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EK-DIS1K-UG-001

October 1990

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Document:	INFOserver 100 Users Guide
Order Number:	EK-DIS1K-UG
Revision:	001
Pages:	168
Original Filename:

OCR Text

InfoServer 100
System Operations Guide
Order Number: EK–DIS1K–UG–001

This guide describes how to operate an InfoServer 100 system.

Revision/Update Information:

Digital Equipment Corporation

This is a new manual.

First Edition, October 1990
© Digital Equipment Corporation 1990
The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation:
DEC
DECconnect
DECmate
DECnet
DECserver
DECUS
DECwriter
DIBOL
MASSBUS

PDP
P/OS
Professional
Q-bus
Q22-bus
Rainbow
RSTS
RSX
RT

ThinWire
ULTRIX
UNIBUS
VAX
VMS
VT
VT100
Work Processor

MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

This document was prepared with VAX DOCUMENT, Version 1.2.

Contents
PREFACE

CHAPTER 1 SERVER DESCRIPTION

1–1

1.1

INFOSERVER 100 OVERVIEW
1.1.1
InfoServer 100 Functions
1.1.2
Server–Client Relationship

1–1
1–2
1–3

1.2

ESTABLISHING A SERVER MANAGEMENT SESSION

1–4

1.3

SERVER MANAGEMENT COMMANDS

1–6

1.4

HELP FACILITY

1–7

1.5

AUTOMATIC SERVICE POLICIES FOR MULTIPLE SERVERS

1–7

1.6

HIGH-AVAILABILITY FEATURE TO REDUCE SERVICE
INTERRUPTIONS

1–8

CHAPTER 2 SERVER FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES

2–1

2.1

LAD AND LAST PROTOCOLS
2.1.1
LAST
2.1.2
LAD

2–1
2–2
2–2

2.2

AUTOMATIC MOUNTING OF COMPACT DISCS

2–3

2.3

INTERNAL READ/WRITE DISK FUNCTIONS

2–3

iii

2.4

SERVICE RATINGS

2–4

2.5

INFOSERVER NAMING CONVENTIONS
2.5.1
InfoServer Name
2.5.2
Service Names
2.5.3
Partition Names
2.5.4
Device Names

2–5
2–5
2–6
2–7
2–7

2.6

SERVICE CLASSES

2–9

2.7

INFOSERVER READ/WRITE ACCESS POLICIES

2–9

2.8

MOP FUNCTIONS
2.8.1
MOP Identify Self
2.8.2
MOP Read Counters
2.8.3
MOP Loop Messages
2.8.4
MOP Downline Loading

2–10
2–11
2–11
2–11
2–11

CHAPTER 3 SERVER MANAGEMENT COMMANDS
3.1

COMMAND SYNTAX CONVENTIONS
3.1.1
InfoServer Commands
3.1.2
Special Keys
3.1.3
Wild Card Matching
CLEAR
COPY
CREATE PARTITION
CREATE SERVICE
DELETE PARTITION
DELETE SERVICE
EXIT
HELP
INITIALIZE
LOOP
MONITOR
REBOOT
RESTORE
SAVE

3–1
3–1
3–2
3–2
3–3
3–4
3–5
3–7
3–9
3–13
3–14
3–17
3–18
3–19
3–20
3–21
3–22
3–23
3–25

SET PARTITION
SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT
SET SERVER GROUP CODES
SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION
SET SERVER MOP
SET SERVER MULTICAST
SET SERVER NAME
SET SERVER PASSWORD
SET SERVER STATE
SET SERVER WORK GROUP
SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS
SET SERVICE
SHOW DEVICE
SHOW ETHERNET
SHOW LAT
SHOW MOP
SHOW PARTITIONS
SHOW SERVER
SHOW SERVICE
UPDATE MOP
UPDATE SYSTEM
ZERO ALL
ZERO ETHERNET
ZERO LAT
ZERO MOP
ZERO SERVER

CHAPTER 4 PERFORMING ADVANCED FUNCTIONS

3–27
3–28
3–29
3–31
3–32
3–33
3–34
3–35
3–36
3–37
3–38
3–40
3–44
3–47
3–52
3–56
3–60
3–63
3–66
3–70
3–72
3–74
3–75
3–76
3–77
3–78

4–1

4.1

SERVING REGULARLY UPDATED COMPACT DISCS

4–2

4.2

ASSIGNING PASSWORDS TO PROTECT COMPACT DISCS

4–3

4.3

SERVING MEDIA UNDER SEVERAL NAMES

4–3

4.4

CREATING AND SERVING PARTITIONS

4–4

4.5

SERVING AN EXTERNAL READ/WRITE DISK

4–6

4.6

BACKING UP READ/WRITE DATA
4.6.1
Backing Up Data Locally
4.6.2
Backing Up Data Remotely

4–7
4–7
4–8

4.7

CREATING MOP PARTITIONS FOR DOWNLINE LOADING

4–9

CHAPTER 5 TROUBLESHOOTING
5.1

CANNOT CONNECT TO THE INFOSERVER DISK

5–1

5.2

ACCESS TO INFOSERVER DISKS SEEMS SLOW

5–9

5.3

CANNOT ENTER INFOSERVER COMMANDS FROM A LOCAL
CONSOLE

5–10

CANNOT ENTER INFOSERVER COMMANDS FROM A REMOTE
CONSOLE

5–12

5.5

INFOSERVER SOFTWARE WILL NOT BOOT

5–17

5.6

ONLINE HELP NO LONGER AVAILABLE

5–19

5.7

INFOSERVER DOES NOT BOOT COMPLETELY

5–20

5.8

INFOSERVER DOES NOT MOP DOWNLINE LOAD SYSTEMS

5–22

5.9

FORGOT THE INFOSERVER PASSWORD

5–27

5.4

5–1

APPENDIX A INFOSERVER V1.0 COMMAND SUMMARY

A–1

APPENDIX B SERVER MESSAGES

B–1

B.1

INFORMATIONAL MESSAGES

B–2

B.2

ERROR MESSAGES

B–3

B.3

WARNING MESSAGES

B–8

INDEX

Index–1

FIGURES
1–1

InfoServer Serving Clients

1–3

TABLES
1

Conventions

1–1

InfoServer 100 Command Set

1–6

2–1

DKn: Devices

2–8

3–1

InfoServer Special Keys

3–2

Valid Class Names

3–10

3–3

Valid Class Names

3–15

3–4

Class Descriptions

3–41

3–5

SHOW DEVICE Display Fields

3–45

3–6

SHOW ETHERNET Display Fields

3–48

3–7

SHOW LAT Display Fields

3–53

3–8

SHOW MOP Display Fields

3–57

3–9

SHOW PARTITIONS Display Fields

3–62

3–10

SHOW SERVER Display Fields

3–64

3–11

SHOW SERVICE Display Fields

3–68

vii

Preface

Purpose of This Guide
This guide describes the set of commands used to manage the
InfoServer 100 virtual disk server for Ethernet networks. You can
use these commands to set up services for client systems on the network. The guide also provides troubleshooting information to help solve
problems that affect InfoServer 100 software operations.
For information on installing and troubleshooting the InfoServer 100
system hardware, see the InfoServer 100 Installation and Owner’s
Guide.
For information on managing a VMS client node, see the VMS LAD
Control Program (LADCP) Manual.

Who Should Use This Guide
This manual is intended for network managers.

Structure of This Guide
This guide contains five chapters and two appendices.
•

Chapter 1, ‘‘Server Description,’’ provides a functional overview
of the InfoServer 100 system and describes how to establish a
management session on the Infoserver. The chapter also introduces
you to the InfoServer 100 command set.
ix

•

•
•

•

Chapter 2, ‘‘Server Functions and Features,’’ describes InfoServer
100 features and functions, such as automatic mounting of compact
discs, device-naming conventions to simplify access, and downlineloading capabilities.
Chapter 3, ‘‘Server Management Commands,’’ describes all the
InfoServer 100 commands, including format, parameters, and
examples.
Chapter 4, ‘‘Performing Advanced Functions,’’ describes advanced
features for setting up customized configurations and provides
examples.
Chapter 5, ‘‘Troubleshooting,’’ provides information to identify solve
common operating problems.
Appendix A, ‘‘InfoServer V1.0 Command Summary,’’ provides
a quick-reference summary of the command syntax for each
InfoServer command.
Appendix B, ‘‘Server Messages,’’ lists and describes informational
and error messages.

Related Documents
You can order the following documents from Digital. Not all documents are available in every country. Check with your Digital sales
representative for availability.
Title

Order Number

InfoServer 100 Installation and Owner’s Guide

EK–DIS1K–IN

VMS LAD Control Program (LADCP) Manual

AA–PD1LA–TE

Conventions
The following conventions are used in this guide (Table 1):

Table 1: Conventions
Convention

Meaning

Return

A key name is shown enclosed to indicate that you
press a key on the keyboard.

UPPERCASE

Uppercase letters indicate that you enter a command (for example, enter SHOW/SET).

Red

Red type denotes user input in examples.

Note

Notes provide general information about the current topic.

bootstrap

New terms are highlighted in text.

Chapter 1

Server Description
This chapter provides a functional overview of the InfoServer 100 system. The chapter describes the basic methods of establishing a server
management session and introduces you to the InfoServer commands.
The chapter covers the following topics:
•
•
•
•
•

InfoServer 100 overview
Establishing a server management session
Server management commands
Server HELP facility
Automatic service policies and availability features

1.1 InfoServer 100 Overview
The InfoServer 100 is an Ethernet-based, high-performance, virtual
disk server. It can serve physical disk media and sets of logical disk
blocks to the network. Host systems running the appropriate client
software can connect to virtual disks served by the InfoServer 100 and
use them as though they were locally attached devices.
The InfoServer 100 is a virtual disk server. Unlike a file server, the
InfoServer 100 does not impose a file system on the virtual disks that
it serves. This means the InfoServer can serve a disk with any type
of on-disk file structure. The host client system interprets the on-disk
structure itself, allowing each host system to use its own native file
system. Multiple on-disk structures can be served and accessed on a
single InfoServer 100 at the same time.
Server Description 1–1

1.1.1 InfoServer 100 Functions
The InfoServer 100 has a number of functions:
•

Make compact discs available to clients on the network.
The InfoServer 100 serves compact discs automatically, using their
volume label as the service name when the server is booted, or
when compact discs are inserted in their drives. You do not have to
perform an management action. Client systems simply bind to and
mount the compact discs under their volume labels.
The InfoServer can automatically serve compact discs that are in
ODS-2, ISO-9660, or High Sierra format. Other media type can be
served manually through the InfoServer 100 management interface.

•

1–2

Serve read/write disk partitions.
A partition is a logical subset of a read/write disk. A single disk can
be subdivided into several partitions, each of which can be served
to the network independently. To remote client systems, these
partitions appear to be whole disks. For example, an MS-DOS PC
using the PCSA product can access InfoServer 100 partitions and
use them as though they were a local hard disk.
Act as an initial load system for some new VAX processors.
The InfoServer can downline load the primary bootstrap program
to these VAX systems, by handling maintenance operation protocol
(MOP) requests. The VAX then connects back to the VMS software
distribution compact disc and allows the BACKUP utility to make
a copy of the VMS operating system savesets from the compact disc
onto a read/write disk attached to the VAX. All subsequent VMS
boots are then done from the local read/write disk. See Section 2.8.4
for information on downline loading.
Downline load other products.
The InfoServer 100 can be used to load any Ethernet product that
requests a particular file name to be loaded; that is, the product
does not require an NCP database entry to locate the required
file. Special MOP partitions can be created, and the desired file
copied to that partition. Each InfoServer can handle up to 100
simultaneous downline loads more efficiently than host-based
downline loaders, which must start processes to assist in the load.

Server Description

1.1.2 Server–Client Relationship
Figure 1–1 shows the relationship of the InfoServer 100 to several
possible client systems. In this example, the four compact disc drives
connected to the server appear to the client systems as though they
were physically connected to the clients. The VAX systems and workstation may be using one or two of the compact discs for VMS software
distribution and online documentation, while the personal computer
(PC) may be running the MS-DOS operating system and referencing a
disk partition on the InfoServer. <popup
Figure 1–1: InfoServer Serving Clients

VAX
9000

VAX
6000

Work
St at ion

Ethernet

Segment

CD
I nf oServer
100
CD

MA-0705-90.DG

You can simply connect the InfoServer 100 connect to your Ethernet
local area network and turn it on. After the server is initialized, or
bootstrapped, the server software automatically makes available, or
serves, to client systems the disk media connected to it. For example,
Server Description 1–3

if you insert a compact disc into a server drive, the server detects this
new media and automatically serves it to client systems by using the
volume label as the service name.
The server bootstraps from its internal RZ23 read/write disk drive,
which has the InfoServer 100 software preinstalled. Any future
InfoServer software updates will be distributed on compact discs. As
these new releases become available, you can install the software onto
the internal RZ23 disk for subsequent booting.
You may want to customize server features. You can control the server
by logging into the server and entering server commands, described in
Chapter 3.

1.2 Establishing a Server Management Session
You, the server manager, can establish a server management session
from a local or remote console terminal:
•

For a local session, you connect a terminal capable of interpreting
VT100 ANSI escape sequences to the MMJ serial port 1 on the rear
of the InfoServer 100 system unit.
NOTE

•

This terminal must be set to 9600 baud, 8 bits, no parity.
For a remote session, you make a connection to the InfoServer
100 through a local area terminal (LAT) server.
Like many host systems, the InfoServer 100 will advertise a LAT
service for its management interface and accept connections from
remote terminals attached to terminal servers. Therefore, any
terminal attached to a terminal server on the extended local area
network (LAN) can act as a console terminal for the InfoServer 100
(if the user knows the InfoServer management password).

1–4

Server Description

Determining the Server’s Default Service Name
To make a remote connection to the InfoServer 100 for the first time,
you must first determine the server’s default name. To do this, add
the four-character prefix LAD_ to the hexadecimal Ethernet datalink
address on the inside of the InfoServer 100’s front panel. You can
change this default name by using the SET SERVER NAME command
(Chapter 3).
The server’s name is the service name to connect to. For example, if
the default server name is LAD_08002B15009F, then you would enter
the following command at the terminal server’s prompt to manage the
InfoServer 100:
Local>

CONNECT LAD_08002B15009F

NOTE
See your terminal server user’s guide to learn more about
the establishment of LAT service connections.
Entering an InfoServer Password
After you connect to the InfoServer, you must enter an InfoServer
password to establish the management session. The default server
password is ESS. You can change the password with the SET SERVER
PASSWORD command (Chapter 3).
Sample Session
The following example shows the establishment of a sample session
using a DECserver 500 terminal server:
Local> CONNECT LAD_08002B133C1C
Password: ESS (not echoed))
Local -010- Session 1 to LAD_08002B133C1C established
DEC InfoServer V1.0
InfoServer>

SHOW SERVER

In this example, the terminal server’s prompt is Local>, and a LAT
session is established to the InfoServer 100 whose service name is
LAD_08002B133C1C. The system server requires a server password to
be entered. When the correct password is entered, the server prompts
for the InfoServer commands with the InfoServer> prompt.

Server Description 1–5

Ending a Session
At the end of the management session, you can exit by entering EXIT
at the InfoServer> prompt. This action returns you to the terminal
server’s Local> prompt if the management session is over a LAT connection.

1.3 Server Management Commands
Table 1–1 introduces you to the set of InfoServer 100 commands, described in
Chapter 3.
Table 1–1: InfoServer 100 Command Set

1–6

Command

Function

CLEAR

Erases the screen of the terminal running the
management session.

COPY

Copies data from one disk or partition to another
disk or partition.

CREATE

Creates a new partition on a read/write media, or a
new service for clients to connect to.

DELETE

Deletes a partition or service that was previously
created.

EXIT

Terminates the management session.

HELP

Displays help text for the InfoServer 100 commands.

INITIALIZE

Formats a read/write disk into an InfoServer 100
disk.

LOOP

Automatically repeats any valid InfoServer 100
command.

MONITOR

Automatically repeats valid InfoServer 100 commands every 3 seconds.

REBOOT

Shuts down and reboots the server.

RESTORE

Resets the server to a previously saved system
configuration.

Server Description

Table 1–1 (Cont.): InfoServer 100 Command Set
Command

Function

SAVE

Takes a snapshot of the state of the running server,
for use in state recovery after a server reboot.

SET

Sets partition, service, or server parameters.

SHOW

Displays the server’s parameters and counters.

UPDATE

Updates the system information for the server.

ZERO

Sets internal server counters to zero.

1.4 HELP Facility
The InfoServer 100 provides a HELP facility that contains information
about each server command, including parameters, qualifiers, and
examples of its use. See the HELP command description in Chapter 3
for more information about the HELP facility.

1.5 Automatic Service Policies for Multiple Servers
The InfoServer 100 automatically serves local disk media to clients
when the server is first powered on or when a removable media (compact disc) is inserted in a drive. The server reads the volume label of
each piece of media and uses the labels as the names of the services
offered to clients.
Multiple servers may offer the same services. In this case, the client
uses a rating scheme to select the appropriate service. See the SERVE
DEVICE and SERVE PARTITION command descriptions in Chapter 3
for more information.
NOTE
You can disable the automatic service feature by using the
SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT command.

Server Description 1–7

When you remove a compact disc from a server disc drive, the
InfoServer ends all client connections to the associated service. The
InfoServer also stops offering, or unserves, the associated service to
client systems.

1.6 High-Availability Feature to Reduce Service Interruptions
The InfoServer 100 provides a high-availability feature that is especially beneficial for VMS clients. If the server ends a service connection
for some reason (for example, the server reboots, or the you remove a
compact disc), the VMS client enters mount verification for that disk
volume. If the same service is offered elsewhere on the network, then
the VMS client will automatically fail over to the other volume.
For example, suppose you have two identical copies of the VMS Online
Documentation compact disc inserted into drives on two different
servers. If the original service is broken, the connection will fail over to
the second compact disc. Your file operations will continue as normal,
and you will experience almost no service disruption.

1–8

Server Description

Chapter 2

Server Functions and Features
This chapter provides information on the following topics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

LAD and LAST protocols
Automatic mounting of compact discs
Use of the internal read/write disk
Service ratings
Naming conventions
Service classes
Read/write access policies
MOP functions

2.1 LAD and LAST Protocols
The InfoServer uses the local area disk (LAD) and local area systems transport (LAST) protocols to provide access to the virtual
disks it serves to the LAN network. This protocol pair provides highperformance access to disks in an extended local area network (LAN).
The InfoServer implements the InfoServer portion of the LAD/LAST
protocols, while the host systems that access disks on the InfoServer
implement the client portion of the protocols.

Server Functions and Features 2–1

2.1.1 LAST
The LAST protocol is a specialized transport that allows many clients
to access InfoServers and perform reliable transactions. For the
InfoServer, a transaction is a disk read or write operation. LAST
allows many host client systems to read and write disk information
concurrently to an InfoServer.
Unlike timer-based protocols, LAST is a transaction-oriented protocol.
Normally, information does not pass between a client and an InfoServer
unless the client initiates a transaction. The client system then runs a
timer on the transaction, normally waiting from 2 to 5 seconds before
assuming the transaction was lost and retrying the operation.
The LAST protocol does not provide any routing functions, so LAST
runs only in a LAN network. LAST uses protocol type 80–41. If the
extended LAN uses any filtering devices, they must allow this protocol type to pass unfiltered so InfoServers can be accessed across the
filtering device.
The InfoServer uses a multicast address feature of LAST to establish
connections to disks. The format of the multicast address is 09–00–2B–
04–xx–xx, where xx depends on the work group enabled (Chapter 3).

2.1.2 LAD
The LAD protocol is a specialized disk protocol that uses the LAST
protocol as a transport. That is, LAD messages are delivered in LAST
messages. The LAD protocol provides the mechanism for reading and
writing logical disk blocks independent from any underlying file system.
The host clients that implement LAD interpret the file system locally.
By using the LAD protocol for disk access, the InfoServer can support
multiple host operating systems and disk file structures concurrently.
The LAD protocol also provides the naming facility to access disks.
Each virtual disk is assigned a name by the InfoServer. The LAD
protocol allows clients to query the LAN network for service names
available. When the requested service is found, the client connects
to it, and disk access can begin. When duplicate virtual disks are
available under duplicate service names, LAD provides a facility for
load balancing among the available disks (Section 2.4).

2–2

Server Functions and Features

2.2 Automatic Mounting of Compact Discs
The InfoServer has can automatically recognize newly installed media,
read the media’s volume label, and make that volume label name
available to the LAN network. This process is called the automount
feature. You can enable or disable the automount feature with the SET
SERVER AUTOMOUNT command (Chapter 3).
With the automount feature enabled, there is no need for any
InfoServer management commands to access compact discs. The
InfoServer automatically makes the compact discs available to client
systems. Client systems simply use their native access method to
connect to the volume label name.
The InfoServer automatically serves any compact discs that are present
when the InfoServer boots. It also detects and serves new compact
discs that are inserted while the InfoServer is running. If a compact
disc is removed while the InfoServer is running, then the InfoServer
deletes the volume label service, and any client connections to the
compact disc are broken. If the same compact disc is reinserted into
the InfoServer, client connections are reestablished. If a different
compact disc is reinserted, then it is automatically served with its own
volume label.
If you do not know the volume label of a compact disc, then you can use
the InfoServer management interface to determine the volume label.
After inserting the compact disc, enter the SHOW DEVICE command
at the InfoServer> prompt. This display lists the volume labels for
all compact discs on the system. See the SHOW DEVICE command
description in Chapter 3.

2.3 Internal Read/Write Disk Functions
The InfoServer comes with an internal RZ23 read/write disk. The
InfoServer software uses this disk to store InfoServer parameters,
characteristics, and other information specific to the InfoServer. This
internal disk is preinitialized and loaded with the InfoServer operational software. Therefore, special care must be taken when allowing
remote client access to this disk.

Server Functions and Features 2–3

Partitions
Normally, any InfoServer disk (a disk that has been initialized with the
InfoServer INITIALIZE command) is not served to the LAN network as
a whole disk. Instead, logical subdisks called partitions are served to
the LAN network. A single InfoServer disk can be subdivided into several smaller partitions. Each partition can be treated as a whole disk
by remote clients. Since partitions do not overlap, different systems
can use different partitions without conflict. All InfoServer information is stored in special partitions. Therefore, this information is also
protected from LAN network access to other partitions.
Serving an Entire Disk to the Network
There are special cases when you may wish to serve an entire
InfoServer disk to the LAN network. One example of this might be
to make a backup of the InfoServer disk on a remote client system. The
remote client system should access the disk as if the online disk structure were unknown, since the disk structure is actually an InfoServer
disk. For example, under the VMS operating system you would use
a MOUNT/FOREIGN command. See Section 4.6 for an example of
backing up InfoServer disks.

2.4 Service Ratings
The InfoServer provides static load balancing across duplicate media
within an extended LAN. To do this, the InfoServer provides a rating
for every service that it offers to the LAN network. When client systems request access to a service, they select among duplicate services
by selecting the service with the highest rating. A higher rating indicates a more readily available service for client connections; a lower
rating indicates lower availability. Clients will always select the service
with the highest rating, whenever a service is offered more than once
on the LAN network.
By default, the InfoServer dynamically calculates a rating based on the
InfoServer load for each service. The dynamic rating for each service
is calculated and updated every 10 seconds. The following algorithm is
used to calculate the dynamic rating, within the LAD protocol range of
0 to 65535:

2–4

Server Functions and Features

"! #$

%'& (*)

+&,%'+

(*- .

%'/&,. 01'!3246578

+& %'+

(99- .

%'/&,.

The first term, called the server load factor, is simply an instantaneous
look at the CPU percentage, weighted over one-half the rating scale.
The seconds term, called the service load factor, is 90 percent of the
last calculated load factor plus 10 percent of the current calculated load
factor, weighted over one-half the rating scale. The last load factor is
then replaced with the current calculation of the service load factor.
This produces a moving weighted average that is calculated at each
timer interval, for each service. The formula for the new_calc_srvd_
load term is as follows:
578

+&,%'+

(*- .

%:/;&,.=<

2?>A@BDC=2,E

FHGI

JLKNMOJPRQSBDTPBUCWV3XJYK=2JP*T9
2

As a result, a load is imposed on the service based on the number of
block reads in the past 10 seconds. The term last_calc_srvd_load is
then updated with the new service load factor calculated.
Any service that is blocked by a write session to an overlapping virtual
disk is assigned a rating of 0. See Section 2.7 for more information on
concurrent read/write access.

2.5 InfoServer Naming Conventions
The InfoServer manages several different resources by using their
assigned names. For example, services, logical disk partitions, and
devices have assigned names. Assigning names to each resource makes
it easier to access and manage InfoServer resources. Each resources
has different policies that govern the names applied to those resources.

2.5.1 InfoServer Name
The InfoServer itself is assigned a name. Each InfoServer name must
be unique within an extended LAN. The InfoServer name identifies the
InfoServer unit. This name is also used as a LAT management service
that is advertised to the LAN network.

Server Functions and Features 2–5

When the InfoServer is shipped, the InfoServer software assigns each
InfoServer unit a unique name. The default name is in the form LAD_
xxxxxxxxxxxx, where xxxxxxxxxxxx is the hexadecimal ASCII representation of the Infoserver’s Ethernet adapter address. An example is
LAD_08002B15009F.
If you choose, you can change the InfoServer name to a name that is
more meaningful for your particular environment. If you assign an
InfoServer name, you must use the following sets of characters:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

A–Z
a–z
0–9
$ (dollar sign)
. (period)
_ (underscore)
- (hyphen)
Multinational characters in the ASCII range 192–255

All InfoServer names are case-insensitive. For example, the InfoServer
would treat an uppercase A and lowercase a as a match.

2.5.2 Service Names
The InfoServer can assign service names to devices and partitions.
These service names are the access mechanism for remote client nodes.
Clients specify the names of services that they wish to connect to. The
InfoServer resolves the names down to the requested virtual disk, then
completes the connection request.
Service names offered by the InfoServer are restricted to the same set
of characters used for InfoServer unit names (Section 2.5.1)
Note that some compact discs may have volume labels that contain
characters other than those listed in Section 2.5.1. If the InfoServer
is configured to automount compact discs, it is unable to automatically
serve compact discs whose volume labels contain characters outside
the normal set. For these compact discs, you have to create a service
manually. See the CREATE SERVICE command (Chapter 3).

2–6

Server Functions and Features

It is possible to have identical media or data available on the extended
LAN concurrently. Therefore, it is possible to have the same service
name available within the extended LAN. A service name may be
available more than once on a single InfoServer, or may be available
on more than one InfoServer. When redundant service names are
available on the LAN, clients use load balancing to select the least
busy media. If one service in the LAN should fail, clients will try to
automatically reconnect, or fail over, to another available service.

2.5.3 Partition Names
The InfoServer can create logical sets of blocks, called partitions on
read/write media. A partition is a subset of a physical read/write device
that can be served to the LAN network as though it were an entire
disk. As the InfoServer creates these partitions, it also assigns each
partition a name.
Partition names are local to the InfoServer. Partition names are not
visible to remote client systems. Clients gain access to partitions
through the use of service names. The partition names are only used
by the InfoServer command set for ease of management. Partition
names are unique within a single read/write media.
Partition names created by the InfoServer are also restricted to the
same set of characters used for InfoServer unit names (Section 2.5.1).

2.5.4 Device Names
The InfoServer can support up to nine disk drives that are designated as devices. The system has two buses designated as SCSI-A and
SCSI-B. Each bus can support up to seven devices each. SCSI-A is an
internal bus that has a compact disc drive and a read/write drive preconfigured into the system. SCSI-B is an external bus that may have
a second compact disc drive preconfigured into the system, depending
on your InfoServer model. You can add external disk devices to the
SCSI-B bus.

Server Functions and Features 2–7

Each device on each bus is assigned a number from 0 to 7 that is set by
switches on the device. The InfoServer assigns a device name to each
device of the form DKn:, where n is a device number greater than or
equal to 0. Device numbers are assigned in ascending order, starting
with 0. The numbering starts with the SCSI devices on SCSI-A and
continues with SCSI-B. Table 2–1 lists the full range of DKn: devices
available to the system.
Table 2–1: DKn: Devices
Switch
ID

Unit
Number Device

DKn:

SCSI-A Bus
000

Unused

DK0:

001

Preconfigured read/write disk

DK1:

010

Preconfigured compact disk

DK2:

011

Unused

DK3:

100

Unused

DK4:

101

Unused

DK5:

110

CPU bus position

Reserved

111

Unused

DK7:

SCSI-B Bus

2–8

000

Available for expansion

DK8:

001

Available for expansion

DK9:

010

Available for expansion

DK10:

011

Available for expansion

DK11:

100

Available for expansion

DK12:

101

Preconfigured or available

DK13:

110

CPU bus position

Reserved

111

Available for expansion

DK15:

Server Functions and Features

2.6 Service Classes
Since the InfoServer is a virtual disk server rather than a file server,
it can support multiple operating systems and multiple on-disk file
structures concurrently. The InfoServer provides a means for logically
subdividing the services offered on the LAN network into groups that
are meaningful to each client system. These logical subdivisions are
based on service classes.
A service class divides the different virtual disks that the InfoServer
offers to the LAN network into different name spaces. Each client
system only accesses the name space that is meaningful to it. For
example, VMS accesses services that are offered under the ODS-2
name space, while ULTRIX systems access services under the ULTRIX
name space.
Services classes provide a mechanism for segregating service names. If
the same service name were used in two different service classes, then
each client system would only see the service in its own name space.
For example, a VMS client system would never accidentally connect to
an ULTRIX disk.
When it automounts a new compact disc, the InfoServer creates a
service under the service class that is appropriate for the disk structure
found on the compact discs. For example, if the InfoServer reads the
volume label from an ISO-9600 compact disc, it creates a service with
the volume label as the name under the ISO-9600 service class.
The InfoServer can automatically serve compact discs that are ODS2, ISO-9660, and High Sierra format. You can can use InfoServer
commands to serve other media types under any of the supported
service classes. Chapter 3 describes the available service classes and
the InfoServer commands.

2.7 InfoServer Read/Write Access Policies
The InfoServer is a virtual disk server. Since it does not impose an
underlying file structure on the disks it serves, the InfoServer does not
provide a locking mechanism to prevent concurrent write access to the
same sets of disk blocks. Instead, the InfoServer enforces a connection
policy that prevents such conflicts that could result in data corruption.
Server Functions and Features 2–9

You can select one of two policies:
•

•

By default, the InfoServer only allows write access to a virtual disk
after all other read access has been disconnected. For example, a
LAN network write-access connection would immediately disconnect all read-access connections that conflict with the write-access
request, then allow write-access after all readers are disconnected.
Readers will also be blocked from reconnecting to those same disk
blocks for the duration of the write-access connection.
This type of policy is ideally suited for classes of data that are
infrequently updated, but frequently read. Readers are prevented
from reading bad data while the write-access connection updates
the data. After the write-access connection is terminated, the
readers will reconnect to the updated data.
The second policy that the InfoServer can enforce is to block writeaccess while there is a read conflict present. Instead of immediately disconnecting any read-only connections, the write-access
connection is delayed until all read connections are disconnected
voluntarily by the remote clients.
This policy is ideally suited for information that must be highly
available for read-access, but may be updated during off hours.

For either policy, the InfoServer prevents concurrent access during
write operations. This local locking policy guarantees data integrity.
Note that because partitions do not overlap on an InfoServer disk,
write access to one partition does not prevent read or write access to
a different partition. Locking will only occur for requests to the same
partition, or to the same disk volume.
For more information on setting the InfoServer write access policy, see
the SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS command description in Chapter 3.

2.8 MOP Functions
The InfoServer implements several features of the maintenance operations protocol (MOP) of the DECnet Digital Network Architecture. The
following sections describe supported features.

2–10

Server Functions and Features

2.8.1 MOP Identify Self
The InfoServer responds to MOP ‘‘request identity’’ messages that it
receives. The InfoServer responds with a MOP ‘‘system identification’’
message to the requesting node.
The Infoserver also broadcasts a system identification periodically to
the LAN network. The InfoServer responds with SVA as its communication device type.

2.8.2 MOP Read Counters
The InfoServer responds to MOP ‘‘request counters’’ messages that it
receives. The InfoServer responds with a MOP ‘‘counters’’ message to
the requesting node.

2.8.3 MOP Loop Messages
The InfoServer responds to MOP ‘‘loop direct’’ and MOP ‘‘loop assist’’
messages that it receives. The InfoServer returns the loop data as
directed in the received loop request. For example, on a VMS system
you can test Ethernet connectivity with the InfoServer by using the
NCP LOOP CIRCUIT command; from a terminal server, you can use
the TEST LOOP command.

2.8.4 MOP Downline Loading
The InfoServer can be configured to act as a MOP downline load server.
This means the InfoServer can receive downline load requests, and
downline load the requesting system, if the requested load image is present. You can enable or disable this feature for individual InfoServers
by using InfoServer commands (Chapter 3).
The InfoServer can handle up to 100 concurrent downline loads. Unlike
host-based downline load servers that must start processes to assist in
the loading process, the InfoServer can handle downline load requests
quickly and efficiently. The InfoServer can provide an ideal solution for
LAN network conditions where many systems attempt to downline load

Server Functions and Features 2–11

at the same time, such as when a power failure occurs in a terminal
server LAN network.
The InfoServer handles a subset of all possible MOP downline load requests. Specifically, the requesting system must supply a file identifier
for the InfoServer to downline load it. Since the InfoServer does not
have a load database such as the one present with NCP, the InfoServer
must rely on the remote system to indicate the image that it needs
downline loaded.
When the InfoServer receives a load request that it can possibly service,
it searches all of its read/write disks for special MOP partitions. MOP
partitions are special partitions that are capable of being downline
loaded. For information on installing MOP partitions for downline
loading, see Section 4.7.

2–12

Server Functions and Features

Chapter 3

Server Management Commands
This chapter describes the InfoServer management commands and
provides examples of their use.

3.1 Command Syntax Conventions
The following conventions apply to the commands in this chapter:
Convention

Meaning

UPPERCASE

Words in uppercase indicate a command or
command option that you enter as shown.

Lowercase

Words in lowercase indicate parameters that
you specify.

[]

Options are enclosed in brackets ([ ]).

{ ... | ... }

Choices between two or more options are
enclosed in braces ( {} ). Choices are separated
by a vertical bar ( | ).

SYNCHRONIZED (D)

A (D) indicates the default setting for a command option when there is a choice of two or
more option settings.

Server Management Commands 3–1

3.1.1 InfoServer Commands
The chapter describes the following commands:
CLEAR
COPY
CREATE
DELETE
EXIT
HELP
INITIALIZE
LOOP
MONITOR
REBOOT
RESTORE
SAVE
SET
SHOW
UPDATE
ZERO

3.1.2 Special Keys
The InfoServer management console reserves certain keyboard keys
keys for special functions. Table 3–1 lists the reserved keys that the
InfoServer console uses and the function each key provides.
Table 3–1: InfoServer Special Keys

3–2

Deletes the previous character in the
current command line

Return

Ends the current command line. The
InfoServer executes the command.

Ctrl B

Recalls the last InfoServer command
executed. The InfoServer saves the last
10 commands executed at the console.

Ctrl U

Deletes all characters in the current command line.

Server Management Commands

Table 3–1 (Cont.): InfoServer Special Keys
Displays ‘‘Exit’’ in reverse video and ends
the command line. The InfoServer executes
the command.

Ctrl Z

3.1.3 Wild Card Matching
Some InfoServer commands allow wild card operations. If you use a
wild card string in an InfoServer command, then all objects matching
the wild card string are used in the specified operation.
The InfoServer uses two wild card characters:
*

Matches any number of any characters in the current character
position.

Matches exactly one character in the current character position.

For example, suppose you entered the following command:
InfoServer>

SHOW SERVICE AB%DE*

The InfoServer would select all services whose names start with the
letters AB, followed by any one character, followed by the letters DE,
followed by any number of any characters.

Server Management Commands 3–3

CLEAR
CLEAR
Clears the screen of a video terminal capable of interpreting VT100
ANSI escape sequences.

Format

CLEAR

Parameters
None.

Description
The CLEAR command erases the screen of a terminal that is capable of
receiving VT100 ANSI escape sequences.

Example
InfoServer>

CLEAR

Return

The terminal screen is erased as soon as you press the Return key.

3–4

Server Management Commands

COPY
COPY
Copies data from one disk or partition to another disk or partition.

Format

COPY DKn:[partition_name] DKn:[partition_name]

Parameter
DKn:[partition_name]
DKn: specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
The partition_name specifies a partition name that already exists on
the specified device. If you do not specify a partition name, the entire
disk is copied.

Description
You use the COPY command to make copies of data from one InfoServer
disk or partition to another disk or partition. The first parameter
specifies the source of the copy. The second parameter specifies the
destination of the copy. For the copy to complete successfully, the size
of the source and destination must be the same. If the destination
specifies a partition name that does not exist, then the system creates
the destination partition.
To preserve data integrity, the InfoServer does not allow copy operations unless you have set the InfoServer state to off. This prevents
remote virtual disk operations and local disk operations from interfering with each other. See the SET SERVER STATE command in this
chapter.
A side effect of performing a copy operation is that the copy blocks all
other local operations to the source and destination devices. This action
ensures that local users do not corrupt each other by copying data to
the same disk partitions.

Server Management Commands 3–5

COPY
Example
InfoServer> COPY DK1:MY_PARTITION DK11:SAVE_PARTITION
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create partition completed successfully.
%ESS-I-COPIED, Copy operation completed successfully.

This command copies the data in a partition named MY_PARTITION
on device DK1: to a partition named SAVE_PARTITION on device
DK11. The message following the command indicates that DK11:SAVE_
PARTITION did not exist, so the InfoServer created it and continued
with the copy operation.

3–6

Server Management Commands

CREATE PARTITION
CREATE PARTITION
Makes a partition on a read/write media.

Format

CREATE PARTITION DKn:partition_name BLOCKS
value [options]

Parameter
DKn:partition_name
DKn specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
partition_name specifies a partition name that does not already exist
on the specified device.
value
Specifies the block size of the partition to be created. One block is
equal to 512 bytes of disk storage.

Options
MOP DISABLED (D)
The MOP DISABLED option specifies that the partition will not be
used to contain an image file that the InfoServer can downline load
using MOP (Section 2.8). MOP DISABLED is the default if the option
is omitted.
MOP ENABLED
The MOP ENABLED option specifies that the partition will be used
to contain an image file that the InfoServer can downline load using
MOP. The InfoServer will only downline load images from partitions
that have MOP ENABLED.
NOTE
A partition specified as a MOP partition cannot be served to
the LAN network as a virtual disk. MOP partitions are only
for downline loading.
Server Management Commands 3–7

CREATE PARTITION
Description
You us the CREATE PARTITION command to create a partition on a
read/write media. Partitions are a subset of logical blocks on a physical
media that can be served to the LAN network as a disk. The actual
size of the partition may be larger than the number of specified blocks
if the InfoServer reuses a previously deleted partition, or optimizes the
partition size for its own internal disk structure.
See the SHOW PARTITIONS command for information on specified
and actual sizes.

Example
InfoServer> CREATE PARTITION DK1:VIRTUAL_DISK BLOCKS 1024
MOP DISABLED
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create partition completed successfully.

This command creates a partition named VIRTUAL_DISK with 1024
blocks on disk DK1: and with MOP disabled.

3–8

Server Management Commands

CREATE SERVICE
CREATE SERVICE
Creates a service name for an entire disk volume or a disk partition.

Format

CREATE SERVICE service_name FOR
DKn:[partition_name] [options]

Parameter
service_name
Specifies the name that client systems can bind to in order to access
this virtual disk. Service names are restricted to the characters listed
in Section 2.5.1.
DKn:[partition_name]
DKn: specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4. If
you do not supply a partition name, the service created is for the entire
disk. If you do supply a partition name, the service is bound to the
partition on the disk.

Options
CLASS class_name
Specifies the name space where this service name exists. Different
name spaces are used for different on-disk structures used by various
client systems. The purpose is to partition the name spaces so clients
only see the names that are meaningful to them. Classes also allow
two services to use the same name without conflict.
The class_name used depends on the client systems that will connect
to the service being created. For example, VMS systems use the ODS-2
name space by default when attempting to mount an InfoServer device.
Table 3–2 lists valid class names for this option.

Server Management Commands 3–9

CREATE SERVICE
Table 3–2: Valid Class Names
Class

Description

V2.0

Names understood by PCSA MS-DOS clients

UNFORMATTED

Virtual disk that has no format

MSDOS

MS-DOS virtual disks

ODS_2

VMS virtual disks

ULTRIX

ULTRIX virtual disks

ISO_9660

ISO 9660 compact disc format

HIGH_SIERRA

MS-DOS compact disc format

Default: ODS_2.
DYNAMIC_RATING (D)
Specifies that the InfoServer should calculate a rating for this service
dynamically. This is the default method for service ratings.
NOPASSWORD
Specifies that there is no password required to access this service.
NOREADERS
Specifies that no readers are allowed to connect to this service. This is
equivalent to setting READERS to 0.
NOWRITERS
Specifies that no writers are allowed to connect to this service. This is
equivalent to setting WRITERS to 0.
PASSWORD password-string
Specifies an optional access control password for the service. The
password string may be up to 39 alphanumeric ASCII characters in
length. After you set a password, a client must specify the password to
access the service. If you do not specify a password in this command,
then clients are not required to provide a password to access the
service.
You can enter the password without having it echoed on the screen,
by entering the PASSWORD option as the last option in the CREATE
SERVICE command. After entering the keyword PASSWORD, press
Return . The InfoServer will prompt you for the password.
3–10

Server Management Commands

CREATE SERVICE
STATIC_RATING rating
Is a rating from 0 to 65535, used for load balancing across redundant
services. Clients will choose a higher rating over a lower one. If you
omit the STATIC_RATING option, the InfoServer calculates a dynamic
rating based on InfoServer load.
READERS number
Specifies the maximum number of client connections allowed for read
access. A value of 0 indicates write-only access, as qualified by the
WRITERS option, if present. If a client requests read-only access
or read/write to the service, then one reader is counted against this
number.
Default: 1000 readers
WRITERS number
Specifies the maximum number of client connections allowed for write
access. A value of 0 indicates read-only access, as qualified by the
READERS option, if present. If a client requests write-only access, one
writer is counted against this number. If a client requests read/write to
the service, then one writer and one reader are counted.
Default: 1 for read/write media, 0 for compact discs
NOTE
The InfoServer does not allow more than one writer to
connect to a read/write service at one time. See the SET
WRITE ACCESS command for more information on the write
access policies described in Section 2.7.

Description
The CREATE SERVICE command creates a LAN network service that
represents either an entire disk or a partition on a disk.
NOTE
When you turn the InfoServer on or insert a compact disc
while the InfoServer is on, the InfoServer software tries to
automatically serve the disk. The InfoServer uses the volume
label as the service name, along with the default parameters
specified in the CREATE SERVICE command. You can
Server Management Commands 3–11

CREATE SERVICE
disable this feature with the SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT
command.

Example
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE ONLINE_DOC FOR DK2:
CLASS ODS_2 PASSWORD NEWCD NOWRITERS
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.

This command tells the server to create a service named ONLINE_DOC
that is password-protected, with a password of NEWCD. This service is
associated with device DK2 and is write-protected by the NOWRITERS
option.

3–12

Server Management Commands

DELETE PARTITION
DELETE PARTITION
Deletes an existing partition.

Format

DELETE PARTITION DKn:partition_name

Parameter
DKn:partition_name
DKn: specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
The partition_name specifies a partition name that already exists on
the specified device.

Description
You use the DELETE command to delete a partition that has been previously created. If the partition has been served to the LAN network,
then the services bound to the partition are also deleted.
The InfoServer prompts you for confirmation if you try to delete a
partition that currently has remote clients connected to it.
Deleted partitions are marked, then reused when new partitions are
created. You can use the SHOW PARTITIONS command with the
FULL option to display all the deleted partitions on a disk.

Example
InfoServer> DELETE PARTITION DK1:VIRTUAL_DISK
%ESS-I-DELETED, Delete partition completed successfully.

This command deletes the partition named VIRTUAL_DISK on disk
DK1 and makes the space available for reuse.

Server Management Commands 3–13

DELETE SERVICE
DELETE SERVICE
Causes the InfoServer to stop providing the specified service to the
LAN network clients.

Format

DELETE SERVICE service-name [FOR
DKn:[partition_name]] [CLASS
class_name]

Parameter
service-name
Specifies the name of the service to delete. Usually, a service name is
the same as the volume label of the disk volume. The service name can
contain wild card characters.
DKn:[partition_name]
DKn: specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
The partition_name is any partition name that already exists on the
specified device.
As an option, you can add the device, or device and partition, to the
DELETE SERVICE command. Since an InfoServer may have two disk
volumes with the same service name, the DELETE command lets you
qualify which service you want to delete. If you omit this parameter,
then the InfoServer searches and deletes all service names that satisfy
the other qualifiers.
CLASS class_name
Specifies the name space that the service should be removed from.
Since each name space can have the same service name, the CLASS
qualifier indicates which services to delete. If you omit this parameter,
then the InfoServer searches and deletes all service names in all classes
that satisfy all other qualifiers.

3–14

Server Management Commands

DELETE SERVICE
Table 3–3 lists valid class_name values for this qualifier.
Table 3–3: Valid Class Names
Class

Description

V2.0

Names understood by PCSA MS-DOS clients

UNFORMATTED

Virtual disk that has no format

MSDOS

MS-DOS virtual disks

ODS_2

VMS virtual disks

ULTRIX

ULTRIX virtual disks

ISO_9660

ISO 9660 compact disc format

HIGH_SIERRA

MS-DOS compact disc format

Description
The DELETE SERVICE command deletes an existing service from the
InfoServer. Client systems can no longer access devices or partitions
under the deleted service name.
The DELETE SERVICE command lets you delete all instances of a
service name or a particular service name qualified by device and class
name. You may use the DKn:partition_name and CLASS options to
specify the exact service name you want to delete. If you want to delete
all instances of a service name, then omit these parameters.
The DELETE SERVICE command warns the LAN network manager if
clients are connected to the specified service name. The LAN network
manager has the option to either delete the service (terminating the
sessions connected) or abort the DELETE SERVICE command.

Server Management Commands 3–15

DELETE SERVICE
Example
InfoServer>
DELETE SERVICE CD_DOC_00661 FOR DK11: CLASS ODS_2
Warning: 5 users are connected to CD_DOC_00661
Do you still want to delete CD_DOC_00661 [NO]? YES
%ESS-I-DELETED, Delete service completed successfully.

This command returns a warning, because the specified service name
has client systems connected to it. The manager is asked if the service
should still be deleted. In this example the answer is yes, so the remote
users are disconnected from this service.

3–16

Server Management Commands

EXIT
EXIT
Terminates the InfoServer management session.

Format

EXIT (or LOGOUT)

Parameters
None.

Description
You use the EXIT command to log out of the InfoServer and terminate
the InfoServer management session after all management functions
are complete. On the console terminal, you are prompted for the login
password again before you can enter more commands. On a remote
LAT management terminal, the LAT session is disconnected. The
LOGOUT command is functionally equivalent to EXIT.

Example
InfoServer>

EXIT

This command ends the current server management session.

Server Management Commands 3–17

HELP
HELP
Provides online help information for using the InfoServer management
commands.

Format

HELP [topic] [subtopic...]

Parameter
topic, subtopic...
You use the HELP command to obtain online help for any of the
InfoServer commands. You can specify the topic and subtopic that you
want help on. If you do not specify a topic, the system displays a list of
topics and prompts you for a selection.

Description
The HELP command is an online reference for InfoServer commands.
After you view an initial help display, press Return . The help display
stops and the InfoServer> prompt is displayed.
If you do not specify a command name, the HELP command displays
general information on the commands for which help is available. If
you specify a command name, you obtains syntax information on that
command. If you enter the HELP command with a command name
only, such as HELP SHOW, the InfoServer displays a list of all of the
command keywords used with the SHOW command.

Example
InfoServer>

HELP SERVE

This command displays a description of the SERVE command and the
command format.

3–18

Server Management Commands

INITIALIZE
INITIALIZE
Formats a read/write disk into an InfoServer disk.

Format

INITIALIZE DKn:

Parameter
DKn:
DKn: is a valid InfoServer device, as defined by Section 2.5.4.

Description
The INITIALIZE command is used to format a read/write disk into
an InfoServer disk capable of supporting partitions or storing system
configuration information. Initializing a disk destroys any data already
stored on the disk.
By default, the single read/write disk preconfigured with the InfoServer
is already initialized.

Example
InfoServer> INITIALIZE DK1:
%ESS-I-INIT, Initialize completed successfully.

This command initializes disk DK1.
NOTE
When you initialize an InfoServer device, any data on the
device is lost. This includes any configuration information
that may have been saved previously.

Server Management Commands 3–19

LOOP
LOOP
Automatically repeats any valid command.

Format

LOOP

[command]

Parameter
command
Specifies a valid InfoServer command. If you do not specify a command,
the InfoServer prompts you for the command.

Description
You use the LOOP command to automatically repeat any valid
InfoServer command. The LOOP command continues to repeat the
chosen command until you press another key. To stop the LOOP
command, press any key.

Example
InfoServer>

LOOP SHOW SERVICE

This command repeats the SHOW SERVICE command automatically.

3–20

Server Management Commands

MONITOR
MONITOR
Repeats any valid InfoServer command every 3 seconds.

Format

MONITOR

[command]

Parameter
command
Specifies a valid InfoServer command. If you do not specify a command,
the InfoServer prompts you for the command.

Description
You use the MONITOR command to automatically repeat any valid
InfoServer command. The MONITOR pauses for 3 seconds between
commands and moves the cursor to the home position on ANSI-type
screens. This action makes the command useful for redisplaying SHOW
command screens.
To stop the MONITOR command, press any key.

Example
InfoServer>

MONITOR SHOW ETHERNET

This command repeats the SHOW ETHERNET command every 3
seconds, refreshing the screen for each display.

Server Management Commands 3–21

REBOOT
REBOOT
Ends all active service connections and reinitializes the InfoServer.

Format

REBOOT [YES]

Parameter
YES
The YES reply initiates the shutdown procedure.

Description
You use the REBOOT command to reboot the InfoServer. The REBOOT
command ends all active service connections by remote clients and
starts the InfoServer bootstrap sequence.
If you omit the YES keyword, the InfoServer prompts you to confirm
the shutdown.

Example
InfoServer>
REBOOT
_Are you sure you want to reboot the InfoServer now [No]?

YES

This command starts the reboot sequence. The user is asked to confirm
the command.

3–22

Server Management Commands

RESTORE
RESTORE
Restores the system state and all services from the last saved configuration.

Format

RESTORE [DKn:]

Parameter
DKn:
Specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4, to use
for the restore procedure.
If you omit the device name, the InfoServer uses the DK1: device by
default. DK1: is the read/write disk that comes with the InfoServer.

Description
You use the RESTORE command to restore a previously saved system
configuration. The SAVE command lets you save any services offered
with the CREATE SERVICE command, as well as any InfoServer
characteristics changed with the SET command. The settings are saved
on an InfoServer read/write disk. The RESTORE command resets the
running InfoServer to its last saved settings.
NOTE
The RESTORE command does not delete any existing services before restoring previously saved services. Therefore,
any saved services are added to the existing list of services.

Server Management Commands 3–23

RESTORE
Example
InfoServer> RESTORE DK1:
%ESS-I-RESTORED, Restore completed successfully from DK1:

This command restores the last set of InfoServer services and settings
saved on device DK1: to the running InfoServer.

3–24

Server Management Commands

SAVE
SAVE
Save the current system state to nonvolatile storage.

Format

SAVE [DKn:]

Parameter
DKn:
Specifies a valid InfoServer device to use, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
If you omit the device name, the InfoServer uses the DK1: device by
default. DK1: is the read/write disk that comes with the InfoServer.

Description
The SAVE command lets you save the current InfoServer state on a
writeable InfoServer disk. This action allows the InfoServer to quickly
restore information about services it is providing if an interrupion
occurs, such as a power failure or reboot. If you do not specify a device,
the InfoServer uses the first writeable disk found in the configuration
to store this information. When the InfoServer reinitializes, it searches
all writeable disks for the first saved configuration information.
NOTE
Saving this information does not affect user data on the
writeable disk if the disk has been initialized by the
InfoServer. The InfoServer automatically preallocates space
on initialized disks for this purpose by creating a partition named CONFIGURATION. To reset your InfoServer
to the factory defaults, simply delete the partition named
CONFIGURATION. If you want to save this file, copy it to a
partition with a different name.

Server Management Commands 3–25

SAVE
Example
InfoServer>
SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save operation completed successfully to DK1:

This command saves the InfoServer system state to the first writeable
disk it finds.

3–26

Server Management Commands

SET PARTITION
SET PARTITION
Sets or clears the MOP attribute on a partition.

Format

SET PARTITION DKn:partition_name MOP
{ENABLED | DISABLED}

Parameter
ENABLED
This option enables the MOP attribute on a partition.
DISABLED
This option clears the MOP attribute from a partition.

Description
You use the SET PARTITION command to set or clear the MOP attribute on a partition. When the MOP attribute is enabled on a
partition, the InfoServer will downline load an image from this partition if a node requests an image that matches the partition name.
Note that a partition with MOP ENABLED cannot be served to the
LAN network as a virtual disk. For more information, see the CREATE
PARTITION command.

Example
InfoServer>
SET PARTITION DK1:PR0801ENG MOP ENABLED
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command enables the MOP attribute for the partition
DK1:PR0801ENG.

Server Management Commands 3–27

SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT
SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT
Allows the InfoServer to automatically provide LAN network access to
compact discs.

Format

SET [SERVER] AUTOMOUNT

{ENABLED |
DISABLED}

Parameter
ENABLED (D)
Enables the InfoServer to automatically serve compact discs by volume
label when they are inserted and when the InfoServer boots. This is
the default setting.
DISABLED
Disables the InfoServer from automatically serving any compact discs
by volume label when they are inserted and when the InfoServer boots.

Description
The SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT command lets you determine
whether or not the InfoServer will automatically serve the compact
discs to the LAN network by volume label. When enabled, discs are
served as they are inserted and when the InfoServer boots. The default
setting is enabled.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT DISABLED
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command disables the automount feature of the InfoServer.

3–28

Server Management Commands

SET SERVER GROUP CODES
SET SERVER GROUP CODES
Allows the InfoServer manager to specify the LAT group codes that the
management service is offered under.

Format

SET [SERVER] GROUP [CODES] {code_list | ALL}
{ENABLED |
DISABLED}

Parameter
ALL
Specifies all group codes (0 to 255) for the SET operation.
code_list
Specifies a set of group code numbers for the SET operation. Group
codes are numbers in the range from 0 to 255. You can specify multiple
group codes. Group codes separated by a comma indicate single group
code numbers. Group codes separated by a hyphen indicate a range of
group code numbers.
ENABLED
Adds the group codes specified in code_list to the current set of group
codes that the InfoServer offers its LAT management interface on.
DISABLED
Removes the group codes specified in code_list from the current set of
group codes that the InfoServer offers its LAT management interface
on.

Server Management Commands 3–29

SET SERVER GROUP CODES
Description
The SET SERVER GROUP command lets you enable or disable the
LAT group codes used by the InfoServer to advertise its management
console. The codes range from 0 to 255. A terminal server must have
at least one group code in common with the InfoServer set in order to
connect to the management console.
Default : Group 0 is enabled.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER GROUP 1, 3, 10-20 ENABLED
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

In this example, group codes 1, 3, and 10 to 20 are added to the group
code list that the InfoServer currently offers.

3–30

Server Management Commands

SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION
SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION
Assigns a identification string to the InfoServer to be used by the LAT
protocol.

Format

SET [SERVER] IDENTIFICATION "string"

Parameter
string
Specifies a quoted text string of 0 to 64 printable ASCII characters.

Description
The SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION command assigns a text description to the InfoServer. The LAT protocol uses this descrption to identify
the InfoServer.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION "InfoServer Floor
3-A by the coffee machine"
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command uses a text string that identifies an InfoServer by its
location. This string is used to advertise the remote management
service to terminal servers.

Server Management Commands 3–31

SET SERVER MOP
SET SERVER MOP
Determines whether or not the InfoServer can perform MOP downline
load functions.

Format

SET [SERVER] MOP {ENABLED | DISABLED}

Parameter
ENABLED (D)
Enables the InfoServer to perform MOP downline loading. This is the
default setting.
DISABLED
Disables the InfoServer’s downline-loading capability.

Description
The SET SERVER MOP command provides the InfoServer manager
with a convenient way to enable or disable the InfoServer’s MOP
downline-loading capability. If the InfoServer does not need to perform
MOP downline loading, then disabling the function can enhance the
performance of the InfoServer.
For more information on the uses of downline loading, see Section 2.8.4.

Example
InfoServer> SET MOP DISABLED
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command disables the InfoServer’s MOP downline-loading function.

3–32

Server Management Commands

SET SERVER MULTICAST
SET SERVER MULTICAST
Sets a timer that determines how frequently the InfoServer advertises
the LAT remote management interface.

Format

SET [SERVER] MULTICAST [TIMER] timer_value

Parameter
timer_value
Specifies a timer value, from 10 to 255 seconds.

Description
This command lets you control how frequently the InfoServer advertises
the LAT remote management console interface.
Default: 60 seconds

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER MULTICAST 120
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command sets the InfoServer to advertise every 120 seconds.

Server Management Commands 3–33

SET SERVER NAME
SET SERVER NAME
Changes the name that the InfoServer is known by on the extended
LAN.

Format

SET [SERVER] NAME server-name

Parameter
server_name
Specifies the name of the InfoServer. The InfoServer uses a unique
default name of the form LAD_ethernet_address (for example, LAD_
0800020000FF), until a new name is set with this command. The name
may be up to 16 characters in length. Section 2.5.1 lists the characters
you can use in InfoServer names.

Description
The SET SERVER NAME command lets you select a name string
that the InfoServer will be known by on the extended LAN. This
name allows you to easily identify an InfoServer by using the SHOW
SERVER command. The InfoServer name is also used to provide a LAT
service that you can connect to from a terminal, in order to manage the
InfoServer.
NOTE
InfoServer names must be unique within the extended LAN.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER NAME LAB1_INFOSERVER
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command sets the InfoServer name to LAB1_INFOSERVER.

3–34

Server Management Commands

SET SERVER PASSWORD
SET SERVER PASSWORD
Allows the InfoServer manager to change the InfoServer password.

Format

SET [SERVER] PASSWORD

Parameter
None.
The SET SERVER PASSWORD command does not take a command
qualifier. Instead, the InfoServer prompts you for the old password and
the new password.

Description
The InfoServer password controls access to InfoServer management
sessions. When the InfoServer manager connects to the InfoServer
from the LAT or local terminal, the InfoServer prompts you for the
InfoServer password before allowing the management session to take
place.
Default: The default InfoServer password is ESS.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER PASSWORD
_Old_password: ESS (not echoed)
_New_password: SECRET (not echoed)
_Verfication: SECRET (not echoed)
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command sets the InfoServer password to SECRET.

Server Management Commands 3–35

SET SERVER STATE
SET SERVER STATE
Determines whether or not new service connections are established.

Format

SET [SERVER] STATE {ON | OFF | SHUT}

Parameter
ON
Tells the InfoServer to accept new connection requests.
OFF
Tells the InfoServer to end all current connections and not to accept
new connections.
SHUT
Tells the InfoServer to keep all current connections, but not to accept
new connections.

Description
The SET SERVER STATE command tells the InfoServer what actions
to take when it receives a new service connection request from a client.
The InfoServer state does not affect LAT connections used to manage
the InfoServer.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER STATE SHUT
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command shuts off new connections, but keeps all current connections. One possible use of this setting is when the InfoServer is
scheduled to be turned off in the near future for maintenance.

3–36

Server Management Commands

SET SERVER WORK GROUP
SET SERVER WORK GROUP
Sets the work group of the InfoServer.

Format

SET [SERVER] WORK [GROUP] value

Parameter
value
Specifies a value, from 0 to 1023, that represents work group of this
InfoServer.
Default: work group 0

Description
Work groups are a method of segmenting LANs so that services associated with certain nodes are not seen by other nodes. To access virtual
disks on the InfoServer, client systems must belong to the same work
group as the InfoServer.
One possible environment for this command is an extended LAN. Here,
a LAN network manager may wish to restrict nodes to the services
offered on their own LAN segments.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER WORK GROUP 1
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command sets the InfoServer’s work group to 1. The InfoServer
will only communicate with client systems that are in work group 1.

Server Management Commands 3–37

SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS
SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS
Sets the write policies for the InfoServer to virtual disk services.

Format

SET [SERVER] WRITE [ACCESS] {SYNCHRONIZED
| BLOCKING}

Parameter
BLOCKING
Tells the InfoServer to block writers from accessing a service until all
readers have disconnected from the service.
SYNCHRONIZED (D)
Tells the InfoServer to allow writers to access a service and end all read
sessions to the service. Synchronized is the default write access mode.

Description
The SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS command allows the LAN network
manager to set the write policies that govern access to all services
on a InfoServer. There are two choices—allow the readers to remain
connected and deny access to the writer, or disconnect the readers and
let the writer connect. Only one writer can access a service at a time,
regardless of the policy.
One possible application of this command might be for nightly updates
of a virtual disk. Each night a writer could connect to a service,
disconnecting any read-only connections in order to update a central
database. After the writer disconnects, the readers could reconnect and
access the new data on the virtual disk.

3–38

Server Management Commands

SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS
Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS SYNCHRONIZED
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command tells the InfoServer to disconnect any read-only connections when a writer connects to a service.

Server Management Commands 3–39

SET SERVICE
SET SERVICE
Lets you modify the attributes of an existing service.

Format

SET SERVICE service_name [FOR
DKn:[partition_name]]
[CLASS class_name] [options]

Parameter
service_name
Specifies the name of a service to be modified. The service name can
contain wild card characters.
DKn:[partition_name]
DKn refers to any InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
The partition_name specifies a partition name that already exists on
the specified device.
Since an InfoServer may have two disk volumes with the same service
name, this option lets you qualify which service you want to modify.
If you omit this parameter, all service names that satisfy the other
options are modified.
CLASS class_name
Specifies the name space that this service name exists in. If you include
this parameter, the InfoServer searches only the specified class. If you
omit this parameter, all service names that satisfy the other options
are modified.
You use different name spaces for different on-disk structures used by
various client systems. The purpose is to partition the name spaces so
clients only see names that are meaningful to them. This method also
allows two services to have the same name and not conflict.

3–40

Server Management Commands

SET SERVICE
The class name used depends on the client systems that will connect to
the service being created. For example, VMS systems use the ODS-2
name space by default when attempting to mount an InfoServer device.
Table 3–4 lists valid class name values.
Table 3–4: Class Descriptions
Class

Description

V2.0

Names understood by PCSA MS-DOS clients

UNFORMATTED

Virtual disk that has no format

MSDOS

MS-DOS virtual disks

ODS_2

VMS virtual disks

ULTRIX

ULTRIX virtual disks

ISO_9660

ISO 9660 compact disc format

HIGH_SIERRA

MS-DOS compact disc format

Default: ODS_2

Options
DYNAMIC_RATING (D)
Specifies that the InfoServer should calculate a rating for this service
dynamically. This is the default method for the service ratings.
NOPASSWORD
Specifies that there is no password required to access this virtual disk.
NOREADERS
Specifies that no readers are allowed to connect to this service. This is
equivalent to setting READERS to 0.
NOWRITERS
Specifies that no writers are allowed to connect to this service. This is
equivalent to setting WRITERS to 0.
PASSWORD password-string
Specifies an optional access control password for the service. The
password string may be up to 39 alphanumeric ASCII characters in
length. After you set a password, a client must specify the password to
Server Management Commands 3–41

SET SERVICE
access the service. If you do not specify a password in this command,
then clients are not required to provide a password to access the
service.
You can enter the password without having it echoed on the screen,
by entering the PASSWORD option as the last option in the CREATE
SERVICE command. After entering the keyword PASSWORD, press
Return . The InfoServer will prompt you for the password.
STATIC_RATING rating
Specifies a rating from 0 to 65535 to use for load balancing across
redundant services. Clients will always choose a higher rating over
a lower one. If you omit the STATIC_RATING option, the InfoServer
calculates a dynamic rating based on InfoServer load.
READERS number
Specifies the maximum number of client connections allowed for read
access. The default is 1000 readers. A value of 0 indicates write-only
access, as qualified by the WRITERS option, if present. If a client
requests read-only access or read/write access to the service then one
reader is counted against this number.
WRITERS number
Specifies the maximum number of client connections allowed for write
access. The default is one writer. A value of 0 indicates read-only
access, as qualified by the READERS option, if present. If a client
requests write-only access or read/write access to the service then one
writer is counted against this number.
NOTE
The InfoServer will not allow more than one writer to connect
to a read/write service at one time. See the SET WRITE
ACCESS command for more information regarding the write
access policies described in Section 2.7.

3–42

Server Management Commands

SET SERVICE
Description
The SET SERVICE command lets you modify the attributes of an
existing service. The LAN network manager can change the rating,
password, number of readers, or number of writers associated with a
service.
You can modify all instances of a service name or a particular service name qualified by device and class name. You may use the
DKn:partition_name and CLASS options to specify the exact service
name you want to modify. If you want to modify all instances of a
service name, omit these parameters. The service name can include
wild card characters.

Example
InfoServer>
SET SERVICE ONLINE_DOC FOR DK11: NOPASSWORD
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.

This command tells the InfoServer to remove the password currently
required to access the ONLINE_DOC service, which represents the
DK11: device.

Server Management Commands 3–43

SHOW DEVICE
SHOW DEVICE
Displays the characteristics and device-specific information about one
or all disk devices connected to the InfoServer.

Format

SHOW DEVICE [DKn:] [BRIEF | FULL]

Parameter
DKn:
Specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined by Section 2.5.4. If
you omit this parameter, the system displays all the devices on the
InfoServer.

Options
FULL
The FULL option provides all device-specific information for the devices
connected to the InfoServer. The FULL option lists all services bound
to the device. FULL is the default if you specify a single device.
BRIEF
The BRIEF option provides an abbreviated one-line summary of information for each device connected to the system. BRIEF is the default if
you omit the device name.

Description
The SHOW DEVICE command displays device-specific information
for one or all devices connected to the InfoServer. This information
includes the device type, device name, SCSI bus address, device size
and the volume’s label.

3–44

Server Management Commands

SHOW DEVICE
Examples
1.

InfoServer>
Device
Name
DK1:
DK2:
DK13:

SHOW DEVICE

Device
State
On
On
On

Device
Type
Hard Disk
Compact Disc
Compact Disc

Device
Address
A/001
A/002
B/005

Device
Size
204864
1216980
0

Volume
Label
BOOT_PAR
CD_DOC_01221

This command displays a one-line summary of all devices connected
to the InfoServer.
2.

InfoServer>

SHOW DEVICE DK2:

Device Name:
State:
Device:
SCSI Id:

DK2:
On
Compact Disc
2

Device Size:
Volume Name:
Bus:

1216980
CD_DOC_01221
A

Services bound to Port:
CD_DOC_01221
[ODS_2]

This command displays detailed information for device DK2, including the services offered for the device.
Table 3–5 describes the fields displayed in SHOW DEVICE commands.
Table 3–5: SHOW DEVICE Display Fields
Field

Description

Device name

The name that the InfoServer has assigned
to the device.

Device state

The current state of the device. For this
release, devices are always on.

Device type

The type of device attached to the unit.
Device types are one of the following:
Hard disk (read/write disk)
Compact disc (CD)

Device address

The bus and unit number of the attached
SCSI device.

Server Management Commands 3–45

SHOW DEVICE
Table 3–5 (Cont.): SHOW DEVICE Display Fields

3–46

Field

Description

Device size

The number of blocks available on the
attached disk.

Volume label

The volume label for the media currently
in the device.

Services bound to port:

A list of services that are currently available to the LAN network for the specified
device.

Server Management Commands

SHOW ETHERNET
SHOW ETHERNET
Displays datalink and LAST protocol counters.

Format

SHOW ETHERNET [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The SHOW ETHERNET command displays errors and counters kept
by the InfoServer for the Ethernet datalink and for the LAST protocol.

Example
InfoServer>

SHOW ETHERNET

DEC InfoServer 100 V1.0 (BL4) LAD V3.0 LAST V3.1
Seconds Since Zeroed:
95
Bytes Received:
37110
Bytes Sent:
256
Frames Received:
12949
Frames Sent:
4
Multicast Bytes Rcv’d: 37160
Multicast Bytes Sent:
256
Multicast Frames Rcv’d: 12993
Multicast Frames Sent:
4
Frames Sent, Deferred:
2

Uptime 000 00:01:35

Frame Sent, 1 Collision:
1
Frames Sent, 2+ Collisions:
0
Send Failures:
0
Send Failure Reasons:
0000000000
Receive Failures:
0
Receive Failure Reasons: 0000000000
Unrecognized Destination:
12350
Data Overrun:
0
User Buffer Unavailable:
0
System Buffer Unavailable:
1

LAST Counters Messages Received:
Messages Transmitted:
Checksum OK:
Multicast Msgs Rcv’d:

246
0
0
0

Transaction Segments Missed:
Canceled Transactions:
Checksum Errors:
Congestion:

0
0
0
0

Table 3–6 describes the fields displayed in SHOW ETHERNET commands.

Server Management Commands 3–47

SHOW ETHERNET
Table 3–6: SHOW ETHERNET Display Fields
Field

Description

DEC InfoServer V1.0 (base level)

The product designation and software
version number.

LAD V3.0 LAST V3.1

The version number of the LAD and LAST
protocols being used by the InfoServer.

Uptime

The time the InfoServer has been running
since the last reboot. The time is shown in
the format:
days hours:minutes:seconds

3–48

Seconds Since Zeroed

The number of seconds since these counters
were last set to 0.

Bytes Received

The number of bytes contained in datagrams successfully received by the
InfoServer, excluding Ethernet header
and CRC data.

Bytes Sent

The number of bytes contained in datagrams successfully transmitted by the
InfoServer, excluding Ethernet header and
CRC data.

Frames Received

The number of datagrams successfully
received by the InfoServer, including multicast frames.

Frames Sent

The number of datagrams successfully
transmitted by the InfoServer, including
multicast frames.

Multicast Bytes Rcv’d

The number of bytes received by the
InfoServer in multicast frames, excluding
Ethernet header and CRC data.

Multicast Bytes Sent

The number of bytes transmitted by the
InfoServer in multicast frames, excluding
Ethernet header and CRC data.

Multicast Frames Rcv’d

The number of multicast frames received
by the InfoServer.

Multicast Frames Sent

The number of multicast frames transmitted by the InfoServer.

Server Management Commands

SHOW ETHERNET
Table 3–6 (Cont.): SHOW ETHERNET Display Fields
Field

Description

Frames Sent, Deferred

The number of times that the InfoServer
deferred a frame transmission because the
datalink was in use.

Frames Sent, 1 Collision

The number of times the InfoServer transmitted a frame on the second attempt after
a collision occurred on the first attempt.

Frames Sent, 2+ Collisions

The number of times the InfoServer successfully sent a frame after collisions
during the first two or more attempts.

Send Failures

The number of times the Ethernet interface aborted a transmission request. If
this count is not 0, see the Send Failure
Reasons field for more information.

Send Failure Reasons

A bit mask providing information about the
send failure if the Send Failures counter
is not 0. The bits in the mask are numbered from right to left, with bit 0 being
the rightmost bit. The following bits are
defined in the mask:
0
A transmission failed to complete
after 16 retries, usually due to
excessive collisions.

Receive Failures

A loss of carrier occurred on the
Ethernet during a transmission.

A short circuit occurred on the
Ethernet during a transmission.

An open circuit occurred on the
Ethernet during a transmission.

Heartbeat error.

Data underflow.

The number of frames that were received
with an error condition. For more information, see the Receive Failure Reasons
field.

Server Management Commands 3–49

SHOW ETHERNET
Table 3–6 (Cont.): SHOW ETHERNET Display Fields
Field

Description

Receive Failure Reasons

A bit mask providing information about the
type of receive failures encountered if the
Receive Failures counter is not 0. The bits
in the mask are numbered from right to
left, with bit 0 being the rightmost bit. The
following bits are defined in the mask:
0
A block check error. The received
frame did not pass the CRC check.
1

3–50

A framing error. The received packet
did not contain an integral number
of 8-bit bytes.

Unrecognized Destination

The number of frames received by the
InfoServer that did not contain a multicast
address or protocol type recognized by the
InfoServer. These frames are discarded.

Data Overrun

The number of time that the InfoServer
hardware lost an incoming frame because
it was unable to keep up with the data
rate.

User Buffer Unavailable

Currently unused. Should always be 0.

System Buffer Unavailable

The number of times that the InfoServer
system software did not have a buffer
available to receive an incoming frame
(MISS error).

Messages Received

The number of LAST protocol messages
successfully received by the InfoServer.

Messages Transmitted

The number of LAST protocol messages
successfully transmitted by the InfoServer.

Checksum OK

The number of times that a LAST message was received that correctly passed the
LAST checksum algorithm. LAST messages are only checksummed at the request
of the client systems.

Multicast Messages Rcv’d

The number of LAST messages successfully
received with the LAST multicast address.

Server Management Commands

SHOW ETHERNET
Table 3–6 (Cont.): SHOW ETHERNET Display Fields
Field

Description

Transaction Segments Missed

The number of times that the InfoServer
did not receive all the messages of a client
request, when the client requested more
than one message.

Canceled Transactions

The number of times that remote clients
canceled a LAST request that the
InfoServer was processing.

Checksum Errors

The number of times that a LAST message
was received that did not pass the LAST
checksum algorithm. LAST messages are
only checksummed at the request of the
client systems.

Congestion

The number of times that the client system
and InfoServer agreed to reduce the LAN
network rate due to too many messages
being delivered to either the InfoServer or
the client.

Server Management Commands 3–51

SHOW LAT
SHOW LAT
Displays the InfoServer’s LAT counters and characteristics.

Format

SHOW LAT [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The SHOW LAT command displays LAT characteristics set up for the
InfoServer, as well as errors and counters kept by the InfoServer for
the LAT protocol.

Example
InfoServer>

SHOW LAT
* LAT Counters *

Seconds Since Zeroed:
Messages Received:
Messages Transmitted:
Slots Received:
Slots Transmitted:
Bytes Received:
Bytes Transmitted:

106
0
3
0
0
0
0

Duplicates Received:
0
Messages Retransmitted
0
Illegal Messages Received:
0
Illegal Slots Received:
0
Virtual Circuit Timeouts:
0
Protocol Errors:
0
Protocol Error Mask:
0000000000000
* LAT Characteristics *

Name:
TEST_INFOSERVER
Identification:
"Test InfoServer 100, near floor 3 copy machine"
Multicast timer:
60
Enabled Group Codes: 0, 12, 250-255

Table 3–7 describes the fields displayed in SHOW LAT commands.

3–52

Server Management Commands

SHOW LAT
Table 3–7: SHOW LAT Display Fields
Field

Description

Seconds Since Zeroed

The number of seconds since these counters
were last set to 0.

Messages Received

The number of LAT protocol messages
successfully received by the InfoServer.

Messages Transmitted

The number of LAT protocol messages
successfully transmitted by the InfoServer.

Slots Received

The number of LAT slots received by the
InfoServer. A slot represents a message
segment for a particular LAT session.

Slots Transmitted

The number of LAT slots transmitted by
the InfoServer. A slot represents a message
segment for a particular LAT session.

Bytes Received

The number of data bytes received by the
InfoServer over the LAT protocol.

Bytes Transmitted

The number of data bytes transmitted by
the InfoServer over the LAT protocol.

Duplicates Received

The number of virtual circuit messages the
InfoServer received that were not in the
correct sequence.

Messages Retransmitted

The number of virtual circuit messages
that the InfoServer retransmitted to remote
nodes.

Illegal Messages Received

The number of incorrectly formatted LAT
messages the InfoServer has received.

Illegal Slots Received

The number of incorrectly formatted
slots of data in a LAT message that the
InfoServer has received.

Virtual Circuit Timeouts

The number of times that the InfoServer
terminated a LAT connection because the
remote node did not respond within the
time allowed by the LAT protocol.

Protocol Errors

The number of times that the InfoServer
determined that the LAT protocol has been
violated by a remote node. See the Protocol
Error Mask field for more information.

Server Management Commands 3–53

SHOW LAT
Table 3–7 (Cont.): SHOW LAT Display Fields

3–54

Field

Description

Protocol Error Mask

A bit mask providing information about
the LAT protocol errors detected by the
InfoServer. The bits in the mask are
numbered from right to left, with bit 0
being the rightmost bit. The following bits
are defined in the mask:
0
An unknown LAT message type
was received.

Server Management Commands

An invalid LAT START message
was received.

A zero-valued virtual circuit
reference was received.

An out of range virtual circuit
reference was received.

A reference to a nonexistent
virtual circuit was received.

A reference to a virtual circuit no
longer in use was received.

An invalid LAT STOP message
was received.

An invalid reference to a remote
slot was received.

A reference to a nonexistent slot
was received.

A credit violation was detected.

A repeated creation of a slot was
detected.

An invalid sequence number was
received.

A repeated disconnect of a slot
was detected.

SHOW LAT
Table 3–7 (Cont.): SHOW LAT Display Fields
Field

Description

Name

The name of the InfoServer. This name
is also the service name that terminal
servers connect to in order to manage the
InfoServer.

Identification

The identifying text string that the
InfoServer uses to advertise to the terminal
server network.

Multicast Timer

The number of seconds that the InfoServer
uses to periodically advertise its remote
management interface.

Enabled Group Codes

The group code numbers that the
InfoServer is using to advertise its remote
management interface.

Server Management Commands 3–55

SHOW MOP
SHOW MOP
Displays the server’s MOP counters.

Format

SHOW MOP [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The SHOW MOP command displays information on errors and counters
kept by the InfoServer for the MOP protocol.

Example
InfoServer>

SHOW MOP
* MOP Counters *

Seconds Since Zeroed:
Messages Received:
Messages Transmitted:
Messages Re-transmitted:

4697
0
0
0

Load failed, server limit:
Load failed, not contiguous:
Load failed, file not found:
Load failed, read error:

0
0
0
0

Request IDs Received:
Read Counters Received:
LOOP Messages Received:

0
0
0

Load failed, timeout:
Load failed, protocol error:
Load failed, no memory:

0
0
0

Loads in progress:
Successful loads:
Total loads processed:

0
0
0

Load failed, file too big:
Load failed, bad file type:
Load failed, partition type:

0
0
0

*** MOP downline loading has been disabled.

Table 3–8 describes the fields displayed in SHOW MOP commands.

3–56

Server Management Commands

SHOW MOP
Table 3–8: SHOW MOP Display Fields
Field

Description

Seconds Since Zeroed

The number of seconds since these counters
were last set to 0.

Messages Received

The number of MOP messages successfully
received by the InfoServer.

LOOP Messages Received

The number of MOP LOOP messages that
the InfoServer has received and responded
to.

Messages Transmitted

The number of MOP messages successfully
transmitted by the InfoServer.

Messages Re-transmitted

The number of MOP downline load messages that the InfoServer retransmitted to
the requesting node.

Request IDs Received

The number of MOP request identity
messages that the InfoServer has received
and responded to.

Read Counters Received

The number of MOP request counters
messages that the InfoServer has received
and responded to.

Loads in progress

The current count of systems that the
InfoServer is downline loading.

Successful loads

The number of times that the InfoServer
successfully downline loaded a remote
system.

Total loads processed

The total number of downline load requests
that the InfoServer responded to, including
successful and unsuccessful load attempts.

Load failed, server limit

The number of times that the InfoServer
was unable to process a downline load request because it was currently handling the
maximum number of concurrent downline
loads.

Load failed, not contiguous

The number of times that the InfoServer
was unable to process a downline load
request, because an internal format error
was detected in the downline load image.

Server Management Commands 3–57

SHOW MOP
Table 3–8 (Cont.): SHOW MOP Display Fields

3–58

Field

Description

Load failed, no memory

The number of times that the InfoServer
was not able to complete a downline load
request because it did not have sufficient
memory pool.

Load failed, file not found

The number of times that the InfoServer
received a downline load request, but did
not have the requested downline load
image.

Load failed, read error

The number of times that the InfoServer
was unable to process a downline load
because an error occurred while trying to
read the disk.

Load failed, timeout

The number of times that the InfoServer
began to process a downline load request,
but terminated the downline load because
the remote system did not complete the
request within the time limit.

Load failed, protocol error

The number of times that the InfoServer
was unable to complete a downline load
request because it detected a downline
load protocol error in the remote system’s
request.

Load failed, file too big

The number of times that the InfoServer
attempted to process a secondary load
request, but was unable to fit the entire
image into a single MOP downline load
message.

Load failed, bad file type

The number of times that the InfoServer
was unable to complete a downline load
request because it was unable to read the
downline load file type in a partition.

Server Management Commands

SHOW MOP
Table 3–8 (Cont.): SHOW MOP Display Fields
Field

Description

Load failed, partition type

The number of times that the InfoServer
located a partition with the name requested
by the remote system, but was unable to
downline load the image because the
partition was not specified as a MOP
partition.

*** MOP downline loading has
been disabled

This field is only present if the InfoServer
MOP characteristic has been disabled, indicating that the InfoServer will not process
MOP downline load requests received.

Server Management Commands 3–59

SHOW PARTITIONS
SHOW PARTITIONS
Lists all the partitions on an InfoServer device.

Format

SHOW PARTITIONS DKn:[partition_name] options

Parameter
DKn:[partition_name]
DKn: specifies a valid InfoServer device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
The partition_name is a partition that already exists on the specified
device. The partition name can contain wild card characters.

Options
FULL
The FULL option provides a display of all the specified device’s partitions that match the specified input partition name, including any
deleted partitions. The display also provides information on disk usage.
BRIEF
The BRIEF option provides a display of the specified device’s named
partitions that match the specified input partition name.

Description
You use the SHOW PARTITIONS command to list the partitions on
an InfoServer device. The command lists partition names and sizes.
The command can also list any deleted partitions available for reuse,
as well as the remaining space on the disk. The SHOW PARTITIONS
command supports full wild card expressions.

3–60

Server Management Commands

SHOW PARTITIONS
Examples
1.

InfoServer>

SHOW PARTITIONS DK1:C*

Directory DK1:
CONFIGURATION
CORPORATE_FISCAL_DATA
CORPORATE_POLICIES

11/16
512/512
1024/1024

DK1: has 6 partitions and has 204864 total blocks

This command lists the named partitions on disk DK1: that match
the string C*.
2.

InfoServer>

SHOW PARTITIONS DK1: FULL

Directory DK1:
CONFIGURATION
CORPORATE_FISCAL_DATA
CORPORATE_POLICIES
LAB_TEST_PARTITION
PR0801ENG

11/16
512/512
1024/1024
512/512
387/400
16/16
202384/202384

LAB_TEST_DATA [ODS_2]
MOP
DELETED
FREE

DK1: has 6 partitions and has 204864 total blocks

This command lists all the partitions on disk DK1, including
any previously created partitions that have been deleted. The
command also lists a summary of disk usage. Any services bound
to a partition appear to the right of the partition size.
Partition DK1:LAB_TEST_PARTITION is currently being served
with service name LAB_TEST_DATA, in the ODS_2 service class.
This shows that VMS clients who binds to LAB_TEST_DATA will
be accessing the partition DK1:LAB_TEST_PARTITION.
Table 3–9 describes the fields displayed in SHOW PARTITION
commands.

Server Management Commands 3–61

SHOW PARTITIONS
Table 3–9: SHOW PARTITIONS Display Fields
Field

Description

partition_name

The name of the partition on the specified
device.

size/full_size

The first size listed for the partition is
the block size requested by the CREATE
PARTITION command. This is the size
used when served to the LAN network.
The second size listed is the actual
number of blocks that the InfoServer
used (or reused) for the partition.

3–62

service_name [service_class]

Partitions listed with service names next
are being offered as services to client
systems. The service name is listed after
the partition size with the service class in
brackets.

MOP

Partitions listed with the MOP flag are
MOP partitions capable of being downline
loaded.

DELETED

Partitions listed with the DELETED flag
are partitions that have been deleted
and are available to for reuse when new
partitions are created.

FREE

The FREE entry shows the number of
unused disk blocks for the device. These
blocks are free to be used in new partitions.

Summary

The last line indicates a summary of disk
usage. This line lists the total number of
named partitions on the disk, as well as
the total number of blocks on the disk.

Server Management Commands

SHOW SERVER
SHOW SERVER
Displays the InfoServer’s system characteristics, resources and counters.

Format

SHOW SERVER [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The SHOW SERVER command displays information about the
InfoServer system, including information about internal memory
resource utilization, uptime, and idle time.

Example
InfoServer>

SHOW SERVER

DEC InfoServer 100 V1.0

(X4.4)

System Image:

Aug

8 1990 15:50:43

Server Name:
TEST_ESS
Ethernet Address: 08-00-2b-16-02-9c
Server State:
On
Write Access Policy:
Pre-emptive
Current Work Group:
0

Uptime:
Current Sessions:
Highest Sessions:
Current Systems:
Highest Systems:

002 18:51:54
10
41
10
16

Pool Size:
Pool Available:

508632
230584

Cache Size:
% of Pool Free:

3161384
45%

Cache Blocks Read:
Disk Blocks Read:
Total Blocks Read:
Total Blocks Written:

59799129
91915529
151714782
0

Cache Hit Ratio:

11%

Current Idle CPU:
Low CPU:

53%
38%

Enabled characteristics:
MOP downline loading,

Automount disks

Server Management Commands 3–63

SHOW SERVER
Table 3–10 describes the fields displayed in SHOW SERVER commands.
Table 3–10: SHOW SERVER Display Fields
Field

Description

DEC InfoServer V1.0 (base level)

The product designation and software
version number.

Server Name

The name assigned to the InfoServer.

Ethernet Address

The Ethernet address of the InfoServer
hardware unit.

Server State

The server state currently set for the
InfoServer: ON, OFF, or SHUT.

Pool Size

The total number of bytes of memory
available to the running software, for use
in serving disks, accepting connections,
processing MOP downline loads, and so on.

Pool Available

The total number of unused bytes of memory in the InfoServer pool.

Cache Blocks Read

The number of virtual disk blocks read by
a remote client that were fetched from the
disk cache (rather than from the disk).

Disk Blocks Read

The number of virtual disk blocks read by
a remote client that were fetched from the
physical disk (and not from cache).

Total Blocks Read

The total number of virtual disk blocks
read by remote clients, from both disk and
cache.

Total Blocks Written

The total number of virtual disk blocks
that remote client systems wrote to an
InfoServer disk.

System Image

The date when the InfoServer software was
created.

Uptime

The time the InfoServer has been running
since the last reboot. The time is in the
following format:
days hours:minutes:seconds

3–64

Server Management Commands

SHOW SERVER
Table 3–10 (Cont.): SHOW SERVER Display Fields
Field

Description

Write Access Policy

The current write-access policy in effect for
the server, either preemptive or blocking.

Current Work Group

The work group that the InfoServer belongs
to. The InfoServer only communicates with
clients in the same work group.

Current Sessions

The number of remote client systems
currently accessing virtual disks on the
InfoServer.

Highest Sessions

The highest number of clients that concurrently accessed the InfoServer. This value
is saved even when the server reboots.

Cache Size

The total number of bytes of memory being
used as a disk cache for all InfoServer
disks. As disk blocks are read, they are
saved in memory for quicker access if those
same blocks are read again.

% of Pool Free

The percentage of pool memory that is
currently available.

Cache Hit Ratio

The percentage of times that the InfoServer
was able to satisfy a client read request by
getting the requested block(s) from cache.

Current Idle CPU

The percentage of the available CPU
processing time that is currently free.

Low CPU

The lowest value for idle CPU time that
the InfoServer has experienced since the
last time the counters were set to 0.

Enabled characteristics

A list of all of the InfoServer characteristics
that are currently enabled. Characteristics
are separated by a comma.

Server Management Commands 3–65

SHOW SERVICE
SHOW SERVICE
Displays information about services.

Format

SHOW SERVICE [service-name [BRIEF | FULL]]

Parameter
service-name
Specifies the name of the service to display. Usually, a service name is
the same as the volume label of the disk volume. The service name can
contain wild card characters. If you omit this parameter, the system
displays information on all services.

Options
FULL
The FULL option provides detailed information about the specified
service(s). FULL is the default if you specify a service name in the
command line.
BRIEF
The BRIEF option provides an abbreviated, one-line summary of
information for the specified service(s). BRIEF is the default if you do
not specify a service name on the command line.

Description
The SHOW SERVICE command displays service-specific information
for one or all services offered by the server. This information includes
the device number associated with each service and the number of
connected sessions. The SHOW SERVICE command supports full wild
card expressions.

3–66

Server Management Commands

SHOW SERVICE
Examples
1.

InfoServer>

SHOW SERVICE *

CD_BIN_00122
CD_BIN_00121
CD_DOC_01221
FT_BOOT_PAR

[ODS_2]
[ODS_2]
[ODS_2]
[ODS_2]

This command displays summary information for all services.
2.

InfoServer>

SHOW SERVICE CD_DOC_01221 FULL

CD_DOC_01221
Device Id:
Service Rating:
Rating:
Max Read Sess:
Cur Read Sess:
Reads:
Block Reads:

[ODS_2]
DK2
32636
DYNAMIC
1000
0
0
0

Disk Size:
Password:
MAX Write Sess:
Cur Write Sess:
Writes:
Block Writes:

1216980
DISABLED
0
0
0
0

This command displays full information for the service CD_DOC_
01221, which is offered for device DK2.
3.

InfoServer>

SHOW SERVICE MY_PARTITION FULL

MY_PARTITION
Device Id:
Service Rating:
Rating:
Max Read Sess:
Cur Read Sess:
Reads:
Block Reads:

[ODS_2]
DK2
32636
DYNAMIC
1000
0
0
0

Partition:
MY_PARTITION
Disk Size:
1216980
Password:
DISABLED
MAX Write Sess:
0
Cur Write Sess:
0
Writes:
0
Block Writes:
0

This command displays full information for the service
MY_PARTITION, which is offered for the partition named MY_
PARTITION on device DK2.
Table 3–11 describes the fields displayed in SHOW SERVICE
commands.

Server Management Commands 3–67

SHOW SERVICE
Table 3–11: SHOW SERVICE Display Fields

3–68

Field

Description

service_name

The name assigned to each service listed in
the display.

[service_class]

The name of the service class that the
specified service is offered under; listed
in square brackets ( [ ] ) after the service
name.

Device Id

The name of the InfoServer device that the
service is being offered for.

Service Rating

The service rating value (from 0 to 65535)
currently assigned to the service.

Rating

The type of service rating assigned to the
particular service. The rating type can be
either STATIC or DYNAMIC.

Max Read Sess

The maximum number of concurrent read
sessions allowed for the specified service.

Cur Read Sess

The current number of read sessions connected to the specified service.

Reads

The total number of read requests (of any
size) issued by remote client systems for
the specified service.

Block Reads

The total number of disk blocks that remote client systems have read for the
specified service.

Partition

The partition name that the specified
service is offered for. This field is not
present if the service name is for an entire
disk.

Disk Size

The total number of blocks on the disk that
the service is being offered for.

Password

The current setting for password protection, ENABLED or DISABLED. The actual
service password is not displayed.

Max Write Sess

The maximum number of concurrent write
sessions allowed for the specified service.

Server Management Commands

SHOW SERVICE
Table 3–11 (Cont.): SHOW SERVICE Display Fields
Field

Description

Cur Write Sess

The current number of read sessions connected to the specified service.

Writes

The total number of write requests (of any
size) issued by remote client systems for
the specified service.

Block Writes

The total number of disk blocks that remote client systems have read for the
specified service.

Server Management Commands 3–69

UPDATE MOP
UPDATE MOP
Updates the MOP images that the InfoServer can downline load.

Format

UPDATE MOP DKn: [DKn:]

Parameter
DKn:
The first DKn: parameter specifies the source device where the new
MOP downline loadable images will be copied from. The second DKn:
parameter specifies the destination device where the new images will
be copied to. Both DKn: parameters must specify a valid InfoServer
device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
If you omit the destination device, the InfoServer uses device DK1: by
default. DK1: is the read/write disk that comes with the InfoServer.

Description
You use the UPDATE MOP command to install MOP images capable
of being downline loaded onto the InfoServer. The MOP images comes
on a special compact disc from Digital. The UPDATE MOP command
loads the images from the compact disc onto the target disk you specify.
You must specify a source InfoServer device as the first parameter of
the UPDATE MOP command. The second parameter is the destination
device. If you omit the destination, the InfoServer copies the software
to its internal read/write disk.
In order to preserve data integrity, you must set the InfoServer state to
off before performing any UPDATE commands. This prevents remote
virtual disk operations and local disk operations from interfering
with each other. For more information, see the SET SERVER STATE
command.

3–70

Server Management Commands

UPDATE MOP
Example
InfoServer> UPDATE MOP DK2: DK1:
Install DECserver 100 V2.0 software PS0801ENG.SYS [N]?
%ESS-I-COPIED, Copy operation completed successfully.
Install DECserver 200 V3.0 software PR0801ENG.SYS [N]?
Install DECserver 300 V1.0 software SH1601ENG.SYS [N]?

YES
NO
NO

This command loads the MOP images from the compact disc in device
DK2: to the internal read/write disk (DK1:).

Server Management Commands 3–71

UPDATE SYSTEM
UPDATE SYSTEM
Updates the InfoServer operational software used by the system.

Format

UPDATE SYSTEM DKn: [DKn:]

Parameter
DKn:
The first DKn: parameter specifies the source device where the new
InfoServer software will come from. The second DKn: parameter
specifies the destination device where the new InfoServer software will
be copied to. Both DKn: parameters must specify a valid InfoServer
device, as defined in Section 2.5.4.
If you omit the destination device, the InfoServer uses the DK1: device
by default. DK1: is the read/write disk that comes with the InfoServer.

Description
You use the UPDATE SYSTEM command to update the InfoServer
software booted from a read/write media. The InfoServer software
is preinstalled on the internal read/write disk. If you receive software
updates on compact discs, you can use the UPDATE SYSTEM command
to install the updated software on the read/write media.
You must specify a source InfoServer device as the first parameter
of the UPDATE SYSTEM command. The second parameter is the
destination device. If you omit the destination, the InfoServer copies
the software to its internal read/write disk.
In order to preserve data integrity, you must set the InfoServer state to
off before performing any UPDATE commands. This prevents remote
virtual disk operations and local disk operations from interfering
with each other. For more information, see the SET SERVER STATE
command.

3–72

Server Management Commands

UPDATE SYSTEM
Example
InfoServer>

UPDATE SYSTEM DK2: DK1:

%ESS-I-COPIED, Copy operation completed successfully.

This command uses the InfoServer software on device DK2: to update
the internal read/write disk (DK1:). This command lets you update the
InfoServer’s boot software on the internal read/write disk.

Server Management Commands 3–73

ZERO ALL
ZERO ALL
Resets all of the InfoServer’s internal counters.

Format

ZERO ALL [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The ZERO ALL command sets all of the internal counters kept by the
InfoServer to 0.

Example
InfoServer>

ZERO ALL

This command sets all counters associated with the operation of the
InfoServer to 0.

3–74

Server Management Commands

ZERO ETHERNET
ZERO ETHERNET
Resets all of the Ethernet internal counters.

Format

ZERO ETHERNET [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The ZERO ETHERNET COUNTERS command resets all of the
Ethernet internal counters kept by the InfoServer. You can display
these counters with the SHOW ETHERNET command.

Example
InfoServer>

ZERO ETHERNET COUNTERS

This command sets all counters associated with the operation of the
Ethernet datalink and LAST protocol to 0.

Server Management Commands 3–75

ZERO LAT
ZERO LAT
Resets the LAT internal counters kept by the InfoServer.

Format

ZERO LAT [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The ZERO LAT COUNTERS command resets all of the internal LAT
counters kept by the InfoServer. You can display the counters with the
SHOW LAT command.

Example
InfoServer>

ZERO LAT

This command sets all the counters that the InfoServer keeps for the
LAT protocol to 0.

3–76

Server Management Commands

ZERO MOP
ZERO MOP
Resets the MOP counters.

Format

ZERO MOP [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The ZERO MOP COUNTERS command resets all of the internal MOP
counters kept by the InfoServer. You can display the counters with the
SHOW MOP command.

Example
InfoServer>

ZERO MOP

This command sets all the counters that the InfoServer keeps for the
MOP protocol to 0.

Server Management Commands 3–77

ZERO SERVER
ZERO SERVER
Resets the InfoServer’s internal counters.

Format

ZERO SERVER [COUNTERS]

Parameters
None.

Description
The ZERO SERVER COUNTERS command resets all of the counters
kept by the InfoServer for its own internal operations. You can display
these counters with the SHOW SERVER command.

Example
InfoServer>

ZERO SERVER

This command resets the counters that the InfoServer keeps for monitoring its internal operations, including the number of LAN network
blocks read and written, and CPU utilization statistics.

3–78

Server Management Commands

Chapter 4

Performing Advanced Functions
The standard InfoServer system provides transparent access to compact discs, without the need to enter any InfoServer management
commands. However, for some customized configurations you may need
to set up the system by using InfoServer commands.
This chapter describes some of the advanced functions you can perform
by using InfoServer commands. Each section provides examples. The
chapter describes how to perform the following functions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Assign a service name to a disk drive.
Assign a password for access to a compact disc.
Create multiple names for a service, to allow access by different
operating systems.
Create partitions to make use of open space on the internal read
/write disk.
Create services on external compact disc drives.
Back up data locally or remotely.
Downline loadable images from compact disc to the internal read
/write disk.

Performing Advanced Functions 4–1

4.1 Serving Regularly Updated Compact Discs
By default, a running InfoServer automatically serves compact discs to
clients when you insert the discs. It also deletes services automatically
when you remove compact discs. The InfoServer provides access to the
current set of compact discs by their volume label.
Access by volume label is convenient for compact discs that remain in
the InfoServer on a permanent basis. This method is also useful for
temporary compact discs that will not be updated.
However, you may want to use a different method for compact disc
subscriptions where information is updated regularly. When you
remove an old disc and insert the updated copy, the automaticaly
assigned service name usually changes because the updated media has
a new volume label. For these cases, you may want to assign a single
service name to the compact disc drive.
When you assign a single service name to a disc drive, clients can
continue to use that name for connections when you insert a new disc.
With a single service name, clients avoid the need to learn the volume
labels of each new disc inserted.
To provide a fixed service name, you:
1. Assign the service name to a particular device.
2. Save the name, so it remains in effect whenever the InfoServer
reboots.
Example
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE CONDIST FOR DK2: CLASS ODS_2 WRITERS 0
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

In this example, the InfoServer manager enters the service name
CONDIST for an InfoServer compact disc drive that will serve Digital’s
consolidated distribution software disc. When a new compact disc is
inserted, LAN network users can continue to connect to the service
CONDIST: instead of having to learn the new volume label.

4–2

Performing Advanced Functions

4.2 Assigning Passwords to Protect Compact Discs
By default, the InfoServer automatically makes every inserted compact
disc available to all client systems on the LAN network. The InfoServer
creates the service for each compact disc and uses default values
for service-related options such as password protection. By default,
password protection is off.
In some cases you may want to restrict access to information on compact discs by assigning a password. To provide password protection for
compact discs, you:
1. Disable the automatic serving feature of the InfoServer.
2. Assign a service name and password for the selected compact disc.
3. Save the service name and password, so they remain in effect
whenever the InfoServer reboots.
Example
InfoServer> SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT DISABLED
%ESS-I-SET, Set operation completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE SENSITIVE_INFO FOR DK2: PASSWORD
_Password: SECRET (not echoed)
_Verification: SECRET (not echoed)
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

In this example, the InfoServer manager assigns the service name
SENSITIVE_INFO and the password SECRET: to the compact disc in
the DK2: drive.

4.3 Serving Media Under Several Names
The InfoServer and host clients use protocols that allow for redundant
virtual disks to be served on the LAN network with identical service
names. The InfoServer also allows a single virtual disk to be served
several times under several different names.

Performing Advanced Functions 4–3

You may want to provide several different names for the same virtual
disk, for the convenience of LAN network users. You may also want to
make the same media accessible to more than one operating system. To
assign several names to a virtual disk, you:
•
•

Create several services with different names or service classes, all
for the same device.
Save the services, so the names and classes remain in effect whenver the InfoServer reboots.

Example
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE RAW_DATA FOR DK2: CLASS ODS_2
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE DATA_FROM_EXPERIMENT_2 FOR DK2: CLASS ODS_2
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE RAW_DATA FOR DK2: CLASS ULTRIX
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

In this example, the InfoServer manager assigns three aliases to the
compact disc in the DK2: drive. The first two services are accessible
from VMS, and the third from ULTRIX. This action assumes that the
information on the disc is in a format that each operating system can
read. Notice that the same name can be reused under different service
classes.

4.4 Creating and Serving Partitions
The InfoServer has an internal RZ23 read/write disk used to store
InfoServer parameters, configuration, and operational software. Since
it uses the RZ23 disk for its own operations, the InfoServer normally
does not make the disk available as a whole to the LAN network.
The InfoServer uses approximately 5000 to 10,000 disk blocks of the
RZ23 disk, depending on how many services are saved. You can make
the remaining free disk blocks available for general LAN network use,
without interfering with the InfoServer data on the disk.
To make the remaining space available, you create partitions. You can
create partitions on any disk that is initialized as an InfoServer disk.

4–4

Performing Advanced Functions

To make read/write partitions available to the LAN network, you:
1. Create the partition(s) of the desired size.
2. Create services for each partition in the proper name space, with
the appropriate read/write access and protection.
3. Save the services, so they are available whenever the InfoServer
reboots.
Example
In the following example, the InfoServer manager creates three partitions to serve to the LAN network.
InfoServer>

SHOW PARTITION DK1:

Directory DK1:
BOOT_PARTITION
CONFIGURATION

5001/5002
10/16
199864/199864

FREE

DK1: has 1 partition and 204864 total blocks
InfoServer> CREATE PARTITION DK1:ONLINE_HELP BLOCKS 20000
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create partition completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE ONLINE_HELP FOR DK1:ONLINE_HELP
CLASS ODS_2 WRITER 0
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE HELP_UPDATE FOR DK1:ONLINE_HELP
CLASS ODS_2 WRITER 1 PASSWORD
_Password: SECRET (not echoed)
_Verification: SECRET (not echoed)
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE PARTITION DK1:DOS_STORAGE1 BLOCKS 50000
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create partition completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE PARTITION DK1:DOS_STORAGE2 BLOCKS 50000
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create partition completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE DOS_STORAGE FOR DK1:DOS_STORAGE1
CLASS V2.0 WRITER 1
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE DOS_STORAGE FOR DK1:DOS_STORAGE2
CLASS V2.0 WRITER 1
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

The first partition is used by VMS clients has two service names
assigned. The first service is for read-only users to access online help.
The second service is for the LAN network manager to gain write
access to the same partition, in order to update online help.
Performing Advanced Functions 4–5

The last two partitions are used by MS-DOS clients running PCSA.
Notice that the PCSA product uses scratch disk storage in the V2.0
service class, not the MS-DOS service class.

4.5 Serving an External Read/Write Disk
You can add up to six external SCSI drives to the InfoServer system,
on the external SCSI bus. You can use compact disc drives as external
drives. The InfoServer handles external compact disc drives the same
way as internal compact disc drives. For example, external compact
discs are automatically served to clients when the discs are inserted.
You can also add external read/write drives as described in the
InfoServer Installation and Owner’s Guide. For read/write drives,
the disk is normally unformatted. Since an unformatted disk does not
have a volume label, it is not automatically served to the LAN network
by the InfoServer.
To make the disk accessible, you:
•
•

Create a service in the proper name space, with other desired
settings.
Save the service so it is always available whenever the InfoServer
reboots.

Example
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE RRD40 FOR DEVICE DK12: CLASS ODS_2 WRITERS 1
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

After the InfoServer manager enters these commands, a client could
bind to the service name RRD40, initialize the disk with an ODS-2
on-disk structure, mount the disk, and use the entire disk as if it were
a locally attached RRD40.

4–6

Performing Advanced Functions

4.6 Backing Up Read/Write Data
Since the InfoServer provides access to read/write storage, you may
need to periodically back up the stored information. Backing up data
allows you to restore information if the system has a disk failure, you
replace an InfoServer unit, or any similar interruption occurs.
There are two methods available for backing up InfoServer data:
•

•

If you have added a second read/write drive to the InfoServer,
you can perform the backup operation locally by using InfoServer
commands.
You can also back up InfoServer disks to a remote client system,
using the normal disk-access commands for your operating system
to access the InfoServer.

The following sections describe how to perform local and remote backup
operations.

4.6.1 Backing Up Data Locally
If you have added a read/write drive to your InfoServer, you can use
InfoServer commands to back up data to that disk. For a local backup
operation to succeed, the source and target disks must be the same
size. If the disks are different sizes, you can create partitions.
To back up data on a local read/write disk, you:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Determine the size of the disk being backed up.
Initialize the external disk, so it can be used to create partitions.
Create the partition of the appropriate size.
Use the InfoServer’s COPY command to save the data.

To restore the data, you would use the same COPY command but
specify the partition as the source and the disk as the target.

Performing Advanced Functions 4–7

Example
InfoServer>

SHOW DEVICE DK1:

Device
Name

Device
State

Device
Type

Device
Address

Device
Size

Volume
Label

DK1:

Hard Disk

A/001

204864

UNKNOWN

InfoServer> INITIALIZE DK12:
InfoServer> CREATE PARTITION DK12:SAVE_PARTITION BLOCKS 204864
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create partition completed successfully.
InfoServer> COPY DK1: DK12:SAVE_PARTITION
%ESS-I-COPIED, Copy operation completed successfully.
InfoServer>

In this example, the InfoServer manager backs up a smaller, internal
RZ23 disk to a larger, external RRD40 disk. The manager initializes
the RRD40 drive as device DK12:, then creates a partition on the
RRD40 to match the storage size of the RZ23. The backup operation
saves all of the system configurations, parameters, and operational
software, as well as any partitions created.

4.6.2 Backing Up Data Remotely
You may want to back up data to a remote client system if:
•
•

You do not have additional read/write disks on your InfoServer.
You want to back up data to some other media, such as magnetic
tape.

Example
This example shows how to back up data to a VMS system. Here are
the basic steps:
1. On the InfoServer, make the entire disk available through a service.
2. On the VMS system, access the disk as though the online disk
structure were unknown.
3. Perform the backup operation.

4–8

Performing Advanced Functions

On the InfoServer:
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE BACKUP FOR DK1: CLASS ODS_2
WRITERS 0 PASSWORD
_Password: SECRET (not echoed)
_Verification: SECRET (not echoed)
InfoServer>

Then, on the VMS system:
$ MCR ESS$LADCP
LADCP> BIND/PASSWORD=SECRET BACKUP
%LADCP-I-BIND, service bound to logical unit DAD$BACKUP (_DAD4:)
LADCP> EXIT
$ MOUNT/FOREIGN/NOWRITE DAD$BACKUP:
%MOUNT-I-MOUNTED,
mounted on _DAD4:
$ MOUNT/FOREIGN DKA200:
%MOUNT-I-MOUNTED,
mounted on _DKA200:
$ BACKUP/PHYSICAL DAD$BACKUP: DKA200:
$

Note that you could use any other operating system to perform this
backup operation, as long as that system has client software to access the InfoServer. Simply use the appropriate commands for your
operating system in place of the VMS commands in this example.

4.7 Creating MOP Partitions for Downline Loading
Normally, you create MOP partitions automatically when you uses
the InfoServer’s UPDATE MOP command. The command creates the
special MOP partitions on the read/write disk, then copies a set of
downline loadable images from a compact disc to the MOP partitions.
This single command procedure works only with downline loadable
images supplied on compact discs from Digital.
If you have downline loadable images from other sources, you can take
the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Determine the size of the downline loadable image.
Create a partition on the InfoServer to receive the image.
Create a service to access the partition from the client system.
Copy the image to the partition.
Delete the service for the partition. (MOP partitions cannot be
served.)
Performing Advanced Functions 4–9

6. Modify the partition to be a MOP partition.
7. Make sure that the MOP downline loading feature is enabled.
Example
This example shows the steps for downline loading a DECserver 200
that requests a file named PR0801ENG. The example uses VMS as the
client system that has the downline loadable image. You could use any
other operating system that has client access to the InfoServer; simply
use the appropriate commands for your operating system in place of
the VMS commands.
On the VMS system currently performing downline loading, issue a
DIRECTORY command to determine the size of the downline loadable
file. For example:
$ DIRECTORY/SIZE MOM$LOAD:PR0801ENG.SYS)
Directory SYS$COMMON:[MOM$SYSTEM]
PR0801ENG.SYS;1

378

From an InfoServer console terminal, enter the CREATE PARTITION
command to set aside storage for the MOP downline loadable file.
The partition name must be the same as the VMS file name, but
without the extension (which is the name requested by the system
being downline loaded). Serve the partition to the LAN network,
so that the VMS system can copy the downline loadable file to the
partition. For example:
InfoServer> CREATE PARTITION DK1:PR0801ENG BLOCKS 378)
%ESS-I-CREATE, Create partition completed successfully.
InfoServer> CREATE SERVICE MOP_UPDATE FOR DK1:PR0801ENG CLASS ODS_2
WRITER 1 PASSWORD
_Password: SECRET (not echoed)
_Verification: SECRET (not echoed)
%ESS-I-CREATED, Create service completed successfully.
InfoServer>

On the VMS client system, bind to the service under which the partition was served. Next, mount the device as a foreign device. Then copy
the downline loadable file to the device connected to the partition.

4–10

Performing Advanced Functions

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:ESS$LADCP
LADCP> BIND/WRITE/PASSWORD=SECRET MOP_UPDATE
%LADCP-I-BIND, service bound to logical unit DAD$MOP_UPDATE (_DAD3:)
LADCP> EXIT
$ MOUNT/FOREIGN DAD$MOP_UPDATE
%MOUNT-I-MOUNTED,
mounted on _DAD3:
$ COPY MOM$LOAD:PR0801ENG.SYS DAD$MOP_UPDATE:
$ DISMOUNT DAD$MOP_UPDATE
$

On the InfoServer console terminal, unserve the MOP partition to avoid
possible corruption by other clients accidentally connecting to the MOP
file. Then set the partition type to MOP and enable downline loading
for the InfoServer. For example:
InfoServer> DELETE SERVICE MOP_UPDATE FOR DK1:PR0801ENG CLASS ODS_2
InfoServer> SET PARTITION DK1:PR0801ENG MOP
InfoServer> SET SERVER MOP ENABLED
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

The InfoServer is now capable of downline loading any system that
requests the file PR0801ENG.

Performing Advanced Functions 4–11

Chapter 5

Troubleshooting
This chapter describes some common problems that may occur when
using the InfoServer. Each section describes possible causes of the
problem and lists the corrective steps to take. You may also want to
the host client’s documentation set for information on accessing the
InfoServer.
For more information on troubleshooting the installation of an
InfoServer, refer to the InfoServer 100 Installation and Owners Guide.

5.1 Cannot Connect to the InfoServer Disk
If you cannot connect to a virtual disk being served by the InfoServer,
the InfoServer may be configured incorrectly. In this case, an operating
system error appears when you use the proper client commands to
connect to a virtual disk. This section describes some of the possible
problems and the corrective steps to take if you observe this symptom.
Possible Problem:
The compact disc that you are trying to connect to has been removed
from the InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the compact disc has been removed from the
InfoServer. Log in to either the local or remote LAT management
console, then issue the SHOW DEVICE command. The column
at the far right lists the volume label for all devices listed. If the
volume label of the compact disc you are trying to connect to is not

Troubleshooting 5–1

listed, then the compact disc has probably been removed from the
InfoServer.
If the compact disc has been removed, reinsert it into a free
InfoServer drive. Then enter the SHOW DEVICE command again
and check to see if the volume label of the compact disc is listed.
When the volume label appears, you should be able to connect to
the compact disc from your client system.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer, client system, or both are physically disconnected from
the LAN network; or, they are attached to different networks.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the client and server are not on the same LAN network. From the client system, enter the command to invoke the
MOP LOOP function. For example, on an MS-DOS system with
DECnet:
A:\> NCP LOOP CIRCUIT PHYSICAL-ADDRESS 08-00-2B-15-00-9F
LOOP CIRCUIT test started at 13-Aug-1990 11:49:17
Sending loop message 1, 46.
Message echoed by remote circuit loopback 1, 46 bytes.
LOOP CIRCUIT test finished successfully at 13-Aug-1990 11:49:17
A:\>

If the MOP LOOP function fails, then the client and InfoServer are
not able to communicate. One or both systems are probably not
attached to the same LAN network correctly.
Some client systems may also provide the ability to list servers
on the LAN network. For example, on VMS you can enter the
command:

$ MCR ESS$LASTCP
%LASTCP-I-VERSION, LASTDRIVER X1.5 is running
LASTCP> SHO SERVERS
Node
Node
Physical
Name
Id
Address
LAD_08002B1605E6 08002B1605E6-3037

5–2

Troubleshooting

Active
Links

08-00-2B-16-05-E6

Start
Time
-

If the InfoServer you are trying to connect to is not listed, then
the client system and InfoServer are probably not connected to the
same LAN network.
If this is the problem, connect the client and InfoServer to the same
LAN network. Inspect the Ethernet connections for both systems to
make sure they are properly connected.

Possible Problem:
There is a filtering device between your InfoServer and client system
that does not allow the LAST protocol or multicast address through.
Corrective Steps:
1

The steps to correct this problem depend on the filtering device that
is between the client and the InfoServer. For example, the filtering
device may be an Ethernet bridge.
Enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to determine if the LAST protocol type is being filtered. The
protocol type 80-41 must be allowed across the device for clients
and InfoServers to communicate,.
Enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to determine if the LAST multicast address is being filtered.
The multicast address must be allowed across the filtering device
for clients and InfoServers to communicate. The address is 0900-2B-04-xx-xx, where xx-xx is the hexadecimal value of the work
group that has been set for the InfoServer)
If either the protocol type or multicast address are being filtered,
enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to allow the LAST protocol type and multicast address to
pass unfiltered. This should allow client systems to connect to the
InfoServer.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer has run out of local memory resources to complete new
connections to disks.

Troubleshooting 5–3

Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer has run out of memory. Log in to
either the local or remote LAT management console, then enter the
SHOW SERVER command. If the % of Pool Free value is below 5
percent, then the server may not have enough memory to establish
new connections.
If the server does not have enough memory, the corrective action
depends on how the InfoServer is using memory. If the InfoServer
is offering many unused services to the LAN network, you may
have to delete some services.
If the server is performing many concurrent downline loads, then
it may not be able to accept new connections. You can disable
the MOP downline load function with the SET SERVER MOP
DISABLED command.
If there are more than 100 connections to virtual disks listed in the
Current Sessions field of the SHOW SERVER command, then the
capacity of the InfoServer may be exceeded. You must distribute
your LAN network connections among other available InfoServers
on the LAN network.
One way to distribute connections is to put different InfoServers
and clients into different work groups. See the SET SERVER
WORK GROUP commands (Chapter 3) and the appropriate client
system documentation for the client syntax for changing work
groups.

Possible Problem:
The requested service name for the virtual disk has not been served on
the InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–4

Troubleshooting

Determine if the requested service name is being served by the
InfoServer. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW SERVICE * command. If the service
name being requested is not listed, the InfoServer is not offering
the requested service.

If the InfoServer is not offering the requested service, enter the
InfoServer CREATE SERVICE command to make the device
or partition you wish to connect to available under the proper
service name. See the SET SERVER WORK GROUP command
(Chapter 3).
You may wish to save the created service with the SAVE command,
so the service is always available whenever the InfoServer reboots.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer and client system belong to different work groups.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer and client system belong to different
work groups. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW SERVER command. Check the Work
Group field for the group that the InfoServer belongs to.
Enter the appropriate command on the client system to determine
the group that the client system belongs to. For example, on VMS:
$ MCR ESS$LASTCP
LASTCP> SHOW STATUS
Status of LASTDRIVER X1.5 on node SAUL at 28-JUL-1990 12:16:41
Protocol version 3.1, Uptime: 5 04:09:48.03, Checksum Off,
Slow mode Off
25306 Bytes pool
8 Ethernet buffers
0 I/O request packets
0 Association control blocks
0 Local session control blocks
0 LSC In-Use blocks
0 Transaction control blocks
2 Circuit status blocks
44 Node data blocks
5 Transmit quota
80 Maximum circuits
0 LAN group code
0 Server circuit timeout

In this example, the LAN group code field lists the work group of
the client system as 0.

Troubleshooting 5–5

Enter the appropriate InfoServer or client system command to put
both systems into the same work group. See the SET SERVER
WORK GROUP command (Chapter 3).

Possible Problem:
The requested service name is protected by a password on the
InfoServer, and the client system has not supplied the correct password.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer service has a password. Connect to
either the local or remote management console, then enter the
SHOW SERVICE service_name command, where service_name is
the name of the service you are trying to connect to. Check the
Password: field to see if password protection is enabled or disabled.
If the service has password protection, then either disable the
password by using the SET SERVER command (Chapter 3) or
specify the correct password on the client system. Try to make the
connection again.

Possible Problem:
There is a read/write conflict in accessing the requested virtual disk. If
there is a write-access session to a virtual disk, the InfoServer will not
allow new read sessions and read/write sessions.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–6

Troubleshooting

Determine if there is read/write conflict accessing the virtual disk.
Connect to either the local or remote management console, and
enter the SHOW DEVICE DKn: command, where DKn: is the
device that you are trying to connect to. This display lists all
services offered for that device.
For each service name being offered for the device, enter the
SHOW SERVICE service_name FULL command. This display
lists the number of readers and writers connected to each system.
See Section 2.7 for the different read/write policies used by the
InfoServer.

If there is a read/write conflict to the service, you can do one of the
following:
• Wait until the conflicting connection is disconnected by the
other client system.
• Delete write access to the conflicting service from the InfoServer
management console.
• Delete the conflicting service from the InfoServer.
Then try connect to the InfoServer service again.

Possible Problem:
The service name for the virtual disk that you are trying to access is in
the wrong or different name space.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine the service class under which the service you are requesting is being offered. Connect to either the local or remote
management console, then enter the SHOW SERVICE service_
name command. service_name is the name of the service you are
trying to connect to. The display lists the service class in square
brackets ( [ ] ) after the service name.
If the service is not offered under the service class for the client
system you are trying to connect from, then create the same service
name under the appropriate name space. See the SET SERVER
WORK GROUP command (Chapter 3).

Possible Problem:
The service name being requested by the client is offered on more than
one InfoServer. The client is selecting a different InfoServer than the
one intended, and the other InfoServer is not set up correctly to allow
client access.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the service is offered by more than one InfoServer.
Connect to either the local or remote management console, then
enter the MONITOR SHOW ETHERNET command. Watch the
Troubleshooting 5–7

Messages transmitted field under the LAST counters section, while
trying to connect from the client system again. If this counter
does not increment during the client access attempt, then another
InfoServer may be replying to the request.
If another InfoServer offers the same service name, then use the
InfoServer CREATE SERVICE command to create a unique service
name for the virtual disk or partition you are trying to connect to.
Then try to connect from the client system again, using the new
service name.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer has encountered an internal software logic error, preventing access to its disks.
Corrective Steps:
1
2

3
4

5–8

Troubleshooting

If none of the other corrective actions solve this problem, you may
have a software logic problem.
If you have access to the InfoServer hardware unit, examine the
eight diagnostic LEDs on the back of the unit. If the software is
running properly, these LEDs should turn on in a rotating pattern
from right to left. If the LEDs do not display the rotating pattern,
the system is hung. Turn the InfoServer off and on to clear the
condition, then reboot the software.
If you cannot recover from the problem, reboot the InfoServer. Then
try to make the connection again.
Please submit a Software Performance Report (SPR), describing
in as much detail as possible the problem you experienced, the
corrective actions you tried, and the results. Also provide as much
information about the client systems as possible.

5.2 Access to InfoServer Disks Seems Slow
Under normal operating conditions, access times for a virtual disk on
the InfoServer should be comparable to access times for a locally attached disk. In many cases, accessing compact discs on the InfoServer
can actually appear to be substantially faster than a locally attached
compact disc, due to the Infoserver’s disk-caching policies. If access to
virtual disks on the InfoServer appears unusually slow, a problem may
exist in your LAN network.
Possible Problem:
The InfoServer is experiencing ‘‘system buffer unavailable’’ errors. If
the LAN network load imposed on the InfoServer is too great, the client
systems and InfoServer will intentionally decrease their LAN network
rates to try to resolve the LAN’s network-load problem.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer is experiencing ‘‘system buffer unavailable’’ errors. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW ETHERNET command.
Check the System buffer unavailable counter for a nonzero value. If
this counter is not 0 or is incrementing, then the LAN network load
may be too high for the InfoServer.
If the ‘‘system buffer unavailable’’ error is occurring and you are
not performing downline loading from the InfoServer, then you may
want to enter the SET SERVER MOP DISABLED command. If
MOP is enabled, a multicast address is enabled that causes the
InfoServer to receive messages from the DECnet network that
are not intended for the InfoServer. This event is shown by the
Unrecognized Destination field of the SHOW ETHERNET display.
Disabling MOP will disable this multicast filter on the InfoServer
and reduce the number of unintended messages received by
InfoServer. This may correct the ‘‘system buffer unavailable’’
problem, and speed up access to InfoServer disks.

Troubleshooting 5–9

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer has just rebooted or has had the physical media removed and reinserted. In these cases, the client system may take
several seconds to discover the broken connection and reestablish the
connection to the InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the Server has recently rebooted. Enter the SHOW
SERVER command, and inspect the Uptime field. The uptime
indicates how much time has elapsed since the last reboot.
If the server has recently rebooted or the media has been removed
and reinserted, you do not have to perform any corrective action
After the client reconnects to the InfoServer, the access-delay
problem should disappear.

5.3 Cannot Enter InfoServer Commands from a Local
Console
The InfoServer management interface is always available from a local
terminal connected to a running InfoServer. This section describes
some possible problems and corrective steps if you are unable to enter
InfoServer commands from a locally attached terminal.
Possible Problem:
The local terminal is connected to the wrong communication serial
MMJ port on the InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–10

Make sure that the terminal is connected to the serial MMJ port
labeled 1 on the back of the InfoServer unit. The InfoServer does
not make use of serial MMJ ports 2 and 3.
If the terminal is connected to the wrong serial MMJ port, then
reconnect it to serial MMJ port 1.

Troubleshooting

Possible Problem:
The local terminal is not set up correctly to communicate with the
InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1

Check the attached terminal, and make sure that it is set for:
• 9600 baud
• 8 bits, no parity
• XON/XOFF flow control
If the terminal settings are incorrect, fix them. Then try entering
your InfoServer commands again.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer had an internal software logic error, preventing access
from the terminal console line.
Corrective Steps:
1
2

3
4

If none of the other corrective actions solve this problem, you may
have a software logic problem.
If you have access to the InfoServer hardware unit, examine the
eight diagnostic LEDs on the rear of the InfoServer unit. If the
software is running properly, these LEDs should turn on in a
rotating pattern from right to left. If the LEDs do not display this
rotating pattern, the system is hung.
To clear the condition, turn the InfoServer off and on. Then reboot
the software.
If you cannot recover from the problem, reboot the InfoServer. Then
try entering your InfoServer commands again.
Please submit a Software Performance Report (SPR), describing
in as much detail as possible the problem you experienced, the
corrective actions you attempted, and the results. Also provide
known information about the attached terminal and its setup.

Troubleshooting 5–11

5.4 Cannot Enter InfoServer Commands from a Remote
Console
The InfoServer uses the LAT protocol to allow remote terminal access to the InfoServer command set. This remote access is always
available when the InfoServer is running. This section describes the
possible problems and corrective steps to take if you are unable to enter
InfoServer commands from a remote LAT terminal.
Possible Problem:
The InfoServer, terminal server, or both are physically disconnected
from the LAN network; or, they are attached to different networks.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer and terminal server are on the same
LAN network. From the terminal server, enter the command to
invoke the MOP LOOP function. For example, on a DECserver 200:
Local>

TEST LOOP 08-00-2B-15-00-9F

If the MOP LOOP function fails, then the terminal server and
InfoServer cannot communicate. One or both systems are probably
not attached to the same LAN network correctly.
If this is the problem, connect the terminal server and InfoServer to
the same LAN network. Inspect the Ethernet connections for both
systems.

Possible Problem:
There is a filtering device between your InfoServer and terminal server
that does not allow the LAT protocol or multicast address through.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–12

The steps to correct this problem depend on the filtering device
between the terminal server and the InfoServer. For example, the
filtering device may be an Ethernet bridge.

Troubleshooting

Enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to determine if the LAT protocol type is being filtered. The
protocol type 60-04 must be allowed across the device for terminal
servers and InfoServers to communicate.
Enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to determine if the LAT multicast address is being filtered.
The multicast address 09-00-2B-00-00-0F must be allowed across
the filtering device for the clients and InfoServers to communicate.
If either the protocol type or multicast address are being filtered,
enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to allow the LAT protocol type and multicast address to pass
unfiltered. This should allow the terminal server to connect to the
InfoServer.

Possible Problem:
The password for the InfoServer that you are trying to connect to has
been changed.
Corrective Steps:
1

If the InfoServer has password protection enabled, the terminal
server prompts you for a password to connect to the InfoServer. If
the InfoServer does not accept the password you enter, then the
InfoServer password may have been changed.
If you are unable to determine the new InfoServer password, you
can reset the InfoServer to a known password by following the
steps in Section 5.9.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer has run out of local memory resources to complete new
connections to the management interface.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer has run out of memory. Connect to
the local console and enter the SHOW SERVER command. If
the percentage displayed in the % of Pool Free field falls below 5

Troubleshooting 5–13

percent, then the server may not have enough memory to establish
new LAT connections.
If the server does not have enough memory, the corrective action
depends on how the InfoServer is using memory.
• If the InfoServer is offering many unused services to the LAN
network, then you may have to delete some services.
• If the server is performing many concurrent downline loads,
then it may not be able to accept new connections. You can
disable the MOP downline load function by using the SET
SERVER MOP DISABLED command.
• If there are more than 100 connections to virtual disks, then
the capacity of the InfoServer may be exceeded. The Current
Sessions field of the SHOW SERVER command lists the number
of connections.
If this is the problem, you will need to distribute your LAN
network connections among other available InfoServers on the
LAN network. One way to do this is to put different InfoServers
and clients into different work groups. See the SET SERVER
WORK GROUP command (Chapter 3) and the appropriate
client system documentation for the client syntax for changing
work groups.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer and terminal server do not share a common group code.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–14

Determine if the InfoServer and terminal server share common
group codes. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW LAT command. The Enabled Group
Codes field will list the LAT group codes offered by the InfoServer.
Enter the appropriate command on the terminal server to determine the group codes that your console has access to. For example,
on a DECserver 200:

Troubleshooting

Local>

SHOW PORT

Port 5:

Server: LAT_08002B13EDAF

Character Size:
Flow Control:
Parity:

8
XON
None

Input Speed:
Output Speed:
Modem Control:

4800
4800
Disabled

Access:
Backwards Switch:
Break:
Forwards Switch:

Local
None
Local
None

Local Switch:
Name:
Session Limit:
Type:

None
PORT_5
4
Soft

Preferred Service: None
Authorized Groups:
(Current) Groups:

0
0

Enabled Characteristics:
Autobaud, Autoprompt, Broadcast, Input Flow Control,
Loss Notification, Message Codes, Output Flow Control,
Verification

In this example, the (Current) Groups field of the display lists the
group codes that the terminal server port can connect to.
Enter the appropriate InfoServer or terminal server commands
to enable a common group code for the terminal server port and
the InfoServer service. See the SET SERVER WORK GROUP
command (Chapter 3).

Possible Problem:
The terminal server being used does not offer access to passwordprotected LAT services.
Corrective Steps:
1

2
3

If the terminal server issues an invalid password error message
without first prompting you for a password, then the terminal
server may not support connections to password-protected services.
Check your terminal server documentation to determine if connections to password-protected services are allowed.
If connections to password-protected services are not supported, you
cannot use that type of terminal server to connect to the remote
console. The service to the InfoServer remote management console
is always password-protected. Try using another type of terminal
server to make the connection.
Troubleshooting 5–15

Possible Problem:
There is more than one InfoServer with the same server name on the
extended LAN. You are connecting to the incorrect InfoServer, which
does not accept your password.
Corrective Steps:
1

Local>

Determine if there is more than one InfoServer on the extended
LAN with the same name. Most terminal servers keep a count of
duplicate names detected on the LAN. For example, you can enter
the following command on a DECserver 200 to check an InfoServer
named LIBRARY_IS:

SHOW NODE LIBRARY_IS COUNTERS

Node: LIBRARY_IS
Seconds Since Zeroed:
Messages Received:
Messages Transmitted:
Slots Received:
Slots Transmitted:
Bytes Received:
Bytes Transmitted:

451828
316
222
177
159
7315
208

Multiple Node Addresses:
Duplicates Received:
Messages Re-transmitted:
Illegal Messages Received:
Illegal Slots Received:
Solicitations Accepted:
Solicitations Rejected:

253
0
0
0
0
0
0

If the Multiple Node Addresses field is not 0, then there is more
than one InfoServer with the name LIBRARY_IS.
If there is more than one InfoServer with the same name, connect
a local terminal to one of the InfoServers and change its name to
a unique name. See the SET SERVER WORK GROUP command
(Chapter 3).

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer had an internal software logic error, preventing access
to its remote management interface.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–16

If none of the other corrective actions solve this problem, you may
have a software logic problem.

Troubleshooting

3
4

If you have access to the InfoServer hardware unit, examine the
eight diagnostic LEDs on the rear of the InfoServer unit. If the
software is running properly, these LEDs should turn on in a
rotating pattern from right to left. If the LEDs do not display this
rotating pattern, the system is hung.
To clear the condition, turn the InfoServer off and on. Then reboot
the software.
If you cannot recover from the problem, reboot the InfoServer. Then
try entering your InfoServer commands again.
Please submit a Software Performance Report (SPR), describing
in as much detail as possible the problem you experienced, the
corrective actions you attempted, and the results. Also provide any
known information about the remote terminal server and its setup.

5.5 InfoServer Software Will Not Boot
Normally the InfoServer will boot from the internal RZ23 read/write
disk. Booting from the read/write disk rather than from a compact disc
allows you to use any compact discs in any InfoServer drive.
If the internal RZ23 disk becomes corrupted or the default boot configuration is altered, the InfoServer may not boot correctly. This section
describes how to recover when the InfoServer software will not boot.
Possible Problem:
The boot flags saved for the InfoServer have been altered.
Corrective Steps:
1

2
3

Connect a local terminal to serial MMJ port 1 on the rear of the
InfoServer unit. Make sure the terminal is set to 9600 baud, 8 bits,
no parity. You must use a local terminal; remote LAT terminals
will not work with this procedure.
Press the halt switch on the rear of the InfoServer unit. The >>>
prompt should appear.
At the >>> prompt, enter the following command:
>>>

SHOW BOOT

Troubleshooting 5–17

The BOOT parameter must be set to DKA200,DKA100. If the
SHOW BOOT command displays a different setting, enter the
following command:
>>>

SET BOOT DKA200,DKA100

Enter the following command:
>>>

SHOW BFLG

The BFLG parameter must be set to the hexadecimal value
D0000000. If the SHOW BFLG command displays a different
setting, enter the following command:
>>>

SET BFLG D0000000

Enter the following command:
>>>

SHOW HALT

The HALT parameter must be set to 2. If the SHOW HALT command displays a different setting, enter the following command:
>>>

SET HALT 2

When all booting parameters are set correctly, try to boot the
InfoServer software:
>>>

Possible Problem:
The system software on the RZ23 disk is corrupted. This could be
caused by clients on the LAN network accessing the disk accidentally,
or by a disk failure.
Corrective Steps:
1

Boot the software from the Infoserver compact disc instead of from
the read/write disk. Insert the compact disc supplied with the
InfoServer unit into the compact disc drive on the right of the
InfoServer unit’s front panel. Turn the InfoServer off and on to
reboot the unit.
After booting from the compact disc, enter the following InfoServer
command:
InfoServer>

5–18

Troubleshooting

SHOW PARTITION DK1:

If the SHOW PARTITION command succeeds, but the special
partition named BOOT_PARTITION does not appear, then only
the system software has been lost. To recover, enter the following
InfoServer commands:
InfoServer>
InfoServer>
InfoServer>

SET SERVER STATE OFF
UPDATE SYSTEM DK2: DK1:
SET SERVER STATE ON

If an error occurs on the SHOW PARTITION command, then the
format of the RZ23 disk has been lost. In this case, you muse
initialize the disk before the system software is copied, as in the
following example:
InfoServer>
InfoServer>
InfoServer>
InfoServer>

SET SERVER STATE OFF
INITIALIZE DK1:
UPDATE SYSTEM DK2: DK1:
SET SERVER STATE ON

Possible Problem:
A hardware failure occurred on the InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1
2

If none of the other corrective steps in this section solve the problem, then your InfoServer may have a hardware failure.
Call your Digital service representative for assistance in repairing
or replacing the InfoServer unit.

5.6 Online Help No Longer Available
If the internal RZ23 read/write disk is partially corrupted, online help
may no longer be available. Use the following steps to reinstall online
help.

Troubleshooting 5–19

Corrective Steps:
1
2

Connect to either the local or remote management console on the
InfoServer.
Insert the compact disc supplied with the InfoServer unit into the
compact disc drive on the right of the InfoServer unit’s front panel.
If a disc is already installed in the drive, remove that disc and
reinstall it at the end of this procedure.
Enter the following commands to update the system software:
InfoServer>
InfoServer>
InfoServer>

SET SERVER STATE OFF
UPDATE SYSTEM DK2: DK1:
SET SERVER STATE ON

If you removed another compact disc to insert the InfoServer
compact disc, reinstall that disc now.

5.7 InfoServer Does Not Boot Completely
If the InfoServer starts to boot but does not display the Password:
prompt, then the internal RZ23 read/write disk may be corrupted. This
section lists the steps to correct this problem.
Possible Problem:
The configuration partition used to store InfoServer parameters, services, and other operational characteristics may be corrupted.
Corrective Steps:
1

2
3

B/D0000001

This command causes the InfoServer software to boot without reading the configuration database from the read/write disk. Therefore,
all system defaults are in effect for this boot.
5–20

Troubleshooting

4
5

At the Enter Password: prompt, enter the default password ESS.
Reenter the characteristics that you want to save for the InfoServer,
then enter the SAVE command. This should correct the corruption
of the configuration partition.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer operational software section of the disk may be partially
corrupted.
Corrective Steps:
1

SHOW PARTITION DK1:

SET SERVER STATE OFF
UPDATE SYSTEM DK2: DK1:
SET SERVER STATE ON

SET SERVER STATE OFF
INITIALIZE DK1:
UPDATE SYSTEM DK2: DK1:
SET SERVER STATE ON

Possible Problem:
A hardware failure occurred on the InfoServer.
Troubleshooting 5–21

Corrective Steps:
1
2

5.8 InfoServer Does Not MOP Downline Load Systems
The InfoServer can automatically downline load systems that request
a specific load image by name. If the InfoServer manager has created
the proper MOP partition on the InfoServer, downline loading should
work. This section describes the possible problems and corrective steps
to take if you are unable to downline load a system from an InfoServer.
Possible Problem:
The MOP downline loading feature is disabled on the InfoServer.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if MOP downline loading is disabled on the InfoServer.
Connect to either the local or remote management console, then
enter the SHOW MOP command. If downline loading is disabled,
asterisks (*) appear at the bottom of the display.
If MOP downline loading is disabled, enter the SET SERVER MOP
ENABLED command to reenable downline loading.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer, the system requesting a downline load, or both are
physically disconnected from the LAN network; or, they are attached to
different networks.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–22

Determine if the InfoServer and system requesting a downline
load are on the same LAN network. Most systems cannot issue a
MOP LOOP test before they are downline loaded. You will need to

Troubleshooting

monitor the InfoServer counters to determine if the InfoServer and
remote system are not connected.
Connect to either the local or remote management console. Then
enter the following commands:
InfoServer>
InfoServer>

ZERO MOP
MONITOR SHOW MOP

Try to downline load from the remote system again. If the remote
system still fails to load and none of the MOP counters in the
SHOW MOP display increment, then the InfoServer and remote
system requesting a downline load are probably not connected to
the same LAN network.
If this is the problem, connect the requesting system and InfoServer
to the same LAN network. Inspect the Ethernet connections for
both systems.

Possible Problem:
There is a filtering device between your InfoServer and client system
that does not allow the LAT protocol or multicast address through.
Corrective Steps:
1

The steps to correct this problem depend on the filtering device
between the client and the InfoServer. For example, the filtering
device may be an Ethernet bridge.
Enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering
device to determine if the MOP-loading protocol type is being
filtered. The protocol type 60-01 must be allowed across the device
for requesting systems and InfoServer to communicate.
Issue the appropriate management commands to the filtering device
to determine if the MOP-loading multicast address is being filtered.
The multicast address AB-00-00-02-00-00 must be allowed across
the filtering device for the requesting system and InfoServer to
communicate.
If either the protocol type or multicast address are being filtered,
enter the appropriate management commands to the filtering device
to allow the MOP-loading protocol type and multicast address
to pass unfiltered. This should allow the requesting system to
downline load from the InfoServer.
Troubleshooting 5–23

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer has run out of local memory resources to complete new
downline load requests.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine if the InfoServer has run out of memory. Connect to
either the local or remote management console, then enter the
SHOW SERVER command. If the percentage displayed in the % of
Pool Free field falls below 5 percent, then the server may not have
enough memory to handle new downline load requests.
If the server does not have enough memory, the corrective action
depends on how the InfoServer is using memory.
• If the InfoServer is offering many unused services to the LAN
network, then you may have to delete some services.
• If there are more than 100 connections to virtual disks, then
the capacity of the InfoServer may be exceeded. The Current
Sessions field of the SHOW SERVER command lists the number
of connections.
If this is the problem, you will need to distribute your LAN
network connections among other available InfoServers on the
LAN network. One way to do this is to put different InfoServers
and clients into different work groups. See the SET SERVER
WORK GROUP command (Chapter 3) and the appropriate
client system documentation for the client syntax for changing
work groups.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer is currently processing the maximum number of downline load requests that it can handle.
Corrective Steps:
1

5–24

Determine if the maximum number of downline load requests has
been exceeded. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW MOP command. If the Load failed,
server limit counter is not 0, then the InfoServer was handling its
limit of downline load requests at some point.

Troubleshooting

Wait until the InfoServer complete some of the current downline
loads and the Loads in progress count gets smaller. Then try the
downline load operation from the requesting system again.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer does not contain the downline loadable image requested.
Corrective Steps:
1

2
3

Determine if the InfoServer has the requested downline loadable
image installed. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW MOP command. If the Load error,
file not found counter increments each time the requesting system
attempts a downline load, then the InfoServer does not have the
image requested.
See the UPDATE MOP command (Chapter 3) or Section 4.7 for
information on installing MOP downline loadable images.
Use the appropriate command(s) to install the desired downline
loadable image. Then try the downline load operation again.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer partition that contains the requested downline loadable
image is not set up as a MOP partition.
Corrective Steps:
1

Determine whether or not the InfoServer partition is a MOP
partition. Connect to either the local or remote management
console, then enter the SHOW MOP command. Check if the Load
failed, partition type count is a value other than 0. If this counter
increments each time the remote system tries to downline load,
then the partition containing the load image is not set up properly.
Enter the SHOW PARTITION DKn:image_name command. DKn:
is the device holding the image partition, and image_name is the
name of the requested image. If the partition is listed without a
MOP flag after the size field, then the image is not set up to be
downline loaded.

Troubleshooting 5–25

Use the SET PARTITION command to enable the partition to be
downline loaded. See the SET SERVER WORK GROUP command
(Chapter 3).

Possible Problem:
The downline loadable image in the requested MOP partition was
not copied to the server correctly, so the image has an invalid or
unrecognized format. Or the image is too large to downline load in the
requested manner.
Corrective Steps:
1

2
3

Determine if the InfoServer has a bad load image that it cannot
load. Connect to either the local or remote management console,
then enter the SHOW MOP command. Check the following error
counters for values other than 0.
• Load failed, not contiguous
• Load failed, read error
• Load failed, protocol error
• Load failed, file too big
• Load failed, bad file type
If any of these counters increment each time the remote system
tries to downline load, then the load image is not installed correctly
on the InfoServer.
See the UPDATE MOP command (Chapter 3 or Section 4.7 for
information on installing MOP downline loadable images.
Use the appropriate command(s) to install the desired downline
loadable image, then try the downline load operation again.

Possible Problem:
The InfoServer has an internal software logic error that is preventing
access to its disks or preventing the server from responding to the load
request.

5–26

Troubleshooting

Corrective Steps:
1
2

3
4

If none of the other possible problems and solutions solve your
problem, you may have a software logic problem.
If you have access to the InfoServer hardware unit, examine the
eight diagnostic LEDs on the rear of the InfoServer unit. If the
software is running properly, these LEDs should turn on in a
rotating pattern from right to left. If the LEDs do not display this
rotating pattern, the system is hung.
To clear the condition, turn the InfoServer off and on. Then reboot
the software.
If you cannot recover from the problem, reboot the InfoServer. Then
try the operation again.
Please submit a Software Performance Report (SPR), describing
in as much detail as possible the problem you experienced, the
corrective actions you attempted, and the results. Also provide any
known information about the requesting system and its setup.

5.9 Forgot the InfoServer Password
The InfoServer has a default password of ESS, which you can change
with InfoServer commands. You must enter the correct password before
you can start an InfoServer management session, either locally or
remotely. If you forget your InfoServer password, you can reset the
InfoServer to its default configuration and password as described in
this section.
Corrective Steps:
1

Connect a local terminal to the serial MMJ port 1 on the rear of the
InfoServer unit. Make sure the terminal is set to 9600 baud, 8 bits,
no parity. You must use a local terminal; remote LAT terminals
will not work with this procedure.
Press the halt switch on the rear of the InfoServer unit. The >>>
prompt should appear.

Troubleshooting 5–27

At the >>> prompt, enter the following command:
>>>

4
5

B/D0000001

This command causes the InfoServer software to boot without reading the configuration database from the read/write disk. Therefore,
all system defaults are in effect for this boot.
At the Enter Password: prompt, enter the default password ESS.
You now have access to InfoServer commands.
After you log in, you can restore all of the previous system configuration by using the RESTORE command:
InfoServer> RESTORE
%ESS-I-RESTORE, Restoring Configuration from DK1:
InfoServer>

Change the server password to a known value:
InfoServer> SET SERVER PASSWORD
_Password: NEW_PASSWORD (not echoed)
_Verification: NEW_PASSWORD (not echoed)
InfoServer>

Save the current settings, including the new password, with the
SAVE command:
InfoServer> SAVE
%ESS-I-SAVED, Save completed successfully to DK1:
InfoServer>

The system is now restored to its previously saved configuration.
Your new password is also saved.

5–28

Troubleshooting

Appendix A

InfoServer V1.0 Command Summary
This appendix lists the command syntax for all InfoServer management
commands. You can use the appendix as a quick-reference tool. For a
complete description of each command, see Chapter 3.

CLEAR

COPY DKn:[partition_name] DKn:[partition_name]

SERVICE service_name FOR DKn:[partition_name]

DELETE

CREATE

PARTITION DKn:partition_name BLOCKS value [MOP {ENABLED | DISABLED}]

CLASS class_name
STATIC_RATING rating
DYNAMIC_RATING
PASSWORD password
READERS readers
WRITERS writers
NOPASSWORD
NOREADERS
NOWRITERS

PARTITION DKn:partition_name
SERVICE service_name [FOR DKn:[partition_name]] [CLASS class_name]

EXIT [or LOGOUT]

InfoServer V1.0 Command Summary A–1

HELP [topic] [subtopic...]

INITIALIZE DKn:

LOOP [infoserver_command]

MONITOR [infoserver_command]

REBOOT

YES
NO

RESTORE [DKn:]

SAVE [DKn:]

A–2 InfoServer V1.0 Command Summary

[SERVER] AUTOMOUNT

[SERVER] GROUP [CODES]

[SERVER] MOP

[SERVER] STATE

ENABLED
DISABLED

ON
OFF
SHUT

SYNCHRONIZED
BLOCKING

STATIC_RATING rating
DYNAMIC_RATING
PASSWORD password
READERS readers
WRITERS writers
NOPASSWORD
NOREADERS
NOWRITERS

InfoServer V1.0 Command Summary A–3

SERVICE service_name [FOR DKn:[partition_name]] [CLASS class]

[SERVER] WRITE [ACCESS]

[SERVER] WORK [GROUP] value

[SERVER] MULTICAST [TIMER] value
[SERVER] NAME server_name
[SERVER] PASSWORD

ALL
n,n-m

[SERVER] IDENTIFICATION "string"

ENABLED
DISABLED

SET

PARTITION DKn:partition MOP {ENABLED | DISABLED}

DEVICE

ZERO

MOP
SYSTEM

ALL
ETHERNET
LAT
MOP
SERVER

SERVICE

BRIEF
FULL

SERVER

UPDATE

PARTITIONS

DKn:[partition_name]
DKn:%*

SHOW

BRIEF
FULL

ETHERNET [COUNTERS]
LAT [COUNTERS]
MOP [COUNTERS]

DKn:
DK

service_name

BRIEF
FULL

DKn: [DKn:]

[COUNTERS]

A–4 InfoServer V1.0 Command Summary

Appendix B

Server Messages
This appendix lists all the user messages that the InfoServer may
display. The appendix also provides corrective steps for error and
warning messages.
The InfoServer displays three different types of messages to the user:
error messages, information messages, and warning messages. You can
identify each type of message its one-letter prefix. Following the prefix
is a reason code and a simple text message explaining the error.
Informational message:
Error message:
Warning message:

%ESS-I-reason, text
%ESS-E-reason, text
%ESS-W-reason, text

Informational messages are positive feedback indicating that the
attempted operation succeeded. These messages also tell you about
results from the command that might not be obvious.
Error messages indicate that a command failed to execute properly.
The message should help you identify and correct the problem. Consult
the other chapters in this manual if necessary.
Warning messages indicate that a command was not able to execute
due to a server restriction.

Server Messages B–1

B.1 Informational Messages
%ESS-I-COPIED,

Copy operation completed successfully.

Explanation: A copy operation completed successfully.
%ESS-I-CREATED,

Create partition completed successfully.

Explanation: A partition was created successfully. This can be the
result of a COPY or CREATE PARTITION command.
%ESS-I-CREATED,

Create service completed successfully.

Explanation: One or more services were created successfully.
%ESS-I-CREATEBOOT,

Creating boot partition.

Explanation: The system is creating a new boot partition when
starting up. If the system finds that the first read/write device in the
system is not an InfoServer device, the system initializes the device
and creates a boot partition.
%ESS-I-CREATEDBOOT,

Boot partition created successfully.

Explanation: The boot partition has been created.
%ESS-I-DELETED,

Delete partition completed successfully.

Explanation: A partition was deleted successfully.
%ESS-I-DELETED,

Delete service completed successfully.

Explanation: One or more services were deleted successfully.
%ESS-I-INIT,

Initialize completed successfully on DKn:

Explanation: A device was initialized successfully.
%ESS-I-INITSERVER,

Reading Server Database from DKn:

Explanation: When the server started up, it found a configuration
partition on device DKn: and initialized the server from it.
%ESS-I-RESTORED,

Restore completed successfully from DKn:

Explanation: A restore operation completed successfully. The message
tells you which device the configuration partition was read from.
B–2 Server Messages

%ESS-I-SAVED,

Save operation completed successfully to DKn:

Explanation: A save operation completed successfully. The message
tells you which device the configuration partition was written to.
%ESS-I-SET,

Set operation completed successfully.

Explanation: A SET command completed successfully.
%ESS-I-UPDATE,

Update operation completed successfully.

Explanation: An update command completed successfully.

B.2 Error Messages
%ESS-E-BADKEYWORD,

Unrecognized keyword - xxx

Explanation: You entered a keyword xxx that is not part of the
InfoServer’s command syntax. See Chapter 3 for the correct syntax.
%ESS-E-BADFORMAT,

Configuration database has been corrupted on
DKn:

Explanation: A configuration partition has been corrupted. Delete
the partition named CONFIGURATION on the device. Use the COPY
command to restore the configuration from another source, or reenter
the configuration and enter a SAVE command.
%ESS-E-BADSTRING,

Error parsing quoted string

Explanation: You entered a quoted string in the incorrect format. The
SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION command takes a quoted string as a
parameter. See Chapter 3 for more details.
%ESS-E-BADVALUE,

Value invalid or out of range -

Explanation: You entered a value that is outside the valid range of
the command parameter.
%ESS-E-CREATEFAILED,

Could not create service or partition, xxx

Explanation: A CREATE command failed. Following this message
is an error message giving the exact reason the command failed. For
example, one reason might be that the device is full.

Server Messages B–3

%ESS-E-DEVICEFULL,

Device is full. Partition was not created.

Explanation: An InfoServer device is full. You can use the DELETE
PARTITION command to recycle partitions that are no longer needed.
%ESS-E-DUPLNAM,

Service name already exists.

Explanation: You tried to create a service name that already exists.
For this error to occur, the duplicate service name must be for the same
device (or device and partition), in the same service class.
%ESS-E-DUPPARNAME,

Partition name is already used.

Explanation: You tried to create a partition on a device with the same
name as an existing partition. Please select a different name for the
new partition.
%ESS-E-FAILEDBOOT,

Boot partition failed to be created.

Explanation: A boot partition (BOOT_PARTITION) failed to be
created on a device during an UPDATE SYSTEM command. For
example, the device could be full.
%ESS-E-FILENOTFOUND,

File not found, file_name

Explanation: An update operation failed to locate the distribution
files on the compact disc. Check that the correct compact disc is in the
correct drive, then retry the operation.
%ESS-E-INITFAILED,

Failed to initialize device DKn:

Explanation: The device cannot be initialized due to a hard failure
such as a write error. Following this message is another message with
more specific information on the reason for the failure.
%ESS-E-INVALIDPARM,

Expecting ascii string

Explanation: You did not enter a string for a parameter that requires
a string.
%ESS-E-INVALIDPARM,

Expecting numerical value

Explanation: You did not enter a number for a parameter that requires a numerical value.

B–4 Server Messages

%ESS-E-NOHELPFILE,

Failed to locate InfoServer help text.

Explanation: The system cannot find the InfoServer’s help file. To
restore the help file, see Section 5.6.
%ESS-E-NOHELPFOUND,

Sorry, no documentation on xxx

Explanation: No online help exists for the requested topic. Refer to
this guide for help.
%ESS-E-NOPOOL,

Insufficient memory available for operation

Explanation: The server’s memory is exhausted. This may be a temporary condition that corrects itself, or the server may be overloaded.
Try the operation again. If the failure occurs a second time, you can
set the server to the off state, perform the operation, and set the server
state back on. This should free up enough resources to complete any
operation.
%ESS-E-NOSUCHDEV,

Device not found.

Explanation: You tried to perform an operation on a device that is not
present in the configuration. Use the SHOW DEVICE command to list
all devices on the InfoServer.
%ESS-E-NOSUCHSERVICE,

Service not found, xxx

Explanation: You tried to set or delete a service xxx that does not
exist. The service being accessed may be in a different name space, or
you may have misspelled the name.
%ESS-E-NOTESSODS,

Device does not have InfoServer disk format.

Explanation: You tried an operation that can only be performed on
an InfoServer device. InfoServer devices are devices that have been
initialized with the INITIALIZE command.
%ESS-E-NOTOFF,

Server must be in the OFF state to perform local disk
operations.

Explanation: The server state was on when you entered a COPY,
INITIALIZATION or UPDATE command. These commands require the
server state to be off.

Server Messages B–5

%ESS-E-NOTRWDEV,

Can not write to device.

Explanation: A write operation was attempted to a compact disc. One
example is the INITIALIZE command.
%ESS-E-ODSVERSION,

This InfoServer disk was created with newer
software. Please use newer version.

Explanation: An older version of the InfoServer software tries to read
a disk that was formated by a newer version of the software. Always
use the newest version of the InfoServer software.
%ESS-E-PARNOTFOUND,

Partition not found.

Explanation: You tried to reference a partition that does not exist.
The SHOW PARTITIONS command lists all the partitions on a device.
%ESS-E-PARPERM,

This partition can not be deleted.

Explanation: You tried to delete a partition that is managed by the
server. For example, the BOOT_PARTITION is a partition that cannot
be deleted.
%ESS-E-PARMTOOLONG,

Parameter supplied was too long.

Explanation: You entered a command parameter string that is longer
than the allowed length.
%ESS-E- RESTOREFAILED,

Could not restore configuration from DKn:"

Explanation: You tried to restore a configuration, and the operation
failed. Following this message is another message giving the exact
reason the command failed. For example, one failure might be that the
configuration partition was not found.
%ESS-E-SAVEDFAILED,

Could not save configuration to DKn:

Explanation: You tried to save the server’s configuration to a device
that is either not an InfoServer device or not a read/write device.
Repeat the command to an InfoServer device.
%ESS-E-SCSIREADERROR,

Error Reading disk.

Explanation: The server received an error reading data from a device.
Try the operation again. If the error continues, call your field service
representative.
B–6 Server Messages

%ESS-E-SCSIWRITEERROR,

Error writing disk.

Explanation: The server received an error writing data to a device.
Try the operation again. If the error continues, call your field service
representative.
%ESS-E-SIZEMISMATCH,

Source and Destination sizes must be equal.

Explanation: You tried to copy a device or partition to a destination
device or partition with a different size. The source and destination
device must be the same size.
%ESS-E-UNKNOWNCOMMAND,

Unrecognized command.

Explanation: You entered a command that is not part of the
InfoServer’s command set. See Chapter 3 for the correct syntax.
%ESS-E-VERIFYERR,

Verification password failed to match new password.

Explanation: You entered a verification password that does not match
a new password. Please repeat the operation.
%ESS-E-WRONGPASSWORD,

Invalid password. Please try again.

Explanation: You entered a password that does not match the current server’s password. Enter the correct password, or see section
Section 5.9 if you can not remember the password.
%ESS-E-WRONGSTATE,

Server state must be OFF to perform this
operation.

Explanation: You tried a COPY or UPDATE command with the server
in the on state. The server state must be off for these commands, to
preserve data integrity by limiting access to the server. This prevents
remote disk operations from interfering with local disk operations.

Server Messages B–7

B.3 Warning Messages
%ESS-W-NOWRITERS,

CD volumes can not be written. Setting maximum writers to zero.

Explanation: You tried to set write access on a compact disc. Compact
discs on the InfoServer are read-only.

B–8 Server Messages

Index
A
Advanced functions
assigning multiple service names • 4–3
assigning passwords to protect compact discs •
4–3
backing up data
locally • 4–7
remotely • 4–8
backing up read/write data • 4–7
creating and serving partitions • 4–4
creating MOP partitions for downline loading • 4–9
serving external read/write disks • 4–6
serving updated compact discs • 4–2
Automatic service • 1–7
Automount feature • 2–3
Automounting compact discs • 3–28

B
Backing up data
locally • 4–7
remotely • 4–8
Backing up read/write data • 4–7
Booting the system
troubleshooting • 5–17
partial boot • 5–20
updating software • 3–72
Buses • 2–7

C
Central databases
nightly updates • 3–38
Classes • 3–41
Class names • 3–9
CLEAR command • 3–4
Commands • 3–1
CLEAR • 3–4
COPY • 3–5
CREATE PARTITION • 3–7
CREATE SERVICE • 3–9
DELETE PARTITION • 3–13
DELETE SERVICE • 3–14
EXIT • 3–17
HELP • 3–18
INITIALIZE • 3–19
LOOP • 3–20
MONITOR • 3–21
overview • 1–6
REBOOT • 3–22
repeating • 3–20, 3–21
RESTORE • 3–23
SAVE • 3–25
SET PARTITION • 3–27
SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT • 3–28
SET SERVER GROUP CODES • 3–29
SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION • 3–31
SET SERVER MOP • 3–32
SET SERVER MULTICAST • 3–33
SET SERVER NAME • 3–34
SET SERVER PASSWORD • 3–35
SET SERVER STATE • 3–36
SET SERVER WORK GROUP • 3–37

Index–1

Commands (Cont.)
SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS • 3–38
SET SERVICE • 3–40
SHOW DEVICE • 3–44
SHOW ETHERNET • 3–47
SHOW LAT • 3–52
SHOW MOP • 3–56
SHOW PARTITIONS • 3–60
SHOW SERVER • 3–63
SHOW SERVICE • 3–66
UPDATE MOP • 3–70
UPDATE SYSTEM • 3–72
ZERO ALL • 3–74
ZERO ETHERNET • 3–75
ZERO LAT • 3–76
ZERO MOP • 3–77
ZERO SERVER • 3–78
Compact discs
assigning multiple service names • 4–3
automatic mounting of • 2–3
automounting • 3–28
creating services for special volume labels • 2–6
external
creating services for • 4–6
formats for automatic serving • 1–2
serving to different operating systems • 4–3
serving updated compact discs • 4–2
Connections
local • 1–4
remote • 1–4
Console terminal • 1–4
clearing the screen • 3–4
local
troubleshooting access to • 5–10
remote
troubleshooting access to • 5–12
Conventions
used in this guide • x
COPY command • 3–5
Counters
resetting
Ethernet • 3–75
InfoServer • 3–74
MOP • 3–77
server • 3–78
CREATE PARTITION command • 3–7
CREATE SERVICE command • 3–9
Creating

2–Index

Creating (Cont.)
MOP partitions for downline loading • 4–9
partitions • 4–4

D
DELETE PARTITION command • 3–13
DELETE SERVICE command • 3–14
Device names • 2–7
Devices
automatic serving of • 1–7
displaying device information • 3–45
SHOW DEVICE command • 3–44
Disks
formatting • 3–19
nightly updates • 3–38
partitions • 2–4
RZ23 read/write disk • 2–3
write access • 3–38
Downline loading • 2–11
displaying errors and counters • 3–57
feature • 1–2
partitions for • 4–9
SET SERVER MOP command • 3–32
troubleshooting • 5–22
updating downline loadable images • 3–70

E
Error messages • B–3 to B–7
Errors
Ethernet • 3–48
LAST protocol • 3–48
LAT protocol • 3–53
MOP protocol • 3–56, 3–57
Ethernet
displaying errors and counters • 3–48
EXIT command • 3–17
External read/write disk • 4–6

F
Fail over • 1–8

G
Group codes
specifying • 3–29

H
Help
problems with online help • 5–19
HELP command • 1–7, 3–18

I
Identification string for server • 3–31
Informational messages • B–2 to B–3
InfoServer
assigning a name • 2–6
availability • 1–8
commands • 3–1
displaying system information and counters • 3–63
identification • 3–31
major functions • 1–2
messages • B–1
name
SET SERVER NAME command • 3–34
overview • 1–1
password
SET SERVER PASSWORD command • 3–35
relationship to client systems • 1–3
service name • 1–5
state
SET SERVER STATE command • 3–36
updating software • 3–72
work groups • 3–37
InfoServer password • 1–5
INITIALIZE command • 3–19

L
Labels • 2–3
LAD protocol • 2–1
LAN networks
downline loads useful for • 2–11
LAST protocol • 2–1
displaying errors and counters • 3–48

LAT group codes • 3–29
LAT protocol
counters
resetting • 3–76
displaying errors and counters • 3–53
displaying InfoServer characteristics • 3–53
identifying InfoServers • 3–31
LAT server • 1–4
Load balancing • 2–2, 2–4
LOOP command • 3–20
Loop messages • 2–11

M
Managing the server
starting a session • 1–4
Messages • B–1 to B–8
error • B–3 to B–7
format • B–1
informational • B–2 to B–3
types of messages • B–1
warning • B–8
MONITOR command • 3–21
MOP
See also Protocols
downline loading • 2–11
identity requests • 2–11
loop messages • 2–11
read counters • 2–11
MOP protocol
displaying errors and counters • 3–56, 3–57
downline loadable images
updating • 3–70
downline loading
partitions for • 4–9
SET SERVER MOP command • 3–32
troubleshooting • 5–22
Mounting
compact discs • 2–3
MS-DOS
class names • 3–41
Multicast address feature • 2–2
Multicast timer
SET SERVER MULTICAST command • 3–33

Index–3

N
Names • 2–5 to 2–8
device • 2–7
InfoServer • 2–5
partition • 2–7
service • 2–6
NCP LOOP CIRCUIT command • 2–11
Nightly updates • 3–38

O
Online help • 3–18
not available • 5–19
Operating systems
serving discs to • 4–3

P
Partitions • 1–2
creating • 4–4
deleting • 3–13
displaying information on • 3–60
for downline loading • 4–9
MOP • 2–12
names • 2–6, 2–7
serving • 4–4
Passwords
forgetting • 5–27
InfoServer • 1–5
setting • 3–35
protecting compact discs • 4–3
Protocols
LAD • 2–1
LAST • 2–1, 2–2
MOP • 2–10 to 2–12

R
Read counters • 2–11
Read/write access • 2–9
Read/write disks
backing up data
locally • 4–7
remotely • 4–8

4–Index

Read/write disks (Cont.)
backing up data from • 4–7
creating partitions on • 4–4
external
creating services for • 4–6
functions • 2–3
partitions • 1–2
REBOOT command • 3–22
Removing media
service disconnection • 1–7
Repeating commands • 3–20
Resetting counters
Ethernet • 3–75
Infoserver • 3–74
LAT • 3–76
MOP • 3–77
server • 3–78
RESTORE command • 3–23
RZ23 read/write disk • 2–3

S
SAVE command • 3–25
SCSI
buses • 2–7
Server management session
ending • 1–6
Service classes • 2–9
Service names • 2–6
Service ratings • 2–4, 3–10
Services
deleted with partitions • 3–13
deleting • 3–14
displaying information on • 3–66
modifying attributes • 3–40
names
default name • 1–5
redundant • 2–7
work groups for • 3–37
Sessions
ending • 3–17
SET PARTITION command • 3–27
SET SERVER AUTOMOUNT command • 3–28
SET SERVER GROUP CODES command • 3–29
SET SERVER IDENTIFICATION command • 3–31
SET SERVER MOP command • 3–32
SET SERVER MULTICAST command • 3–33

SET SERVER NAME command • 3–34
SET SERVER PASSWORD command • 3–35
SET SERVER STATE command • 3–36
SET SERVER WORK GROUP command • 3–37
SET SERVER WRITE ACCESS command • 3–38
SET SERVICE command • 3–40
SHOW DEVICE command • 3–44
to determine volume labels • 2–3
SHOW ETHERNET command • 3–47
SHOW LAT command • 3–52
SHOW MOP command • 3–56
SHOW PARTITIONS command • 3–60
SHOW SERVER command • 3–63
SHOW SERVICE
display fields • 3–68
SHOW SERVICE command • 3–66
Software
problems • 5–17
Starting a session • 1–4
System
messages • B–1
updating downline loadable images
preserving data • 3–70
updating software • 3–72
preserving data • 3–72
System state
saving • 3–25

T
Terminal
See Console terminal
TEST LOOP command • 2–11
Transport • 2–2
Troubleshooting • 5–1 to 5–28
See also the InfoServer 100 Installation and
Owner’s Guide
cannot connect to the InfoServer disk • 5–1
entering InfoServer commands
local console • 5–10
remote console • 5–12
forgotten InfoServer password • 5–27
InfoServer does not downline load systems • 5–22
InfoServer software does not boot • 5–17

online help not available • 5–19
partial boot • 5–20
slow access to InfoServer disks • 5–9

U
ULTRIX
service names • 2–9, 3–9
UPDATE MOP command • 3–70
UPDATE SYSTEM command • 3–72

V
VAX systems
downline loading • 1–2
Virtual disks
slow access • 5–9
troubleshooting connections to • 5–1
Virtual disk server, described • 1–1
VMS
and downline loading • 1–2
ODS-2 service names • 2–9, 3–9
VMS clients
quick access to duplicate services • 1–8
Volume labels • 2–3
determining • 2–3

W
Warning messages • B–8
Work groups
assigning numbers to • 3–37
Write access • 3–38

Z
ZERO ALL command • 3–74
ZERO ETHERNET command • 3–75
ZERO LAT command • 3–76
ZERO MOP command • 3–77
ZERO SERVER command • 3–78

Index–5