HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

HP DECwindows Motif for OpenVMS
Management Guide

This chapter describes the DECwindows system startup process, which begins when the first DECwindows startup command file executes and continues until the DECwindows Start Session dialog box is displayed.

This chapter describes the following topics:

• Understanding the startup procedure
• Using the DECW$STARTUP.COM procedure
• System startup considerations

This section describes the DECwindows Motif startup process. Figure 2-1 illustrates the startup sequence from when the DECwindows Motif startup command procedure, DECW$STARTUP, is invoked.

Note that some procedures are optional. For example, DECW$STARTI18N is only invoked if OpenVMS Internationalization (I18N) kit has been installed. These optional procedures appear shaded in the following diagram.

Figure 2-1 DECwindows Startup Command Procedure Flow

1. DECW$LOGICALS.COM: Creates the DECW$LOGICAL_NAMES table. DECwindows application startup and configuration parameters are defined during this step. The DECW$SYSCOMMON logical is also defined, which enables individual systems to override cluster-wide settings for data files (such as keymap and font files).
2. DECW$DEVICE.COM: Loads and configures the DECwindows device drivers. This procedure also defines the symbols used in subsequent phases of the DECwindows startup sequence. Before loading the specific device drivers, it executes the INIT portion of the DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP file (if it exists), which allows systems to override automatic device selection.
   It then sets the symbol DECW$DEVICE, which contains a list of the graphics devices available to the display server. DECW$DEVICE.COM uses this list to invoke the device-specific configuration procedures, DECW$DEVICE_CONFIG_Gx, (where x represents the device type identifier, such as Z for GZA0).
3. DECW$SETPARAMS.COM: Sets the required system parameter values. This procedure sets the appropriate values for system parameters required during DECwindows startup.
   If one or more parameters are not set correctly, a list of parameters that need to be modified is displayed. The DECW$STARTUP.COM procedure asks if the user wants to run AUTOGEN. If you invoked DECW$STARTUP.COM with the RESTART parameter, the question displays on the system console.
   If you answer NO to this question, DECW$STARTUP.COM displays a message stating that DECwindows cannot start until the system parameters are modified and exits. If you answer YES, DECW$STARTUP.COM runs AUTOGEN from the GETDATA phase to REBOOT. This modifies system parameters and then reboots system.
   To bypass the system parameter check, define the logical name DECW$IGNORE_AUTOGEN before running DECW$STARTUP.COM (see Table 2-2).
4. DECW$INSTALL_IMAGES.COM: Loads the system and transport shareable images. By default, the following shareable images are installed in SYS$SHARE on startup:
   • DECW$XPORT_SERVICES.EXE (memory resident)
   • DECW$LCNLIBSHR.EXE (memory resident)
   • DECW$XPORT_PTHREAD.EXE
   • DECW$TRANSPORT_COMMON.EXE (memory resident)
   • DECW$TRANSPORT_DECNET.EXE
   • DECW$TRANSPORT_LOCAL.EXE
   • DECW$TRANSPORT_TCPIP.EXE
   • DECW$SECURITY.EXE
   • DECW$SETSHODIS.EXE
   • DECW$SETSHODISSHR.EXE (memory resident)
   • DECW$XAUSHR.EXE (memory resident)
   • DECW$TRANSPORT_LAT.EXE
5. DECW$STARTI18N.COM: Sets the language locale (optional). If the I18N option was chosen during DECwindows installation, the following functions are performed at system startup:
   1. Creates the language-specific directories.
   2. Specifies default system language.
   3. Modifies system logicals and default to reflect the appropriate language-specific directory specification.
   4. Runs the country-specific startup procedure, DECW$STARTI18N_xx_xx.COM, where xx_xx represents the language locale (such as, FR_FR).
6. DECW$STARTXTERMINAL.COM: Installs support for X terminal emulators (optional). If the logical DECW$INSTALL_XTERMINAL has been defined in the system startup procedure, the following functions are performed:
   1. Provides client support using the LAT transport.
   2. Adds XTDRIVER as class driver for Xlib to communicate to the LT driver.
   3. Installs DECW$TRANSPORT_LAT.EXE.
   4. Provides font file sharing through the DECW$FD process.
   5. Runs the font daemon process as a detached process.
   6. Installs the DECnet access gateway server image with SYSNAM privileges.
7. DECW$STARTSERVER.COM: Starts the DECwindows display server. This procedure performs the following:
   1. Handles the RESTART option to the DECW$STARTUP procedure. If RESTART is selected, a command file named DECW$KILLSERVERn.COM is created and executed as a detached process with the process name "Server n Restart". This procedure stops the current server process and executes DECW$STARTUP.COM with P1 set to null.
   2. Writes progress to a startup log file, SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTUP_n.LOG, and purges previous logs according to the value specified by the DECW$KEEPLIMIT logical. The default value is 2.
   3. Creates the server-specific logical name table DECW$SERVERn_TABLE.
   4. Executes the file SYS$MANAGER:DECW$EURO_SERVER_SETUP.COM, if the euro option was chosen at installation time. This changes the default paths for font and keymap files to euro-enabled files.
   5. Invokes the server customization file DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM. See Section 3.1 for information about how to customize the display server.
   6. Populates the server-specific logical name table based on symbols defined in DECW$DEVICE.COM, DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM, and DECW$EURO_SERVER_SETUP.COM (if it exists).
   7. Checks for and starts the font server, if it has been defined.
   8. Purges previous versions of the server error log file DECW$SERVER_n_ERROR.LOG.
   9. Checks for the symbol DECW$SERVER_DUMP that indicates whether the server saves a process dump file when a server crash occurs. Setting this logical also disables the server's condition handler.
   10. Checks for user-specified server process parameters. See Section 3.1.2.1 for a list of server process parameters that you can modify.
   11. Determines the server executable name. Normally this is SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$SERVER_MAIN.EXE. An alternative server image executes if:
       • The logical DECW$SERVER_MAIN is defined to point to an alternative server executable file.
       • A file exists with the name SYS$SYSTEM:DECW$SERVER_MAIN_xx.EXE, where xx are the first two letters of the primary graphics device defined by the symbol DECW$DEVICE.
       
       Note that an alternate server image is executed only for bug fixes and special hardware releases.
   12. Runs the display server image as a detached process using the device name and process parameter information collected.
8. DECW$STARTLIBS.COM: Loads and configures the client and shared libraries. This procedure performs the following:
   1. Defines DECwindows logicals.
   2. Installs Xlib, Xt, and other shared libraries.
   3. Connects the WSDRIVER for the DCL command SET DISPLAY.
9. DECW$STARTAPPS.COM: Establishes the user application development environment. This procedure also creates a WSAn: device in executive mode and creates a Start Session dialog box. If you have created the customization command files DECW$PRIVATE_APPS_SETUP.COM and DECW$EURO_APPS_SETUP.COM (if the euro option has been installed), they are invoked here. Use this file to customize the login sequence. See Section 4.4 for information about how to customize application startup.

Typically, DECW$STARTUP.COM is the only DECwindows command procedure that a system manager invokes directly. This procedure, located in the SYS$MANAGER directory, is called as follows:

• During system startup to invoke DECwindows Motif.
• By a privileged user to restart the display server, if required.
• By a privileged user to start the DECwindows server, libraries, or applications. "Starting" the libraries, for example, consists of defining logicals and installing images.

DECW$STARTUP.COM takes one parameter. Table 2-1 lists the possible parameter values and the procedure they invoke.

The following sections describe actions you may want to take prior to invoking the DECwindows Motif system startup procedure.

2.3.1 Definining DECwindows System Logicals

Before starting DECwindows, you may want to make changes or add logicals to the system startup file, SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM, which is located in the SYS$MANAGER directory.

Table 2-2 lists each logical name and its meaning.

DECwindows Motif requires that some system parameters be set to specific minimum values. If the values are not set properly, the system prompts you to run AUTOGEN to modify the values. For information about these values, see Appendix A.

To optimize system performance and use of physical memory, many DECwindows images are installed as resident (with shared address data) during system startup.

If DECwindows Motif software is started manually (outside of normal system startup), error messages similar to the following may be displayed:

$ @SYS$MANAGER:DECW$STARTUP
%INSTALL-I-NONRES, image installed ignoring '/RESIDENT' DISK$ALPHA:
<SYS0.SYSCOMMON.SYSLIB>DECW$XPORT_SERVICES.EXE
-INSTALL-E-NOGHREG, insufficient memory in the code or data granularity hint region
%INSTALL-I-NONRES, image installed ignoring '/RESIDENT' DISK$ALPHA:
<SYS0.SYSCOMMON.SYSLIB>DECW$LCNLIBSHR.EXE
-INSTALL-E-NOGHREG, insufficient memory in the code or data granularity hint region
%INSTALL-I-NONRES, image installed ignoring '/RESIDENT' DISK$ALPHA:
<SYS0.SYSCOMMON.SYSLIB>DECW$TRANSPORT_COMMON.EXE
-INSTALL-E-NOGHREG, insufficient memory in the code or data granularity hint region
.
.
.

These messages indicate that there is not enough memory in the granularity hints region to install the images as resident. As a result, the images are installed nonresident, without shared address data. These messages are not critical; however, the performance of these images may be affected, particularly during activation.

If these messages are displayed at startup, increase the value of one or more of the GH_* system parameters, such as GHRSRVPGCNT, and restart DECwindows Motif to ensure that resident images are installed successfully.

This chapter describes how to configure the DECwindows display server and includes the following topics:

• Customizing the display server, which describes how to use the DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP file and lists the available customization parameters
• Specifying network transports
• Establishing access control
• Setting up a multihead system
• Changing the default keyboard layout
• Specifying new fonts
• Setting up an LBX proxy server

This section describes how to change the default behavior of the DECwindows display server using server customization parameters. It describes the available parameters and how to set them on cluster-common and standalone systems.

3.1.1 Using the DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP File

The DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.TEMPLATE file is located in the SYS$MANAGER directory. This template file contains the information that you need to customize your DECwindows Motif display server environment.

When the display server is started, it looks in the logical name table (DECW$SERVERn_TABLE) for logical names that can override the default characteristics. The logical name table is created and populated during the DECwindows startup process, as described in Chapter 2. For each parameter defined in the DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM file, the startup procedure creates a logical name in the display-server logical name table.

Some parameters are used only during the startup procedure and do not have a matching logical name in the display server logical name table. These parameters either identify system parameters to be used in starting the display server process or are used in combination with other parameters to obtain the value of a logical name to be added to the display server logical name table.

If the display server does not find a logical name in its private logical name table, it looks in the system logical name table. Use the DCL command DEFINE/SYSTEM in the DECW$PRIVATE_SERVER_SETUP.COM file to define logicals for those functions that are supported but do not have an associated parameter in the version of OpenVMS that you are using.

3.1.2 The Display Server Customization Parameters

Table 3-1 lists the parameters alphabetically along with the type, default value, and range for each parameter.