[Info-vax] Changed Boot behavior on XP1000 since 2013

[Hans Vlems]

On 8 feb, 09:26, Joukj <jo... at hrem.nano.tudelft.nl> wrote:
> Hans Vlems wrote:
> > On 7 feb, 14:10, Volker Halle <volker_ha... at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> HP has responded in the HP Support Forums and is actively collecting
> >> information about affected systems and thinking about a workaround in
> >> OpenVMS.
>
> >> If one of your systems is effected, please obtain the following
> >> information:
>
> >> 1. The Alpha system type (XP1000, AS1200, etc.)
>
> >> 2. P00>>> e toy:2 -w -n 3      (collect this after Power-Up or >>>
> >> INIT)
>
> >> Then log a call with HP (or maybe just post the information here or in
> >> the HP Support Forums):
>
> >>http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware/Changes-Boot-behavior-on-XP1000...
>
> >> Volker.
>
> > The fix suggested there (by HP?):
>
> > <HP>
> > The following code segment is used by OpenVMS:
>
> > if .time_result [tim$w_year] GEQ .EXE$GL_TRANSITION_YEAR
> > then
> > time_result [tim$w_year] = .time_result [tim$w_year] + 1900;
> > else
> > time_result [tim$w_year] = .time_result [tim$w_year] + 2000;
>
> > OpenVMS engineering thought of the following fix / workaround for this
> > issue.  In the above code, change the hardcoded 1900 to a 1920 (1920 +
> > 93 = 2013).
> > </HP>
>
> > Am I too critical here to consider that a kludge?
> > I'd rather fix the problem where it lies: the firmware. The next best
> > thing is to apply a fix BEFORE VMS gets booted.
> > My systems are far from production critical but I'd rather not run a
> > patched CPU$ROUTINES*.EXE for this problem.
> > Hans
>
> 2 considerations;
>      1) OpenVMS should work with the hardware/firmware as it is. So if
>         the machine/firmware contains a bug OpenVMS should cope with it.
>      2) For patching the firmware HP will need:
>            a) people who know how firmware has been/is to be programmed.
>            b) machines to test it on
>          I wonder if HP has this "in-house"
>
>             Jouk

Well, I can imagine that an AlphaServer 1200 (let alone its white box
cousin) would be
hard to find within HP. I've got plenty available :).
Hans