Document revision date: 30 March 2001

## OpenVMS System Manager's Manual

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## Chapter 5
Customizing the Operating System

After you install the operating system, you can customize it for site-specific requirements.

Information Provided in This Chapter

This chapter describes the following tasks:

Task | Section
--- | ---
Adding and deleting optional files | Section 5.1
Modifying site-specific startup command procedures | Section 5.2
Modifying login command procedures | Section 5.3
Customizing startup databases | Section 5.4
+Registering images that have system version dependencies | Section 5.5
Customizing the Help Message database | Section 5.6
Customizing Mail | Section 5.7
Setting up the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) utility | Section 5.8
Saving your customization | Section 5.9

+VAX specific
++Alpha specific

This chapter explains the following concepts:

Concept | Section
--- | ---
Site-specific startup command procedures | Section 5.2.1
The order of startup events | Section 5.2.2
Startup databases | Section 5.4.1
The layered product startup database | Section 5.4.2

## 5.1 Adding and Deleting Optional Files

OpenVMS lets you customize the size of the operating system by deleting or adding optional system files, including support for DECwindows. This is particularly valuable for small systems or systems with limited disk space.

For example, if your system is a MicroVAX II computer with an RD54 system disk and you will not use system programming features such as the Delta/XDelta Debugger (DELTA/XDELTA) or the System Dump Analyzer utility (SDA), you might remove these files from the system disk.

Depending on the system you are using, you can add or delete files in one of the following ways:

- On VAX systems, you can use the OpenVMS Tailoring utilities, VMSTAILOR and DECW$TAILOR:
  - VMSTAILOR---applies to optional system files
  - DECW$TAILOR---applies to support for DECwindows
  Delete files from and add files to the system disk by identifying classes and subclasses of operating system files that you want to add or delete. You might delete or add an entire class or selected subclasses of files within a class.
  If you delete files, you can add them again at any time using VMSTAILOR or DECW$TAILOR and your operating system distribution media.
  Refer to the Upgrade and Installation Manual for more information about VMSTAILOR and DECW$TAILOR.
- On Alpha systems, you can use the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility to add or delete optional system files. Add or delete files by selecting or deselecting options and suboptions.
  To invoke the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility for this purpose, you can use either of the following methods:
  - Use the DCL command PRODUCT RECONFIGURE.
  - Use the DECwindows Motif interface from the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility and select the Reconfigure option on the Mode menu.
  For more information about using the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility, see Section 3.7.

## 5.2 Modifying Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures

An important part of customizing your system is to create or modify site-specific startup command procedures. Adding commands to these procedures ensures that the commands are executed each time the system reboots.

### 5.2.1 Understanding Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures

You should understand the following terms:

Term | Definition
--- | ---
Startup command procedure | A command procedure that executes when the system starts up.
Site-independent startup command procedure | A startup command procedure that is required for and provided with all OpenVMS systems, regardless of site-specific requirements. This procedure is named SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP.COM. Do not modify this procedure. When your system boots, it automatically executes STARTUP.COM. For more information, see Section 4.1.4.
Site-specific startup command procedures | Startup command procedures that you can modify to perform operations specific to your site. Use any text editor to add or modify commands in these procedures. STARTUP.COM executes several site-specific startup command procedures that Compaq provides. These procedures are listed in Table 5-1. You can also create your own procedures and execute them from SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM.

Table 5-1 lists and describes the site-specific startup command procedures provided by Compaq, in the order in which they execute. These procedures are located in the system directory with the logical name SYS$STARTUP.

Table 5-1 Site-Specific Startup Command Procedures
Order | Command Procedure | Function
--- | --- | ---
1 | SYCONFIG.COM | A file to which you add commands for site-specific device configuration. For more information, see Section 5.2.4.
2 | SYLOGICALS.COM | A file to which you add commands to define your site-specific system logical names. For more information, see Section 5.2.5.
3 | SYPAGSWPFILES.COM | A file to which you add commands to install page and swap files (other than the primary page and swap files in SYS$SYSTEM, which are installed automatically). For more information, see Section 5.2.3.
4 | SYSECURITY.COM | A file to which you add commands to define the location of security auditing and security archive files before starting the security auditing server. For more information, see Section 5.2.6.
5 | SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM | A general-purpose command procedure to which you add commands to perform miscellaneous operations for setting up your site. For example, you might mount public disks in SYSTARTUP_VMS.COM. For more information, see Section 5.2.7.

#### 5.2.1.1 Using Template Files

Your distribution kit provides two versions of each site-specific command procedure in the directory SYS$MANAGER:

- An executable version with the file type .COM (for example, SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.COM). The system executes files with the file type .COM; you can edit .COM files (except for STARTUP.COM) to meet your site-specific needs.
- A backup version with the file type .TEMPLATE (for example, SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.TEMPLATE).

Note Do not modify or delete the Compaq-supplied template command files with the .TEMPLATE file type. The VMSKITBLD.COM procedure uses these files to create a new system disk. If you must use the .TEMPLATE version of the file because your .COM version is damaged, copy the .TEMPLATE file to a file with the .COM file type, and edit the copy.

#### 5.2.1.2 Rules for Modifying Startup Command Procedures

When modifying site-specific startup command procedures, be sure to follow these rules:

- Conform to the rules of command procedures, as described in the OpenVMS User's Manual.
- Keep the files in the SYS$MANAGER directory.
- Keep the file names given to the command procedures.
- Modify only the executable version of the files (with the file type .COM), not the template version (with the file type .TEMPLATE).
- Do not modify the site-independent startup command procedure STARTUP.COM.
- Before modifying command procedures, understand the order of startup events. For information, see Section 5.2.2.

Caution The startup procedures provided by Compaq should always work. However, if you introduce an error in the startup or login procedures, you can accidentally lock yourself out of the system. Section 4.4.2 describes a boot procedure you can use in such an emergency.

### 5.2.2 Understanding the Order of Startup Events

Before modifying the site-specific startup command procedures, you should understand the order of system startup events.

A database file named VMS$PHASES.DAT determines the order of the phases of the startup procedure. It is a sequential list of the phases that STARTUP.COM starts. It includes a series of four basic phases (INITIAL, CONFIGURE, DEVICE, and BASEENVIRON) that start the operating system, followed by a series of phases for layered products.

Caution Do not modify VMS$PHASES.DAT. To start up correctly, the system requires that the contents of this file remain intact.

At startup, a system performs tasks in the following order:

1. Starts the CLUSTER_SERVER process.
2. Defines logical names needed for basic operations, and installs images listed in SYS$MANAGER:VMSIMAGES.DAT.
3. Executes SYCONFIG.COM.
4. Adds any new drivers by executing one of the following commands:
   - On VAX systems, the SYSGEN command AUTOCONFIGURE ALL. This command automatically configures the device driver database, locates all standard devices attached to the system, and loads and connects their device drivers.
   - On Alpha systems, the SYSMAN command IO AUTOCONFIGURE. This command automatically configures the device driver database, locates all standard devices attached to the system, and loads and connects their device drivers.
   If the symbol STARTUP$AUTOCONFIGURE_ALL is defined as 0 or FALSE by SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.COM, this step is not performed.
5. Installs the primary swap file, if the file is present.
6. Starts the CONFIGURE process (swappable). If the system parameter NOAUTOCONFIG is set to 1, the CONFIGURE process is not started. If the symbol STARTUP$AUTOCONFIGURE_ALL is defined as 0 or FALSE by SYS$MANAGER:SYCONFIG.COM, this step is not performed.
7. Executes SYLOGICALS.COM. At this point, all devices have been made available through the AUTOCONFIGURE ALL command (step 4) or will be made available by the CONFIGURE process (started in step 6).
8. If the system is a satellite node in a VAXcluster or an OpenVMS Cluster environment, executes SATELLITE_PAGE.COM to install page and swap files on a local disk. SATELLITE_PAGE.COM is created when you execute the CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM procedure.
9. Executes SYPAGSWPFILES.COM.
10. Performs the following steps in no specified order:
    - Installs required images
    - Starts various operating system processes (OPCOM, CACHE_SERVER, ERRFMT, JOBCTL)
    - Executes SYSECURITY.COM and starts the AUDIT_SERVER process
    - On VAX systems, starts the security server, SECURITY_SERVER, which manages the proxy database and intrusion database
    - Starts LMF (License Management Facility) and loads all appropriate Product Authorization Keys (PAKs) from the LMF database
11. Performs the following steps in no specified order:
    - Enables operator consoles and the operator log files
    - Starts the SMISERVER process

Note The order of events within system startup might change in future releases of the operating system.

### 5.2.3 Modifying SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to Install Page and Swap Files

When the system boots, it automatically installs the primary page and swap files, if they are present in the SYS$SYSTEM directory. If the page and swap files are not in SYS$SYSTEM, or if secondary page and swap files are located on a disk other than the system disk, you must install these files each time the system boots. To install these files, add commands to SYPAGSWPFILES.COM.

Before performing this task, you should understand page and swap files and why you might want to move them. For more information, see Section 16.2.

The SYPAGSWPFILES.COM file can also include commands other than INSTALL commands, such as SYSGEN CREATE commands and the DCL commands INITIALIZE and MOUNT, to set up the page and swap files. Note that, at the time STARTUP.COM invokes SYPAGSWPFILES.COM, only the system disk is mounted. Therefore, you might need to add MOUNT commands to SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to mount the disks that hold the page and swap files.

The system must have installed at least one page file before SYPAGSWPFILES.COM exits. Otherwise, STARTUP.COM displays the following error message:

    %STARTUP-E-NOPAGFIL, no page files have been successfully installed.

Caution If a system dump file with the name SYSDUMP.DMP does not exist in the SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE] directory, the primary page file PAGEFILE.SYS must exist in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]PAGEFILE.SYS for writing crash dumps. If neither SYSDUMP.DMP nor PAGEFILE.SYS is located in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE], no crash dump file is produced.

You can also use SATELLITE_PAGE.COM to install page and swap files on a satellite node's local disk. SATELLITE_PAGE.COM is created when you run CLUSTER_CONFIG.COM. For more information about installing page and swap files on a satellite node's local disk, refer to OpenVMS Cluster Systems.

How to Perform This Task

1. Enter SYSGEN CREATE commands in the following format to create secondary system files in the desired locations:

   `CREATE file-spec/SIZE=block-count`

   For example:

       SYSGEN> CREATE DUA2:[PAGE_SWAP]PAGEFILE_1.SYS/SIZE=100000
       SYSGEN> CREATE DUA2:[PAGE_SWAP]SWAPFILE_1.SYS/SIZE=100000

   The CREATE command creates or extends files that can be used as a page, swap, or dump file. You create these files only once.
   For more information about creating page and swap files, see Section 16.16. For more information about the SYSGEN command CREATE, refer to the SYSGEN section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.
2. Invoke any editor to edit SYS$MANAGER:SYPAGSWPFILES.COM.
3. If necessary, add a MOUNT command to mount the disk or disks that are to hold the secondary page and swap files. Disks other than the system disk are not yet mounted at the time SYPAGSWPFILES.COM is invoked. For information about the MOUNT command, refer to the MOUNT section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.
4. Add the following command to make it easier to invoke SYSGEN:

       $ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN

5. Add commands in the following format to SYPAGSWPFILES.COM to install the secondary files each time the system boots.
   For page files, use the following format:

   `SYSGEN INSTALL file-spec /PAGEFILE`

   For swap files, use the following format:

   `SYSGEN INSTALL file-spec /SWAPFILE`

   The INSTALL command activates secondary page and swap files. Page and swap files not located in SYS$SYSTEM must be installed each time the system boots.

Example

The following commands in SYPAGSWPFILES.COM install secondary page and swap files on the device DUA10: with the logical name PAGE_SWAP:

    $ MOUNT/SYSTEM/NOASSIST DUA10: SYS2 PAGE_SWAP
    $ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN
    $ SYSGEN INSTALL PAGE_SWAP:[SYSTEM]PAGEFILE1.SYS/PAGEFILE
    $ if $status then write sys$output "Installed page file PAGEFILE1.SYS"
    $ SYSGEN INSTALL PAGE_SWAP:[SYSTEM]SWAPFILE1.SYS/SWAPFILE
    $ if $status then write sys$output "Installed swap file swapfile1.sys"

### 5.2.4 Modifying SYCONFIG.COM to Configure Devices

You can add commands to SYCONFIG.COM to perform site-specific device configuration, including connecting nonstandard devices and suppressing autoconfiguration.

#### 5.2.4.1 Connecting Nonstandard Devices

Standard devices are automatically connected and configured by STARTUP.COM each time the system boots. Nonstandard devices (devices not supplied by Compaq) are not automatically connected and configured; you must connect and configure these devices manually by entering certain commands. To execute these commands each time the system starts up, add the commands to SYCONFIG.COM.

On VAX systems, add SYSGEN CONNECT commands. For more information about connecting devices, see Section 8.4. For more information about the SYSGEN CONNECT command, refer to the SYSGEN section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

On Alpha systems, add SYSMAN IO CONNECT commands. For more information about connecting devices, see Section 8.4. For more information about the SYSMAN IO CONNECT command, refer to the SYSMAN section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

Example

To connect a nonstandard device called the QQ device, add the following commands to SYCONFIG.COM:

    $ SYSGEN := $SYSGEN
    $ SYSGEN CONNECT QQA0

#### 5.2.4.2 Suppressing Autoconfiguration of Devices

You might want to suppress autoconfiguration for various reasons, including the following ones:

- To customize the order in which you configure devices
- To troubleshoot booting problems
- To allow Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) based workstations to use devices on another workstation's SCSI bus without causing conflicts during boot time

You can define a symbol in SYCONFIG.COM to suppress autoconfiguration. For more information, see Section 8.4.3.

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