
		Updated: 1 May, 1998

System Manager's Guide

A NTDS Commands

This appendix describes the NTDS commands that you use to configure the nodes in your OpenVMS Cluster to provide disk services. You can execute an NTDS command in one of two ways:

From the $ prompt, for example:
```
$ NTDS STOP SERVICE "Sports"
```

From the NTDS> prompt, for example:

$ NTDS
NTDS> STOP SERVICE "Sports"
NTDS> EXIT

You can get online help on NTDS commands by entering either HELP NTDS at the $ prompt, or HELP at the NTDS> prompt.

The following table gives a summary of NTDS commands.

Command Description

NTDS CREATE CONTAINER Creates a container file that can be used to provide a disk service to a Windows NT computer

NTDS SHOW SERVER Shows the cluster name and summary information about the disk services that are currently available on the local node

NTDS SHOW SERVICES Shows more information about the disk services that are currently available on the local node

NTDS SPAWN Creates a subprocess and optionally executes a DCL command

NTDS START SERVER Starts the server software and defines the cluster name on the local node

NTDS START SERVICE Starts a disk service on the local node, allowing the local node to provide that service to a Windows NT computer

NTDS STOP SERVER Stops all the disk services on the local node, then stops the server software on the local node

NTDS STOP SERVICE Stops a disk service on the local node

NTDS CREATE CONTAINER

Creates a container file for a disk service.

Requires SYSPRV privilege, and read and write access to the directory in which you are creating the container file.

Format

NTDS CREATE CONTAINER  filespec

Parameter

filespec: The file specification of the new container file that you want to create.
If you omit the device or directory, the file is created on your current default device or in your current default directory. If you omit the file type, it is created with a file type of .NTDS. If you omit the version number and the file already exists, a new version is created.

Description

The NTDS CREATE CONTAINER command creates a brand new empty container file that can be used to provide a disk service to a Windows NT computer. Use the /SIZE qualifier to specify the size of the container file in blocks.

The container file is created with its protection mask set to (S:RW, O:, G:, W:) and its ownership set to the system UIC.

The NTDS CREATE CONTAINER command can take some time to execute if high-water marking is enabled for the volume in which you are creating the container file.

Qualifier

/SIZE=blocks

This qualifier specifies the size of the container file in blocks.

The minimum size is 2048 blocks, which is too small to be formatted with the NTFS file system but can be formatted with the FAT file system. If you omit the /SIZE qualifier, the size defaults to 2048 blocks.

Note that you can't change the size of the container file once you have created it.

Example

NTDS> CREATE CONTAINER -
_NTDS> DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]SPORTS.NTDS /SIZE=200000

NTDS SHOW SERVER

Shows the cluster name and summary information about the disk services that are currently available on the local node.

Requires SYSPRV privilege.

Format

NTDS SHOW SERVER

Description

The NTDS SHOW SERVER command shows the following information:

The process identification (PID) of the server process, NTDS_SERVER
The cluster name that was specified on the NTDS START SERVER command
The number of active and standby disk services currently available on the local node; for more information on these services, use the NTDS SHOW SERVICES command
The number of connections currently being made from Windows NT computers to active disk services on the local node; for more information, use the NTDS SHOW SERVICES command

Example

NTDS> SHOW SERVER

       DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT

Cluster name:             Media
PID of server process:    222000D2
Active disk services:     2
Connections:              1
Standby disk services:    1

NTDS START SERVER

NTDS SHOW SERVICES

Shows information about the disk services that are currently available on the local node.

Requires SYSPRV privilege.

Format

NTDS SHOW SERVICES  [servicename]

Parameter

servicename

The name of the service that you want to show information about. If you omit this parameter, the command shows information about all the disk services currently available on the local node.

This parameter can include wildcard characters.

Lowercase characters are automatically converted to uppercase unless you enclose the string in quotation marks. The search is case sensitive, so for example, if a service called Sports is available on the local node, the following command does not show information about it:

$ NTDS SHOW SERVICES Sports

To show information about Sports, you can use any of the following commands:

$ NTDS SHOW SERVICES "Sports"
$ NTDS SHOW SERVICES
$ NTDS SHOW SERVICES S*

Description

The NTDS SHOW SERVICES command shows information about the disk services that are currently available on the local node.

The services are listed in the order in which they were started on the local node.

For each service, the command shows the following information:

The name of the service
The status of the service on the local node, which can be Active, Standby or Transition
The Transition status means that the service is either in the process of starting, stopping, or failing over from another node in the OpenVMS Cluster.
The name of the Windows NT computer that is connected to an active service
The file specification of the container file associated with the service
If you use the /FULL qualifier and the service is active, statistics on reads and writes to the container file since the service became active on the local node

Qualifier

/FULL

Use this qualifier to show the following additional information for an active service:

The total number of read and write operations issued to the container file since the service became active on the local node
The total number of blocks that were read and written since the service became active on the local node

For a standby service, these fields contain the value 0.

Examples

NTDS> SHOW SERVICES

       DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT

Disk services available on this node:

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

Service name:        Sports
Status:              Standby
Computer connected:  (none)
Container file:      DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]SPORTS.NTDS;1

Service name:        Movies
Status:              Active
Computer connected:  NTSERVER5
Container file:      DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]MOVIES.NTDS;1

This command shows information about all the disk services currently available on the local node.

NTDS> SHOW SERVICES "Movies" /FULL

       DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT

Disk services available on this node:

Service name:        Movies
Status:              Active
Computer connected:  NTSERVER5
Container file:      DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]MOVIES.NTDS;1
Read operations:     14350
Blocks read:         651367
Write operations:    43018
Blocks written:      4200499

This command shows full information about the disk service called Movies.

NTDS SPAWN

Creates a subprocess and optionally executes a DCL command.

Requires TMPMBX privilege.

Format

NTDS SPAWN  [dcl-command]

Parameter

dcl-command: A DCL command.

Description

The NTDS SPAWN command creates a subprocess of the current process and executes the specified DCL command.

If you omit the parameter, it creates an interactive subprocess into which one or more DCL commands can be typed. To return to the NTDS> prompt from the interactive subprocess, type LOGOUT.

Examples

```
NTDS> SPAWN SHOW DEFAULT
DISK$USER2:[SMITH]
NTDS>
```
This command spawns a subprocess to execute a SHOW DEFAULT command.
```
NTDS> SPAWN
$ SHOW DEFAULT
DISK$USER2:[SMITH]
$ LOGOUT
NTDS>
```
This command spawns an interactive subprocess in which a SHOW DEFAULT command is executed.

NTDS START SERVER

Starts the server software and defines the cluster name on the local node.

Requires SYSNAM and SYSPRV privileges.

Format

NTDS START SERVER

Description

The NTDS START SERVER command starts the DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT server software on the local node. It creates the server process, NTDS_SERVER, on the local node.

You must use the /CLUSTERNAME qualifier to define the cluster name on the local node.

Qualifier

/CLUSTERNAME=clustername

This qualifier is compulsory. It defines the cluster name on the local node. The cluster name is the name that Windows NT computers use to identify your OpenVMS Cluster when they connect to its disk services.

Caution: If a Windows NT computer is going to connect to disk services on two different OpenVMS Clusters, you must make sure that the two clusters have different cluster names. You might corrupt your data if you define the same cluster name on both clusters and the same service name exists on both clusters.

Note that the cluster name is case sensitive, and that this command automatically converts the string you supply to uppercase unless you enclose it in quotation marks.

You can choose any name you want, provided that it is no longer than 24 characters and does not contain a backslash character (\). For example, you may choose the same name as your OpenVMS Cluster alias.

Be careful to use the same cluster name whenever you issue NTDS START SERVER commands on different nodes in your OpenVMS Cluster. If you use different cluster names within a single OpenVMS Cluster, when a service fails over from one node to another, the Windows NT computer connected to the service might lose its connection and be unable to reconnect. If this happens, stop the server using NTDS STOP SERVER then start it again using the right cluster name.

Example

NTDS> START SERVER /CLUSTERNAME="Media"

NTDS START SERVICE

Starts a disk service on the local node.

Requires SYSNAM and SYSPRV privileges.

Format

NTDS START SERVICE  servicename

Parameter

servicename

The name that you want to associate with the disk service you are starting. This is the name that the Windows NT computer uses to identify the service when it connects to it.

Note that the service name is case sensitive, and that this command automatically converts the string you supply to uppercase unless you enclose it in quotation marks.

The service name can be up to 24 characters long.

Description

The NTDS START SERVICE command starts a disk service on the local node. You must have previously:

Created the container file for the service, using NTDS CREATE CONTAINER
Issued an NTDS START SERVER command on the local node to start up the DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT server software.

The parameter of the NTDS START SERVICE command specifies the name you want to give to the service. The /CONTAINER qualifier specifies the container file that you want to associate with that service name.

Caution

Be careful not to make typing mistakes when you issue NTDS START SERVICE commands.

You can corrupt your data if you forget which container file goes with which service name and end up associating different container files with the same service name on different nodes.

You can also corrupt your data if you make a typing mistake in the service name and end up associating two different service names with a single container file, and you make a Windows NT connection to both service names.

To avoid this problem we recommend that you make the file name of the container file the same as its service name. For example, if you want to call the service Sports, call its container file SPORTS.NTDS. Don't set up two disk services that have the same name but use different combinations of upper and lower case. For example, don't set up two services called Sports and SPORTS.

We also recommend that you issue NTDS START SERVICE commands:

By running a command procedure, for example, the NTDS$STARTUP.COM procedure that is executed during system startup, or
By using the Sysman utility's DO command to execute the command on multiple nodes.
For example, the following command sequence starts the Sports service on three nodes; it starts the active service on GREEN, and standby services on BLUE and YELLOW:
```
$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT /NODE=(GREEN,BLUE,YELLOW)
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE /PRIVILEGES=(SYSNAM,SYSPRV)
SYSMAN> DO NTDS START SERVICE "Sports" -
_SYSMAN> /CONTAINER=DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]SPORTS.NTDS
```

The NTDS START SERVICE command starts an active disk service on the local node if this is the first node in the OpenVMS Cluster to start a service with the specified name. When a Windows NT computer subsequently tries to connect to the service, the local node accepts the connection and provides the service to that Windows NT computer.

If another node in the OpenVMS Cluster has already started a service with the specified name, the command starts a standby disk service on the local node. The local node automatically takes over the job of providing the service if:

The node that has the active disk service either fails or is shut down, or
You stop the service on the node that has the active service, using either NTDS STOP SERVICE or NTDS STOP SERVER

There is no limit to the number of standbys you can have for any particular disk service.

Qualifier

/CONTAINER=filespec: This qualifier is compulsory. It specifies the container file for the service.
You must give a full file specification, including the device name. The volume that contains the container file must be mounted systemwide on the local node.

Example

NTDS> START SERVICE "Sports" -
_NTDS> /CONTAINER=DISK$MEDIA:[NTDS$CONT]SPORTS.NTDS

NTDS STOP SERVER

Stops all disk services on the local node, then stops the server software on the local node.

Requires SYSNAM and SYSPRV privileges.

Format

NTDS STOP SERVER

Description

The NTDS STOP SERVER command stops all the disk services on the local node, then it stops the DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT server software on the local node. It deletes the server process, NTDS_ SERVER, and frees up the memory resources used by the server software.

If an active service on the local node has a standby service on another node in the OpenVMS Cluster, the service automatically fails over to the other node; the standby service on the other node automatically becomes the active service. If there are several standby services, the service fails over to the one that was started first.

If a Windows NT computer is currently connected to the service, the failover is transparent; users carry on using the service, unaware that it is being provided by a different node in the OpenVMS Cluster.

By default, the NTDS STOP SERVER command fails if the local node has an active disk service to which a Windows NT computer is currently connected. You can use the /OVERRIDE qualifier to override this behavior.

Qualifier

/OVERRIDE

Caution: Use this qualifier with care. It can be dangerous if a Windows NT computer is connected to an active service on the local node and the service has no standbys in your OpenVMS Cluster.
The Windows NT computer automatically tries to reconnect to the service. If it crashes or is shut down before it manages to reconnect, you lose the data in its local cache that has not yet been written to disk.

Use the /OVERRIDE qualifier to force the command to stop all disk services and the server software, even though a Windows NT computer is currently connected to an active disk service on the local node.

The Windows NT computer loses its connection. If there is a standby service on another node in the OpenVMS Cluster, the service automatically fails over to it, and the Windows NT computer automatically reconnects to the service, transparently to users.

If there is no standby service in the OpenVMS Cluster, the Windows NT computer keeps on trying to reconnect to the service because it needs to write the dirty data in its cache to disk. Use the NTDS START SERVICE command to restart the service on any node in your OpenVMS Cluster, so that the Windows NT computer can reconnect to it.

Until the Windows NT computer manages to reconnect to the service, it stalls all read and write I/O requests to the container file. If its cache becomes full because it cannot issue writes to the container file, it may hang until the service is restarted on the OpenVMS Cluster.

If you try to shut down the Windows NT computer before it manages to reconnect, the shut down will hang until the computer has reconnected and written the data in its cache to disk.

If the Windows NT computer fails or its power is turned off before it manages to reconnect:

You lose the data in its cache that has not yet been written to disk.
The next time it restarts, it automatically tries to reconnect to the service.
If it fails to reconnect to the service during startup (for example, because it cannot contact the OpenVMS Cluster), it keeps on trying to reconnect whenever it restarts, provided that you do not run NTDS Administrator.
Running NTDS Administrator sets the status of the disk service to Disconnected. This stops the computer from reconnecting to the service the next time it restarts.

If the local node has an active service that a Windows NT computer is currently connected to, and you want to find out if it has any standbys, use the Sysman Utility's DO command to execute NTDS SHOW SERVICES commands. For example:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT /CLUSTER
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE /PRIVILEGES=SYSPRV
SYSMAN> DO NTDS SHOW SERVICES "Music"

Examples

```
NTDS> STOP SERVER
```
This command stops all disk services on the local node, then it stops the DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT server software on the local node, provided that a Windows NT computer is not currently connected to an active disk service on the local node.
```
NTDS> STOP SERVER /OVERRIDE
```
This command stops all disk services on the local node, then it stops the DIGITAL OpenVMS Disk Services for Windows NT server software on the local node, even if Windows NT computers are currently connected to active disk services on the local node.

NTDS STOP SERVICE

Stops a disk service on the local node.

Requires SYSNAM and SYSPRV privileges.

Format

NTDS STOP SERVICE  servicename

Parameter

servicename: The name of the service that you want to stop.
Note that the service name is case sensitive, and that this command automatically converts the string you supply to uppercase unless you enclose it in quotation marks.

Description

The NTDS STOP SERVICE command stops a disk service that was started with the NTDS START SERVICE command. It stops the service on the local node only.

If the service is an active service that has a standby service on another node in the OpenVMS Cluster, the service automatically fails over to the other node; the standby service on the other node automatically becomes the active service. If there are several standby services, the service fails over to the one that was started first.

By default, the NTDS STOP SERVICE command fails if the service is active on the local node and a computer is currently connected to it. You can use the /OVERRIDE qualifier to override this behavior.

Qualifier

/OVERRIDE

Caution: Use this qualifier with care. It can be dangerous if a Windows NT computer is connected to the service you are stopping and the service has no standbys in your OpenVMS Cluster.
The Windows NT computer automatically tries to reconnect to the service. If it crashes before it manages to reconnect, you lose the data in its local cache that has not yet been written to disk.

Use the /OVERRIDE qualifier to force the command to stop the service even though it is active on the local node and a Windows NT computer is currently connected to it.

If you try to shut down the Windows NT computer before it manages to reconnect, the shut down will hang until the computer has reconnected and written the data in its cache to disk.

If the Windows NT computer fails before it manages to reconnect:

You lose the data in its cache that has not yet been written to disk.
The next time it restarts, it automatically tries to reconnect to the service.
If it fails to reconnect to the service during startup (for example, because it cannot contact the OpenVMS Cluster), it keeps on trying to reconnect whenever it restarts, provided that you do not run NTDS Administrator.
Running NTDS Administrator sets the status of the disk service to Disconnected. This stops the computer from reconnecting to the service the next time it restarts.

If a service is active on the local node and a Windows NT computer is currently connected to it, and you want to find out if there are any standbys for the service, use the Sysman Utility's DO command to execute NTDS SHOW SERVICES commands. For example:

$ RUN SYS$SYSTEM:SYSMAN
SYSMAN> SET ENVIRONMENT /CLUSTER
SYSMAN> SET PROFILE /PRIVILEGES=SYSPRV
SYSMAN> DO NTDS SHOW SERVICES "Music"

Examples

```
NTDS> STOP SERVICE "Sports"
```
This command stops the disk service Sports on the local node, unless the service is active on the local node and a Windows NT computer is currently connected to it.
```
NTDS> STOP SERVICE "Sports" /OVERRIDE
```
This command stops the disk service Sports on the local node, even if the service is active on the local node and a Windows NT computer is currently connected to it.

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