Configuring Your System with SYSGEN

As system manager, you use the system generator (SYSGEN) to make changes to the configuration of your computer system.

The configuration of a system is like a map; it tells the computer what peripherals are attached to it and where they are attached. Any device that is not configured, or configured incorrectly, cannot communicate with the system.

To access SYSGEN

To start SYSGEN and use any of the first-level commands available to you, do the following:

At the MPE prompt, enter:
SYSGEN
or enter:
RUN SYSGEN.PUB.SYS
At the SYSGEN prompt, enter one of the first-level commands shown on the screen (and displayed in example 2-1, below).
For example, to use the Sysfile configurator, enter sysfile or the abbreviated version sy at the SYSGEN prompt.

Figure 2-1 Example 2-1. Entering SYSGEN

   :SYSGEN 

 

   SYSGEN version D.00.00: catalog version D.00.00  FRI, JAN 11,1994 10:10 AM 

   Copyright 1987 Hewlett-Packard Co.  All Rights Reserved 



           **  First level command ** 



           io                log (lo)       misc (mi)        spu (sp) 

           sysfile (sy) 



           basegroup (ba)    keep (ke)      permyes (pe)     show (sh) 

           tape (ta) 



           clear (cl)(c)     exit (ex)(e)   help (he)(h)     oclose (oc) 

           redo 

   sysgen>

To confirm potentially serious actions

SYSGEN is initially set to have you confirm potentially serious actions. For example, if you make configuration changes and forget to save them before you exit, SYSGEN prompts you to do so. This feature (PERMYES OFF) can help prevent time-consuming mistakes.

You have the option of enabling PERMYES so that SYSGEN will automatically answer YES to any prompt. You may want to do so, for example, when you are initiating a job. All SYSGEN command files should begin with PERMYES ON.

To enable PERMYES, enter the following at the SYSGEN prompt:

   sysgen>PERMYES ON

When you are making and keeping configuration changes, it is a good idea to disable PERMYES so that SYSGEN does not reply YES to all prompts. To do so, enter the following:

sysgen>PERMYES OFF

Example 2-2 shows how SYSGEN overrides user input with PERMYES enabled:

Figure 2-2 Example 2-2. PERMYES ON Action

 

   sysgen>PERMYES ON 

   sysgen>SYSFILE 

 

           **  SYSFILE configurator commands ** 



           aauto (aa)      aboot (ab)      acmsl (ac)       asprog (as) 

           cmsl (cm)       dauto (da)      dboot (db)       dcmsl (dc) 

           dsprog (ds)     lcmsl (cl)      rauto (ra)       rboot (rb) 

           rcat (rc)       rcmsl (rcm)     rdcc (rd)        ripl (ri) 

           rnmlib (rn)     rsprog (rs)     show (sh) 



           clear (cl)(c)   exit (ex)(e)    help (he)(h)     hold (ho) 

   sysfile> 

   sysfile>ASPROG FCOPY.PUB.SYS FCOPY.PUB.SYS  ** Add FCOPY to SYSGEN tape ** 

   sysfile>E            *** Exit without saving *** 



           configuration changes are not kept yet! 

           still want to exit (yes/no) ?Automatic yes 

   sysgen>

To access other configurators

Configurators are other system generation modules which you use to further define your system. To access a configurator, you enter one of the following commands at the sysgen> prompt: IO, LOG, MISC, SPU, or SYSFILE. The prompt changes and you see a menu screen which includes a list of the commands that you can use in that configurator.

The following table lists the SYSGEN commands you use to access a configurator and briefly explains each one.

Table 2-1 The Configurator Commands

SYSGEN Command	Definition
`IO`	Starts the input/output configurator, which you use to define the local devices for a host or target system.
`LOG`	Starts the LOG configurator, which you use to define which system and user events are recorded.
`MISC`	Starts the MISC configurator, which you use to define miscellaneous system elements such as job- and session-related processes, system resource allocation, spool parameters, stack and heap sizes, and other information.
`SPU`	Starts the SPU switchover configurator, which you use to define the system processing unit (SPU) pairs that will back each other up (i.e. take over processing) in the event of a failure.
`SYSFILE`	Starts the SYSFILE configurator, which you use to define system libraries, programs and the system message catalog and determine which files go on the SLT.

For example, to access the IO configurator, at the sysgen> prompt enter:

   sysgen>IO

When you do, you see this screen:

Figure 2-3 Example 2-3. Activating the IO Configurator



   sysgen>IO

 

           **  IO configurator commands **



           aclass (ac)      adev (ad)      apath (ap)      avol (av)

           dclass (dc)      ddev (dd)      dpath (dp)      dvol (dv)

           lclass (lc)      ldev (ld)      lpath (lp)      lvol (lv)

           maddress (ma)    mclass (mc)    mdev (md)       mpath (mp)

           mvol (mv)



           clear (cl)(c)    exit (ex)(e)   help (he)(h)    hold (ho)

           oclose (oc)       redo

        io>

To use online help

You can get help with any of SYSGEN's first-level commands and, when you are using a configurator, with any of the configurator commands. The amount of information you get depends on your current level (SYSGEN or configurator) and what parameters you enter with the HELP command.

Enter HELP or HELP ALL to display all the commands available to you at the current level. For example, when you type HELP at the IO configurator prompt, you see a list of IO configurator commands.
Enter HELP command to display the syntax of command

For example, to display detailed information and syntax of the SYSGEN KEEP command, enter:

   sysgen>HELP KEEP

Or, to display the syntax for the IO configurator command ADEV, start the IO configurator and enter:

   io>HELP ADEV

To show the state of the configurators

Use the SHOW command to display the current state of global SYSGEN information. For example, use SHOW to find out the version you are using or what the status of the PERMYES option is. You can also display a combined listing of configurator information.

SHOW has the following parameters:

SHOW (SH) [[TYPE =] { BASEGROUP NEWGROUP VERSION PERMYES CONFIGURATOR ALL }] [[DEST =] OFFLINE ]

To display one kind of information, use the TYPE parameter to specify what you want. For example, to find out the base group, enter:

   sysgen>SHOW TYPE=BASEGROUP

To display a combined listing of configuration information, enter:

   sysgen>SHOW

   sysgen>SHOW ALL

To print the output of the SHOW command, use the OFFLINE parameter to send the output to SYSGEN's listing file SYSGLIST and then enter the OCLOSE command or exit SYSGEN to close SYSGLIST and print the file. For example, to print a list of all configuration information and exit SYSGEN, enter:

   sysgen>SHOW DEST=OFFLINE

   sysgen>EXIT

To hold and save configuration changes

You must perform two separate steps to keep any changes you make from within a configurator:

Hold the changes before leaving the configurator.
Keep the changes before leaving SYSGEN.

Keeping changes makes them permanent on disk, but you should also save them by creating a system load tape (SLT). Changes to the configuration only take effect when you restart the system with the START NORECOVERY option. Other changes take effect only when you perform an update with the system load tape (SLT).

To make changes in a configurator, hold and then keep the changes, follow these steps:

At the console, log on as MANAGER.SYS by entering:
HELLO MANAGER[/userpass].SYS[/acctpass]
Start SYSGEN and access the configuration group that you plan to store on the system load tape (SLT). The default is the name of the group used in the most recent system boot, usually CONFIG.
Access the IO, LOG, MISC, SYSFILE, or SPU configurators and make the changes you want.
Enter the HOLD command to save the changes to a temporary file.
Enter the EXIT command to leave the configurator and return to the sysgen> prompt.
Keep the new configuration information by entering the KEEP command. For example:
sysgen>keep nuconfig

Once you have kept the new configuration information, you can enter another configurator to make additional changes or you can create a system load tape. To learn how to create a tape, read the next section. For more information about reconfiguring your system, refer to chapters 3 through 6 of this book.

To clear configuration changes

Until you use the KEEP command from within SYSGEN to save configuration changes, you have the option of clearing them. You can clear changes in one configurator or you can clear all the changes you have made since the last KEEP command.

To clear all configuration changes made in all configurators, enter the CLEAR command at the sysgen> prompt. For example:

   sysgen>CLEAR

To clear all the changes you made within a particular configurator, enter the CLEAR command at the configurator prompt. For example, to clear all IO configurator changes, enter:

   io>CLEAR

Once you enter the KEEP command, the changes become permanent and CLEAR does not remove them.

To create system load tapes

You use the TAPE command (abbreviated TA) to generate a boot or system load tape (SLT) from system configuration information. SYSGEN writes the configuration to the CONFIG group of the SYS account on the tape. Tapes created with the TAPE command do not contain the system directory.

TAPE has the following syntax:

TAPE [[MODE =] { [VERBOSE] NOCHANGE NOCONFIG NODIAG NOLOGNUM LOGNUM }] [ STORE = fileset ] [[DEST =] OFFLINE ]

Table 2-2 TAPE Command Parameters

Parameter	Definition
`VERBOSE`	Lists the number of nonuser files to be saved and the name of e ach file as it is saved to the boot tape.
`NOCHANGE`	Prevents SYSGEN from changing the names in the SYSFILE configur ator as it makes the boot tape.
`NOCONFIG`	Prevents SYSGEN from dumping the current configuration file as it makes the tape.
`NODIAG`	Prevents SYSGEN from saving the diagnostic files to tape as it ma kes the tape. Using this parameter creates a tape that does not contain a comple te system. Installing from this tape may not produce a bootable system.
`NOLOGNUM`	Resets the system and datacom log numbers to zero (0).
`LOGNUM`	Is the default. It specifies that SYSGEN should carry forward the system and datacom log numbers and not reset to zero (0).
`OFFLINE`	Directs the listing created by `VERBOSE` to SYSGEN's listing f ile, `SYSGLIST`. Either enter the `OCLOSE` command or exit SYSGEN to close ` `SYSGLIST'' and print the file.
`STORE`	Instructs SYSGEN to use the `STORE` utility to append user files specified in `fileset` to the end of the system load tape. Allows users to create a combined SLT/STORE tape set. Any fileset valid for `STORE` is allowed in the `STORE` option. You may not specify other `STORE` parameters such as `DIRECTORY` and `SHOW` unless you include them in an indirect file and then specify the indirect file with the `STORE` parameter of the `TAPE` command.

To create a system load tape with the new information:

Make and hold all necessary changes to the configuration.
Enter the EXIT command to exit the configurator and return to the SYSGEN prompt.
Enter the KEEP command, followed by groupname to store all changes to a set of permanent disk files.
The parameter, groupname is the group in the SYS account that contains the configuration data file set to be used. SYSGEN keeps track of the current configuration group, whether it is the default group with which you booted the system, a group specified by the basegroup parameter on the initial SYSGEN command line, or a group switched to, by the BASEGROUP global configurator command. If you do not specify a base group, SYSGEN uses the current working base group to save the configuration changes.
Mount a write-enabled tape on the tape drive. You'll see a message on the console similar to the one below.
10:15/10/Vol (unlabeled) mounted on LDEV# 7
Enter the TAPE command to create the tape.
The system responds by issuing a console message similar to the following:
?10:15/#92/46/LDEV# FOR "SYSGTAPE" ON TAPE (NUM)
Reply to the tape mount message. For example, to reply to the sample system response in the previous step, where 46 is the PIN and 7 is the LDEV number of your tape drive, enter:
reply 46,7
The system issues a message indicating that it has completed the tape:
**Boot tape is successfully built**''
Remove the reel from the tape drive and write-protect it. Label the tape and store it in a secure location with any other backup materials.

To enter an MPE command from any configurator

Use the colon (:) to introduce an MPE command while in any configurator. To issue an MPE command from the IO configurator, enter the colon (:) followed by the command. For example, to display the correct time from the IO configurator, enter:

   io>:SHOWTIME



   THU, JAN 10, 1990, 2:55PM

   io>