Supported Platforms

Supported Hypervisors

• VMware ESXi V8.0.x
• KVM on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.x
• KVM on Oracle Linux 9.x

OpenVMS is compatible with, but not supported on, the following hypervisors:

• Most KVM versions with QEMU version 6.2 or higher
• VMware Workstation
• VMware Fusion
• Oracle VirtualBox

Supported Hardware

If you are not using Fibre Channel storage, VSI OpenVMS is supported on any hardware that is supported by the vendor of the hypervisor used, as long as the CPU’s support a minimum set of features given below. CPUs from 2017 and later support these processor features. If you are using direct access to Fibre Channel storage, consult the Fibre Channel section below for a list of compatible server platforms. To check if your CPU provides the features required to run OpenVMS V9.2-1 or later, run this Python script.

• Intel or AMD x86 CPU
• 64-bit Instruction set
• NX processor bit (NX)
• Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.1 (SSE4.1)
• Virtualization Technology (VT-x/AMD-V)
• XSAVE instructions
• Time Stamp Counter (TSC)
• Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (APIC)
• Memory Type Range Registers (MTRR)

IO

Network Controllers

The following hypervisor-provided virtual network adapters are supported:

• Virtio-Net
• VMXNET 3
• EI1000
• EI1000e

Disk Controllers

The following hypervisor-provided virtual disk controllers are supported:

• Virtio-SCSI
• SATA
• LSI Logic Parallel SCSI

Fibre Channel

Direct access to Fibre Channel storage requires the use of a dedicated HBA in the host system. The following HPE Fibre Channel HBAs are supported:

• HPE SN1100Q 16Gbit Fibre Channel HBA – supported on HPE Proliant Gen10 and Gen10 Plus servers
• HPE SN1600Q 16Gbit Fibre Channel HBA – supported on HPE Proliant Gen10 and Gen10 Plus servers
• HPE SN1610Q 32Gbit Fibre Channel HBA – supported on HPE Proliant Gen10, Gen10 Plus, and Gen11 servers

Tape Drives

Tape drives are supported on x86 if they are connected over Fibre Channel or over TMSCP.

Supported Servers

• BL860c i2, i4, i6
• BL870c i2, i4, i6
• BL890c i2, i4, i6
• rx1600
• rx1620
• rx2600
• rx2620
• rx2660
• rx2800 i2, i4, i6
• rx3600
• rx6600
• rx7640
• rx8640

Blade Servers IO

The following link contains a chart that shows HPE Blade servers, adapters, and interconnects that are supported by VSI OpenVMS for Integrity Servers. The chart indicates the version of VSI OpenVMS that provides the support, as well as HPE Blade servers (i2, i4, and i6) for which VSI OpenVMS support is available.

Rack Mount Servers IO

The following link contains a chart that shows VSI OpenVMS support for I/O options on HPE rack mount servers (i2, i4, and i6). The chart indicates the version of VSI OpenVMS that provides the support.

The following information is additional to what is presented in this chart:

16Gb Fibre Channel

OpenVMS includes support for 16 Gb Fibre Channel on VSI OpenVMS Integrity V8.4-2, V8.4-2L1, and V8.4-2L3.

Supported Host Bus Adapters are HPE SN1000Q single or dual port 16 Gb HBAs, HPE part numbers B9F23A and B9F24A.

Required software kits for OpenVMS:

• VMS842I_FIBRESCSI-V0200 (V8.4-2)
• VMS842L1I_FIBRESCSI-V0200 (V8.4-2L1)

Supported HPE Integrity servers:

• rx2800 i2/i4/i6

The firmware image for the B9F23A and B9F24A used in VSI testing:

• EFI: 6.37
• ROM: 8.01.80

Supported Servers

• DS10, DS10L
• DS15
• DS20, DS20E, DS20L
• DS25
• ES40
• ES45
• ES47
• ES80
• GS80
• GS160
• GS320
• GS1280

Alpha Emulators:

The following Alpha emulators are supported, as long as reported issues can be reproduced on physical hardware:

• AVTware VT-Alpha
• Stromasys Charon Alpha
• Migration Specialties Avanti and FreeAXP

Supported HPE Integrity servers:

• BL860c i2/i4
• BL870c i2/i4
• BL890c i2/i4
• rx2800 i2/i4
• rx2660
• rx3600
• rx6600
• rx7640
• rx8640

Supported HBAs: 8Gb Qlogic Fibre Channel HBAs. 16Gb Fibre Channel support is under development.

StoreOnce software version requirements: 3.13.x or higher.

HPE LTO-9 tape drives are supported with OpenVMS 8.4-2L3, with certain restrictions.

HPE LTO-9 tape drives have introduced a new media/formatting initialization process that has never been required by earlier generations of LTO tape media. The new tape media initialization/formatting process can possibly take 1-2 hours per LTO-9 tape to complete. This new media initialization process is further described in the following excerpt from HPE documentation:

Media initialization is used in LTO-9 technology to optimize data placement on each LTO-9 cartridge. Each new LTO-9 cartridge requires this one-time initialization prior to starting read/write operations. This is only required for the first use of a new LTO-9 cartridge, subsequent loads do not require additional initialization. The initialization process varies in time depending on the environmental conditions of tape and drive. Most initializations will complete within an hour; however, in some cases it can take up to two hours.

To help you complete this one-time initialization of new LTO-9 media in tape libraries, Hewlett Packard Enterprise has added a feature to all MSL tape libraries and the 1/8 G2 Autoloader. This new feature, the LTO-9 New Media Initialization Wizard, guides you through an automated process to load a selection of uninitialized media into LTO-9 tape drives to quickly complete the initialization process.

The MSL2024 and 1/8 G2 Autoloader will prevent host moves of LTO-9 media that is uninitialized, or unknown status into tape drives. Preventing uninitialized, or unknown status LTO-9 media moves protects against moving an uninitialized tape into the drive by accident-causing backup delays and potential timeout errors while the tape initializes. If an attempt is made to move a tape that is not known to be initialized, the library will report a Source Not Ready error (SCSI Check Condition 05/4481). New LTO-9 tapes are scanned automatically when bulk loaded into the magazine to determine their initialization status. If tapes are inserted using the mail slot, and moved into storage slots, they will remain in an unknown state and need to be manually scanned to determine their initialization status using the Media Initialization Required Check on the Operations - Media Init tab of the remote management interface. Any tapes that are inaccessible because they are not initialized can then be initialized using the New Media Initialization Wizard on that same page.

VSI supports using HPE LTO-9 tape drives with OpenVMS 8.4-2L3 with basic system components, including BACKUP and MRU (Media Robot Utility).

When using Archive Backup System (ABS)/Media Device and Management System (MDMS) with tape libraries containing LTO-9 tape drives, failures can occur if ABS “MDMS INITIALIZE VOLUME” or “MDMS LOAD” commands are used with brand-new LTO-9 tape cartridges. The current release of ABS (v4.6) is unaware of the new media initialization/formatting process causing a) MDMS to lose track of MDMS volumes placement; and b) the robot to become inaccessible until the new media initialization process completes. The inaccessible robot can in turn cause running ABS saves and restores to fail.

Brand-new LTO-9 tape cartridges must be initialized with the tape library's LTO-9 New Media Initialization Wizard prior to use with ABS. ABS and MDMS should be shut down to avoid any conflict with the LTO-9 New Media Initialization Wizard to ensure that no ABS saves or restores are running when the new tape initialization process is initiated.

Alternatively, manual LTO-9 new media initialization can be accomplished by disabling an LTO-9 drive with an ABS “MDMS SET DRIVE/DISABLE” command and then using MRU to move the new LTO-9 cartridge into the ABS disabled drive. Upon completion of the 1-2 hour new media initialization process, the drive may be set online with the ABS “MDMS SET DRIVE/ENABLE” command.