OpenVMS VAX Upgrade and Installation Supplement

This document serves as a supplement to the primary Upgrade and Installation Manual, providing VAX 8600 and VAX 8650 specific information for installing, upgrading, or updating the OpenVMS VAX operating system (Version 6.0, as of May 1993).

The supplement covers:

• The Console Subsystem: Describes its components, including the console terminal, control panel with indicator lights and keylock switches, the console disk drive (RL02), and console command language, essential for system control and monitoring during installation.
• VMS Operating System Installation: Provides steps specific to VAX 8600/8650 systems, such as determining device names, initial system power-on, booting standalone BACKUP, and booting the newly installed system disk (whether local or HSC).
• System Startup and Shutdown Procedures: Details various methods for booting the system, including from local drives, HSC drives, creating default boot command procedures (DEFBOO.COM, DEFGEN.COM), booting from different directories (e.g., [SYSF]), and using XDELTA for debugging. It also outlines orderly and emergency system shutdown processes.
• Backup Procedures: Explains how to perform complete backups of the system disk using Standalone BACKUP. This includes installing and booting Standalone BACKUP (from the system disk or an RL02 disk), the process of backing up and restoring the system disk, and creating backup copies of the console RL02.

This guide is intended for anyone responsible for VMS installation or upgrade on VAX 8600 and VAX 8650 computers, to be used in conjunction with the general Upgrade and Installation Manual.