4 Troubleshooting

This chapter contains the following sections:

• Checking if a Windows NT Computer Has Lost a Connection

• Failing to Automatically Reconnect During Startup

• Failing to Connect to a Service on Another Subnet

• NTDS Administrator Hangs When You Disconnect a Service

• Failing to Disconnect With Open Files

• NTDS Commands Fail With %SYSTEM-E- NOT_LOADED

4.1 Checking if a Windows NT Computer Has Lost a Connection

From OpenVMS

To check whether a Windows NT computer has lost its connection to a disk service, use the NTDS SHOW SERVICES command on all the OpenVMS Alpha nodes that are configured to provide the service. For example:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT /NODE=(GREEN,BLUE,YELLOW)
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE /PRIVILEGES=SYSPRV
SYSMAN> DO NTDS SHOW SERVICES "Movies"

The Windows NT computer has lost its connection to the disk service if the OpenVMS node on which the service is active has (none) in the Computer connected field, like this:

Disk services available on this node:

Service name:        Music
Status:              Active
Computer connected:  (none)
Container file:      DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]MUSIC.NTDS;1

Take immediate steps to correct the problem that caused the computer to lose the connection, for example, repair the network link.

From Windows NT

You can't tell if the Windows NT computer has lost a connection by looking at the NTDS Administrator's Main screen (Figure 2-1). This screen shows which services it is configured to connect to. The Connected status means:

• The computer is either currently connected to the disk service, or it has lost the connection and is currently trying to reconnect, or it failed to connect to to the disk service during startup.

• The computer will automatically try to reconnect to the disk service the next time it restarts.

To check whether the computer has lost its connection to a disk service, try to access the disk, for example, by double clicking the disk's icon in My Computer or Windows NT Explorer. If this hangs, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the Windows NT computer as an Administrator.

2. Run the Windows NT Event Viewer (by default, from the Windows Start Bar click Programs, then Administrative Tools (Common), then Event Viewer).

3. On the Log menu, make sure that System is selected.

   

4. Look for warning entries with yellow icons that have NTDS in the Source column.

   

   These warnings are logged:

   • When a disk service that the computer is connected to fails over from one node in the OpenVMS Cluster to another

   • When the computer loses the connection to a disk service, because either the network link fails or the service is stopped on the OpenVMS Cluster

   • When you use NTDS Administrator to disconnect from a disk service

   Double click the NTDS warning entry to display the description text which tells you the cluster name and service name, for example:

   

5. Each warning entry should have a matching information entry, later in the log, that has a blue icon and NTDS in the Source column.

   

   Its description text looks like this:

   

6. If a warning entry does not have a matching information entry, the computer has lost the connection to the disk service.

   Take immediate steps to correct the problem that caused the computer to lose the connection, for example, repair the network link.

4.2 Failing to Automatically Reconnect During Startup

Normally, when a Windows NT computer starts up, it automatically tries to connect to all of the disk services that it was connected to (or was trying to reconnect to) when it was shut down.

Note

If a Windows NT computer loses its connection to a disk service, it automatically tries to reconnect to the service whenever it restarts, unless you run NTDS Administrator.

Running NTDS Administrator resets the status of the disk service to Disconnected. When you launch NTDS Administrator, it automatically resets the status of any disk service that the computer made a failed attempt to reconnect to at startup.

If the Windows NT computer fails to connect to a service during startup, follow these steps:

1. Correct the problem that prevented it from connecting to the service.

   For example, if the service has been stopped on the OpenVMS Cluster, use the NTDS START SERVICE command to restart it.

2. Log on to the Windows NT computer as an Administrator.

3. Run NTDS Administrator (by default, from the Windows Start Bar click Programs, then DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services, then NTDS Administrator).

   The screen shown in Figure 2-1 appears.

4. Select the service then click Connect.

4.3 Failing to Connect to a Service on Another Subnet

If your Windows NT computer cannot connect to a disk service that is being provided by an OpenVMS Cluster on another subnet, it could be that your routers are not configured to allow messages to be broadcast to other subnets. In this case, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the Windows NT computer as an Administrator.

2. Run NTDS Administrator (by default, from the Windows Start Bar click Programs, then DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services, then NTDS Administrator).

   The screen shown in Figure 2-1 appears.

3. Click View. The screen shown in Figure 2-2 appears.

4. Check that the list of subnets has an entry for each OpenVMS node that can provide the service. Each entry should give the actual IP address of the OpenVMS node and have a subnet mask of 255.255.255.255.

   If necessary, use Add to add the appropriate entries to the list.

   This forces the computer to send messages directly to the OpenVMS node that is providing the service instead of broadcasting the messages over the network.

4.4 NTDS Administrator Hangs When You Disconnect a Service

If NTDS Administrator takes a long time to disconnect a disk service, check whether the service has been stopped on the OpenVMS Cluster.

Use the NTDS SHOW SERVICES command on each node that is configured to provide the service, for example:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT /NODE=(GREEN,BLUE,YELLOW)
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE /PRIVILEGES=SYSPRV
SYSMAN> DO NTDS SHOW SERVICES "Movies"

If the service is not available, restart it immediately, using the NTDS START SERVICE command.

4.5 Failing to Disconnect With Open Files

If a virtual disk has only NTFS partitions, you can disconnect its disk service while files on it are open. Disconnecting the disk service automatically closes all open files in the NTFS partitions.

But if a virtual disk has a non-NTFS partition, such as a FAT partition, you can't disconnect its disk service if any files in the non-NTFS partition are open.

For example, if a virtual disk has one FAT partition and one NTFS partition, you can't disconnect the disk service if the FAT partition contains any open files. In this case, your attempt to disconnect the disk service may take the NTFS partition offline so that it is no longer accessible. The Drives column of NTDS Administrator's Main screen (Figure 2-1) shows the FAT partition, but not the NTFS partition.

To get the NTFS partition back on line again, use the Windows NT Disk Administrator to reassign a drive letter to it.

4.6 NTDS Commands Fail With %SYSTEM-E-NOT_LOADED

If NTDS commands fail with the %SYSTEM-E-NOT_LOADED error, follow these steps:

1. Check whether SYS$NTDS.EXE exists:

   $ DIRECTORY SYS$LOADABLE_IMAGES:SYS$NTDS.EXE
   

   If it does not exist, reinstall the server component of DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT, as described in the Installation Guide.

2. If it does exist, reboot the OpenVMS node to load it.

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