Another OpenVMS Cluster system

A subset of nodes in another OpenVMS Cluster system

Any group of individual nodes

Refer to Sample SYSMAN Management Environment during the following discussion of management environments.

Figure 2 Sample SYSMAN Management Environment

You can use NODE21 as the management environment, or you can define the environment to be any node, group of nodes, or cluster shown in Sample SYSMAN Management Environment.

If you execute SYSMAN from NODE21, then NODE21 is the local node; it is the management environment when SYSMAN starts. All other nodes are remote nodes.

Defining the SYSMAN Management Environment

To define the management environment, use the SYSMAN command SET ENVIRONMENT. Whenever you redefine an environment, SYSMAN displays the new context. You can always verify the current environment with the SHOW ENVIRONMENT command.

When you are not working on your local node or within your own cluster, your environment is a nonlocal environment. SYSMAN makes this distinction for security reasons; when you are defining a nonlocal environment, such as a different cluster, SYSMAN prompts for a password. SYSMAN also prompts for a password when you attempt to manage a system under a different user name. You can change your user name by using the /USERNAME qualifier with SET ENVIRONMENT.

A SYSMAN environment remains in effect until you change it or exit from SYSMAN.

Defining Another Node as the Environment

You can define a management environment to be any node available through DECnet. To define one or more nodes to be your management environment, use the SET ENVIRONMENT/NODE command.

For the following examples, refer to Sample SYSMAN Management Environment; assume you are logged in to NODE 21.

Examples

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/NODE=NODE22 
%SYSMAN-I-ENV, current command environment:
        Individual nodes: NODE22 
        Username ALEXIS will be used on nonlocal nodes

The SET ENVIRONMENT command in this example defines the management environment to be NODE22. (The command does not, however, set the environment to be Cluster 1.)

SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/NODE=(NODE23,NODE24,NODE25)  
Remote Password: 

%SYSMAN-I-ENV, Current Command Environment:
        Individual nodes: NODE23,NODE24,NODE25 
        At least one node is not in local cluster
        Username ALEXIS   will be used on nonlocal nodes

The SET ENVIRONMENT command in this example defines the management environment to be a group of nodes -- NODE23, NODE24, and NODE25 -- that are in two separate clusters.

SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER/NODE=NODE24
Remote Password: 
%SYSMAN-I-ENV, current command environment:
	Clusterwide on remote cluster NODE24
	Username ALEXIS will be used on nonlocal nodes
SYSMAN> DO SHOW TIME
%SYSMAN-I-OUTPUT, command execution on node NODE24
  13-AUG-2000 13:07:54
%SYSMAN-I-OUTPUT, command execution on node NODE25
  13-AUG-2000 13:10:28

The SET ENVIRONMENT command in this example defines the management environment to be a cluster that includes NODE24--that is, Cluster 2.

Using Logical Names to Organize Management Environments

If you want to organize the nodes in your cluster according to specific categories (for example, all CI-based nodes or all nodes with C installed), you can define logical names to use with the SET ENVIRONMENT/NODE command, as follows:

Create the logical name table SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE by putting the following command into the file SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGICALS.COM, which is executed during system startup:
```
$ CREATE/NAME_TABLE/PARENT=LNM$SYSTEM_DIRECTORY SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE
```

Define one or more logical names to be a node or list of nodes by putting a command similar to the following into SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGICALS.COM:
```
$ DEFINE CI_NODES NODE21,NODE22,NODE23/TABLE=SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE
```

When you set your SYSMAN environment from the DCL level, specify one of the logical names you created for this purpose. For example:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/NODE=(CI_NODES) 
 
Remote Password:
 
%SYSMAN-I-ENV, current command environment:
        Individual nodes: NODE21,NODE22,NODE23
        At least one node is not in the local cluster.
        Username SYSTEM       will be used on nonlocal nodes.

You can also define logical names for VAX and Alpha nodes in a dual-architecture OpenVMS Cluster system, as explained in HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Example

The following example demonstrates how you can define multiple logical names to organize several management environments:

$ CREATE/NAME_TABLE/PARENT=LNM$SYSTEM_DIRECTORY SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE
$ DEFINE CI_NODES SYS2,SYS8/TABLE=SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE    
$ DEFINE C NODE21,NODE22,NODE23/TABLE=SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE
$ DEFINE PASCAL NODE23,NODE18,CI_NODES/TABLE=SYSMAN$NODE_TABLE
$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/NODE=(C,PASCAL) 
Remote Password:
 
%SYSMAN-I-ENV, current command environment:
        Individual nodes: NODE21,NODE22,NODE23,NODE18,SYS2,SYS8
        At least one node is not in the local cluster.
        Username SYSTEM       will be used on nonlocal nodes.

Defining an OpenVMS Cluster Environment

To define your management environment to be an OpenVMS Cluster system, use the SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER command.

In SYSMAN, OpenVMS Cluster environments can be one of two types:

OpenVMS Cluster Environment Definition

Local
Cluster from which you are using SYSMAN

Nonlocal
Any cluster other than the one from which you are executing SYSMAN

OpenVMS Cluster Environment	Definition
Local	Cluster from which you are using SYSMAN
Nonlocal	Any cluster other than the one from which you are executing SYSMAN

To expand the management environment in Sample SYSMAN Management Environment from NODE21 to Cluster 1, enter the following command from NODE21:

SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER
%SYSMAN-I-ENV, Current Command Environment:
        Clusterwide on local cluster
        Username ALEXIS   will be used on nonlocal nodes

In the OpenVMS Cluster environment shown in Sample SYSMAN Management Environment, SYSMAN executes commands on all nodes in Cluster 1, namely NODE21, NODE22, and NODE23.

To manage a nonlocal cluster with SYSMAN, use the /NODE qualifier to identify the cluster. If you define an OpenVMS Cluster alias, the /NODE qualifier can use the alias rather than the node name.

If you use the /CLUSTER and /NODE qualifiers together, the environment becomes the OpenVMS Cluster system where the given node is a member. For example, to perform management tasks on Cluster 2 in Sample SYSMAN Management Environment, enter SET ENVIRONMENT with the /CLUSTER qualifier and name one node within Cluster 2 using the /NODE qualifier:

SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER/NODE=NODE24 
Remote Password: 

%SYSMAN-I-ENV, Current Command Environment:
        Clusterwide on remote node NODE24 
        Username ALEXIS   will be used on nonlocal nodes

For information about using SYSMAN to manage an OpenVMS Cluster system that contains both Alpha and VAX nodes, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Understanding Your SYSMAN Profile

When you use SYSMAN across OpenVMS Cluster systems, SYSMAN establishes a profile that contains your rights, privileges, and defaults, and verifies that you are an authorized user. If you encounter privilege problems when using SYSMAN, it helps to know how SYSMAN determines your profile.

SYSMAN looks for three possible scenarios when determining your profile:

If the environment is an OpenVMS Cluster system that has common SYSUAF and RIGHTSLIST databases, SYSMAN assigns the profile in effect on the local node to the SMISERVER process on the target node or nodes. This profile includes both authorized and current privileges.

If the environment is an OpenVMS Cluster systen and does not have common SYSUAF and RIGHTSLIST databases, SYSMAN checks the SYSUAF on the target nodes to see if you are an authorized user. If you are an authorized user, SYSMAN copies your profile from the SYSUAF on the target nodes to the SMISERVER process on the target nodes.

If the environment has nodes that are not part of your local cluster, or if you have recently changed your user name, SYSMAN prompts you for a password before it checks the SYSUAF on the target node. If you enter the correct password and the SYSUAF shows that you are an authorized user, SYSMAN copies your profile from the SYSUAF on the target nodes to the SMISERVER process on the target nodes.

The profile does not include symbolic names, logical names, preset terminal characteristics, or key definitions established through a login command procedure. The only environment that has the attributes defined in a login command procedure is the local node from which you are executing SYSMAN.

Adjusting Your SYSMAN Profile

Use the SYSMAN command SET PROFILE to change your SYSMAN management profile. The qualifiers /PRIVILEGES, /DEFAULT, and /VERIFY enable you to change the following attributes of the SMISERVER process:

Attribute Qualifier For More Information

Current privileges
/PRIVILEGES
Changing Your Current Privileges

Default device and directory
/DEFAULT
Changing Your Default Device and Directory

DCL verification of DO commands
/VERIFY
Setting DCL Verification

Attribute	Qualifier	For More Information
Current privileges	/PRIVILEGES	Changing Your Current Privileges
Default device and directory	/DEFAULT	Changing Your Default Device and Directory
DCL verification of DO commands	/VERIFY	Setting DCL Verification

This profile is in effect until you change it with SET PROFILE, reset the environment (which may change your profile automatically), or exit from SYSMAN.

The SET PROFILE command temporarily changes the attributes of your current local process. However, when you exit from SYSMAN, all attributes are restored to the values that were current when SYSMAN was invoked.

Changing Your Current Privileges

The SYSMAN command SET PROFILE/PRIVILEGES temporarily changes your current privileges in an environment.

Frequently, system management commands require special privileges. You might need to add privileges before you execute certain commands in an environment. System managers usually have the same privileges on all nodes; if you do not have the required privileges on a node, SYSMAN cannot execute the command and returns an error message.

Example

The following example makes SYSPRV one of your current privileges:

SYSMAN> SET PROFILE/PRIVILEGES=SYSPRV   
SYSMAN> SHOW PROFILE
%SYSMAN-I-DEFDIR, Default directory on node NODE21  -- WORK1:[MAEW]
%SYSMAN-I-DEFPRIV, Process privileges on node NODE21 --
        TMPMBX
        OPER
        NETMBX
        SYSPRV

Changing Your Default Device and Directory

Use the SET PROFILE/DEFAULT command to reset the default device and directory specification for your process and all server processes in the environment.

Most often, the default device and directory specified in your UAF record is a first-level directory in which you create and maintain files and subdirectories. SYSMAN uses this default device and directory name when resolving file specifications. It also assigns the default device and directory name to any files that you create during a session.

In some cases, you might need to change the default device and directory in your SYSMAN profile. For example, you might have a directory containing command procedures as well as some system management utilities that require the default directory to be SYS$SYSTEM.

Example

The following example sets the default device and directory to DMA1:[SMITH.COM]:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE/DEFAULT=DMA1:[SMITH.COM]

Setting DCL Verification

Use the SET PROFILE/VERIFY command to turn on DCL verification, which displays DCL command lines and data lines as they execute.

SYSMAN can execute DCL commands using the DO command. By default, SYSMAN DCL verification is turned off.

Example

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE/VERIFY

Executing DCL Commands from SYSMAN

The SYSMAN command DO executes DCL command procedures and SYSMAN command procedures on all nodes in an OpenVMS Cluster environment. In an OpenVMS Cluster environment or in any environment with multiple nodes, you enter a set of commands once, and SYSMAN executes the commands sequentially on every node in the environment. SYSMAN displays the name of each node as it executes commands, or an error message if the command fails.

If a node does not respond within a given timeout period, SYSMAN displays a message before proceeding to the next node in the environment. You can specify a timeout period with the SET TIMEOUT command.

Each DO command executes as an independent subprocess, so no process context is retained between DO commands. For this reason, you must express all DCL commands in a single command string, and you cannot run a procedure that requires input.

In an OpenVMS Cluster environment, SYSMAN executes DO commands sequentially on all nodes in the cluster. After a command completes or times out on one node, SYSMAN sends it to the next node in the environment. Any node that is unable to execute a command returns an error message.

For more information about using the DO command to manage an OpenVMS Cluster system, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems. You can also refer to the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual for a complete description of the SYSMAN command DO.

Example

In the following example, SYSMAN runs the INSTALL utility and makes a file known on all nodes in the cluster when you enter the commands from the local node:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE/PRIVILEGE=CMKRNL
SYSMAN> DO INSTALL ADD/OPEN/SHARED WORK4:[CENTRAL]STATSHR
.
.
.
%SYSMAN-I-OUTPUT, Command execution on node NODE21 
%SYSMAN-I-OUTPUT, Command execution on node NODE22

Creating SYSMAN Command Procedures

The SYSMAN execute procedure (@) command executes SYSMAN command procedures on each node in the environment.

Example

The following example creates and executes a SYSMAN command procedure to display the current date and system time for each OpenVMS Cluster node:

$ CREATE TIME.COM
SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER
CONFIGURATION SHOW TIME <Ctrl/Z> 
$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> @TIME
%SYSMAN-I-ENV, Current command environment:
            Clusterwide on local cluster
            Username SYSTEM   will be used on nonlocal nodes

System time on node NODE21: 19-JUN-2000 13:32:19.45
System time on node NODE22: 19-JUN-2000 13:32:27.79
System time on node NODE23: 19-JUN-2000 13:32:58.66
SYSMAN>

Setting Up SYSMAN with an Initialization File

You can create an initialization file that is used each time you invoke SYSMAN. In the initialization file, you can perform tasks such as defining keys and setting up your environment.

The default file specification for the SYSMAN initialization file is SYS$LOGIN:SYSMANINI.INI. If you want your SYSMAN initialization file to have a different file specification, you must define the logical name SYSMANINI to point to the location of the file. The following is a sample initialization file that defines several keys:

$ TYPE SYSMANINI.INI
DEFINE/KEY/TERMINATE KP0 "SET ENVIRONMENT/CLUSTER/NODE=(NODE21,NODE22)"
DEFINE/KEY/TERMINATE KP1 "CONFIGURATION SHOW TIME"
DEFINE/KEY/TERMINATE KP2 "SHOW PROFILE"
.
.
.

Footnotes

1 Alpha specific

( Number takes you back )

Logging In to the SYSTEM Account

Using OPCOM to Communicate with System Users