| name | boot-openvms |
| description | Boot OpenVMS from the disk image in test/run-axpbox to verify end-to-end guest operation (SRM boot command, bootstrap, SYSINIT, startup to login). Use for deep verification after CPU/disk/timing changes. |
Boot OpenVMS (full-guest verification)
Media lives in test/run-axpbox/:
openvms8.4-ww-welkom012.img — 6 GB pre-installed OpenVMS 8.4-2L1
system disk (boots from IDE as dqa0)ALPHA0842L1.ISO — OpenVMS 8.4 install CD (attach as ATAPI CD,
shows up as dqb0)
This folder is gitignored. If the files do not exist, prompt the user to place them.
Never boot the user's image directly — OpenVMS writes to its
system disk. Copy it first:
mkdir -p test/vms && cd test/vms
cp ../../test/run-axpbox/openvms8.4-ww-welkom012.img vms-disk.img
Config: test/vms/es40.cfg (memory.bits=28, ali_ide disk0.0 =
vms-disk.img, disk1.0 = the ISO read-only as cdrom, serial on
127.0.0.1:21000, skip_memtest_hack=true for speed).
Automated run
test/vms/bootvms2.py drives the whole flow over telnet: waits for
P00>>>, sends boot dqa0, answers the VMS date prompt
(DD-MMM-YYYY HH:MM), and waits for a login-ish marker.
cd test/vms && pkill -9 -x axpbox; sleep 1
[ -f cl67srmrom.exe ] || wget -q -O cl67srmrom.exe 'http://raymii.org/s/inc/downloads/es40-srmon/cl67srmrom.exe'
../../build/axpbox run > vmsrun.log 2>&1 &
sleep 6
python3 bootvms2.py dqa0 900 vmscon.log
pkill -9 -x axpbox
sed 's/\x00//g' vmscon.log | tail -30
What a good boot looks like
boot dqa0 → "block 0 of dqa0... is a valid boot block" →
"jumping to bootstrap code"- Banner:
OpenVMS (TM) Alpha Operating System, Version V8.4-2L1
Please enter date and time (DD-MMM-YYYY HH:MM) — the welkom
image prompts on every boot (TIMEPROMPTWAIT); the script answers.- DECnet, OPCOM, AUDIT startup messages with correct current
timestamps (verifies the TOY/timezone plumbing), license
warnings (normal for an unlicensed image), "Startup processing
continuing...".
Boot takes ~3–5 minutes on the interpreter. The whole run fits within
a 900 s script timeout. bootvms.py (same dir) is the shorter variant
that stops at the OpenVMS banner.
Cleanup: the 6 GB vms-disk.img copy is disposable and gitignored —
delete it when done if disk space matters.
