Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!vax1.physics.oxford.ac.UK!MACALLSTR
From: MACALLSTR@vax1.physics.oxford.ac.UK
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: How to uniquely identify a VAX system.
Message-ID: <8803130709.AA24540@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 13 Mar 88 07:10:10 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 23
X-Unparsable-Date: 11-MAR-1988 11:53:38 GMT +00:00


I'm developing system ( start-up ) procedures for the several VAX systems for
 which I'm responsible and am aiming to have a SINGLE set of files i.e. to
 have only ONE copy of each command procedure to maintain. For this to work
 I require some RELIABLE identification number/string i.e. unique to a
 VAX system and available at all times from initial boot onwards. The one
 set of command procedures would contain switches to set things up or not
 for each system as the procedures are processed, the selection being based
 on the 'unique id'. 
After much searching, I believe that what's required is something similar to
 the SID register - perhaps a register containing the VAX serial number ( every
 VAX has a unique serial number for the 'processor box' ). Does anyone know if
 there is a 'spare register' into which such a number could be planted?
Obvious ways to identify a particular system might spring to mind such as
 DECnet node name/ cluster node name or id/ Ethernet address/ something planted
 in the USERxx SYSGEN parameters/special file on disk. However, when you 
 consider that VAX systems might be stand-alone/ may not have an Ethernet
 connection/ may not run DECnet/ may have software which makes use of the 
 USERxx SYSGEN parameters already/special files may get deleted especially
 during software installation,etc  is there anything left?
Unless it's possible to uniquely identify VAX systems in the way I've outlined
 above proper management of radidly proliferating VAXstations will be
 impossible. Having separate, different copies of files for 10+ VAX systems
 becomes a nightmare when updates/new software have to be installed.
John