HP OpenVMS Systems

HP Advanced Server for OpenVMS
Server Administrator's Guide

All text data sent between the Advanced Server and a client is in one of two formats: Unicode (UCS-2) or a client code page (OEM code page). Usually, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 clients use Unicode. Earlier clients such as MS-DOS and Windows for Workgroups communicate using a client code page.

When the file server receives data from a client, it converts the character data from its source format to the file server's character set. If any characters in the source data cannot be converted (because the characters do not exist in the file server's character set), the server returns an error (ERROR_NO_UNICODE_TRANSLATION) to the client and records an event log entry with event number 1113. (Note that these errors should not occur in processes involving the OpenVMS Registry and the Windows NT-compatible Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) supported by the Advanced Server, because these components fully support Unicode (UCS-2).)

Once the character data is converted, it remains in the converted format for its lifetime on the file server.

Character data in the various databases used by the Advanced Server, including the SAM, ACL, and share databases, is stored in the file server's character set.

File names are stored in one of two formats, depending on the storage file system: ODS-2 or ODS-5.

4.4.3.1 File Name Storage and Handling on ODS-2 Volumes

ODS-2 volumes do not support Unicode characters in file names. Therefore, the Advanced Server file server resorts to storing characters in an escape-encoded format by representing unsupported characters as a sequence of supported characters in the form __XX , where XX represents a pair of hexadecimal digits corresponding to the encoded character's code point in the file server's character set.

Before the file server sends a file name from the ODS-2 volume to another system, the file server converts the __XX escape sequence back to the file server's character set. If the code point in the file server's code set at code point XX is not defined, the escape sequence is not decoded. It is returned in the file name as is.

On ODS-5 volumes, names are stored in either ISO-8859-1 or Unicode (UCS-2) format. In general, Unicode is used, but if a file name is composed entirely of ISO-8859-1 characters, the ISO-8859-1 format is used by the file system to save space in the directory file.

Before the file server sends a file name from the ODS-5 volume to another system, the file server converts the name from the ODS-5 format (ISO-8859-1, or UCS-2) into the server's character set, and then to either UCS-2 or the client code page for MS-DOS or Windows for Workgroups.

If a file on the ODS-5 volume has a file name containing characters that cannot be mapped to the Advanced Server character set (or to the client code page for MS-DOS or Windows for Workgroups), the file server ignores the file name and does not return it to the client system. For the client to access that file, the file name must first be changed appropriately from OpenVMS. If the file in question is contained in a directory that the client is attempting to delete, the client will not be able to delete the directory until that file is deleted from OpenVMS.

4.4.4 How to Change the Way ADMINISTER Commands Handle and Display Extended Character Set Characters

• /RAW
  For terminals that support the ISO-8859-n character sets, the actual extended character set characters in the Advanced Server's character set are used for input and output. The characters are not converted. If this qualifier is set for a terminal that does not support ISO-8859-n character sets, and filtering is not enabled, output will be unpredictable. Enable filtering with the /OUTPUT qualifier.
• /VTF7
  Code point values that map to Unicode hexadecimal values 0080 to 00FF (128 to 255 decimal) are input in either the ^xx or ^Uxxxx format, and displayed in the ^xx format. xx represents a two-digit hexadecimal number, and xxxx represents a four-digit hexadecimal number. Code point values 0100 to FFFF (256 to 65,535 decimal) are input and displayed in the ^Uxxxx format.
  Notice that the extended character set characters for Unicode values 0080 to 00FF (128 to 255 decimal) can be input in either of two different formats: ^xx and ^uxxxx, where xx and xxxx are two-digit and four-digit hexadecimal numbers, respectively. Unicode values above 00FF (255 decimal) must be entered in the ^uxxxx format.
• /INPUT=mode
  Sets only the input mode. The mode keyword can be one of the following:

  Mode	Description
  RAW	The input characters are handled as the actual characters in the Advanced Server's character set.
  VTF7	The input characters are handled as VTF-7 characters.

  
  Note that if the input and output modes differ, your command input might appear in one format while being displayed in another.
• /OUTPUT=mode[/[NO]FILTER]
  Specifies the output mode only. The mode keyword can be one of the following:

  Mode	Description
  RAW	The output characters are displayed as the actual characters in the Advanced Server's character set.
  VTF7	The output characters are handled as VTF-7 characters.

  
  Optionally, specify the /FILTER qualifier to convert characters before they are output. If filtering is enabled (the default), the C1 character codes (127 through 160 decimal) are converted to spaces before being output. Specify /NOFILTER to disable filtering; output on some terminals might be unpredictable.
  You can specify one mode only. You can specify one mode and the /[NO]FILTER qualifier, or just the /[NO]FILTER.
  Note that if the input and output modes differ, your command input might appear in one format while being displayed in another.

Settings made with the SET MODE command are preserved until you log out from the system. These settings will determine the default modes that take effect each time you invoke the ADMINISTER command interface. If you have not yet used the SET MODE command to change input or output mode settings during your present system user login session, the defaults are determined by the current OpenVMS DCL parse style. If the parse style is TRADITIONAL (the OpenVMS default), ADMINISTER command input and output modes are RAW; if the parse style is EXTENDED, ADMINISTER input and output modes are VTF7.

You can set permanent defaults by inserting the appropriate SET MODE command in your login command file. For example, to set input and output modes to VTF7, with output unfiltered, enter the following command in your LOGIN.COM file. The server does not have to be running for this command to execute.

$ ADMINISTER SET MODE/VTF7/OUTPUT=NOFILTER

To determine the current modes in effect for ADMINISTER commands, use the ADMINISTER SHOW MODE command, as described in Section 4.4.4.3, How to Display the Current Mode Settings.

4.4.4.2 Examples: How Each Mode Affects ADMINISTER Command Input and Output

When output is set to RAW mode on a server using the Spanish language, Spanish characters are displayed as shown in the following example (assuming the terminal supports the ISO-8859-1 character set, which is used when the Spanish language is configured). In this example, only the output is changed to RAW. The default input here is VTF7. Note how the Spanish characters are handled differently on input and output.

LAPLAYA\\VALENCIA> SET MODE/OUTPUT=RAW
LAPLAYA\\VALENCIA> SHOW SHARE ^BFESPA^F1OL /FULL

Shared resources on server "VALENCIA":

Name          Type       Description
------------  ---------  -------------------------------------------------------
¿ESPAÑOL      Directory
    Path: USER1:[¿ESPAÑOL]
    Connections:  Current: 0, Maximum: No limit
    RMS file format: Stream
    Directory Permissions: System: RWED, Owner: RWED, Group: RWED, World: RE
    File Permissions: System: RWD, Owner: RWD, Group: RWD, World: R
    Share Permissions:
        Everyone                        Full Control

  Total of 1 share

Note that when the input mode is VTF7, the extended character set characters for Unicode hexadecimal values 0080 to 00FF (128 to 255 decimal) can be input in either of two different formats: ^xx and ^uxxxx. Unicode hexadecimal values above 00FF (255 decimal) must be entered in the ^uxxxx format.

The following example shows how certain code point values in the Spanish language's character set are displayed when the output is set to VTF7 mode.

LAPLAYA\\VALENCIA> SET MODE/OUTPUT=VTF7
SHOW SHARE ^BFESPA^F1OL /FULL

Shared resources on server "VALENCIA":

Name          Type       Description
------------  ---------  -------------------------------------------------------
^BFESPA^F1OL  Directory
    Path: USER1:[^BFESPA^F1OL]
    Connections:  Current: 0, Maximum: No limit
    RMS file format: Stream
    Directory Permissions: System: RWED, Owner: RWED, Group: RWED, World: RE
    File Permissions: System: RWD, Owner: RWD, Group: RWD, World: R
    Share Permissions:
        Everyone                        Full Control

  Total of 1 share

To display the current input and output modes in effect, use the ADMINISTER SHOW MODE command. In the following example, the input and output modes are set to VTF7. Output is filtered.

LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW MODE

Current mode settings:

Input:  VTF7
Output: VTF7, FILTER

OpenVMS queue names support any uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, the underscore (_), and dollar sign ($). When you create an Advanced Server print share, specifying Unicode characters other than these supported characters, the Advanced Server creates an OpenVMS queue using the standard ODS-2 format for these characters: __XX, where XX is the 8-bit code.

Because OpenVMS restricts the length of queue names to 31 characters, the length of Advanced Server print share names are restricted accordingly. For example, seven characters is the maximum length for a print share name consisting entirely of unsupported characters.

4.5 Using ODS-5 Disk Volumes in the Advanced Server Environment

With OpenVMS Version 7.2-1 and higher, you can use the Extended File Specifications feature to offer file system services that are compatible with Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 2003 file systems. To take advantage of the capabilities of Extended File Specifications, be sure to complete the following steps:

1. Convert disk volumes that are used for storing shared directories and files from the ODS-2 to ODS-5 file system. For instructions, refer to the OpenVMS Guide to Extended File Specifications.
2. Convert existing shared files on those disk volumes. For instructions, refer to the HP Advanced Server for OpenVMS Server Installation and Configuration Guide.

To simplify share access, you may want to set up all shared disk volumes as ODS-5 disk volumes.

The Advanced Server for OpenVMS, Version 7.3 or higher, can now support 8-bit extended character set characters for a selected set of objects, as discussed in Section 4.4, Unicode and Extended Character Sets.

4.5.1 Requirements for Using Extended File Specifications and Extended Character Sets

To take advantage of Extended File Specifications and extended character sets, your process must be enabled for Extended File Specifications and extended character sets. By default, you cannot enter Extended File Specifications or extended character set characters in DCL command lines. To enable Extended File Specifications and extended character sets, enter the following command:

$ SET PROCESS/PARSE_STYLE=EXTENDED

Assuming the ADMINISTER SET MODE command has not been used to change the mode settings during the current user login session, the ADMINISTER interface will recognize that the process parse style was set to EXTENDED and will then allow use of extended character set characters in the ^Uxxxx and ^xx formats on input. For more information about using these characters in the ADMINISTER command interface, see Section 4.4.4, How to Change the Way ADMINISTER Commands Handle and Display Extended Character Set Characters. For more information about using Extended File Specifications and extended character sets at the DCL command level, refer to the OpenVMS Guide to Extended File Specifications.

Depending on the type of client computer, file naming conventions on ODS-5 disk volumes differ from those on ODS-2 disk volumes as described in the Section 4.5.2.5, Storing Files on ODS-5 Disk Volumes.

4.5.2 Managing Shares on ODS-5 Disk Volumes

When ODS-5 disk volumes are used for client file access, you manage them the same way you manage shares on ODS-2 disk volumes. In addition, you can:

• Display shares and files on ODS-5 disk volumes using OpenVMS commands and ADMINISTER commands.
• Convert file names from ODS-2 encoding to ODS-5.
• Display the type of disk volume (ODS-2 or ODS-5).
• Specify file names for client-created files using DCL commands and ADMINISTER commands.

The following sections describe the procedures for managing ODS-5 disk volumes.

4.5.2.1 Displaying Shares and Files on ODS-5 Disk Volumes

As with ODS-2 volumes, you can display information about a share on an ODS-5 volume --- information such as the disk device on which the share is stored, the current connections to that share, RMS file format, and permissions --- using the SHOW SHARES command with the /FULL qualifier. For example, to display information about the share STATES, enter the following command:

LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW SHARES STATES/FULL

Shared resources on server "TINMAN":

Name          Type       Description
------------  ---------  -----------------------------------------
STATES        Directory
   Path: AABOUT$MDA1::[STATES]
   Connections:  Current: 1, Maximum: No limit
   RMS file format: Stream
   Directory Permissions: System: RWED, Owner: RWED, Group: RWED, World: RE
   File Permissions: System: RWD, Owner: RWD, Group: RWD, World: R
   Share Permissions:
       Everyone                        Full Control

  Total of 1 share

You can display the files in a share on the ODS-5 disk volume, in the same way as you would on an ODS-2 volume, using the ADMINISTER command SHOW FILES. To display the contents of subdirectories as well, include the /SUBDIRECTORIES qualifier. For example, if the share STATES is on an ODS-5 disk volume, display the files in the directory [STATES.KANSAS], as well as all files in all subdirectories by entering the following command:

LANDOFOZ\\TINMAN> SHOW FILES STATES\KANSAS\* /SUBDIRECTORIES

Files in: \\TINMAN\STATES\KANSAS

  FILE1.DAT
    Permissions:
      Administrators                     Full (All)
      Everyone                           Change (RWXD)
      Server Operators                   Change (RWXD)
      SYSTEM                             Full (All)
    Audit Events: (None specified)
    Owner: Scarecrow

  FILE2.DAT
    Permissions:
      Administrators                     Full (All)
      Everyone                           Change (RWXD)
      Server Operators                   Change (RWXD)
      SYSTEM                             Full (All)
    Audit Events:                        Success    Failure
      Everyone                           RW----     RWXDPO
    Owner: Scarecrow

  Total of 2 files

This example displays auditing, permissions, and owner information about all files in the shared directory KANSAS in the share STATES, including subdirectories.

4.5.2.2 Converting File Names

After a disk volume has been converted to ODS-5, it may contain file names with ODS-2 escape-encoded characters. These file names should be converted to the ODS-5 nonencoded character set, using the PWCONVERT utility, as described in HP Advanced Server for OpenVMS Server Installation and Configuration Guide.

4.5.2.3 Displaying the Disk Volume Type

To determine whether a specific disk volume is an ODS-5 disk volume, use the OpenVMS command SHOW DEVICE/FULL command, as follows:

$ SHOW DEVICE MDA1:/FULL

  Disk AABOUT$MDA1:, device type RAM Disk, is online, allocated, deallocate
  on dismount, mounted, file-oriented device, shareable.

      Error count                        0  Operations completed 155
      .
      .
      .
      Volume Status: ODS-5, subject to mount verification, file high-water
      marking, write-back caching enabled.

$

The summary display line shows the type of disk volume (in this case, ODS-5).

4.5.2.4 Specifying File Names in ADMINISTER Commands

When you specify a file name as part of an ADMINISTER command line, you can enter the file name as it appears on the client computer, assuming your server is configured to support the same language as that supported on that client, and your workstation or terminal are configured to support the client language. Be sure to enclose the file name in quotation marks if it contains a space or other nonalphanumeric characters (such as a question mark (?), punctuation mark, and so forth). If the input mode is set to VTF7, you can enter such file names without quotation marks, using the ^xx or ^uxxxx formats for the special characters. For example, assuming the input mode is set to RAW, you can change the file permissions of the file named My File.Txt in the share LIONTAIL by entering the following ADMINISTER command:

LANDOFOZ\TINMAN>SET FILE \LIONTAIL\"My File.Txt" SCARECROW\PERMISSIONS=READ

If input mode is set to VTF7, you can also enter the space character as ^_ or ^20 (20 is the hexadecimal representation for the space character).

For information about entering such file names on the OpenVMS DCL command line, see the appropriate OpenVMS documentation.

4.5.2.5 Storing Files on ODS-5 Disk Volumes

When clients store files on ODS-5 disk volumes, the length and characters included in the file name depend on the limitations of the software that created the file. For example, on MS-DOS clients, file names are limited to the "8.3" convention: file names can be no longer than eight characters, there must be one period to separate the file name from the file extension, and the file extension can be up to three characters. Therefore, MS-DOS clients do not take advantage of the full capabilities of the ODS-5 disk volume. ODS-5 disk volumes (as well as ODS-2) support these types of files.

Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 clients can write longer file names, which may contain more than one period, and have file extensions of any length within the file name length limit. Therefore, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 clients take advantage of the features of ODS-5 disk volumes.

4.5.2.5.1 Windows File Naming

If you are using the Advanced Server in an environment where long file names are not always supported, users should continue using MS-DOS file naming conventions. For example, if your clients are running Windows 3.11, or older Windows applications that only recognize the 8.3 file format, file names should follow the 8.3 file-naming convention; if your clients are running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows 2000, they can use long file names.

On Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 clients, the following names are reserved and cannot be used for files or directories on either ODS-5 or ODS-2 disk volumes: AUX, COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, CON, LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, NUL, and PRN.

On Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 clients, file names preserve uppercase and lowercase characters, but are not case sensitive. This behavior is supported on ODS-5 volumes, and to some extent on ODS-2 volumes.

For more details on file naming conventions supported by each type of client, refer to the appropriate documentation for that client operating system.