README File for Logical Disk Driver V8.0                        28-Jun-2005
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Introduction
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This update to the Logical Disk Driver package provides some useful new
features. It is intended to be used on OpenVMS V7.3-2 and later.
However, HP does not consider it supported until OpenVMS V8.2 and later
based available information as of this writing.

See the release notes for detailed information.

Briefly, the newest feature is the ability to create logical disk
devices using portions of physical volumes, ala "partitioning" as would
be used on other platforms. The actual physical volumes themselves do
not get MOUNTed to OpenVMS, as one would normally do to use container
files on the volumes. Instead, the LD command is used to specify a range
of disk blocks to comprise the logical volume. In this way, for example,
a very large physical volume can be carved up into smaller volumes to
accomodate various needs that may be imposed by software that is
challenged to deal with very large disk volumes.

Using the new syntax for LD CONNECT, the /LBN qualifier allows the
system administrator to create logical volumes on a physical volume by
specifying a range of logical blocks on the physical volume to comprise
the logical volume.

For example:

$ LD CONNECT ddcu:/LBN=(START=x,END=y) LDAn:    ! or
$ LD CONNECT ddcu:/LBN=(START=X,COUNT=y) LDAn:


Install Tips
------------

The kit as provided here was downloaded from HP's website and has not
been altered.

The kit is provided as a .PCSI$COMPRESSED file which will be received in
the proper format if transferred as BINARY using either a web browser or
the WGET freeware program.

Note that the VMS732_PCSI V1.0 ECO or later is needed to properly handle
.PCSI$COMPRESSED files.

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