  Maximum OpenVMS system disk size? 
 The Question is:
 
HERE IS MY SETUP.
 
I have two VAX cpus: one VAXstation 4000-90a and
one VAXstation 4000-96.  The VAXstation 4000-90a
is an older unit running VMS 5.5-2 with 80Mb RAM
and a 1.2Gb hard drive.  The VAXstation 4000-96
is a new unit and doesn't currently have an OS
installed.
 
WHAT I AM TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
 
I have software from a vendor that will only
support it if it's running under VMS 5.5-2H4
or earlier.  As I indicated earlier, I have
VMS 5.5-2.
 
I am trying to take an image
backup of the VAXstation 4000-90a (VMS 5.5-2 w/
a 1.2Gb HD) and restore it to the VAXstation
4000-96 (w/ a 4.3Gb HD).   I have attempted to
do this by booting the 4000-96 from CD-ROM using
VMS 6.2 in Standalone Backup mode, then issuing
the command (backup/image/noinit dka400: dka300:)
to initiate the restore.   Once the restore is
completes, I halt the sytem and reboot from the
HD with hopes of booting from VMS 5.5-2 which
was restored from tape, but each time I receive
a message indicating the following:
 
     %system-i-mountver, $1$dka300: not mounted
 
The system ultimately hangs in this state doen't
boot.
 
MY QUESTION(S):
 
Is this a system driver issue with the 4.3Gb
hard drive?
 
Can VMS 5.5-2 handle a hard drive of the size
4.3Gb?
 
Is there anything special I have to do to init
the drive for the OS to recognize it?
 
Is this a problem because I am restoring from
a 1.2Gb hard drive to a 4.3Gb hard drive?  And,
if so how can I accomplish what I need to do?
 
Please help as this is affecting our Y2K testing
environment.
 
Thanks in advance,
 
Vance C.
 
 
 The Answer is:
 
  The minimum supported release of OpenVMS for a VAXstation 4000 Model 96 is
  OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2H4. Since your VAXstation 4000 Model 90a will also run
  V5.5-2H4, you should upgrade it to V5.5-2H4 before copying the contents
  of your system disk over to the new system.
 
  Please see the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for information
  on the largest disk supported on a particular OpenVMS release -- the
  section "FILE5. What is the largest disk volume size OpenVMS can access?"
  will be of particular interest here.
 
  Also realize that SCSI disks supported by OpenVMS have had an extensive
  battery of tests and non-trivial integration work performed, and these
  SCSI disks -- typically the RZ series disks -- are known to function
  correctly.  Unsupported or third-party disks may or may not operate as
  expected, and can potentially encounter various errors and miscellaneous
  problems.  Please see the existing discussions around support for
  third-party SCSI devices here in Ask The Wizard for information related
  to this topic.
 
