Table of contents

Important note

This document applies to Charon-AXP/VAX Linux Toolkit versions 1.58.

Kit download

To download the kit, you must issue a request via email to the Stromasys support team (support@stromasys.com) or ask your reseller

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of Unix commands
  
  
• Basic knowledge of Charon products
  
  

• Charon qualified versions:

  • Charon-AXP V4.8 to V4.11 included

  • Charon-VAX V4.8 to V4.11 included

    
    

• Scripts have been tested and validated on the following Linux distributions/versions:

  • CentOS 7.x and 8.x
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server release 7.x and 8.x
    
    

• Only Linux installations setup with English language are supported. It is however possible to use an experimental option if necessary for non English languages (see the Release Notes, chapter "Kit version V1.54")

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• Some packages have to be installed on the Charon server:

• 
  
  • Mandatory packages:
    • glibc.i686
    • bc
    • perl
    • at
      
      
  • Recommended packages:
    • telnet : recommended for connection from the Charon server to the virtual machine console
    • putty : recommended for connection from the Charon server to the virtual machine console (telnet or putty can be defined in the preferences)
    • expect : recommended if ssh cannot be used to execute shutdown commands from the console
    • rsh: recommended if rsh method is to be used for Charon instance clean shutdown
    • evince : recommended for reading online documentation
    • postfix : recommended, Mail Transport Agent used to send emails

    • firefox : recommended for checking and updating licenses, accessing online documentation
      .

• All described operations will have to be performed on the Charon server and logged in as 'root' (no other user supported). 
  
  • The 'menu' can be executed as a non root user but with limited possibilities. In this case "Not root!" will be displayed on the top left on the menu.
  • To run the 'menu' via a sudo command, so without the restrictions mentioned above, use: $ sudo /opt/charon/utils/charon_menu

  • It is also possible to allow non root users to run the 'menu' and other related command lines without being 'root'. This must be enabled first as root in the "12 - Preferences" menu option then "8 - Access 'menu' using 'sudo'"
    
  • The 'menu' must be used by one user at a time only
    
    
• Charon-AXP and Charon-VAX installations are supported when installed in /opt/charon folder only
  
  
• Mail service must have been configured. Mail transfer agent can be postfix, sendmail, ...
  
  
• Within the Charon virtual machines configuration files:
  • do not use spaces or tabs between a parameter and its value as the toolkit does not handle this correctly for disks, tapes and network devices. That is: parameter=value is correct, parameter = value is not correct.

  • do not add devices parameters on the same line for disks, tapes and network devices, please split the line in 2 lines

    Unsupported	set PKA container[600]= "/home/vdisk/axp/ALPHA084.iso" media_type[600]="RRD47"
    Supported	set PKA container[600]="/home/vdisk/axp/ALPHA084.iso" set PKA media_type[600]="RRD47"

    
    

  • For OPA0 console settings, the line defining OPA0 and the port name must not be split. Use either "load virtual_serial_line OPA0 port=<port>" (depending on Charon version) or the new syntax "set COM1 alias = OPA0 port = <port>"

Note related to display/edit options

Some menu options will allow you to display or edit files using available editors (if installed) between:

Select the one you prefer or refer to 'man pages' for more information on available ones.

Note related to emails

There are 2 kinds of emails:

 Do not use Stromasys email address to send results directly, for example to support@stromasys.com. The sender will be unknown to us, it is then recommended to send results to yourself first and to forward us the email you received.

 Both use 'sendmail' command to send emails. Mail transfer agent can be postfix, sendmail, ...