[Info-vax] Webinar "AUTOGEN and SYSGEN"

[JF Mezei]

Bart Zorn wrote:

> The question remains: why did the presenter not verify his slide before the webinar?

At the time SYSBOOT runs, I am not sure there is already an "ACTIVE"
version of the parameters since the VMS instance has not really been
created yet.

Consider this HELP snipped from SYSBOOT> HELP:

    USE            - Set parameter file name
         USE file_spec.PAR
           Reserved filespecs are:
             DEFAULT     Use permanent defaults
             CURRENT     Use current values


You can't use "ACTIVE". My guess is that when you enter the CONTINUE
command, the "ACTIVE"  data structure is created from the parameters
that SYSBOOT has read in (and possibly you modified wit a SET command).
After that, the VMS instance can be created.

Note that there is no WRITE command in SYSBOOT>. lack of writing ability
would explain the need of the   WRITESYSPARAMS parameter to set a flag
that would allow the parameter file to be written later on.


> SYSBOOT>  SHOW WRITESYSPARAMS
> Parameter Name            Current    Default     Min.     Max.     Unit  Dynamic
> --------------            -------    -------    -------  -------   ----  -------
> WRITESYSPARAMS                  0          1         0         1 Boolean    D
>

> 
> SYSBOOT>  SHOW WRITESYSPARAMS
> Parameter Name            Current    Default     Min.     Max.     Unit  Dynamic
> --------------            -------    -------    -------  -------   ----  -------
> WRITESYSPARAMS                  1          1         0         1 Boolean    D
> 
> SYSBOOT>  


Also, the USE CURRENT command at SYSBOOT undoes all changes you have
done and resets WRITESYSPARAMS to 0


I think the guy giving the seminar would have given the right jist of it
(parameters you change at SYSBOOT end up being written back to CURRENT)
but was technically incorrect in how it is done.  If SYSBOOT is done by
a different group, it may explain why the guy in charge of autogen would
not be aware of what SYSBOOT really does.

With regards to the .WMV file format,  I think it is just ignorance on
the part of the person preparing it, not realising he was using some
proprietary codec that nobody outside of HP can view.