2) The cluster id and cluster password are different on both nodes. Whats the cluster id? The cluster id is 4. Sorry - I should have said "What do you mean by the cluster id?" I guess you mean the cluster group number but I wanted to be sure we weren't referring to two different things. I've confirmed that the authorize file is the same on both the alpha and vax nodes: $$ diff dsa0:[sys0.syscommon.sysexe]cluster_authorize.dat - _$$ $4$dkb400:[sys0.syscommon.sysexe]cluster_authorize.dat Number of difference sections found: 0 Number of difference records found: 0 DIFFERENCES /IGNORE=()/MERGED=1- DSA0:[SYS0.SYSCOMMON.SYSEXE]CLUSTER_AUTHORIZE.DAT;1- $4$DKB400:[SYS0.SYSCOMMON.SYSEXE]CLUSTER_AUTHORIZE.DAT;1 [snip] It's weird that by changing the VOTES to 0 on the satellite and running an AUTOGEN that this behaviour is experienced. Before that the satellite boots off the served disk no problem. I doubt that changing VOTES to 0 was responsible. To check this, you could set VOTES back to 1 (probably manually using SYSGEN) and test again. (A problem with running AUTOGEN for the first time is that it finds anything that you didn't know was lurking in MODPARAMS.DAT and acts on it.) Indeed, the 'master' disk which is a local drive in the VAXstation boots into the cluster no problem, but again, with VOTES = 1. Check that there are no files called SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]CLUSTER_AUTHORIZE.DAT on either node. If you find any, delete them. You may have to reboot both nodes in order to get them to read the correct CLUSTER_AUTHORIZE.DAT files after copying them or deleting errant ones. Regards, Peter Coghlan.