[Info-vax] V/I64 R/W USB mass storage boot support?

[Rich Jordan]

On Nov 7, 6:06 am, VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG wrote:
> To all following this thread, I received an email from Forrest Kenney.
> Over many years, Forrest had helped me out immensely with the terminal
> drivers and, later, USB.  Forrest is still a brilliant VMS resource. ;)
>
> Quote Forrest (from private email):
>
> |OK, I knew that that it had been slipped in by Fred a parting gift on
> |his way out.  I only have read only access to comp.os.vms.  Can you
> |post a note saying the official position is that USB booting is only
> |suppoted for the systems that have USB DVD's.  That is it and no one
> |will lift a finger to help beyond that.  There is no magic required to
> |boot a VMS system off a USB pen drive or disk drive.  You need to back
> |up a working system to the device and make sure that the boot block
> |gets updated.  That is it, for DVD's you have to set the sysgen
> |paramter write lock sys to boot.
> |
> |    If it hangs in the boot in mount verify the run time drivers are
> |having a problem with the device, there is a complex dance that
> |happens to determine data about the disk.  In fact Fred rewrote much
> |of it about 12-16 months ago to make it work with more devices.  That
> |code should be in recent patch kits.
> |
> |     But if that does not help they will get nothing out of HP there
> |is no one home who understands how it all works.  There is a complex
> |set of steps and interlocks that all have to go correct to boot off a
> |USB mass storage device any one messes up and you hang or crash.  It
> |took me weeks to make it all work the first time and even then it was
> |fragile.
> |
> |Forrest
>
> So there you have it folks!
>
> --
> VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker    VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG
>
> All your spirit rack abuses, come to haunt you back by day.
> All your Byzantine excuses, given time, given you away.

"there is no one home who understands how it all works"

If that isn't the de-facto statement about HP these days it certainly
should be.