VAXcluster Maintenance Student Workbook Volume 1

This document, "VAXcluster Maintenance Student Workbook Volume 1," serves as a comprehensive guide for understanding, maintaining, and diagnosing VAXcluster systems. It introduces VAXclusters as highly integrated VAX/VMS systems that share resources and function as a single entity, detailing their key hardware components (VAX nodes, Hierarchical Storage Controllers (HSC), the high-speed Computer Interconnect (CI) Bus, Star Coupler, CI Intelligent I/O Ports, and the CISCE for cluster expansion) and software components (Distributed File System, Lock Manager, Job Controller, Connection Manager, MSCP Server, and System Communication Services).

A significant portion of the workbook describes the CI Bus, covering its high-speed, multi-access communication protocols, packet formats, and transmission mechanisms, including arbitration and virtual circuits. It elaborates on the different CI Interface types (CI750, CI780, CIBCI, CIBCA) that connect VAX systems to the CI Bus, detailing their physical characteristics, installation, and internal module functions such as the Link Interface, Packet Buffer, Data Path, and various system bus interfaces (CMI, SBI, VAXBI).

The document also provides an in-depth overview of CI Port Diagnostics, categorizing them into Repair Diagnostics (Level 3) for testing hardware components, Functional Diagnostics (Level 3) for verifying operational microcode, and the CI Exerciser (Level 2R) for testing node-to-node communication. It further explains CI Port Registers, including both hardware and microcode registers, their address assignments, and access methods. The latter sections include practical lab exercises, quizzes, and discussions on performance considerations for HSC controllers, reinforcing theoretical knowledge with practical applications.