Document revision date: 30 March 2001

## OpenVMS System Manager's Manual

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### 15.4.2 Feedback Report (AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT)

Decides whether to use the system parameter values and system file sizes calculated by AUTOGEN. To help in your decision making, AUTOGEN generates a report file (SYS$SYSTEM:AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT) that includes the following information:

- All parameters and system files directly affected by the feedback
- Current values
- New values
- The feedback used in each parameter calculation
- Any user- or Compaq-supplied modifications found in MODPARAMS.DAT
- Any advisory or warning messages displayed during AUTOGEN's operations
- On VAX systems, any user- or Compaq-supplied modifications found in VMSPARAMS.DAT
- On Alpha systems, the parameters found during the GENPARAMS phase

Example 15-1 shows the contents of a sample AUTOGEN feedback report for a VAX system. On Alpha systems, the feedback report is similar but not identical to this example.

Suppressing Informational Messages

To suppress the display of informational messages, define the AGEN$REPORT_NO_INFORMATIONALS logical to TRUE. Messages are entered in SYS$SYSTEM:AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT regardless of the value of AGEN$REPORT_NO_INFORMATIONALS.

Filtering DCL Statements from Your Report

The feedback report will contain DCL statements in MODPARAMS.DAT that are not simple assignments to system parameters or the ADD_, MAX_, or MIN_ extensions. To filter these statements out of the report, begin each statement in MODPARAMS.DAT with a dollar sign ($).

Example 15-1 Sample AUTOGEN Feedback Report

    AUTOGEN Parameter Calculation Report on node: NODE22
      This information was generated at 23-APR-2000 01:45:47.87
      AUTOGEN was run from GETDATA to TESTFILES using FEEDBACK

    ** No changes will be done by AUTOGEN **
       The values given in this report are what AUTOGEN would
        have set the parameters to.

    Processing Parameter Data files
    -------------------------------

    ** WARNING ** - The system was up for less than 24 hours when the feedback
    information was recorded. This could result in feedback information
    that does not accurately reflect your typical work load.

    Including parameters from: SYS$SYSTEM:MODPARAMS.DAT
    The following was detected within MODPARAMS.DAT
       Please review immediately.

    ** INFORMATIONAL ** - Multiple MIN values found for MIN_CHANNELCNT.
     Using MODPARAMS value (550) which is superseding OpenVMS value (255)

    ** INFORMATIONAL ** - Multiple MIN values found for MIN_SWPOUTPGCNT.
     Using MODPARAMS value (1000) which is superseding OpenVMS value (500)

    ** INFORMATIONAL ** - Multiple MIN values found for MIN_PQL_DWSEXTENT.
     Using MODPARAMS value (11000) which is superseding OpenVMS value (1024)

    ** INFORMATIONAL ** - Multiple MIN values found for MIN_PQL_MWSEXTENT.
     Using MODPARAMS value (11000) which is superseding OpenVMS value (1024)
    Feedback information was collected on 22-APR-2000 14:00:07.70
      Old values below are the parameter values at the time of collection.
      The feedback data is based on 13 hours of up time.
      Feedback information will be used in the subsequent calculations

    Parameter information follows:
    ------------------------------

    MAXPROCESSCNT parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 100, New value is 80
        Maximum Observed Processes: 52

    Information about VMS executable image Processing:

     Processing SYS$MANAGER:VMS$IMAGES_MASTER.DAT

    GBLPAGFIL parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 1024.  The new value is 6024.
        GBLPAGFIL has been increased by 5000.
        GBLPAGFIL is not allowed to be less than 6024.

    GBLPAGES parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 43300, New value is 50000
        Peak used GBLPAGES: 36622
        Global buffer requirements: 6024

    GBLSECTIONS parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 400, New value is 400
        Peak used GBLSECTIONS: 294
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 350.  The new value is 400.
        GBLSECTIONS is not allowed to be less than 400.

    LOCKIDTBL parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 2943, New value is 3071
        Current number of locks: 1853
        Peak number of locks: 3200

    LOCKIDTBL_MAX parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 65535, New value is 65535

    RESHASHTBL parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 1024, New value is 1024
        Current number of resources: 957

    MSCP_LOAD parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 1.  The new value is 0.
        MSCP_LOAD has been disabled by a hard-coded value of 0.

    MSCP_BUFFER parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 128, New value is 128
        MSCP server I/O rate: 0 I/Os per 10 sec.
        I/Os that waited for buffer space: 0
        I/Os that fragmented into multiple transfers: 0

    SCSCONNCNT parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 5, New value is 5
        Peak number of nodes: 1
        Number of CDT allocation failures: 0

    SCSRESPCNT parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 300, New value is 300
        RDT stall count: 0

    SCSBUFFCNT parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 512, New value is 512
        CIBDT stall count: 0

    NPAGEDYN parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 686592, New value is 783360
        Maximum observed non-paged pool size: 815616 bytes.
        Non-paged pool request rate: 47 requests per 10 sec.

    LNMSHASHTBL parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 1024, New value is 1024
        Current number of shareable logical names: 1194

    ACP_DIRCACHE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 88, New value is 88
        Hit percentage: 99%
        Attempt rate: 0 attempts per 10 sec.

    ACP_DINDXCACHE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 25, New value is 25
        Hit percentage: 97%
        Attempt rate: 1 attempts per 10 sec.

    ACP_HDRCACHE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 88, New value is 106
        Hit percentage: 98%
        Attempt rate: 17 attempts per 10 sec.

    ACP_MAPCACHE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 8, New value is 8
        Hit percentage: 2%
        Attempt rate: 4 attempts per 10 sec.

    PAGEDYN parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 521728, New value is 542208
        Current paged pool usage: 304160 bytes.
        Paged pool request rate: 1 requests per 10 sec.

    PFRATL parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 0.  The new value is 1.
        PFRATL has been disabled by a hard-coded value of 1.

    WSDEC parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 35.  The new value is 19.
        WSDEC has been disabled by a hard-coded value of 19.

    MPW_LOLIMIT parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 120.  The new value is 2100.
        MPW_LOLIMIT is not allowed to be less than 2100.

    MPW_HILIMIT parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 1310.  The new value is 4500.
        MPW_HILIMIT is not allowed to be less than 4500.

    LONGWAIT parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 30.  The new value is 10.
        LONGWAIT has been disabled by a hard-coded value of 10.

    WSMAX parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 8200.  The new value is 12000.
        WSMAX is not allowed to be less than 12000.

    PROCSECTCNT parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 32.  The new value is 40.
        PROCSECTCNT is not allowed to be less than 40.

    PQL_DWSEXTENT parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 400.  The new value is 11000.
        PQL_DWSEXTENT is not allowed to be less than 11000.

    PQL_MWSEXTENT parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 2048.  The new value is 11000.
        PQL_MWSEXTENT is not allowed to be less than 11000.

    VAXCLUSTER parameter information:
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 1.  The new value is 0.
        VAXCLUSTER has been disabled by a hard-coded value of 0.

    Page, Swap, and Dump file calculations

      Page and Swap file calculations.

    PAGEFILE1_SIZE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 45200, New value is 50500
        Maximum observed usage: 25265
     PAGEFILE1_SIZE will be modified to hold 50500 blocks

    PAGEFILE2_SIZE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 154000, New value is 194400
        Maximum observed usage: 97175
     PAGEFILE2_SIZE will be modified to hold 194400 blocks

     ** WARNING ** - The disk on which PAGEFILE2 resides would be
        over 95% full if it were modified to hold 194400 blocks.
        NODE22$DKA300:[SYSTEM_FILES]PAGEFILE.SYS will not be modified.
        NODE22$DKA300:[SYSTEM_FILES]PAGEFILE.SYS will remain at 154002 blocks.

    SWAPFILE1_SIZE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 15000, New value is 15000
        Maximum observed usage: 14280
     Override Information - parameter calculation has been overridden.
        The calculated value was 21400.  The new value is 15000.
        SWAPFILE1_SIZE is not allowed to exceed 15000.
     SWAPFILE1 will not be modified.

    SWAPFILE2_SIZE parameter information:
     Feedback information.
        Old value was 50000, New value is 26300
        Maximum observed usage: 1680
     SWAPFILE2_SIZE will be modified to hold 26300 blocks

     ** WARNING ** - The disk on which SWAPFILE2 resides would be
        over 95% full if it were modified to hold 26300 blocks.
        NODE22$DKA300:[SYSTEM_FILES]SWAPFILE.SYS will not be modified.
        NODE22$DKA300:[SYSTEM_FILES]SWAPFILE.SYS will remain at 50001 blocks.

      Dumpfile calculations:

     No dump file modifications would have been made.
     Dumpfile will remain at 34116 blocks.

### 15.4.3 AUTOGEN Phases

When you invoke AUTOGEN, you specify a start phase and an end phase for AUTOGEN to execute. AUTOGEN executes all phases from the start phase to the end phase. Depending on the start phase and end phase you specify, AUTOGEN can execute any of the following phases, in the order shown in Table 15-2.

Table 15-2 AUTOGEN Phases
Phase | Description
--- | ---
SAVPARAMS | Saves dynamic feedback from the running system.
GETDATA | Collects all data to be used in AUTOGEN calculations.
GENPARAMS | Generates new system parameters; creates the installed image list.
TESTFILES | Displays the system page, swap, and dump file sizes calculated by AUTOGEN (cannot be used as a start phase).
GENFILES | Generates new system page, swap, and dump files if appropriate (cannot be used as a start phase).
SETPARAMS | Runs SYSMAN to set the new system parameters in the default parameter file, saves the original parameters, and generates a new parameter file, AUTOGEN.PAR. On VAX systems, the default parameter file is VAXVMSSYS.PAR. The original parameters are saved in the file VAXVMSSYS.OLD. On Alpha systems, the default parameter file is ALPHAVMSSYS.PAR. The original parameters are saved in the file ALPHAVMSSYS.OLD.
SHUTDOWN | Prepares the system to await a manual reboot.
REBOOT | Automatically shuts down and reboots the system.
HELP | Displays help information to the screen.

For detailed information about each AUTOGEN phase and the files affected by each phase, refer to the AUTOGEN section of the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

### 15.4.4 AUTOGEN Parameter File (MODPARAMS.DAT)

AUTOGEN reads a parameter file named MODPARAMS.DAT during the GETDATA phase. You can add commands to this file to control the system parameter values and file sizes that AUTOGEN sets. You can use MODPARAMS.DAT to perform the following actions:

Operation | For More Information
--- | ---
Increase the value of any numeric system parameter | Section 15.5.1.1
Set a minimum value for a numeric system parameter | Section 15.5.1.2
Set a maximum value for a numeric system parameter | Section 15.5.1.3
Specify an absolute value for a system parameter | Section 15.5.1.4
Include an external parameter file | Section 15.5.3
Specify sizes of page, swap, and dump files | Section 16.16.1.2
+Define the number of VAXcluster nodes | Section 15.5.1.5
+Define the number of Ethernet adapters | Section 15.5.1.6
+Preset parameter values before adding memory | Section 15.5.1.7
Specify an alternate default startup command procedure | Section 4.5.2

+VAX specific

To help track changes you make to MODPARAMS.DAT, make sure you add comments, preceded by the exclamation point (!), each time you change the file.

Caution The recommended method of changing system parameters and system file sizes is to edit MODPARAMS.DAT to include parameter settings. If you change a system parameter value or file size using SYSMAN, SYSGEN, or a conversational boot, and you do not specify the value in MODPARAMS.DAT, AUTOGEN will recalculate the value or file size the next time it runs. For more information, see Section 15.5.1.

Example

The following example shows the contents of a sample MODPARAMS.DAT file:

    !
    ! ***************** A Sample MODPARAMS.DAT for Node NODE22 ***************
    !
    ! MODPARAMS.DAT for "NODE22"
    ! REVISED: 04/29/00 -CHG- Upped GBLPAGES to account for ADA.
    !
    SCSNODE         = "NODE22"      ! This is not calculated by AUTOGEN.
    SCSSYSTEMID     = 19577         ! This is not calculated by AUTOGEN.
    TTY_DEFCHAR2    = %X0D34        ! This is not calculated by AUTOGEN.
    ADD_ACP_DIRCACHE= 150           ! Hit rate was only 65% on directory cache.
    MIN_PAGEDYN     = 500000        ! PAGEDYN must be at least 1/2 Mbyte to
                                    ! account for a large number of logical names.
    !

    MAX_PAGEFILE1_SIZE  = 15000     ! Maximum size for primary page.
    MAX_SWAPFILE        =  5000     ! Maximum size for swap file space.
    MAX_DUMPFILE        = 32768     ! Maximum size for dump file space.

    ADD_GBLPAGES    = 425+507+157   ! Account for MCS, BLISS32 and ADA.
    ADD_GBLSECTIONS = 4 + 5 + 2     ! Account for MCS, BLISS32 and ADA.
    VIRTUALPAGECNT  = 144264        ! So that we can read MONSTR's 68Mb dumps.
    !
    ! end of MODPARAMS.DAT for NODE22

## 15.5 Modifying System Parameters with AUTOGEN

The recommended method of modifying system parameters is to execute AUTOGEN in two passes, as follows:

1. First pass---Execute AUTOGEN using the following command:

       $ @SYS$UPDATE:AUTOGEN SAVPARAMS TESTFILES

   This command instructs AUTOGEN to perform the following actions:
   - Save the current feedback
   - Gather all the information required for the calculations
   - Calculate the system parameter values
   - Generate the feedback report
   - Write the information to SETPARAMS.DAT
   - Compute the sizes of page, swap, and dump files; log the sizes in the report file AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT.
   Review the input to the calculations (PARAMS.DAT), the output from the calculations (SETPARAMS.DAT), and the report generated (AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT).
   If you are not satisfied with the parameter settings, modify the parameter values by editing MODPARAMS.DAT as explained in Section 15.5.1. If you are not satisfied with the file sizes, modify the sizes as explained in Section 16.16. Then reexecute AUTOGEN from the GETDATA phase.
   When you are satisfied with the contents of SETPARAMS.DAT, go to step 2.
2. Second pass---Execute AUTOGEN a second time using the following command:

       $ @SYS$UPDATE:AUTOGEN GENPARAMS REBOOT

   This AUTOGEN command runs SYSMAN to update the new system parameter values and installs them on the system when it is rebooted.

### 15.5.1 Controlling AUTOGEN's Parameter Settings with MODPARAMS.DAT

If, after examining the AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT or SETPARAMS.DAT file, you decide to correct hardware configuration data or modify system parameter values chosen by AUTOGEN, edit the MODPARAMS.DAT file as described in this section to manually specify parameter values.

Caution Always edit MODPARAMS.DAT to specify values for parameters. Do not edit PARAMS.DAT; modifying the contents of this file might prevent AUTOGEN from operating correctly.

For information about editing MODPARAMS.DAT to control sizes of page, swap, and dump files, see Section 16.16.1.2.

You can define symbols in MODPARAMS.DAT using the following formats to control parameter values:

Control Method | Symbol Format | For More Information
--- | --- | ---
Increase a value by a specified amount | ADD_* | Section 15.5.1.1
Specify a minimum value | MIN_* | Section 15.5.1.2
Specify a maximum value | MAX_* | Section 15.5.1.3
Specify an absolute value | Parameter name | Section 15.5.1.4

When defining symbols in MODPARAMS.DAT, make sure of the following data:

- The value is correct and valid for the parameter. Count the digits. Do not use commas.
- The symbol occurs only once in MODPARAMS.DAT.
- The symbol value is not commented out.
- The symbol name is spelled correctly and completely (not abbreviated).

Caution When AUTOGEN reads MODPARAMS.DAT or any other parameter file, it checks to determine if the symbol names specified in the file are valid. If they are not, AUTOGEN writes a warning message to AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT. However, AUTOGEN checks only the symbol name; it does not check the validity of the value specified for the symbol. If a value is invalid, the line is not ignored. AUTOGEN attempts to use the specified value. A symbol is not checked if it is specified in a line that contains a DCL expression other than the equal sign (=). For example, AUTOGEN does not check the validity of a symbol name specified in a line with the DCL IF statement. Instead, AUTOGEN writes a warning message to AGEN$PARAMS.REPORT.

To help track changes you make to MODPARAMS.DAT, make sure you add comments preceded by an exclamation point (!) each time you change the file.

#### 15.5.1.1 Increasing a Value with the ADD_ Prefix

Use the ADD_ prefix to increase the value of any numeric parameter. The new values are updated in subsequent AUTOGEN calculations during the GENPARAMS phase. The following example demonstrates the use of the ADD_ prefix:

    ADD_GBLPAGES=500
    ADD_NPAGEDYN=10000

An ADD_ parameter record for a parameter that AUTOGEN calculates will add the value to AUTOGEN's calculations. An ADD_ parameter record for a parameter that AUTOGEN does not calculate will add the value to the parameter's default (not current) value. (Refer to the AUTOGEN section on the OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual for a table of parameters affected by AUTOGEN.)

Note The ADD_ value is added to the calculated value once, and does not accumulate with successive runs for feedback calculations. Typically, you would not use the ADD_ prefix for modifying parameters that are calculated by the feedback mechanism, because the feedback results should accurately reflect your work load. However, if you do use the ADD_ prefix with feedback, AUTOGEN adds a value only once if AUTOGEN is run to the SETPARAMS phase or beyond. To maintain a minimum level above AUTOGEN's calculation, use the MIN_ prefix.

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