How to Perform This Task
1. Halt the system by pressing Ctrl/P or whatever method is used for your computer. (See
Section A.3 (page 182) for more information about how to halt Alpha computer systems.)
2. Begin the conversational boot by entering the BOOT command in the following format:
BOOT -FLAGS 0,1 [device-name]
For device-name, substitute the device name of the drive from which you want to boot. For
example, if the system disk has a device name of DKA400, enter the following command
and press Enter:
>>> BOOT -FLAGS 0,1 DKA400
If your system has a hardware password (various systems support a password that prevents
unauthorized access to the console), you need this password for logging in to the console.
If you do not have this password, contact HP customer support to reset the hardware console
password.
3. Enter the following commands at the SYSBOOT> prompt:
SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP OPA0:
SYSBOOT> SET WINDOW_SYSTEM 0
SYSBOOT> SET WRITESYSPARAMS 0
SYSBOOT> CONTINUE
The first three commands request that:
• OpenVMS read the system startup commands directly from the system console
• The Windows system (if any) not start
• OpenVMS not record the parameter changes for subsequent system reboots
The last command causes the booting to continue.
4. At the DCL prompt, the system now accepts startup commands directly from the console.
Enter the following two commands as shown. These commands allow a normal system
startup while you are left logged in on the console. Without the SPAWN command, you
would be logged out when the startup completes.
$ SPAWN
$ @SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP
5. Once you log out of this session, the system completes the startup and can be used normally.
Optionally, you can choose to reboot the system.
NOTE: Instead of using the SET/STARTUP OPA0: command, an alternative method of booting
under these emergency conditions is to set the UAFALTERNATE system parameter to use the
alternate authorization file rather than the standard user authorization file. Setting the system
parameter UAFALTERNATE defines the logical name SYSUAF to refer to the file
SYS$SYSTEM:SYSUAFALT.DAT. If this file is found during a normal login, the system uses it
to validate the account and prompts you for the user name and password.
HP does not recommend this method. If an alternate SYSUAFALT.DAT file has been configured
on your system, the UAFALTERNATE method will likely fail (assuming you do not know the
password for the privileged account stored within the SYSUAFALT.DAT file). In addition, the
OPA0: system console is critical to system operations and system security and allows access
when the SYSUAF system authorization database is unavailable or corrupted; when core product
license PAKs are not registered, are expired, or are disabled; and in various system failures.
Example
SYSBOOT> SET/STARTUP OPA0:
SYSBOOT> SET WINDOW_SYSTEM 0
SYSBOOT> SET WRITESYSPARAMS 0
SYSBOOT> CONTINUE
$ SPAWN
$ @SYS$SYSTEM:STARTUP
$
178 Booting and Shutting Down Your OpenVMS Alpha System
