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HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

Content starts here 7.14 Installing Patches (Optional but Recommended)
HP OpenVMS Version 8.4 Upgrade and Installation Manual > Chapter 7 After Installing or Upgrading the OpenVMS Operating System

7.14 Installing Patches (Optional but Recommended)

HP recommends installing any relevant OpenVMS and networking patches that are available. Most patches are optional, but some layered products might require one or more patches on the system before their software is installed. For more information about patches that might be required on your system, see the HP OpenVMS Version 8.4 Release Notes, and the documentation provided for the relevant layered products.

As of Version 8.3 of OpenVMS, patch files are validated using the Secure Delivery feature. Each patch file includes an associated digital signature file (also referred to as a manifest) that is used to validate the patch file. This validation involves authenticating the originator (HP, in this case) and verifying the contents of the file.

NOTE: HP strongly recommends backing up your system disk before installing patches.

To download and install OpenVMS patches, do the following:

  1. Create a directory on a nonsystem disk called [PATCHES] and set default to that directory.

  2. For OpenVMS Alpha systems, go to the following location (entering the letters in the case indicated) and down load the appropriate patches to the [PATCHES] directory:

    ftp://ftp.itrc.hp.com/openvms_patches/alpha/V8.4

    For OpenVMS Integrity server systems, go to the following location (entering the letters in the case indicated) and down load the appropriate patches to the [PATCHES] directory:

    ftp://ftp.itrc.hp.com/openvms_patches/i64/V8.4

    Alternatively, you can access patches at the following location:

    http://www.itrc.hp.com

  3. The patches are downloaded as compressed files. To decompress them, use the RUN command, as in the following example:

    $ RUN VMS84I_MX2-V0100.ZIPEXE

    This decompresses the patch into an installable file.

  4. Install the decompressed patches as described in the patch release notes.

Alternatively, you can access the ITRC site from your OpenVMS system and down load the patches as described in the following steps:

  1. Create a directory on a nonsystem disk called [PATCHES] and set default to that directory.

  2. Enter the following command at the system prompt:

    $ FTP FTP.ITRC.HP.COM
  3. Log in as an anonymous user (user name: anonymous). The password is your email address.

  4. Once you are logged in, enter the bin command at the FTP> prompt to get into binary mode, as in the following example. Binary mode is necessary for downloading patches correctly. Enter commands in this and the following steps in the exact case shown (lowercase or uppercase).

    FTP> bin
    200 Type is set to I.
  5. Enter the command PASSIVE ON, as in the following example:

    FTP> passive on
    Passive is on.
  6. On OpenVMS Alpha systems, to access the directory containing the Version 8.4 operating system patches, enter the following command, using the exact case indicated for each letter:

    FTP> cd openvms_patches/alpha/V8.4
    250 CWD command successful.

    On OpenVMS Integrity server systems, to access the directory containing the V8.4 operating system patches, enter the following command, using the exact case indicated for each letter:

    FTP> cd openvms_patches/i64/V8.4
    250 CWD command successful.

    To access the directory containing patches for layered products such as TCP/IP Services or DECnet, enter the following command (for Alpha systems, specify alpha in place of Integrity servers)::

    FTP> cd openvms_patches/layered_products/i64
    250 CWD command successful.
  7. Search for the patch you want by using the ls command, specifying a few unique letters of the patch name in uppercase (all patch names are in uppercase) surrounded by asterisks. For example, to look for a patch named VMS83I_MX2-V0100, enter the following command:

    FTP> ls *MX2*
    227 Entering Passive Mode (192,151,52,14,235,168)
    150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
    VMS83I_MX2-V0100.ZIPEXE
    VMS83I_MX2-V0100.txt
    
    226 Transfer complete.
    47 bytes received in 00:00:00.00 seconds (45.90 Kbytes/s)

    The .ZIPEXE file is the patch installation file; the .TXT file is the patch release notes (also included in the .ZIPEXE file). Alpha patches have a .PCSI-DCX_AXPEXE file extension.

  8. If the patch is an UPDATE patch or a TCP/IP patch, which can be very large files, you might want to enter the hash command as shown in the following example so that in the next step you can verify that the download is happening as expected (hash displays # symbols on the screen as the file is being downloaded).

    FTP> hash
    Hash mark printing on (1024/hash mark).
  9. When you find the patch file, use the get command to download the file, as in the following example. Remember that case is significant and all patch file names are in uppercase.

    FTP> get VMS83I_MX2-V0100.ZIPEXE
    227 Entering Passive Mode (192,6,165,75,248,228)
    150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for VMS83I_MZX2-V0100.ZIPEXE
    (36218732 bytes).
    #########################################################################
          .
          .
          .
    #########################################################################
    #########
    226 Transfer complete.
    local: USER5:[PATCHES]VMS83I_MX2-V0100.ZIPEXE;1
    remote: VMS83I_MX2-V0100.ZIPEXE
    2238464 bytes received in 00:00:01.29 seconds (1.65 Mbytes/s)
  10. Repeat steps 8 through 10 until you have downloaded all the patches you need.

  11. When you are finished, press Ctrl/Z to exit FTP and return to the DCL prompt.

  12. The patches are downloaded as compressed files. To decompress them, use the RUN command, as in the following example:

    $ RUN VMS83I_MX2-V0100.ZIPEXE

    This decompresses the patch into an installable file.

  13. Install the decompressed patches as described in the patch release notes.