[Info-vax] Changing VMS node name

[Hans Vlems]

On 9 apr, 18:35, Single Stage to Orbit <alex.bu... at munted.eu> wrote:
> I accidentally mis-entered a node name because my terminal emulation
> wasn't quite right and using the backspace just screwed up the node name
> for my OpenVMS 6.2 installation under simh-vax.
>
> I then looked at the docs (Hofflabs,HP etc) for renaming the node name,
> but despite trying everything my node name still remains the same.
>
> Is there a definitive step by step guide for renaming a node?
>
> Thanks
> Alex
> --
> Tactical Nuclear Kittens

The nodename is stored in a system variable called SCSNODE.
SYSGEN is the utility that modifies system parameters.
General syntax: SET <parameter> <value>
Some parameters may be altered on a running system (labeled Dynamic)
and
a subsequent WRITE ACTIVE command is all you need to apply the change.
The change is lost on a reboot though. If you're sure the change is
alright then
WRITE CURRENT stores it in the database and it will survive a reboot.
Now SCSNODE is *not* dynamic, so the easiest way to change it is:
SET SCSNODE NEWNAM
WRITE CURRENT
exit SYSGEN and @SYS$SYSTEM:SHUTDOWN
Maintaining system parameters this way is a nightmare so that is where
SYS$SYSTEM:MODPARAMS.DAT comes in. All system specific parameters
are listed in that file along with the system specific value.
There is a utility that reads MODPARAMS and applies them to the
system.
It is called SYS$UPDATE:AUTOGEN.COM and accepts three parameters
(IIRC).
The incantation I mainly use is:
@SYS$UPDATE:AUTOGEN GETDATA REBOOT NOFEEDBACK
GETDATA makes it read MODPARAMS and apply them, reboot the system when
it's
finished and to ignore feedback data the system had gathered while it
was running.
The latter is only useful for systems that have realistic uptimes (for
VMS that's months
rather than hours like my hobbyist systems :) and a production
workload.

Note that if you change SCSNODE it will affect other layered or system
integrated products.
You'll need to reconfigure DECnet, possibly modify hardcoded changes
for LAT and UCX.
The license database will complain if there are licenses registered
that have the old nodename
in an /INCLUDE qualifier.
And possibly other products may be affected. So a reinstall may not be
a bad idea after all ;-)

Hans