Migration to CHARON-VAX for Linux

Introduction

This section describes how to migrate your VAX system to CHARON-VAX. We will use a sample MicroVAX 3600 system to demonstrate the migration procedure. The process is similar for all CHARON-VAX models.

If CHARON-VAX based virtual system needs to be created from scratch, refer to this Application Note describing how to find proper Qbus addresses and Vectors for each virtul device.

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Collecting information about the source VAX system

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

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

>>>show qbus
Scan of Qbus I/O Space
-200000DC (760334) = FFFF (300) RQDX3/KDA50/RRD50/RQC25/KFQSA-DISK
-200000DE (760336) = 0B40
-20000124 (760444) = FFFF (304) TQK50/TQK70/TU81E/RV20/KFQSA-TAPE
-20000126 (760446) = 0BC0
-20000140 (760500) = 0080 (310) DHQ11/DHV11/CXA16/CXB16/CXY08
-20000142 (760502) = F081
-20000144 (760504) = DD18
-20000146 (760506) = 0140
-20000148 (760510) = 0000
-2000014A (760512) = 0000
-2000014C (760514) = 8000
-2000014E (760516) = 0000
-20000150 (760520) = 0080 (320) DHQ11/DHV11/CXA16/CXB16/CXY08
-20000152 (760522) = F081
-20000154 (760524) = DD18
-20000156 (760526) = 0140
-20000158 (760530) = 0000
-2000015A (760532) = 0000
-2000015C (760534) = 8000
-2000015E (760536) = 0000
-20001468 (772150) = FFFF (154) RQDX3/KDA50/RRD50/RQC25/KFQSA-DISK
-2000146A (772152) = 0B40
-20001920 (774440) = FF08 (120) DELQA/DEQNA/DESQA
-20001922 (774442) = FF00
-20001924 (774444) = FF01
-20001926 (774446) = FF02
-20001928 (774450) = FFD2
-2000192A (774452) = FF14
-2000192C (774454) = C000
-2000192E (774456) = 1030
-20001940 (774500) = FFFF (260) TQK50/TQK70/TU81E/RV20/KFQSA-TAPE
-20001942 (774502) = 0BC0
-20001F40 (777500) = 0020 (004) IPCR

Scan of Qbus Memory Space
>>>

>>>show device
UQSSP Disk Controller 0 (772150)
-DUA0 (RZ23)
-DUA1 (RZ24)

UQSSP Disk Controller 1 (760334)
-DUB2 (RZ25)
-DUB3 (RZ26)

UQSSP Tape Controller 0 (774500)
-MUA0 (TK50)

UQSSP Tape Controller 1 (760444)
-MUB3 (TK50)

Ethernet Adapter 0 (774440)
-XQA0 (08-00-01-02-D3-CC)

The source VAX configuration in this example is:

Controller	Address	Devices on controller
RQDX3	772150	-DUA0 (RZ23) -DUA1 (RZ24)
RQDX3	760334	-DUB2 (RZ25) -DUB3 (RZ26)
TQK50	774500	-MUA0 (TK50)
TQK50	760444	-MUB3 (TK50)
DHQ11	760520
DHQ11	760500
DESQA	774440	-XQA0

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

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Creation of CHARON-VAX configuration file

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

...

#
# First RQDX3 controller on address 772150
#
load RQDX3/RQDX3 DUA address=017772150
set DUA container[0]="/my_disks/rz23.vdisk"
set DUA container[1]="/my_disks/rz24.vdisk"

#
# Second RQDX3 controller on address 760334
#
load RQDX3/RQDX3 DUB address=017760334
set DUB container[2]="/my_disks/rz25.vdisk"
set DUB container[3]="/my_disks/rz26.vdisk"

#
# First TQK50 controller on address 774500
#
load TQK50/TQK50 MUA address=017774500
set MUA container[0]="/my_tapes/tape1.vtape"

#
# Second TQK50 controller on address 760444
#
load TQK50/TQK50 MUB address=017760444
set MUB container[3]="/my_tapes/tape2.vtape"

#
# First DHQ11 controller on address 760500
#
load DHQ11/DHV11 TXA address=017760500
load virtual_serial_line/chserial TXA0 port=10010
set TXA line[0]=TXA0

#
# Second DHQ11 controller on address 760520
#
load DHQ11/DHV11 TXB address=017760520
load virtual_serial_line/chserial TXB0 port=10011
set TXB line[0]=TXB0

#
# DESQA controller on address 774440
#
load DESQA/DEQNA XQA address=017774440 interface=XQA0 load packet_port/chnetwrk XQA0 interface="eth1"

...

Note the Qbus addresses specification: The number is prefixed with "0", meaning it is an octal value. The number of digits reflects the 22 bit Qbus architecture.

Additional DHQ11 serial lines can be mapped later. For now, only 2 lines are configured. They are mapped to IP ports 10010 and 10011.

DESQA is mapped to the "eth1" network interface. This interface will be used for CHARON-VAX (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.

Our example creates disk images of the original physical type. In reality, this step is the best opportunity in the migration to provision bigger disks to get extra storage space.

Create special directories for storing disk and tape images, as needed. Created directories are referenced in the sample configuration file above.

$ mkdir /my_disks
$ mkdir /my_tapes

Next, create disk images using the "mkdskcmd" utility:

$ mkdskcmd -d rz24 -o /my_disks/rz24.vdisk
Please wait...
100% done
Success.
$ mkdskcmd -d rz25 -o /my_disks/rz25.vdisk
Please wait...
100% done
Success.
$ mkdskcmd -d rz26 -o /my_disks/rz26.vdisk
Please wait...
100% done
Success.
$ mkdskcmd -d rz27 -o /my_disks/rz27.vdisk
Please wait...
100% done
Success.

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Installation of VAX operating system

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

The example configures the CHARON-VAX MicroVAX 3600 system for installation of VAX/VMS from a distribution CD-ROM:

#
# First RQDX3 controller on address 772150 with addition of 3 units: a disk for VAX/VMS, storage disk and CD-ROM drive
#
load RQDX3/RQDX3 DUA address=017772150
set DUA container[0]="/my_disks/rz23.vdisk"
set DUA container[1]="/my_disks/rz24.vdisk"set DUA container[2]="/my_disks/new_vms_system.vdisk"
set DUA container[3]="/my_disks/backup_storage.vdisk"
set DUA container[4]="/dev/cdrom"

Create an empty disk image for installation of VAX/VMS and another one for storing backups from the source VAX system:

$ mkdskcmd -d rz27 -o /my_disks/new_vms_system.vdisk
Please wait...
100% done
Success. $ mkdskcmd -d rz59 -o /my_disks/backup_storage.vdisk Please wait... 100% done Success.

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

$ mv3k6 migration.cfg
KA650-A V5.3, VMB 2.7
Performing normal system tests.
40..39..38..37..36..35..34..33..32..31..30..29..28..27..26..25..
24..23..22..21..20..19..18..17..16..15..14..13..12..11..10..09..
08..07..06..05..04..03..
Tests completed.
>>>boot dua4

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

Initialize the disk intended for backups storage:

$ INIT DUA300 SCRATCH
$ MOUNT/SYS/NOASSIST DUA300 SCRATCH

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Making remote backups

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

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

Login to the source VAX system. Shut down all the batch queues, kick off the users, and close any databases. The commands 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.

Issue (let's assume that the CHARON-VAX system is node 1.400 in this example):

$ BACKUP/IMAGE/IGNORE=INTER DUA0: 1.400::DUA3:[000000]DUA0.BCK/SAVE
$ BACKUP/IMAGE/IGNORE=INTER DUA1: 1.400::DUA3:[000000]DUA1.BCK/SAVE
$ BACKUP/IMAGE/IGNORE=INTER DUB0: 1.400::DUA3:[000000]DUB0.BCK/SAVE
$ BACKUP/IMAGE/IGNORE=INTER DUB1: 1.400::DUA3:[000000]DUB1.BCK/SAVE

Once the backup procedure completes the disk "DUA3" of CHARON-VAX will contain 4 savesets: "DUA0.BCK", "DUA1.BCK", "DUB0.BCK" and "DUB1.BCK"

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Restore backups to CHARON-VAX disks

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

$ MOUNT/FOR DUA0:
$ BACKUP/IMAGE DUA3:[000000]DUA0.BCK/SAVE DUA0:
$ DISMOUNT DUA0:

$ MOUNT/FOR DUA1:
$ BACKUP/IMAGE DUA3:[000000]DUA1.BCK/SAVE DUA1:
$ DISMOUNT DUA1:

$ MOUNT/FOR DUB0:
$ BACKUP/IMAGE DUA3:[000000]DUB0.BCK/SAVE DUB0:
$ DISMOUNT DUB0:

$ MOUNT/FOR DUB1: $ BACKUP/IMAGE DUA3:[000000]DUB1.BCK/SAVE DUB1: $ DISMOUNT DUB1:

Now reboot CHARON-VAX and boot from the same boot disk as you do on the source VAX system.

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Alternative ways of data transfer

Some alternative methods of data transfer are also possible, for example:

Connect SCSI tape drive to CHARON-VAX host via PCI card
- Map the tape drive in CHARON-VAX configuration file
  a. Restore source VAX system backups from tape to disk images via VAX/VMS running on CHARON-VAX
  b. Boot from standalone backups and restore its content to CHARON-VAX virtual disks
- Dump source VAX system backups to tape images with "mtd" utility and:
  a. Boot from freshly installed VAX/VMS system and restore the tape images to CHARON-VAX virtual disks
  b. Boot from standalone backups and restore its content to CHARON-VAX virtual disks
Create a network cluster between the source VAX system and CHARON-VAX (it is possible to use the source system as boot server); then simple backup from one disk to another:
$ BACKUP/IMAGE/IGNORE=INTER REAL$DUA0: DUA0:

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