Service manual

System Overview 1-15
SRM Console
The SRM console is a command-line interface that is used to boot the DIGITAL
UNIX and OpenVMS operating systems. It also provides support for examining and
modifying the system state and configuring and testing the system. The SRM
console can be run from a serial terminal or a graphics monitor.
AlphaBIOS Console
The AlphaBIOS console is a menu-based interface that supports the Microsoft
Windows NT operating system. AlphaBIOS is used to set up operating system
selections, boot Windows NT, and display information about the system
configuration. The EISA Configuration Utility and the RAID Standalone
Configuration Utility are run from the AlphaBIOS console. AlphaBIOS runs on
either a serial or graphics terminal, but Windows NT requires a graphics monitor.
Environment Variables
Environment variables are software parameters that define, among other things, the
system configuration. They are used to pass information to different pieces of
software running in the system at various times. The os_type environment variable,
which can be set to VMS, UNIX, or NT, determines which of the two consoles is to
be used. The SRM console is always brought into memory, but AlphaBIOS is
loaded if os_type is set to NT and the Halt button is out (not lit).
Refer to Appendix B of this guide for a list of the environment variables used to
configure AlphaServer 4000 and 4100 systems.
Refer to the AlphaServer 4x00 System Drawer User’s Guide for information on
setting environment variables.
It is recommended that you keep a record of the environment variables for each
system that you service. Some environment variable settings are lost when a module
is swapped and must be restored after the new module is installed. Refer to
Appendix B for a convenient worksheet for recording environment variable settings.