[Info-vax] Cluster node fails to boot from shadow-set member

[Richard B]

HI all,

I'm having a serious issue trying to boot a node of a three-node cluster.  The cluster is comprised of 2x rx2600 i2 machines and 1x rx2660.  Each node is running VMS v8.4 and has internal-only storage.  Each node has its own SYSTEM disk but the 2 rx2600 i2's system disk is shadowed between the two nodes:

Node 1:  DSA0:  $1$DKA0:
Node 2: DSA0:  $2$DKA0:

Node 2 boots fine and mounts the virtual device DSA0: with its physical unit at $2$DKA0:

It then forms a cluster just fine with the third, rx2660, node.

When I try to boot Node 1 I get a bugcheck during boot.  The output is:

%CNXMAN,  Now a VMScluster member -- system RYEIP1
%SHADOW-F-/-CONFIGSCAN, enabled automatic disk serving

**** OpenVMS I64 Operating System V8.4     - BUGCHECK ****

** Bugcheck code = 000008CC: SHADBOOTFAIL, SHADOWING failed to boot from system disk shadow set
** Crash CPU: 00000001    Primary CPU: 00000000    Node Name: RYEIP1
** Highest CPU number:    00000003
** Active CPUs:           00000000.0000000F
** Current Process:       NULL


As you can see Node 1, the one with the bugcheck, sends the cluster request to the third node and the three-node cluster is formed.  (Kinda/sorta). Then immediately the bug check.

Obviously there is something Node 1 doesn't like about the SYSTEM shadow-set.  For the life of me I can't figure out a: why and b: how to get around this.

All SYSGEN parameters are set appropriately as far as shadowing is concerned.  (SHADOWING, SHADOW_SYS_UNIT, etc.)

Anyone have any ideas what is going on here and what I might do to fix this?

Thanks in advance.

Richard