Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

3507.0. "PROBLEM: %SYSTEM-F-BADPARAM, bad parameter value" by RTODWT::MCHEQUER (Skiing, Sex, Food, Sun & the Sea) Tue Oct 23 1990 09:56

VMS SSB V5.3-2   -   EWS SSB V1.0   -   Motif SSB V1.0
VAX 6000-440 (256MB) and different types of workstations

    All workstations are served via EWS, the system(s) was running fine,
    until this morning. Now when (any) user on (any) workstation with (any)
    window manager tries to login, their session manager aborts with the
    following error. 
    
   	     %SYSTEM-F-BADPARAM, bad parameter value
    
    I would appreciate any help, since this is causing MAJOR problems. I 
    have removed the system login & there have been no changes to the
    default files. Windows can be created using "set display" but there is
    no session manager window. 

    Below is a log from DECW$SM.LOG, I have added a few lines in an
    attempt to  shine a little more light on the problem. I have not
    rebooted the system for a while, therefore this is the highest the
    WSAnnn device number have reached (could this be a problem???).

..... header and stuff remove to save time/space

$ show log  decw$display
   "DECW$DISPLAY" = "_WSA287:" (LNM$PROCESS_TABLE)
   "DECW$DISPLAY" = "WSA2:" (LNM$JOB_81714430)
$run sys$system:decw$session
%SYSTEM-F-BADPARAM, bad parameter value

	
    					Gru�
    						Mark

Re: .0

The problem may be that the session manager is trying to create a TW device
to capture broadcast messages, and the unit number has gone higher than 999.
As I understand it, this was a problem in VMS V5.3 that is fixed in VMS V5.4.
To check this you might try doing a "show device TW".  You might have
to create a DECterm window first (using the create/terminal command from
another system).

It's quite possible that this problem will go away if you reboot.

I'd also suggest that you submit a QAR, in case this is a problem that is
*not* fixed in V5.4.

				-- Bob

    Hi Bob,
    
    Thanks VERY much for your reply, I'd managed to get a pointer also from
    the DECTERM notes files (note 652.x). It seems this problem is not
    fixed in V5.4, but there is a patch being distributed via the CSSE &
    CSCs.
    
    				Gruss
    					Mark

    I did not receivce much help on this one, the local CSC did not have 
    a  copy  of  the  patch  and  information  was  not very forcomming. 
    However,  I  upgraded  our  systems  to T5.4-1 (from V5.3-2) and its 
    working fine now. 


    				Gruss
    					Mark
    
    PS : Thanks for your pointer bob.