[Info-vax] Crashing a system with PCA/DTM ?

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2018-08-26 16:08:17 +0000, Marc Van Dyck said:

> ...But my problem is that when I did that 15 years ago, I crashed the 
> development system. Twice. I'd like not to repeat that, but I do not 
> remember exactly how it happened.

Any system crashes from user-mode code are OpenVMS bugs.

System crashes from DTM and from PCA and from inner-mode OpenVMS code 
are VSI bugs.

System crashes from user-mode code can also be security holes, so some 
caution on discussions and reproducers can be warranted.

> I tend to remember it has something to do with images installed, and 
> possibly with privileges. My code is made of a shareable image, 
> installed /OPEN /HEADER /SHARED, and a main image that calls it, 
> installed with CMKRNL (it creates kernel mode logicals). Something 
> about that being not compatible with PCA or DTM (more probably PCA).  
> But the details escape me, it's too long ago.

Until proven otherwise, the application code in that executable image 
has a bug, or the OpenVMS code summoned from that application code 
contains a bug.  The latter is less likely, but possible.

Check for properly-configured and sized dump file, build and run it, 
crash it, and collect and analyze the carcass.  Provide a reproducer to 
VSI, etc.


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