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By default, all the CHARON templates are located in the "/opt/charon/cfg" folder. Copy the appropriate template configuration file(s) to your home directory (or to any directory intended for CHARON-AXP). Name them meaningfully and set proper privileges.
For example:
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Please do not edit the original template configuration files since they can be updated or even removed on update/deinstallation of CHARON-AXP
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The first configuration statement is the specification of the exact HP Alpha hardware model to emulate, for example:
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You must leave this line untouched.
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The next configuration statement is the "Configuration name" option:
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You can optionally uncomment this line to differentiate this CHARON-AXP instance from all others in a multi-instance environment. The configuration name can be any label that is meaningful.
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Execution of CHARON-AXP creates one log file or a set of log files reflecting the progress of its start-up and ongoing operation - start and end time of execution, system information, license and configuration details, warnings, reports on problems that may occur, etc. In case of possible problems either with the running CHARON-AXP or the emulated system configuration (such as the absence or malfunction of certain devices), the log file(s) is the primary source to be analyzed for troubleshooting. If it becomes necessary to contact Stromasys for support, the configuration and log files, plus the license number, will be requested to begin problem resolution.
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Here is an example of a field test CHARON-AXP log file:
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The next group of parameters defines the name of the CHARON-AXP log file and how CHARON-AXP will use it:
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Rotating log (default)
By default CHARON-AXP utilizes a so-called "rotating log". This means that a new default log file is always created each time CHARON starts and can switch to another log file if the size of the log file exceeds 64Kb (This behavior can be changed with "set session log_file_size" and "set session log_rotation_period" commands; see more details in "General Settings" chapter of this guide).
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Names of the rotating log files are composed as follows:
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If the "Configuration name" parameter described before is omitted (commented out), the log name has the following format instead:
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Note that "xxxxxxxxx" is an increasing decimal number starting from "000000000" to separate log files with the same time of creation.
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Only existing directory can be used as a value of the "log" parameter. |
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Single log
Alternatively it is possible to use just a single log file. Uncomment the "set session log" line and specify the desired CHARON-AXP log file name. Optionally, a path can be added to the log file name. If the path is not specified, the log file is created in the directory from where the guest (emulated machine) is started.
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Below is a specification of a CHARON-AXP log file located in the "/my_logs" directory which will be overwritten each time CHARON-AXP starts:
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“Affinity” overrides the default and allows explicit specification of which host CPUs will be used by the instance. Affinity does not reserve the CPU for exclusive use.
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The example above directs CHARON-AXP to use CPU 0,1,2 and 3.
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The “n_of_io_cpus” overrides the default by specifying the number of I/O host CPUs explicitly
Example:
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The example above directs CHARON-AXP to use 2 CPUs for CHARON I/O operations.
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For example for HP AlphaServer ES40 family the "es40.cfg" sample configuration file contains the following options:
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Just uncomment the provided lines to apply a certain model (It is "AlphaServer ES40 6/667" in the example above).
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If CHARON host contains not enough CPUs to emulate full range of the CPUs provided by a certain HP Alpha model it is possibe to direct CHARON-AXP to reduce number of the emulated Alpha CPUs in the configuration:
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The next configuration option that can be applied is setting a specific system serial number instead of the default one:
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TOY means "Time of Year"; its container records time, date and some console parameters while CHARON-AXP is not running. To enable, uncomment the following line:
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The ROM container stores an intermediate state of the Flash ROM and some console parameters. It is highly recommended to define its location:
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The next parameter defines the amount of host memory the chosen CHARON-AXP model reserves for the emulation:
#set ram size=4096 |
The amount of RAM is specified in MB. It cannot exceed or be lower than certain values specific for each HP Alpha model. It is very important to keep the listed predefined increment between possible memory values.
The following table shows all the parameters:
| Hardware Model | RAM size (in MB) | |||
| Min | Max | Default | Increment | |
| AlphaServer 400 | 64 | 1024 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer 800 | 256 | 8192 | 512 | 256 |
| AlphaServer 1000 | 256 | 1024 | 512 | 256 |
| AlphaServer 1000A | 256 | 1024 | 512 | 256 |
| AlphaServer 1200 | 256 | 32768 | 512 | 256 |
| AlphaServer 2000 | 64 | 2048 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer 2100 | 64 | 2048 | 512 | 64 |
AlphaServer 4000 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer 4100 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer DS10 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer DS15 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer DS20 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer DS25 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer ES40 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer ES45 | 64 | 32768 | 512 | 64 |
| AlphaServer GS80 | 256 | 65536 | 512 | 256 |
| AlphaServer GS160 | 512 | 131072 | 512 | 512 |
| AlphaServer GS320 | 1024 | 262144 | 1024 | 1024 |
It is possible to leave the RAM line commented out. In this case the model's default RAM amount is used.
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The next step is the specification of the HP Alpha console (OPA0) serial line:
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The goal of this configuration step is to tell CHARON-AXP what host device to use as the virtual system console. The following options are available:
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| physical_serial_line | Mapping to host serial line, both physical and virtual. Use the following mapping for different types of host serial lines:
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| virtual_serial_line | Mapping to an IP port of CHARON-VAX host. | ||||||||||
| operator_console | Mapping to the current TTY console |
The default setting is "operator_console".
The second console line "TTA0" can be also optionally configured (for 1 CPU models such as HP AlphaServer 400, HP AlphaServer 800, HP AlphaServer 1000, HP AlphaServer 1000A, HP AlphaServer DS10, HP AlphaServer DS10L and HP AlphaServer DS15):
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Note there are a number of additional parameters for CHARON-AXP serial lines configuration. Follow this link for details.
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Despite the fact that CHARON-AXP can exit with "power off" command given in its SRM console it is also recommended to set a hot key to stop the guest from the console in addition to the system tray icon:
set OPA0 stop_on = F6 |
This line provides CHARON-AXP the ability to exit by pressing the "F6" button.
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The next configuration option can be applied for improving granularity of emulated CHARON-AXP timer:
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Do not uncomment this parameter unless there are some problems with system time or system clock intervals in guest OS.
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If the sample configuration file provides this parameter it is possible to map this particular CHARON-AXP emulator's "DQA0" CD-ROM to the host CD/DVD-ROM with the following setting:
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How to find proper "/dev/sg" device is explained in this section.
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All of them are configured in a similar way:
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load DE602/i8255x EIA interface=EIA0load packet_port/chnetwrk EIA0 interface="eth0" |
In the examples above the first line loads DE500BA/DE602 virtual adapter with a name "EWA"/"EIA" (note that "/i8255x" syntax must be used only in case of DE602 and DE602AA adapters); the following line maps it to host network interface "eth0". Note that the mapping is performed in 2 steps:
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It is possible to load several DE435, DE450, DE500AA, DE500BA or DE602 controllers, for example (for DE500BA):
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Some network adapters available in CHARON-AXP are preloaded (for example, HP AlphaServer DS15 contains 2 preloaded adapters EWA and EWB), so their configuration is even more simple:
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| CHARON supports VLAN adapters. If used, proceed with their installation and configuration according to the network adapter vendor User's Guide and then use the resulting VLAN interface the same way as the regular network interface. |
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Below is the typical configuration options for KZPBA PCI SCSI disk/tape controller:
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The first line ("load KZPBA PKA") loads disk controller KZPBA with name "PKA", followed by 8 group of lines showing different ways of mapping to the host resources:
| Type of mapping | Description | ||
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| "<file-name>.vdisk" | Mapping to files representing physical disks of the HP Alpha system (disk images). | ||
| "/dev/sd<L>" | Mapping to physical disk. "L" is letter here. These disks must not be formatted by the host OS.
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"/dev/dm-<N>" | Mapping to multipath disk. Be careful not to destroy all the information from the disk dedicated to CHARON-AXP by mistake. These disks must not be formatted by the host OS. | ||
| "/dev/disk/by-*" | Mapping to physical disk.
These disks must not be formatted by the host OS. | ||
| "/dev/sg<N>" | Direct mapping to some SCSI device, for example, a SCSI disk or tape reader. How to find proper "/dev/sg" device is explined in this section. | ||
"/dev/sr<N>" | Mapping to host CD-ROM device. | ||
| "<file-name>.iso" | Mapping to an ISO file for reading distribution CD-ROM image. Mapping may also include the full path (recommended), for example: "/my_disks/vms_distributive.iso" | ||
| "<file-name>.vtape" | Mapping to the file representing the tape (tape image). These files are created automatically. Mapping may also include a full path (recommended), for example: "/my_tapes/backup.vtape" |
Additionally it is possible to specify a parameter "media_type" to assign the type of the attached media explicitly.
Example:
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Numbers in the square brackets represent SCSI addresses and LUNs associated with each container of the KZBPA controller. They have the following structure:
[XXYY], where
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| XX | 0...15 | Stands for SCSI ID of each connected unit.
In this example an instance "PKA" of KZPBA controller is assigned with SCSI ID 0. | |
| YY | 00...07 | Stands for LUN. |
It is possible to load several KZPBA controllers: DKB, DKC, etc. by configuring specific placement for them on the PCI bus. It is discussed in details in the "Configuration details" chapter of this Guide.
Some HP Alpha systems emulated by CHARON-AXP have already had one or two KZPBA controllers preloaded. If the system has only one preloaded controller, the template configuration file usually provides some sample line on how to add another one, for example:
load KZPBA PKA bus=pci_1 device=1 function=0 irq_bus=isa irq=24 |
Follow this link for details of KZPBA controllers configuration.
Back to Table of Contents
KGPSA-CA PCI FC disk controller
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Below is an example of KGPSA-CA controller loading:
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Optionally another KGPSA-CA adapter can be loaded similar way:
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Follow this link for details of KGPSA-CA controllers configuration.
Back to Table of Contents
KGPSA-CA mapping to the host resources
Below is the typical configuration options for KGPSA-CA PCI FC disk controller, mapped to the host resources ("L" is letter here):
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The first line ("load KGPSA FGA") loads disk controller KGPSA with name "FGA", followed by 2 groups of lines showing different ways of mapping to the host resources:
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| "<file-name>.vdisk" | Mapping to the file representing a physical disk of the HP Alpha system (disk image). These files can be created from scratch with "mkdskcmd" utility. Data and OS disk backups are transferred from the original system via tapes or network and restored into these container files. Mapping may also include the full path (recommended), for example: "/my_disks/my_boot_disk.vdisk" | ||
| "/dev/sd<L>" | Mapping to physical disk. "L" is letter here These disks must not be formatted by the host OS.
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| "/dev/dm-<N>" "/dev/mapper/mpath<N>" "/dev/mapper/disk<N>" | Mapping to multipath disk. Be careful not to destroy all the information from the disk dedicated to CHARON-AXP by mistake. These disks must not be formatted by the host OS. | ||
| "/dev/disk/by-*" | Mapping to physical disk.
These disks must not be formatted by the host OS. |
Numbers in the square brackets represent KGPSA-CA units. They can be in the range 0..32766, but no more than 255 units can be configured on a single controller.
Back to Table of Contents
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KGPSA-CA pass through mode
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The sample configuration file provides a template for this type of mapping:
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Follow this link for detailed description of building and installation of EMULEX LightPulse PCI/PCI-X/PCIe FC adapter driver.
Back to Table of Contents
Auto boot
CHARON-AXP can be configured to automatically boot an operating system at start up by specifying the default boot device and setting the 'auto_action' parameter to 'restart' from the console.
Example: dka0 is defined as the default boot device
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