OpenVMS 8.4 - Does not mount CD-ROM

Hi folks,

I have a fresh OpenVMS 8.4 installation on the latest FreeAXP 4.0.0.670 and having problems mounting a CD drive. The version running is the free one, so I have only one option for raw devices (in addition to the system disk).

I tried both, a physical CD drive and a virtual CD drive and today both refuse to mount from OpenVMS 8.4. The interesting part is that yesterday, using the same command and the same virtual CD drive, it mounted without problems. FWIW, I'm trying to mount the Freeware V8.0 CD to get some goodies installed.

I'm fine with OpenVMS being alien, but this is too much. <img src='../images/smiley/shock.gif' alt='smiley'>


Any ideas?

What error(s) do you see?

The error I got was illegal block number:

ILLBLKNUM, illegal logical block number

The command used to mount the disk was:

/MOUNT/MEDIA_FORMAT=CDROM/OVERRIDE=IDENTIFICATION DKA100:

Tried today and, believe it or not, it works again:

< class='quote' style='width:400px;white-space:nowrap;overflow:auto'><code style='white-space:nowrap'>
$ MOUNT/MEDIA_FORMAT=CDROM/OVERRIDE=IDENTIFICATION DKA100
%MOUNT-I-WRITELOCK, volume is write locked
%MOUNT-I-CDROM_ISO, FREEW801:UNDEFINED (1 of 1) , mounted on _OVMS84$DKA100:
$
<br><br><br></code>

For what it is worth, I have never used the /MEDIA_FORMAT=CDROM qualifier. I would have mounted using this command:

MOUNT/OVER=ID DKA100:

100% agree with Bruce's comment.

/MEDIA_FORMAT=CDROM is what you need [i:]if[/i:] the disk is in ISO 9660 or High Sierra format. But the freeware disk is in the expected-for-OpenVMS ODS-2 (or maybe ODS-5?) format so leave that qualifier off and it will do the right thing. You could put /NOWRITE on there to prevent it from kicking out a warning message that tells you it's read-only if you want to.

Source:
< class='quote' style='width:400px;white-space:nowrap;overflow:auto'><code style='white-space:nowrap'>$ HELP MOUNT /MEDIA_FORMAT<br><br><br></code><hr>