Installing and Using your LaserROM CD

Prepared by Peggy Bruehl 3/25/97
The LaserROM CD contains all the 10.* documentation and manuals prepared by HP. You can can easily access these manuals and technical help files by using the lrom program.

Using the LaserROM software is easy. First you must install the LaserROM viewing software (called lrom) on your workstation. See the documents LaserROM README for installation instructions. You will need to follow the instructions for HP-UX 10.*. (Note: This README file is also located on your LaserROM CD. Assuming that you've placed the LaserROM CD in the CD-ROM drive, and have mounted the drive on the directory /cdrom, you will find the installation instructions in the directory /cdrom/UXINSTAL. Note also, in the directory /cdrom/PCINSTAL, you will find instructions for installing the LaserROM software on your PC.)

After installing the LaserROM software, you can access the HP 10.* information by putting the LaserROM CD in the CD-ROM drive, mounting the drive, and running the /opt/lrom/bin/lrom program. You may choose to add /opt/lrom/bin/ to your path. For help on using the functions of lrom, please consult the document LaserROM Release Notes. (The release notes are also on the LaserROM CD in the directory /cdrom/UXINSTAL.)

Now let's start up the LaserROM viewer and look at the available documentation.

  1. Run /opt/lrom/bin/lrom. This will pop up a GUI interface on your screen. If a point-and-click interface doesn't appear, quit the application and verify that your DISPLAY variable is set to the machine name. In the C-shell setenv DISPLAY mymachine:0.0 where mymachine is the name of the machine you are using.

  2. You will notice that there is a SEARCH button at the bottom of the Library Window. This is a very useful tool. You can choose to search all of the manuals and technical information available on the LaserROM. So, if you get an error message from your system that you don't know what to do with, you can try searching for it in the LaserROM documentation. Or if there is some software or a function that you would like to use but don't know how to get started, you can search the documentation for it. I often use this tool to help you solve the problems you write or phone me about.

  3. Now click on Series 700 10.* Manuals. The Browse window contains all the HP manuals for 10.*. I recommend that you peruse this list and make a note of those manuals that you are interested in. I have created my own Custom Bookshelf for those manuals that I use often.

  4. Double click on a manual name to open the Reader window. In the Reader window, you can navigate through the manual by using the buttons and scroll windows. For some manuals, you might choose to print out some or all of the sections. Here is a short list of some of the manuals I've found useful:

  5. I recommend that all offices print out a copy of the Support Media User's Manual. This manual tells you how to use your Support CD. This CD will allow you to recover from boot drive failures. If your boot drive fails, you can't boot your system. If you can't boot your system, you can't view the LaserROM manuals. So, you can see why you might want a hard copy of this manual. An alternative to printing out this manual is to configure a PC to use the LaserROM CD. (See the PC install documents in the /cdrom/PCINSTAL directory of the LaserROM CD for more information.)

  6. Software Release Bulletins (SRBs), Software Status Bulletins (SSBs), and HP Response Center Q&A's are also included on your LaserROM CD. You may choose to include these documents in your searches. Sometimes they contain very useful information. All the SACs are series 9000/700 machines.