OpenVMS Notes: x86-64 Porting Diaries

Executive Summary
Bare-metal install on HPE DL380_gen9

edit: 2024-02-24

Executive Summary

Platforms like PDP, VAX, and Alpha employ a firmware-based BIOS where you could boot the system with commands like "b dua0" to boot from disk 0 on controller ua
All modern computers, including Itanium and X86-64, now employ a firmware-software-hybrid technology, known as UEFI, which executed by an internal management processor (some sort of x86 thingy that is always running as long as power supply available, even if the server is powered off)

You can do a lot of stuff from a locally connected VGA terminal and keyboard but this does not include installing OpenVMS on a disk for the first time. That activity must be done over the serial port, or iLO, which act as terminal device OPA0:

serial

this will require a serial null-modem cable connected between your Itanium and your laptop (or a VT100 compatible monitor if you can find one). Connecting a serial cable to your laptop may require the purchase of a third-party dongle (USB-to-DB9). See my notes here.
CAVEAT: You do not want to be doing this for the first time on a weekend, or national holiday, or during an emergency. Learn how to do it now, then make many notes for future reference.

iLO

obviously no special hardware is required to connect to an iLO port. But you would need to set the iLO address, then connect it to your network, then connect to the port via another computer on the network.

Bare-metal install of OpenVMS-9.2-2 x86-64 on HPE DL380_gen9

The official 922 installation docs found at the VSI site are really well written so you might not need the following information. What follows are some problems I encountered when doing a bare-metal install on an HPE DL380_gen9 (the VSI docs seem to focus on installing OpenVMS on a Virtual Machine)

Caveat: OpenVMS-9.2-2 x86-64 can only be installed on a machine that employs UEFI. BIOS-only machines will not work.

Machine	Console Firmware	OpenVMS Possible?	Notes
HP DL380p_gen8	BIOS	N	p = performance; e = entry model
HP DL380_gen9	UEFI	Y

Prepping the media

Many servers (and personal computers) today do not host any optical disk drives so I use a USB-based ASUS (SDRW-08D2S-U) Slim External 8x DVD Writer
- CAVEAT: this beast is power hungry so both USB connectors must be plugged in for reading as well as writing.
- The DL380_gen9 did not have enough USB ports so I was forced to use a so-called USB power bar
I logged into the VSI portal then downloaded the kit which included file X860922.ISO which is 1.44 GB in size making easy for writing to a single layer DVD.
- Because the ISO file represents a multi-partition image, you must use burner software that will preserve the partitions.
- I used this: Express Burn by NCH Software. Select "tab: ISO" then click on "Write ISO"

using the iLO (rather than the serial port)

Connecting to the iLO.
- I was unable to use SSH in AlmaLinux-8 to fully connect to the iLO (I was able to connect, but client and server could not find common ground on the initial handshake)
- The reason? Starting with EL-8 (Enterprise Linux 8 which includes: CentOS, RHEL, Rocky Linux, Oracle Linux, AlmaLinux, and EuroLinux), the system-wide libraries have been pruned of encryption algorithms with known exploits. This affects native programs like SSH and SSHd so you need to use an application that maintains both the old and new algorithms. Fortunately, a Linux version of PuTTY (has its own private library of encryption algorithms) was available and this worked like a charm:
```
$ yum install epel-release	# add the repo: Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux
$ yum install putty		# add putty
```
- You may now connect to the iLO (the server needs to be connected to power, but not necessarily powered on)
Doing any OpenVMS install will require you to communicate with OpenVMS via terminal port OPA0 although the first steps are GUI-based which require a VGA monitor
- UEFI program VMS_BOOTMGR usually defaults to device COM1 (which is sometimes associated with the 9-pin serial port depending upon the server). This becomes OPA0
  - VMS_BOOTMGR command COM0 is used to disable the connection to device COM1
  - There is no VMS_BOOTMGR command to change to device COM2
- I suspect most DL380_gen9 servers come with a 9-pin serial port (it is available as a factory option) but mine did not. So I used the UEFI tools (a firmware command) to define "COM1" as a virtual serial port.
  - Caveat: ignore the 9-pin serial port. "I think" this install only works over the iLO

Steps

unplug the USB-DVD
- Why? power-on diagnostics have been known to clobber writable USB media. Oh why didn't those early USB developers include a write-protect switch?
power up the server
wait until you see the prompt for keys: F9, F10, F11
- hit the F10 key:
  - if you wish to setup your RAID controller and/or iLO port graphically
    - Note that one drive (or RAID set) needs to be designated DEFAULT in order for it to be exposed to console firmware.
- hit the F9 key:
  - if you wish to setup your RAID controller and/or iLO port non-graphically
    - Note that one drive (or RAID set) needs to be designated DEFAULT in order for it to be exposed to console firmware.
  - to run any console programs including UEFI Shell (which you will use to find/start VMS_BOOTMGR)

Common Legend:
  <ur>       = user response
  <sr>       = system response
  <enter>    = hit the "Enter Key"
  [[ View ]] = some higher level activity
===============================================================
<ur>  [[ Physical Action ]] Plug in the USB-DVD then wait for the drive LEDs to stop blinking
<sr>  
<ur>  [[ GUI Action ]] Select "UEFI Shell"
<sr>  Shell>
<ur>  map -r
      ("-r" forces the map command to rescan all the hardware)
<sr>  [[ View ]] displays a list of block structured devices (BLK0, etc)
                 if any of these contain a file system then you will see a second entry (FS0, etc)
                 FS0 should point to your DVD if this is your first time
                 if you do not see any FS devices then your DVD burner failed to preserve the EFI partition
<ur>  fs0:<enter>
<sr>  fs0:\>
<ur>  dir
<sr>  [[ View ]] directory listing (efi must be one of them; this is where the UEFI/EFI files will be found)
<ur>  cd efi
<sr>  fs0:\efi\
<ur>  dir
<ur>  [[ View ]] directory listing
<sr>  cd vms
<sr>  fs0:\efi\vms\
<ur>  [[ View ]] directory listing
<sr>  vms_bootmgr
<sr>  View: GUI-based tool
================================================================================
<ur>  On the computer connected to the iLO port, connect to Virtual Console Port
================================================================================
<ur>  dev
<sr>  dna5020
<ur>  boot dna5020
================================================================================
<sr>  Graphics i/o is now suspended. Installation continues on COM1 (which should be VCP)
================================================================================
<sr>  VMS installation menu is presented (choose "item 1" for INSTALL)

Part-2

If everything works properly over then next few reboots, then use ...
... the VMS_BOOTMGR command "AUTO" to configure your system for an automatic boot.
Note: This is different from what you might do on an Itanium

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Neil Rieck
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.