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Introduction

This section describes how to migrate your VAX HP Alpha system to CHARON-VAXAXP. We will use a sample MicroVAX MicroHP Alpha 3600 system to demonstrate the migration procedure. The process is similar for all CHARON-VAX models.CHARON-PDP/11 migration is done in similar way except for the step of acquiring the QBUS addresses and vectors directly from console. Instead this information should be collected directly from the RSX11/RT11 operating system installed on the host to be migrated. Please refer to the RSX11/RT11 User's Guide for guidelines.AXP models.

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Collecting information about the

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source HP Alpha system

The first step is to determine the exact configuration of your VAX HP Alpha hardware in order to create the CHARON-VAX AXP configuration file.

Turn on your source VAX source HP Alpha system. At the ">>>" prompt, issue "show qbus" and "show device" commands:

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The source VAX HP Alpha configuration in this example is:

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To find out the exact types of controllers please refer to the source VAX HP Alpha system documentation.

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Creation of CHARON-

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AXP configuration file

Using the above info, the following configuration can be created:

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DESQA is mapped to a network interface having the name "Charon". This interface will be used for CHARON-VAX AXP (see the Installation section for more details) on this particular host.

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Making disk images

In our example, possible mappings of RQDX3 and TQK50 tapes include physical devices and disk and tape images. Tape images should not be manually created, whereas you have to provision disk images, as described below.

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The main dialog of the utility will appear:

Select "VAXHP Alpha" in the "Select System" drop-down menu, "MSCP" in the "All Controllers" drop-down menu and "RZ24" (for example) in the "Select Disk Type" drop-down menu, then press "Create Disk Image" button:

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Repeat this sequence for the disks "RZ23.vdisk", "RZ25.vdisk" and "RZ26.vdisk". Put them in the same "C:\My disks" folder. 

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Installation of

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HP Alpha operating system

The next step is to transfer the data from the source VAX HP Alpha system to CHARON-VAXAXP. The easiest way to do this is via backup over the network. But for this operation we need a bootable, network-enabled operating system on a CHARON-VAX AXP disk image or physical disk.

The example configures the CHARON-VAX MicroVAX AXP MicroHP Alpha 3600 system for installation of VAXHP Alpha/VMS from a distribution CD-ROM (usually it is "\\.\CdRom0" if the host has only one CD-ROM drive):

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Create an empty disk image for installation of VAXHP Alpha/VMS and another one for storing backups from the source VAX HP Alpha system as it is shown in the section above.

Run CHARON-VAX AXP and boot from "dua4" ("migration.cfg" is the configuration file we use in this example):

Install VAXHP Alpha/VMS including DECnet on "dua2". DECnet address must belong to the same area as the source VAX HP Alpha system.

Login to the newly installed VMS system and initialize the disk intended for backups storage. Let's assume it's prompt is "newvms$ "

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Making remote backups

Now we are ready to create disk backups from the source VAX HP Alpha system to CHARON-VAXAXP.

Boot CHARON-VAX AXP and make sure that the source VAX HP Alpha system is available via DECnet. 

Login to the source VAX HP Alpha system. Stop all the batch queues, kick off the users, stop all application and close databases if any. The commands listed in SYS$MANAGER:SYSHUTDWN.COM may be helpful.  The goal is to close as many files as possible. The system disk will have several files opened (pagefile, swapfile, etc.), but this is normal.

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Issue (let's assume that the CHARON-VAX AXP system is node 1.400 in this example) the following commands from the source VAXHP Alpha. Let's assume it's login is "source$ "

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Once the backup procedure completes, the disk "DUA3" of CHARON-VAX AXP will contain 2 savesets: "DUA0.BCK" and "DUA1.BCK"

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Restore backups to CHARON-

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AXP disks

Next, restore the new savesets to their corresponding virtual disks. Login to CHARON-VAX AXP and issue this sequence of commands to restore all the savesets created on the previous step:

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If you are going to have CHARON-VAX AXP and the original physical VAX HP Alpha on the network at the same time, you must change the network identity

of one (usually the CHARON-VAXAXP). The easiest way is to boot the CHARON-VAX AXP on the restored system disk with the network Disabled and

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Then Enable the network and reboot.

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Alternative ways of data transfer

Some alternative methods of data transfer are also possible. For example:

• Connect a SCSI tape drive to CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP host via a PCI card 
  
  • Map the tape drive in the CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP configuration file

         a. Restore source VAX HP Alpha system backups from tape to disk images via VMS/RSX11/RT11 running on CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP
         b. Boot from standalone backups and restore its content to CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP virtual disks

  • Dump source VAXHP Alpha/PDP11 system backups to tape images with "mtd" utility and:
         a. Boot from freshly installed VMS/RSX11/RT11 system and restore the tape images to CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP virtual disks
         b. Boot from standalone backups and restore its content to CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP virtual disks

• Create a network cluster between the source VAXHP Alpha/PDP11 system and CHARON-VAX AXP / CHARON-PDP (it is possible to use the source system as boot server); then simple backup from one disk to another:

  $ BACKUP/IMAGE/IGNORE=INTERLOCK REAL$DUA0: DUA0:

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