 







                     HP Availability Manager - Version 3.0-2

                                  Release Notes

                                   March 2008

                ______________________ IMPORTANT ______________________

                In these Release Notes, the term Combined kit refers
                to the Data Analyzer/Data Server kit.

                Be sure to read the following sections:

                o  Section 1.1-contains information about WAN support
                   and security measures for communication between the
                   Data Analyzer and Data Server.

                o  Section 1.3 and Section 1.4. Note Section 1.3
                   describes the requirement that the installation
                   disk be an ODS-5 formatted disk on OpenVMS systems
                   using the Combined kit. Note Section 1.4 describes
                   how to install the Combined kit on any ODS-5
                   formatted disk.

                o  Section 1.2-explains that the AVAIL_MAN_ANA kit has
                   been renamed to AVAIL_MAN_ANA_SRVR.

                ______________________________________________________

              The following notes address late-breaking information and
              known problems for the HP Availability Manager Version
              3.0-2. These notes are in the following categories:

              o  New and changed features

              o  Installation notes

              o  Problems corrected

              o  Operation notes

              o  Display notes

        1 New and Changed Features

              The following section discusses new and changed features
              introduced in Version 3.0-2 of the Availability Manager.

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        1.1 Data Collection Over a Wide-Area Network (WAN)

              The Availability Manager can now collect data over a
              WAN. This possible because a new software component has
              been added to the Availability Manager software: the Data
              Server.

              The Data Server resides on the same local-area network
              (LAN) as the OpenVMS systems that you want to monitor. The
              Data Analyzer connects to the Data Server over the WAN.
              Using the IP protocol suite, data packets are transmitted
              between the Data Analyzer and the Data Server. This method
              of transmitting data packets allows the Data Analyzer to
              reside anywhere on the WAN.

              Data Server setup and usage details are in the HP OpenVMS
              Availability Manager User's Guide, Sections 1.1 and 1.2, as
              well as Sections 2.2 through 2.6.

              The Availability Manager uses Transport Layer Security
              (TLS) for secure WAN communication between the Data
              Analyzer and Data Server. See the Chapter 2 of HP OpenVMS
              Availability Manager User's Guide for steps that you must
              perform in order to set up this security mechanism.

        1.2 Data Analyzer Kit Renamed to AVAIL_MAN_ANA_SRVR

              The AVAIL_MAN_ANA kit has been renamed to AVAIL_MAN_ANA_
              SRVR because the new kit contains both the Data Analyzer
              and Data Server.

                ________________________ Note ________________________

                You need to uninstall the AVAIL_MAN_ANA kit before
                installing the new AVAIL_MAN_ANA_SRVR kit.

                ______________________________________________________

        1.3 Use of Java Version 5.0 for the Combined Kit

              The Availability Manager Combined kit uses the 5.0 version
              of the Java Virtual Machine. (Java Version 5.0 is also
              known as 1.5.)

              The following changes are the result of this Java upgrade:

              o  For OpenVMS systems using the Data Analyzer or Data
                 Server, the installation disk must be an ODS-5 disk.

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              o  Performance on OpenVMS has improved.

        1.4 Ability to Install the Combined Kit on a Non-system Disk

              In Version 3.0-2, you can install the Combined kit, AVAIL_
              MAN_ANA_SRVR, on a non-system ODS-5 formatted disk. This
              kit removes the requirement that the kit be installed on
              the system disk.

              To install on a non-system ODS-5 formatted disk, use the
              /DESTINATION qualifier of the $ PRODUCT INSTALL command to
              specify the installation disk and directory; for example:

              $ PRODUCT INSTALL AVAIL_MAN_ANA_SRVR /DESTINATION=DISK$SYS_V83:[SOFTWARE]

              The manual HP Availability Manager Installation
              Instructions details how to do the installation.

        1.5 New STATUS Command Option in SYS$STARTUP:AMDS$STARTUP Command
            Procedure

              The STATUS command option shows the current state of the
              Data Collector; for example, RMDRIVER STOPPED and RMDRIVER
              STARTED.

              To display help on the output of this new option, enter the
              following command:

              $ SYS$SYSTARTUP:AMDS$STARTUP HELP STATUS

              Examples of a STATUS command and output messages are the
              following:

              $ @SYS$STARTUP:AMDS$STARTUP STATUS

              Current status of AM/DECamds Data Collector device RMA0:

                  RMA0: is started and is ready to accept requests for data
                        and can accept a connection from a Data Analyzer
                  RMA0: is set to log data requests generating security violations to
                        OPCOM (AMDS$RM_OPCOM_READ is set to TRUE)
                  RMA0: is set to log fixes generating security violations to OPCOM
                        (AMDS$RM_OPCOM_WRITE is set to TRUE)
                  RMA0: is using VCI for network communications

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        1.6 Windows Availability Manager Software Can Use an FDDI Network
            Adapter

              You can now use an FDDI network adapter to communicate
              with the network on a Windows version of the Availability
              Manager Data Analyzer. (Note that the OpenVMS Availability
              Manager software can already use an FDDI network adapter.)

        1.7 Lock Contention Filter Page Now Allows Entry in Hex

              The Lock Contention Filter page has been enhanced to
              display any entry in hex and allows entering hex values for
              an entry. There are 16 hex fields for the first 16 bytes of
              a resource name. A blank field indicates that there is no
              value for that byte.

              The ability to edit all 31 characters of a resource name
              will be done in a future release.

        1.8 Fix to Force a Disk Volume out of Mount Verify State

              A new fix has been added to take a disk volume that is in a
              mount verify state and force it into a mount verify timeout
              state. This fix is available by right-clicking on any disk
              entry in the Disk Status Summary or Disk Volume Summary of
              a node pane.

        1.9 Fix to Force a Shadow Set Member out of a Shadow Set

              A new fix has been added to take a shadow set member in a
              mount verify state out of a shadow set. This has the same
              effect as the DCL command $ SET SHADOW/FORCE_REMOVAL ddcu:
              This fix is available by right-clicking on any shadow set
              member entry in the Disk Status Summary or Disk Volume
              Summary of a node pane. Note: To show shadow set members in
              these two summaries, you need to bring up the Disk Status
              filter and set the Transaction count to zero.

        1.10 Changed Disk Status Filter Mount Count to Display Shadow Set
             Members

              The default mount count in the Disk Status filter has
              been set from one to zero. This setting allows shadow set
              members to be displayed in the Disk Status Summary display.
              This was done in conjunction with the shadow set member fix
              in Section 1.9.

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        1.11 Starting the Data Analyzer or Data Server on OpenVMS Checks
             for Necessary Logicals

              A check for all the necessary logical names has been
              added to the startup of the Data Analyzer or Data
              Server. This ensures that the Data Analyzer and Data
              Server can access various files needed for a correct
              startup. If an error message appears saying that all
              the logical names aren't defined, make sure to compare
              your SYS$MANAGER:AMDS$LOGICALS.COM file with the file
              SYS$MANAGER:AMDS$LOGICALS.TEMPLATE.

        1.12 Data Analyzer Logs Now Incorporate Data and Time in File
             Name

              Data Analyzer and Data Server log files now incorporate
              the date and time in the file name. This helps to show
              when the file was created, and on Windows systems where the
              file system doesn't save versions of a file, the older log
              files are not deleted when newer versions are created.s are
              created. File names are now in the for *_YYYYMMDD-HHMM.*.

        1.13 Default Hello Multicast Interval Changes

              The default and secondary intervals in AMDS$LOGICALS.COM
              have been changed from 30 and 90 to 10 and 15 seconds
              respectively. The older defaults were appropriate for
              older, slower networks of a number of years ago. The
              change for more modern networks allows the Data Analyzer
              to discover OpenVMS systems more quickly. This change is
              made in the file SYS$MANAGER:AMDS$LOGICALS.TEMPLATE. Carry
              this change into your SYS$MANAGER:AMDS$LOGICALS.COM file to
              change the Data Collector behavior.

        1.14 Option to Increase OpenVMS Data Analyzer When Displayed on a
             Remote System

              The logical AMDS$AM_DISABLE_OFFSCREEN_PIXMAP_SUPPORT
              controls whether or not the Java Virtual Machine uses
              offscreen pixmap support. Disabling this support can
              increase performance, especially when the Data Analyzer
              display is on a remote system using TCP/IP. If the
              performance of the OpenVMS Data Analyzer in this situation
              is slow, you can try setting this logical to TRUE to see
              if this helps in your situation. This change is made in the
              file SYS$MANAGER:AMDS$LOGICALS.TEMPLATE. Carry this change

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              into your SYS$MANAGER:AMDS$LOGICALS.COM file to enable use
              of the AMDS$AM_DISABLE_OFFSCREEN_PIXMAP_SUPPORT logical.

        2 Installation Notes

              The notes in this section are related to the
              preinstallation and installation of the Availability
              Manager software.

        2.1 Check Date of AMNDIS50.SYS on Windows Systems After
            Installing Version 3.0-2

              After installing the Version 3.0-2 Windows kit, check the
              date of the AMNDIS50.SYS file. This file is on the Windows
              system disk, usually in C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers. The
              date should be November 28, 2006. If the date is earlier
              than this, you need to uninstall the Availability Manager
              software, and then reinstall it. Make sure to reboot your
              system when you are prompted to do so. This usually fixes
              the problem. The problem is being investigated. It is
              important to have the latest AMNDIS50.SYS file as it has
              fixes in it to prevent some system crashes when two Data
              Analyzers are started at the same time.

        2.2 Uninstall Data Analyzer Kits Before Installing the Combined
            Kit for Version 3.0-2

              Before installing the Version 3.0-2 AVAIL_MAN_ANA_SRVR
              kit, you must uninstall the old AVAIL_MAN_ANA kit. You
              cannot install the new kit over the old one because of
              restrictions in the $ PRODUCT INSTALL command.

              (Note that the Data Analyzer kit, ANA_MAN_ANA in previous
              versions, has been renamed to AVAIL_MAN_ANA_SRVR in Version
              3.0-2; this new name better reflects the Data Analyzer and
              Data Server combination.)

        2.3 Uninstall Versions of the Availability Manager Prior to 2.4
            Before Installing the Version 3.0-2 Kit

              On both Windows and OpenVMS systems, check the following
              list to see if any item applies to you. If so, follow the
              instructions in the appropriate section before installing
              Version 3.0-2:

        6

 







              o  On Windows systems, you must first uninstall Versions
                 2.3 and lower kits. On Versions 2.4 and higher, you can
                 install new kits over prior kits.

              o  On OpenVMS systems, perform one of the following steps:

                 -  If you have never installed the Availability Manager
                    on your system, you can install Version 3.0-2
                    directly.

                 -  If you have installed a version of the Availability
                    Manager prior to Version 2.4 and you are running
                    OpenVMS Version 6.2 through Version 7.3-1 or its
                    variants, you must perform the following steps:

                    a. Uninstall the previous version of the Availability
                       Manager.

                    b. Install the Availability Manager Data Collector
                       Version 2.4 kit.

                    c. Install the Version 3.0-2 Combined kit.

                 -  If you have installed a version of the Availability
                    Manager prior to Version 2.4 and you are running
                    OpenVMS Version 7.3 or higher, you must perform the
                    following steps:

                    a. Uninstall the previous version of the Availability
                       Manager.

                    b. Install the Version 3.0-2 Combined kit.

              These requirements are explained in the Version 3.0-2
              installation instructions.

        2.4 Installing from an ODS-5 Disk

              If you install the Version 3.0-2 kit from an ODS-5 disk,
              the file name for the kit must be in all-capital letters
              for the kit to be installed correctly.




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        2.5 Copy Your AVAILMAN.INI File

              Prior to installation, you might want to make a copy of
              your AVAILMAN.INI file to save your customizations such
              as event threshold settings and the groups you usually
              monitor. On Windows systems, also delete any desktop
              shortcuts for previous versions of the Availability Manager
              because they will be invalid once the new version is
              installed.

        3 Problems Corrected

              The following sections discuss problems corrected in
              Version 3.0-2 of the Availability Manager.

        3.1 Alignment Faults in the Data Collector Have Been Fixed

              The remaining alignment faults in the Data Collector
              (SYS$RMDRIVER.EXE) have been found and fixed.

        3.2 Password Encryption Now Enabled by Default

              The password encryption feature introduced in Version 2.5
              was not enabled as expected. This meant that the password
              for the Data Collector was passed in plain text. This
              problem has now been corrected.

        3.3 Problem Starting Data Analyzer When DCL Extended Parsing Is
            On

              On OpenVMS systems, when the DCL parsing style was set to
              extended ($ SET PROCESS/PARSE_STYLE=EXTENDED), starting the
              Data Analyzer resulted in an unrecognized option error:

                  Unrecognized option: -CP
                  Could not create the Java virtual machine.

              This problem has been corrected.

        3.4 Sizing of Displays Corrected

              The updated Data Analyzer now sizes and displays tables and
              sections of a window correctly-according to the size of the
              font. The Lock Contention and Cluster displays are now more
              readable as well.

              These changes are especially evident on OpenVMS systems.

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        3.5 Data Analyzer Performance Improvements

              The reworking of the Data Analyzer to initiate and use
              connections to the Data Server also made processing of data
              more efficient. The result has been improved performance in
              the Data Analyzer.

        3.6 Lock Contention Data Collection Performance Improvements

              For systems with large resource hash tables, the data
              collection for lock contention have been improved, and
              result in less network traffic.

        3.7 Starting the Version 2.6 Data Analyzer Would Fail on Some I64
            Systems

              Starting the Data Analyzer Version 2.6 would result in a
              Java VM stack dump on some I64 systems that use certain
              versions of the Montecito chip set. The output looks
              similar to the example below:

              I64VMS> avail/avail
              %SYSTEM-F-ACCVIO, access violation, reason mask=00,
                virtual address=000000000000 0454, PC=00000000002975D0, PS=0000001B
              %TRACE-F-TRACEBACK, symbolic stack dump follows
              image     module    routine        line      rel PC           abs PC

              JAVA$HOTSPOT_SHR  IA64_SPECS  ia64_get_issue_port
                                                 9950 0000000000000060 00000000002975D0
              JAVA$HOTSPOT_SHR  IPACK  ipack_generate_nop_bits
                                                22580 0000000000000EA0 0000000000298C00
              JAVA$HOTSPOT_SHR  TL_HS  ipack_init_nops
                                                22215 0000000000000C10 00000000002A2220
              ...

              This problem was in earlier 1.4 versions of the Java
              Virtual Machine. This has been fixed since Version 3.0-2
              of the Availability Manager uses a 1.5 version of the Java
              Virtual Machine.

        3.8 Customization of Threshold Values Would Fail with "ERR"
            Status

              On various occasions, trying to change a threshold value
              for an event would result in a red "ERR" status in the
              field. This has been fixed.

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        3.9 Single Process Pane Now Displays Process Type Correctly

              In previous versions of the Data Analyzer, "(DETACHED)"
              process type was displayed for all processes, regardless of
              type. This has been fixed.

        4 Operation Notes/Restrictions

              The following sections contain notes pertaining to the
              operation of the Availability Manager Version 3.0-2. The
              sections are subdivided into field test versions and a
              final section that contains notes applying to all field
              test versions.

        4.1 Notes for Version 3.0-2

              The following sections contain notes that apply the
              Availability Manager Version 3.0-2.

        4.1.1 Changing the Number of the Port the Data Server Uses

              The default port number for the Data Server is 9819. If
              you want to use a different port number, do one of the
              following:

              o  For Windows systems, modify the Data Server startup
                 shortcut. Right-click the shortcut, and choose
                 Properties. In the "Target:" field, find the number
                 9819. Change this number to the port you want.

              o  For OpenVMS systems, use the /PORT_NUMBER qualifier to
                 specify a different port number; for example:

                     $ AVAIL/SERVER/PORT_NUMBER=5498

        4.1.2 Changing the Network Adapter the Data Server Uses on
              Windows Systems

              On Windows systems, the Data Server picks up the first
              available network adapter for data communications. If
              it selects an undesirable network adapter-for example, a
              wireless adapter on a laptop-you can disable this selection
              by unchecking "HP Availability Manager NDIS 5.0 Protocol
              Driver" in the Network Properties for the network adapter.

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        4.1.3 Stopping the Data Server

              You can stop the Data Server in one of the following ways:

              o  On Windows systems, close the Windows console window
                 where the Data Server is running.

              o  On OpenVMS sysetms, Ctrl/Y stops the Data Server in
                 interactive processes. Stopping the process stops the
                 Data Server for batch processes.

        4.1.4 Data Server Uses Only First Network Adapter

              This version of the Data Server on Windows selects the
              first network adapter that it discovers when it starts
              up. The network adapter it chooses is displayed in a log
              message on the screen.

              Plans for a future release include the ability to select
              the network adapter of your choice.

        4.1.5 Starting the Data Server Might Trigger Windows Security
              Alert

              On Windows systems, a security alert from the Windows
              firewall or third-party firewall might be displayed for
              the Java 2 Platform Standard Edition binary. The Data
              Server needs to accept connections as part of its normal
              operation. Tell the firewall to "Unblock" the program.

        4.2 Notes for All Versions

              The following sections contain notes that apply to all
              versions of the Availability Manager.

        4.2.1 Running Reflective Memory by GE Fanuc and Availability
              Manager

              The Reflective Memory product by GE Fanuc sets up the
              device RMA0: as part of its normal operation. Because the
              Availability Manager Data Collector also creates the device
              RMA0:, both products cannot run on the same node at the
              same time.

        4.2.2 Administrator Account Required to Run the Availability
              Manager

              On Windows 2000 and Windows XP platforms, you must run
              the Data Analyzer or Data Server from an account in the
              Administrator group. This restriction will be removed in a
              future release of the Availability Manager.

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        4.2.3 Problem Displaying Large Numbers of Processes or Disks

              Very busy networks can sometimes interfere with the
              transfer of data between the Data Analyzer and the Data
              Collector. This problem is noticeable when you display
              large numbers of disks or processes. The number of disks
              or processes might change temporarily because of a lost
              data message. This problem will be corrected in a future
              release.

        4.2.4 Local Administrator Account Required for Windows
              Installation

              To install the Availability Manager on a Windows system,
              you must use the local Administrator account. Some users
              have had problems when they use a Windows domain account
              that has Administrator privileges instead. For example,
              a failure message might appear saying "Failure to install
              AMNDIS50" after most of the installation is complete. This
              problem will be corrected in a future release.

        5 Display Notes

              The following sections contain notes pertaining to the
              display of Data Analyzer data on all platforms and on
              OpenVMS systems.

        5.1 Problems Using the Data Analyzer on All Platforms

              The following sections contains subsections pertaining to
              the display of the Data Analyzer on Windows and on OpenVMS
              platforms in Version 3.0-2.

        5.1.1 Events Sometimes Displayed After Background Collection
              Stops

              The Data Analyzer sometimes displays events after users
              customize their systems to stop collecting a particular
              kind of data. This is most likely to occur when the Data
              Analyzer is monitoring many nodes. Under these conditions,
              a data handler sometimes clears events before all pending
              packets have been processed. The events based on the data
              in these packets are displayed even though users have
              requested that this data not be collected.

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        5.1.2 Truncated LAN Channel Summary Display

              On versions of OpenVMS prior to Version 7.3-1, the LAN
              Channel Summary display might be disabled for some OpenVMS
              nodes if there are more than seven channels for that
              virtual circuit. This problem results from a restriction
              in the OpenVMS Version 7.3 PEDRIVER. For this condition,
              the following error message is displayed:

              Error retrieving ChSumLAN data, error code=0x85 (Continuation data
              disallowed for request)

              This problem was corrected in the OpenVMS Version 7.3-1
              PEDRIVER.

        5.2 Problem Using the Data Analyzer on OpenVMS Systems: Long Runs
            Exhaust XLIB Resource ID

              On older versions of DECwindows Motif, a resource ID
              allocation scheme works poorly with the Motif support in
              Java for OpenVMS. As a result, long-running Availability
              Manager sessions might stop updating the display at a
              time that depends on the speed of the OpenVMS machine.
              For example, a session running on a dual-processor 275 MHz
              system reported the following after 14 hours:

                   Xlib:  resource ID allocation space exhausted!

              On faster machines, this message was reported after only 8
              hours. This problem appears to be corrected in DECwindows
              Motif Version 1.3-1.














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