This chapter defines key terms and describes preliminary procedures you must perform before an installation or upgrade. The CD - ROM containing the OpenVMS Alpha operating system. A self-contained, intelligent, mass storage subsystem that lets computers in an OpenVMS Cluster environment share disks. Local drive A drive, such as an RRD42 CD - ROM drive, that is connected directly to an Alpha computer. If you have a standalone Alpha computer, it is likely that all drives connected to the system are local drives.
Source drive The drive that holds the operating system CD - ROM during the upgrade or installation.
The installation or upgrade procedure transfers the OpenVMS Alpha operating system from the operating system CD - ROM on the source drive to the system disk. Target drive The drive that holds the system disk during the upgrade or installation. Before beginning an installation or upgrade, be sure you have all the required hardware and software components, as described in the following sections. Be sure the hardware has been installed and checked for proper operation. For detailed information, see the hardware manuals you received with your Alpha computer.