[Info-vax] PCSI ECO kit installation problem

[Rich Jordan]

I just loaded an old VMS V7.3 image backup (done standalone) on a spare disk of my home Alphaserver DS10L (hobbyist).  It used to run Communigate Pro and Python, and I wanted to look through some those again.

I updated it to V7.3-2; that way I can back it up and have a ready made 7.3-2 landing zone version on the side for future.  But when I tried installing updates I ran into problems.

I installed PCSI ECO 5 kit.  It appeared to install, no error reported.  Logged off and on.  I then tried to install the Update ECO kit, and it complained that the prerequisite PCSI kit was not installed.

Sure enough, a product show product VMS /full does not show the PCSI kit.

I tried installing again, got a complaint about losing my saved recovery data from the initial PCSI install, but no other indication it was already installed.  I told it to delete the recovery data and install.  It went through the motions, no error, but again the PCSI ECO does not show up in the product list.

If I try a product remove PCSI reports that is isn't there to remove.

PCSI database corruption?  Some other error?

The one difference thing from past updates was that during the VMS V7.3-2 update I got a notice about PCSI on the disk being newer (402) than the one in the kit (400), and it recommended retaining the version on the VMS V7.3 disk.  So I did.

Product show utility says the V402 version is there.  Product show history displays everything from the original V7.3 installation and all the ECOs installed on that, all of today's removal that occurred with the v7.3-2 upgrade, and the installation of VMS V7.3-2, CDSA, DECnet, DWMotif, TCPIP, OpenVMS, and VMS V7.3-2 but none of the attempted installs of the PCSI ECO.

I can try to find the PCSI ECO 1 kit and work up but it doesn't seem likely that will work.

Thanks for any hints.  Worst case I re-restore my V7.3 backup, test its patchability, then redo the upgrade answering 'no' to retaining the newer PCSI.