Modifying Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures

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

Customizing the Operating System

Adding and Deleting Optional Files

Modifying Login Command Procedures to Customize User Environments

Modifying Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures

An important part of customizing your system is to create or modify site-specific startup command procedures. Adding commands to these procedures ensures that the commands are executed each time the system reboots.

Understanding Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures

You should understand the following terms:

Term Definition

Startup command procedure
A command procedure that executes when the system starts up.

Site-independent startup command procedure
A startup command procedure that is required for and provided with all OpenVMS systems, regardless of site-specific requirements. This procedure is named SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM. Do not modify this procedure.

When your system boots, it automatically executes STARTUP.COM. For more information, see System Startup and STARTUP.COM.

Site-specific startup command procedures
Startup command procedures that you can modify to perform operations specific to your site. Use any text editor to add or modify commands in these procedures.

STARTUP.COM executes several site-specific startup command procedures that HP provides. These procedures are listed in Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures.

You can also create your own procedures and execute them from SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

Term	Definition
Startup command procedure	A command procedure that executes when the system starts up.
Site-independent startup command procedure	A startup command procedure that is required for and provided with all OpenVMS systems, regardless of site-specific requirements. This procedure is named SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM. Do not modify this procedure. When your system boots, it automatically executes STARTUP.COM. For more information, see System Startup and STARTUP.COM.
Site-specific startup command procedures	Startup command procedures that you can modify to perform operations specific to your site. Use any text editor to add or modify commands in these procedures. STARTUP.COM executes several site-specific startup command procedures that HP provides. These procedures are listed in Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures. You can also create your own procedures and execute them from SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures lists and describes the site-specific startup command procedures provided by HP, in the order in which they execute. These procedures are located in the system directory with the logical name SYS$STARTUP.

Table 1 Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures
Order Command Procedure Function

1
SYCONFIG.COM
A file to which you add commands for site-specific device configuration. For more information, see Modifying SYCONFIG.COM to Configure Devices.

2
SYLOGICALS.COM
A file to which you add commands to define your site-specific system logical names. For more information, see Modifying SYLOGICALS.COM to Define Systemwide Logical Names.

3
SYPAGSWPFILES.COM
A file to which you add commands to install page and swap files (other than the primary page and swap files in SYS$SYSTEM, which are installed automatically). For more information, see Modifying SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to Install Page and Swap Files.

4
SYSECURITY.COM
A file to which you add commands to define the location of security auditing and security archive files before starting the security auditing server. For more information, see Modifying SYSECURITY.COM to Set Up Security Auditing.

5
SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM
A general-purpose command procedure to which you add commands to perform miscellaneous operations for setting up your site. For example, you might mount public disks in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. For more information, see Modifying SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to Perform General Operations.

**Table 1** **Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures**
Order	Command Procedure	Function
1	SYCONFIG.COM	A file to which you add commands for site-specific device configuration. For more information, see Modifying SYCONFIG.COM to Configure Devices.
2	SYLOGICALS.COM	A file to which you add commands to define your site-specific system logical names. For more information, see Modifying SYLOGICALS.COM to Define Systemwide Logical Names.
3	SYPAGSWPFILES.COM	A file to which you add commands to install page and swap files (other than the primary page and swap files in SYS$SYSTEM, which are installed automatically). For more information, see Modifying SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to Install Page and Swap Files.
4	SYSECURITY.COM	A file to which you add commands to define the location of security auditing and security archive files before starting the security auditing server. For more information, see Modifying SYSECURITY.COM to Set Up Security Auditing.
5	SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM	A general-purpose command procedure to which you add commands to perform miscellaneous operations for setting up your site. For example, you might mount public disks in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. For more information, see Modifying SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to Perform General Operations.

Using Template Files

Your distribution kit provides two versions of each site-specific command procedure in the directory SYS$MANAGER:

An executable version with the file type .COM (for example, SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.COM). The system executes files with the file type .COM; you can edit .COM files (except for STARTUP.COM) to meet your site-specific needs.

A backup version with the file type .TEMPLATE (for example, SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.TEMPLATE).

Do not modify or delete the HP-supplied template command files with the .TEMPLATE file type. The VMSKITBLD.COM procedure uses these files to create a new system disk. If you must use the .TEMPLATE version of the file because your .COM version is damaged, copy the .TEMPLATE file to a file with the .COM file type, and edit the copy.

Rules for Modifying Startup Command Procedures

When modifying site-specific startup command procedures, be sure to follow these rules:

Conform to the rules of command procedures, as described in the OpenVMS User's Manual.

Keep the files in the SYS$MANAGER directory.

Keep the file names given to the command procedures.

Modify only the executable version of the files (with the file type .COM), not the template version (with the file type .TEMPLATE).

Do not modify the site-independent startup command procedure STARTUP.COM.

Before modifying command procedures, understand the order of startup events. For information, see Understanding the Order of Startup Events.

The startup procedures provided by HP should always work. However, if you introduce an error in the startup or login procedures, you can accidentally lock yourself out of the system. Booting Without Startup and Login Procedures describes a boot procedure you can use in such an emergency.

Understanding the Order of Startup Events

Before modifying the site-specific startup command procedures, you should understand the order of system startup events.

A database file named VMS$PHASES.DAT determines the order of the phases of the startup procedure. It is a sequential list of the phases that STARTUP.COM starts. It includes a series of four basic phases (INITIAL, CONFIGURE, DEVICE, and BASEENVIRON) that start the operating system, followed by a series of phases for layered products.

Do not modify VMS$PHASES.DAT. To start up correctly, the system requires that the contents of this file remain intact.

At startup, a system performs tasks in the following order:

Starts the CLUSTER_SERVER process.

Defines logical names needed for basic operations, and installs images listed in SYS$MANAGER:VMSIMAGES.DAT.

Executes SYCONFIG.COM.

Adds any new drivers by executing one of the following commands:
- On VAX systems, the SYSGEN command AUTOCONFIGURE ALL. This command automatically configures the device driver database, locates all standard devices attached to the system, and loads and connects their device drivers.
- On Alpha systems, the SYSMAN command IO AUTOCONFIGURE. This command automatically configures the device driver database, locates all standard devices attached to the system, and loads and connects their device drivers.
If the symbol STARTUP$AUTOCONFIGURE_ALL is defined as 0 or FALSE by SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.COM, this step is not performed.

Installs the primary swap file, if the file is present.

Starts the CONFIGURE process (swappable). If the system parameter NOAUTOCONFIG is set to 1, the CONFIGURE process is not started. If the symbol STARTUP$AUTOCONFIGURE_ALL is defined as 0 or FALSE by SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.COM, this step is not performed.

Executes SYLOGICALS.COM. At this point, all devices have been made available through the AUTOCONFIGURE ALL command (step 4) or will be made available by the CONFIGURE process (started in step 6).

If the system is a satellite node in a VAXcluster or an OpenVMS Cluster environment, executes SATELLITE_PAGE.COM to install page and swap files on a local disk. SATELLITE_PAGE.COM is created when you execute the CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM procedure.

Executes SYPAGSWPFILES.COM.

Performs the following steps in no specified order:
- Installs required images
- Starts various operating system processes (OPCOM, CACHE_SERVER, ERRFMT, JOBCTL)
- Executes SYSECURITY.COM and starts the AUDIT_SERVER process
- On VAX systems, starts the security server, SECURITY_SERVER, which manages the proxy database and intrusion database
- Starts LMF (License Management Facility) and loads all appropriate Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) from the LMF database

Performs the following steps in no specified order:
- Enables operator consoles and the operator log files
- Starts the SMISERVER process

The order of events within system startup might change in future releases of the operating system.

Modifying SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to Install Page and Swap Files

When the system boots, it automatically installs the primary page and swap files, if they are present in the SYS$SYSTEM directory. If the page and swap files are not in SYS$SYSTEM, or if secondary page and swap files are located on a disk other than the system disk, you must install these files each time the system boots. To install these files, add commands to SYPAGSWPFILES.COM.

Before performing this task, you should understand page and swap files and why you might want to move them. For more information, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

The SYPAGSWPFILES.COM file can also include commands other than INSTALL commands, such as SYSGEN CREATE commands and the DCL commands INITIALIZE and MOUNT, to set up the page and swap files. Note that, at the time STARTUP.COM invokes SYPAGSWPFILES.COM, only the system disk is mounted. Therefore, you might need to add MOUNT commands to SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to mount the disks that hold the page and swap files.

The system must have installed at least one page file before SYPAGSWPFILES.COM exits. Otherwise, STARTUP.COM displays the following error message:

%STARTUP-E-NOPAGFIL, no page files have been successfully installed.

If a system dump file with the name SYSDUMP.DMP does not exist in the SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE] directory, the primary page file PAGEFILE.SYS must exist in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]PAGEFILE.SYS for writing crash dumps. If neither SYSDUMP.DMP nor PAGEFILE.SYS is located in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE], no crash dump file is produced.

You can also use SATELLITE_PAGE.COM to install page and swap files on a satellite node's local disk. SATELLITE_PAGE.COM is created when you run CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM. For more information about installing page and swap files on a satellite node's local disk, refer to OpenVMS Cluster Systems .

How to Perform This Task

Enter SYSGEN CREATE commands in the following format to create secondary system files in the desired locations:CREATE file-spec/SIZE=block-countFor example:
```
SYSGEN> CREATE DUA2:[PAGE_SWAP]PAGEFILE_1.SYS/SIZE=100000
SYSGEN> CREATE DUA2:[PAGE_SWAP]SWAPFILE_1.SYS/SIZE=100000
```
The CREATE command creates or extends files that can be used as a page, swap, or dump file. You create these files only once.

For more information about creating page and swap files, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems. For more information about the SYSGEN command CREATE, refer to the SYSGEN section of the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

Invoke any editor to edit SYS$MANAGER:SYPAGSWPFILES.COM.

If necessary, add a MOUNT command to mount the disk or disks that are to hold the secondary page and swap files. Disks other than the system disk are not yet mounted at the time SYPAGSWPFILES.COM is invoked. For information about the MOUNT command, refer to the MOUNT section of the HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary.

Add the following command to make it easier to invoke SYSGEN:
```
$ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN
```

Add commands in the following format to SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to install the secondary files each time the system boots.

For page files, use the following format:SYSGEN INSTALL file-spec /PAGEFILEFor swap files, use the following format:SYSGEN INSTALL file-spec /SWAPFILEThe INSTALL command activates secondary page and swap files. Page and swap files not located in SYS$SYSTEM must be installed each time the system boots.

Example

The following commands in SYPAGSWPFILES.COM install secondary page and swap files on the device DUA10: with the logical name PAGE_SWAP:

$ MOUNT/SYSTEM/NOASSIST DUA10: SYS2 PAGE_SWAP
$ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN
$ SYSGEN INSTALL PAGE_SWAP:[SYSTEM]PAGEFILE1.SYS/PAGEFILE
$ if $status then write sys$output "Installed page file PAGEFILE1.SYS"
$ SYSGEN INSTALL PAGE_SWAP:[SYSTEM]SWAPFILE1.SYS/SWAPFILE
$ if $status then write sys$output "Installed swap file swapfile1.sys"

Modifying SYCONFIG.COM to Configure Devices

You can add commands to SYCONFIG.COM to perform site-specific device configuration, including connecting nonstandard devices and suppressing autoconfiguration.

Connecting Nonstandard Devices

Standard devices are automatically connected and configured by STARTUP.COM each time the system boots. Nonstandard devices (devices not supplied by HP) are not automatically connected and configured; you must connect and configure these devices manually by entering certain commands. To execute these commands each time the system starts up, add the commands to SYCONFIG.COM.

On VAX systems, add SYSGEN CONNECT commands. For more information about connecting devices, see Connecting Devices and Loading Device Drivers. For more information about the SYSGEN CONNECT command, refer to the SYSGEN section of the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

On Alpha systems, add SYSMAN IO CONNECT commands. For more information about connecting devices, see Connecting Devices and Loading Device Drivers. For more information about the SYSMAN IO CONNECT command, refer to the SYSMAN section of the HP OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual .

Example

To connect a nonstandard device called the QQ device, add the following commands to SYCONFIG.COM:

$ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN
$ SYSGEN CONNECT QQA0

Suppressing Autoconfiguration of Devices

You might want to suppress autoconfiguration for various reasons, including the following ones:

To customize the order in which you configure devices

To troubleshoot booting problems

To allow Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) based workstations to use devices on another workstation's SCSI bus without causing conflicts during boot time

You can define a symbol in SYCONFIG.COM to suppress autoconfiguration. For more information, see Suppressing the Autoconfiguration of Devices.

Modifying SYLOGICALS.COM to Define Systemwide Logical Names

A systemwide logical name applies to the entire system. It is defined in the system logical name table and can be used by any process in the system. A clusterwide system logical name applies to every node in the cluster at a system level. It is defined in the clusterwide system logical name table of every node and can be used by any process in the system.

In general, system managers edit the SYLOGICALS.COM command procedure to define site-specific logical names that take effect at system startup. However, this is not the appropriate command procedure for defining clusterwide logical names, which is, rather, SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. Refer to "Preparing a Shared Environment" in OpenVMS Cluster Systems for more information.

As supplied by HP, SYLOGICALS.COM contains commands that assign systemwide logical names on a MicroVAX system that is not in an OpenVMS Cluster environment. If your system is not a standalone MicroVAX system, you can ignore the procedure at the beginning of the template file and add systemwide logical name assignments to the end of the file.

You can add commands to create your own site-specific systemwide logical names. In addition, if you want to change default definitions for the following system logical names, you can include the definitions in SYLOGICALS.COM. Commonly Defined System Logical Names lists some commonly defined logical names.

Table 2 Commonly Defined System Logical Names
Logical Name For More Information

CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE¹
HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems

LMF$LICENSE
OpenVMS License Management Utility Manual

MAIL$SYSTEM_FLAGS
Customizing Mail

NETNODE_REMOTE
DECnet for OpenVMS Networking Manual

NETPROXY
HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security

NET$PROXY
HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security

QMAN$MASTER
Specifying the Location of the Queue Database

RIGHTSLIST
HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security

SYS$ERRORLOG
HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems

SYS$MONITOR
HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems

SYSUAF
HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security

VMSMAIL_PROFILE
OpenVMS User's Manual

**Table 2** **Commonly Defined System Logical Names**
Logical Name	For More Information
CLUE$DOSD_DEVICE¹	HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems
LMF$LICENSE	OpenVMS License Management Utility Manual
MAIL$SYSTEM_FLAGS	Customizing Mail
NETNODE_REMOTE	DECnet for OpenVMS Networking Manual
NETPROXY	HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security
NET$PROXY	HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security
QMAN$MASTER	Specifying the Location of the Queue Database
RIGHTSLIST	HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security
SYS$ERRORLOG	HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems
SYS$MONITOR	HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems
SYSUAF	HP OpenVMS Guide to System Security
VMSMAIL_PROFILE	OpenVMS User's Manual

HP recommends that you define logical names for system components (for example, public disks and directories) in executive mode, using the /EXECUTIVE_MODE qualifier with the ASSIGN or DEFINE command. This type of logical name, known as a trusted logical name, is available during system operations such as the activation of privileged mode images (LOGINOUT, Mail, and so on).

For detailed information about logical name assignments and the privilege modes (executive, kernel, supervisor, and user), refer to the OpenVMS User's Manual .

How to Perform This Task

Invoke any editor to edit the file SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGICALS.COM.

Add logical name definitions in the following format to the end of the file, immediately preceding the EXIT command:DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE/NOLOG logical-name equivalence-nameFor example:
```
$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE/NOLOG FINANCE_DISK DRAC$DRA2:
```
For more information about the DEFINE command, refer to the HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary .

Exit the editor to create a new version of the file. The highest version will automatically be invoked by STARTUP.COM each time the system boots.

Example

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE/NOLOG FINANCE_DISK DRAC$DRA2:
$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE/NOLOG SYSDSK SYS$SYSDEVICE:

In this example, any user on the system (and any program running on the system) could use the name FINANCE_DISK (the logical name) in place of DRAC$DRA2: (the physical device name). Similarly, you can refer to the system disk (SYS$SYSDEVICE:) as SYSDSK.

Modifying SYSECURITY.COM to Set Up Security Auditing

SYSECURITY.COM runs prior to starting the security audit server process. You can add commands to this file to mount or define any disks that you want to hold security auditing log files or local security archive files. For more information about security auditing, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Ordinarily, the system turns on auditing in VMS$LPBEGIN just before SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM executes. However, you can change this behavior by redefining the logical name SYS$AUDIT_SERVER_INHIBIT.

To inhibit the automatic startup of auditing, edit the SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGICALS.COM command procedure to add the following line:

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM/EXECUTIVE SYS$AUDIT_SERVER_INHIBIT YES

Then you can initiate auditing during another phase of system startup, perhaps at the end of SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, by editing the command file to add the following line:

$ SET AUDIT/SERVER=INITIATE

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

Modifying SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to Perform General Operations

To perform any site-specific command not performed by another startup command procedure, you can add or modify commands in the general-purpose, site-specific startup command procedure, SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

HP recommends that you edit this procedure to modify or add commands that perform tasks such as the following ones:

Task For More Information

Mounting public disks
Mounting Public Disks

Setting the characteristics of terminals and printer devices
Setting Terminal and Printer Characteristics

Starting queues and enabling autostart for queues
Starting Queues and Enabling Autostart for Queues

Installing known images
Installing Known Images

Installing resident images²
Installing Resident Images (Alpha Only)

Setting up the OpenVMS InfoServer Client software
Setting Up the OpenVMS InfoServer Client Software

Running the System Dump Analyzer
Running the System Dump Analyzer

Purging the operator's log file
Purging the Operator Log File

Submitting batch jobs that are run at system startup time
Submitting Batch Jobs to Run at Startup Time

Creating systemwide announcements
Creating Systemwide Announcements

Starting up the LAT protocol software
Starting Up and Customizing the LAT Protocol Software

Starting a DECnet or TCP/IP network
Starting a DECnet or TCP/IP Network

Starting up the DIBOL Message Manager
Starting the DIBOL Message Manager

Defining the number of interactive users
Defining the Number of Interactive Users

Task	For More Information
Mounting public disks	Mounting Public Disks
Setting the characteristics of terminals and printer devices	Setting Terminal and Printer Characteristics
Starting queues and enabling autostart for queues	Starting Queues and Enabling Autostart for Queues
Installing known images	Installing Known Images
Installing resident images²	Installing Resident Images (Alpha Only)
Setting up the OpenVMS InfoServer Client software	Setting Up the OpenVMS InfoServer Client Software
Running the System Dump Analyzer	Running the System Dump Analyzer
Purging the operator's log file	Purging the Operator Log File
Submitting batch jobs that are run at system startup time	Submitting Batch Jobs to Run at Startup Time
Creating systemwide announcements	Creating Systemwide Announcements
Starting up the LAT protocol software	Starting Up and Customizing the LAT Protocol Software
Starting a DECnet or TCP/IP network	Starting a DECnet or TCP/IP Network
Starting up the DIBOL Message Manager	Starting the DIBOL Message Manager
Defining the number of interactive users	Defining the Number of Interactive Users

How to Perform This Task

To modify SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, perform the following steps:

Invoke any editor to edit the file.

To prevent the command procedure from exiting if it invokes an error, include the DCL command SET NOON at the beginning of the file. This command disables error checking after the execution of each command in the procedure. For more information about error checking, refer to the OpenVMS User's Manual .

Add commands to perform site-specific operations. Sections Mounting Public Disks to Defining the Number of Interactive Users describe operations that are typically performed by this command procedure.

Exit the editor to create a new version of the file. The highest version will automatically be invoked by STARTUP.COM each time the system boots.

Mounting Public Disks

A public volume is a disk that any process on the system can access. To make disks available for public use, you must perform the following tasks:

Physically load and spin up the disk.

If the disk is new, initialize it.

Mount the disk for systemwide access using the DCL command MOUNT. (Using the MOUNT command for the system disk is not necessary--the system disk is already mounted when the system starts.)

How to Perform This Task

Add MOUNT commands in the following format to the command procedure:MOUNT/SYSTEM device-name: volume_label logical_name

where:

device-name is the physical device name (including a colon immediately after the device name). For information about physical device names, see Understanding Device Names.

volume_label is an alphanumeric identification that you assign with the INITIALIZE command.

logical_name is the logical name that you want to assign to the device. Consider the advantages of using logical volume names to conceal the physical device names. If you and the users consistently use the logical volume name, it is not necessary to know on which physical drive the volume is mounted. Thus, you can avoid including physical device names in programs and command procedures.

The /SYSTEM qualifier makes the disk available for systemwide access.

Note that, by default, the system creates the following logical name when you use the MOUNT command:DISK$volume_label

In many cases, using the default logical name will meet your needs.

When mounting disks in a startup command procedure, do not specify the /CLUSTER qualifier, even in a VAXcluster or an OpenVMS Cluster environment. Each node executes its own startup command procedure, so each node mounts disks for itself.

When SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM executes (and only then), the MOUNT command default includes the /NOASSIST qualifier. This qualifier means that operator-assisted mounts are disabled. To enable this feature during SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, specify /ASSIST with each MOUNT command.

For a DSA disk, you must also insert a WAIT statement in the command procedure prior to the first MOUNT statement. The wait time is controller-dependent. If you omit a WAIT statement, the MOUNT request might fail with a "no such device" status. Refer to the HP OpenVMS I/O User's Reference Manual for more information.

For more information about public volumes, see Public and Private Disk Volumes and Mounting Volumes. For more information about the MOUNT command, refer to the MOUNT section of the HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary.

Mounting Disks That Must Be Available Early in Startup

If you have any disks that must be mounted early in startup, you can add MOUNT commands to SYCONFIG.COM. For example, your site might require that certain files be available before SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM executes. For more information about SYCONFIG.COM, see Modifying SYCONFIG.COM to Configure Devices.

Setting Terminal and Printer Characteristics

To establish the device characteristics of the terminals and printers on the system, use a series of SET commands in your startup command procedure. For more information about the commands you use to set up devices, see Setting Terminal Characteristics and Setting Printer Characteristics.

If your configuration is simple, you can add the commands to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. If your configuration requires a large number of commands, create a separate command procedure (for example, DEVICE_SETUP.COM) and execute it from SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. When the device setup command procedure finishes executing, control returns to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

Starting Queues and Enabling Autostart for Queues

You should add commands to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to perform the following tasks:

Enable autostart for queues

Start nonautostart execution queues

If your configuration is simple, you can add these commands to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. On systems with a large number of queues, you might want to include the commands in a separate file named, for example, STARTQ.COM, and include a command in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to invoke the queue startup command procedure. The autostart feature simplifies queue startup, and allows you to start queues with fewer commands. HP recommends you use autostart queues whenever possible to simplify queue startup. For more information about autostart queues, see Understanding Autostart Queues.

For more information about starting queues and enabling autostart for queues in system startup, see Creating and Starting Autostart Execution Queues.

Installing Known Images

You can install commonly used programs as known images to reduce the I/O overhead in activating those images and to assign attributes or privileges to the images. Use the Install utility (INSTALL) to install known images, which you must reinstall each time the system boots.

STARTUP.COM includes a series of INSTALL commands that install certain system programs as known images. You should include any site-specific INSTALL commands in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to install images each time the system boots.

For information about installing known images, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Example

The following example shows a command sequence you might include in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM for installing additional known images:

$ INSTALL
  ADD/OPEN/SHARED/HEADER_RESIDENT BASIC
  ADD/OPEN/SHARED/HEADER_RESIDENT FORTRAN
  EXIT

Installing Resident Images (Alpha Only)

Resident images must be installed each time the system boots. You can add commands to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to automatically perform this task. HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems explains how you can use the Install utility (INSTALL) to install resident images on Alpha systems.

Setting Up the OpenVMS InfoServer Client Software

If you use the InfoServer system, you will probably perform some setup tasks in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. For example, you can add commands to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to:

Start the InfoServer Client for OpenVMS software

Make remote compact discs available on your system each time the system boots

HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems explains the InfoServer system and its uses.

Running the System Dump Analyzer

You run the System Dump Analyzer utility (SDA) each time the system boots to analyze the system crash dump in case the system failed the last time it was running. You can do this by adding command lines to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

For details, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems and the OpenVMS VAX System Dump Analyzer Manual and the OpenVMS Programming Environment.

If you use the page file for the crash dump file, you must enter the SDA command COPY when the system reboots, to copy the dump from the page file to another file suitable for analysis.

If you fail to perform the copy operation, pages used to save the crash dump information are not released for paging, and your system might hang because it has insufficient paging space. For more information, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Example

The following commands, executed in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, invoke SDA, save and analyze the crash dump, and print a listing file:

$ ANALYZE/CRASH_DUMP SYS$SYSTEM:SYSDUMP.DMP
    COPY SYS$SYSTEM:SAVEDUMP.DMP        ! Save dump file
    SET OUTPUT DISK1:SYSDUMP.LIS        ! Create listing file
    READ/EXECUTIVE                      ! Read in symbols for kernel
    SHOW CRASH                          ! Display crash information
    SHOW STACK                          ! Show current stack
    SHOW SUMMARY                        ! List all active processes
    SHOW PROCESS/PCB/PHD/REGISTERS      ! Display current process
    EXIT

Purging the Operator Log File

Each time you reboot the system, you create a new version of the operator log file, OPERATOR.LOG. You should devise a plan for regular maintenance of the versions of this file. Add the following command to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to purge all but the last two versions of the operator log file:

$ PURGE/KEEP=2 SYS$MANAGER:OPERATOR.LOG

For more information about the operator log file, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Submitting Batch Jobs to Run at Startup Time

Your site might have batch jobs that you want to submit at system startup time. To submit such batch jobs, add SUBMIT commands in the following format to SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM: SUBMIT [/qualifier,...] SYS$MANAGER:file-spec

Example

The following example submits a batch job to run a command procedure each time the system boots. The job is submitted at a high priority to make sure the job is scheduled before any batch jobs users might submit. If possible, submit startup batch jobs at high priority in this way before you start the batch queue.

$ SUBMIT/PRIORITY=255 SYS$MANAGER:SYSDISK_REBUILD

See Changing the Scheduling Priority of a Job for information about scheduling of jobs. Refer to the HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary for information about the SUBMIT command.

Creating Systemwide Announcements

Usually, the last command in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM announces to all terminals that the system is up and running:

$ REPLY/ALL/BELL "OpenVMS Operating System at ANDROMEDA, INC. ready for use."

Before the procedure exits, you can provide site-specific definitions for one or both of the logical names SYS$ANNOUNCE and SYS$WELCOME. Whenever a user logs in, the user's terminal screen displays the messages associated with SYS$ANNOUNCE and SYS$WELCOME.

Defining SYS$ANNOUNCE

You can define SYS$ANNOUNCE to print an announcement at the beginning of the login procedure for each user. The text prints immediately after a successful dial-in, Ctrl/Y, or carriage return is received. It also prints on LAT terminals when a user connects to a service using the CONNECT command. The text can contain up to 63 characters. For longer messages, precede the name of a text-containing file with an at sign (@) so that the login command procedure prints the entire file as an announcement.

For example, you could include the following command in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM:

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM SYS$ANNOUNCE "SIRIUS OPENVMS CLUSTER AT ANDROMEDA, INC."

Or you might prefer to print a file by including the following command:

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM SYS$ANNOUNCE "@SYS$MANAGER:ANNOUNCE.TXT"

If you do not define SYS$ANNOUNCE, the system does not display an announcement.

Sites requiring moderate or high security should restrict the amount of information displayed in system announcements.

Defining SYS$WELCOME

You can define SYS$WELCOME to display a welcome message whenever a user logs in. The text prints immediately after the user enters the correct password. The text can contain up to 63 characters. For longer messages, precede the name of a text-containing file with an at sign (@) so that the login command procedure displays the entire file as a welcoming announcement.

For example, you could include a command like the following one in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM:

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM SYS$WELCOME "Welcome to Node RANDOM"

If you prefer to display the contents of a file containing a message, you could use the following line in the procedure:

$ DEFINE/SYSTEM SYS$WELCOME "@SYS$MANAGER:WELCOME.TXT"

If you do not explicitly define SYS$WELCOME, the terminal displays a standard welcome message similar to the following one:

Welcome to OpenVMS Version n.n

You can add the DECnet node name to this message by including a translation of the logical name SYS$NODE. When DECnet starts, it creates the logical name assignment for SYS$NODE.

SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, supplied as a template with your distribution kit, includes additional command examples for SYS$ANNOUNCE and SYS$WELCOME.

Starting Up and Customizing the LAT Protocol Software

To set up your node as a LAT service node and start the LAT protocol software on your system each time the system boots, add the SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM:

$ @SYS$STARTUP:LAT$STARTUP.COM

When the procedure executes this command, it invokes LAT$STARTUP.COM, which in turn invokes the LAT$CONFIG and LAT$SYSTARTUP command procedures. For more information, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Starting a DECnet or TCP/IP Network

Before starting the network, you must register your DECnet license and configure your network. See HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems for information about setting up DECnet network.

If your system participates in a DECnet network, you might need to start the DECnet software each time your system boots:

If you are running DECnet for OpenVMS on your system, edit SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM to delete the exclamation point (!) at the beginning of the following command line:
```
$ @SYS$MANAGER:STARTNET.COM
```

If you are running DECnet-Plus on your system, DECnet is started automatically each time you boot your system.

If you are running a different network, you must run the appropriate startup files for the particular network protocol. For example, three common net stack startups are:

@SYS$STARTUP:TCPIP$STARTUP
! TCP/IP SERVICES

@SYS$STARTUP:NET$STARTUP
! DECnet-Plus

@SYS$STARTUP:STARTNET
! DECnet Phase IV

Starting the DIBOL Message Manager

Each node that will execute DIBOL programs must contain a line in SYS$STARTUP:SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM that executes the command procedure SYS$STARTUP:DBLSTRTUP.COM. This command procedure starts the DIBOL Message Manager, used by DIBOL programs as an intermediary in passing messages.

Example

SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM should contain a line as follows:

$ @SYS$STARTUP:DBLSTRTUP.COM

Defining the Number of Interactive Users

By default, when the system starts up, it limits to 64 the number of interactive users allowed to log in.

To change the default value for the number of interactive users that you permit to log in to your system at one time, define the symbol STARTUP$INTERACTIVE_LOGINS to be the maximum number of users in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM as follows:STARTUP$INTERACTIVE_LOGINS == n

where n specifies the maximum number of interactive users that can log in at one time.

The number of interactive users is determined by the value authorized by your VAX or Alpha computer license. Therefore, setting the number higher than the license limit has no effect.

The maximum number of interactive users influences the service rating that the LAT software assigns to a service node. The LAT software uses a ratio of current users to maximum users in calculating a rating. An artificially high user limit results in a high service rating, indicating--erroneously--that the service node is more able to provide services. For information about LAT software, see HP OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 2: Tuning, Monitoring, and Complex Systems.

Example

$ STARTUP$INTERACTIVE_LOGINS == 200

Footnotes

1 Alpha specific

2 Alpha specific

( Number takes you back )

Adding and Deleting Optional Files

Modifying Login Command Procedures to Customize User Environments

@SYS$STARTUP:TCPIP$STARTUP	! TCP/IP SERVICES
@SYS$STARTUP:NET$STARTUP	! DECnet-Plus
@SYS$STARTUP:STARTNET	! DECnet Phase IV