Newbie OpenVMS 8.3 Installation Issues - Home Block Not Found

Hi all,

I'm running into basic setup issues trying to get OpenVMS 8.3 installed on FreeAXP on my PC.

Using the FreeAXP configuration screen, I set up DKA0 and DKA100 as 5 GB img files for 2 virtual hard drives. The virtual disks were automatically created by FreeAXP during configuration. I used the default location settings (c:/user/public/AlphaServer_dka***.img) and upped the size to 5 GB each. I set up DKA600 as a physical CDROM drive. I loaded the OpenVMS Alpha Kit CD into my PC's DVD drive (mapped to DKA600).

The problem that has me stopped is I am running into an error message for the DKA0 and DKA100 drives when I try to enter the device name for installing OpenVMS OS 8.3 target data: “%MOUNT_E_NOHOMEBLK, Filter-11 Home Block not found on volume”.
I thought maybe I needed to define the DKA0 virtual disk as a boot disk. I did that using “SET BOOTDEV_DEV DKA0”. However, it appears I have a disk format error of some kind.

Any thoughts on where in the FreeAXP or OpenVMS environment to proceed?

Best Regards,
Patrick

Patrick,

those 2 disks are empty and never had been INITed from OpenVMS. The installation procedure seems to expect disks with a valid ODS file system.

Before installating OpenVMS V8.3, drop to the DCL prompt using choice 7 (or is it in the menue and type:

$$$ init DKA0: disk0
$$$ init DKA100: disk100
$$$ Logout

and then install OpenVMS onto one of those disks.

Volker.

If you take a look at the Release Notes or Installation Guide on the VMS installation CD, it will walk you through booting the CD and initializing a disk to install on. Once you reach the DCL prompt via the CD, you can also type HELP.

There are a couple of VMS for beginners books floating around whose title escapes me at the moment. Perhaps some else can post them.

Hi Volker,

Bingo. That was the issue. The instructions worked like a charm.

The OpenVMS 8.3 installation guide I downloaded from HP did not include disk configuration instructions. I guess it's covered in another document.

Thank you. <img src='../images/smiley/smile.gif' alt='smiley'>

Hi Bruce,

I could not look at the Release Notes or Installation Guide on the installation CD since it is in ODS-2 format, which my PC DVD drive cannot read. I searched the DOC disk you allowed me to access, but ran into multiple documents. I ended up ownloading the OpenVMS 8.3 Installation guide/manual PDF from HP's OpenVMS website.

I did not see any indication that FreeAXP allowed access to ODS-2 formats on it own. Does it? It seemed that the ODS data wasn't readable until it was used as part of the Boot function. I now have the OpenVMS OS installed, so accessing the remainder of the ODS-2 CD data should no longer be a problem.

I do need a VMS for beginners, or more to the point, "An Idiot's Guide". It's been almost 2 decades since my PDP/DEC system days. I'll start googling for one, but if you have a recommendation, please make it.

Best Regards,
Patrick<hr>

Getting Started with OpenVMS by Mike Duffy: <a href=" books.google.com/ " target='_blank'> books.google.com/

OpenVMS Beginners FAQ: alpha.mike-r.com/VMS_beginners_faq.html

OpenVMS Introduction: labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/5

OpenVMS Beginners page: www.openvms.org/pages.php?page=Beginner