VAXcluster Maintenance

This document serves as Volume 1 of the VAXcluster Maintenance Student Workbook. It covers the following key areas:

• Introduction to VAXclusters: Definitions, hardware components (VAX, HSC, CI Bus, Star Coupler, CI I/O Port), and software components (Distributed File System, Lock Manager, Job Controller, Connection Manager).
• The Computer Interconnect: Physical characteristics, CI packet formats, data flow, and CI configurations including the Star Coupler and CI Star Coupler Extender (CISCE).
• The CI Interface: Details on the CI750, CI780, and CIBCA interfaces, including their installation, node addressing, and power distribution.
• CI Port Diagnostics: An overview of diagnostic tools including Repair Diagnostics (Level 3), Functional Diagnostics, and the EVXCI Cluster Exerciser.
• CI Port Internals and Registers: Detailed technical information on CI Port registers (Hardware and Microcode), packet buffer operations, and data path operations.