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HP OpenVMS Systems Documentation

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The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)


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  • The following touch hack:

     

    "
    "$!   Command procedure SETDATE.COM$!-$!   Changes the DATES for an input file to a$!   file named OUTFILE.$!$assign/nolog 'p1' outfile$$convert/fdl=sys$input 'p1' outfile:datecreation   01-apr-2010expiration 01-Apr-2012revision   01-Apr-2011backup...
    
    
    0

  • The following RMS system service sequence:
      :
    • sys$open(), with the XABRDT XAB structure chained.5
    • set the desired values within the XABRDT XAB.
    • sys$close()
    

    5Various OpenVMS tools and utilities are available at:

    

    FOpenVMS ports of the xmcd and MPlayer tools have also been reported as available.d

    13.2 Where can I find UNIX tools for OpenVMS?

    

    EThere are OpenVMS DCL and UNIX shell command comparison tables postedat:

    

    sThe GNV package ( Section 13.2.6) and the various C library callsGavailable in current/recent libraries are the replacement for the POSIXpackage.=

    13.2.1 C system and library routines

    

    FCommon C system and library routines are present in the DEC C run-timeFlibrary, which is available for V5.5 and later, and is shipped in V6.1Fand later. DEC C is the upgrade for VAX C, DEC C and VAX C can coexist@on the same system OpenVMS VAX system, and both compilers can be enabled via the "C" license PAK.

    GAlso see SYS$EXAMPLES:, and (if either is installed) the DECW$EXAMPLES:;and TCPIP$EXAMPLES (or prior to V5.0, UCX$EXAMPLES:) areas.

    BThe HP C Run-Time Library documentation is now part of the OpenVMSCOperating System Documentation, and separate from the HP C compilerdocumentation.

    

    GAdditionally, there have been large-scale increases to the capabilitiesDand features available within recent HP C compilers. If you have notGtaken the opportunity to skim the current C compiler documentation, youAmay well be surprised with the sheer volume of new C capabilitiesdiscussed there.G

    13.2.2 X Windows utilities and routines

    

    GVarious X Windows utilities are available for DECwindows. DECwindows isAan implementation of the X Windows environment and libraries, andDprovides various libraries, and provides various desktop interfaces,including COE, Motif, and XUI.

    Gxwd, xev, mosaic web browser, xrdb, bmtoa and atobm, xpr, ico, etc. areDavailable. Look in DECW$UTILS: in DECwindows Motif V1.2-3 and later.5Also see DECW$EXAMPLES: for example X and C programs.

    EMiscellaneous tools and examples are also available. Examples includeEthe older DWAUTH (X Windows SYSUAF authorize-like tool) tool, various;versions of grep, fgrep, yacc, vmstar, uuencode, gawk, etc.?html tools, the mx SMTP mail exchange package, X windows flightFsimulator, the mxrn X windows news reader, the OSU HTTPD WWW server, aDWWW gopher browser, Castle Wolfenstein (Wolf3D), etc. are all on theAvarious OpenVMS Freeware distributions. (Also see the GNV packagel( Section 13.2.6) for related materials, APIs, and tools.)P

    13.2.3 TCP/IP Tools and Utilities for OpenVMS?

    

    DTCP/IP Services (formerly known as UCX) contains tools such as ping,*uuencode, smtp, snmp, rcp, nfs, tnfs, etc.

    EOpenVMS V6.2 and later includes DCL-integrated support for various IP@tools, with commands such as SET HOST/TELNET, and COPY/FTP. ThisGinterface requires the installation of an IP stack, and TCP/IP Services?(UCX) V3.3 and later as well as any then-current or now-currentDthird-party IP stack can be used. Once the IP stack is installed andCconfigured, the DCL command qualifiers such as /FTP, /RCP, /RLOGIN,D/TELNET, and /TN3270 are available on various DCL commands including DIRECTORY.

    GVarious C programming examples in TCPIP$EXAMPLES and (on releases priorto V5.0) in UCX$EXAMPLES:.3

    13.2.4 The vi text editor

    

    Avile, vim and elvis are all clones of the vi text editor, and alloperate on OpenVMS.

    6Versions of vile are available on the Freeware and at:

    

    vim: vi improved

    9

    13.2.5 The Emacs Text Editor

    

    BOpenVMS ports of versions of the Emacs text editor can be found onGvarious OpenVMS Freeware distributions (eg: OpenVMS Freeware V7.0 has a8port of Emacs 21.2), and at various web sites including:

    

    :"Emacs isn't a text editor, it's a way of life."

    EFor comparisions of OpenVMS text editors and UNIX, see the following:

    8

    13.2.6 GNV: Various GNU tools

    

    GInformation on the GNU on VMS (GNV; "GNU's Not VMS") Project,Dwhich aims to port and provide GNU software (bash, flex, bison, tar,6grep, gcc emulation, etc) to OpenVMS, is available at:

    

    Software info:

    

    Software archive:

    

    5Various GNU tools are also available on the Freeware.0

    13.2.6.1 GCC compiler

    

    8Yes, gcc is available for OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS I64.

    

    EIn addition to gcc, the HP C compiler and other development tools areApart of the OpenVMS Hobbyist licensing program for non-commercialGusers, and these and other tools are available to commercial developersyvia the HP DSPP partner program. (See Section 2.15 for information onDSPP.)d

    13.3 What is the status of PL/I on OpenVMS?

    

    Kednos. now owns and supports the former DIGITAL PL/I@compiler and run-time support on OpenVMS, and is the contact for-product status, support and associated plans.

    EAs of this writing, (older) versions of the PL/I run-time library andCassociated supporting images remain available on OpenVMS VAX and on,OpenVMS Alpha, including the DECmigrate VESTH translated images run-time support on OpenVMS Alpha, though neither the/ PL/I shareable image nor the DECmigrate (AEST)G translated image support for the PL/I run-time are available (from HP)' on nor present on OpenVMS I64 systems.E Newer versions of the PL/I run-time library may be (are?) availableF from Kednos for various OpenVMS platforms; please contact Kednos for# product details and availability.

    d

    13.4 Where can I get the Mozilla Web Browser?

    

    AMozilla.org is an open source organization providing HTML-relatedEtools; software that is the basis for various utilities including the=Mozilla web browser and the Secure Web Browser (SWB) package.

    EOpenVMS Engineering is continuously porting Mozilla.org's web browserCto OpenVMS, and OpenVMS ports of the current Mozilla baselevels andAreleases are available. The OpenVMS Mozilla port includes the webGbrowser, the mail client, the Composer HTML editor, an IRC chat client,1a netnews (NNTP) reader, and various other tools.

    @The Mozilla web browser download and the development and releaseHschedules for this and for other Mozilla-related tools are available at:

    

    GThe available Secure Web Browser (SWB) kit is a packaged version of theEMozilla Web Browser, and typically the SWB version number matches theunderlying Mozilla version.

    FA hardware configuration appropriate for Mozilla generally involves anDOpenVMS Alpha system with an EV56 Alpha microprocessor, or an EV6 orCmore recent processor, and with 256 megabytes of system memory. TheDperformance of Mozilla on EV5-based and earlier Alpha microprocessorDsystems is generally viewed as inadequate, this due to the extensiveCuse of an Alpha instruction subset that is first available with theEV56 microprocessor generation.

    )Mozilla is not available for OpenVMS VAX.

    GVarious versions of the Netscape Navigator web browser are based on theMozilla code-base.]

    13.5 Where can I get Java for OpenVMS?

    

    FJava is available on and is included with OpenVMS Alpha, starting withAthe OpenVMS Alpha V7.2 and later releases. Java download kits are4available for OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 and later releases.

    CJava is not available on OpenVMS VAX. As for why: the Java languageEdefinition requires a floating point format (IEEE) that is not nativeBto VAX, and this would require the emulation of all floating pointGoperations within Java applications. Further, the C source code used toGimplement for Java itself is heavily dependent on passing IEEE floatingCpoint values around among the many internal subroutines, and addingEsupport for VAX would entail changes to the HP C compiler for OpenVMSGVAX---and specifically to the VAX VCG code generator that is used by HP>C on OpenVMS VAX systems---in order to add support for passingCIEEE-format floating point doubles around. Alternatively, extensivemAchanges to the Java source code to remove the assumption that thei'double is an IEEE floating point value.c

    DThere are currently no plans to make a version of Java available forFOpenVMS VAX. (A prototype version of Java was created for OpenVMS VAX,5and performance was found to be inadequate. At best.)v

    "FIf Java2 or other environment lifts the requirements for IEEE floating>point as part of the language definition, this decision may be revisited.

    >GIf you are having problems with Display Postscript, you need to upgradeBDyour Java kit---1.2.2-3 and later remove the requirement for DisplayBPostcript extensions, and Java 1.2.2-3 is required with DECwindowsV1.2-6 and later.0

    =DFor additional information on Java for Alpha systems, please see the?OpenVMS documentation (V7.2 and later), and the following site:-

    e

    iCHP Secure Web Server (SWS, formerly CSWS) includes CSWS_JAVA, whichCprovides the following Apache Tomcat technologies: JavaServer PagesnD1.1, Java Servlet 2.2, and MOD_JK. Also available is CSWS_PHP, a PHPCimplementation. (SWS is based on the Apache web server. See SOFT1.)gc

    13.6 Obtaining user input in DCL CGI script?

    Poe

    aGIf you choose to use the GET method, then the form data is available ino3the DCL symbol QUERY_STRING, in URL-encoded format.n

    =DIf you use the POST method, then you need to read the form data fromDstdin. For a DCL CGI script running under the Netscape FastTrack web?server, you can read the data using the following READ command:>

    t 
    t
    "
    $ READ SYS$COMMAND postdataf
    
    l
    

    mto read the information in.!

    C@The following describes the use of DCL command procedures as CGI scripts with the OSU web server:

    

    hGDCL CGI is also discussed in the Writing Real Programs in DCL book, andiin the Ask The Wizard website.o

    13.7 How can a batch job get its own batch entry number?

    u  

    FTo have a batch procedure retrieve its own batch entry number, use the following:

    v 

    "
    %$ Entry = F$GETQUI("DISPLAY_ENTRY", -o.    "entry_number","display_entry","this_job")
    
    h
    

    iDRemember that the entry numbers issued by the OpenVMS Job ControllerFare always opaque longword values. Do not assume you know theDformat of the entry number, nor the range of entry numbers you mightFsee, nor the algorithm that is used to assign enty numbers. You should'simply assume opaque longword..i

    13.8 How do I convert to new CMS or DTM libraries?

    hi" 

    EA change was made to the format of the CMS database for CMS librariesmBstarting with V3.5-03---to ensure that earlier versions of CMS are@unable to access the database once the "conversion" toDV3.5-05 and later is made, you must issue the following two commandsDwhen upgrading from V3.5-03 and prior. (The only differences betweenECMS version V3.5-03 and CMS version V3.5-05 involve changes to ensureSCthat no earlier version of CMS can access the "converted"Adatabase, and corrupt it.)

    GTo perform the "conversion", issue the following commands forpeach CMS library present:)

     
    r
    "
    ($ RENAME disk:[directory]00CMS.* 01CMS.*&$ COPY NLA0: disk:[directory]00CMS.CMS
    
    p
    

    oBThe new file 00CMS.CMS must have the same security settings as theG01CMS.CMS file, and is created solely to ensure continued compatibilitytEwith tools that expect to find a 00CMS.CMS file (eg: various versionsn.of the Language-Sensitive text editor LSEDIT).e

    vFIf you choose to install and use the longer variant names support that?is available with CMS V4.1 or later, you cannot mix earlier CMSu@versions within a cluster. If you attempt to mix older and newerversions, you will typicallyibE see the following BADLIB and BADTYPSTR error sequence when accessing - the CMS library from the older CMS versions: 

    m 
    $
    "
    9%CMS-F-BADLIB, there is something wrong with your library;-CMS-F-BADTYPSTR, header block type is 145; it should be 17e
    
    l
    

    dEPlease see the CMS V4.1 release notes for additional details on this.,

    vETo perform the equivalent "conversion" for DEC Test ManagerdC(DTM) V3.5 and prior versions to V3.6 and later versions, issue the"4following DCL commands for each DTM library present:xxxxx

    < 
    <
    "
    ($ RENAME disk:[directory]00DTM.* 01DTM.*&$ COPY NLA0: disk:[directory]00DTM.DTM
    
    "
    

    sGLike CMS, this change is intended to prevent older versions of DTM fromrFaccessing newer libraries, and corrupting the contents. Like CMS, onceEthe libraries are renamed, they cannot and should not be renamed backeFto the older names; like CMS, the changes are not downward-compatible.

    qDTo convert version 1 (ancient) DTM and CMS libraries forward, please1see the DTM CONVERT and the CMS CONVERT commands.o^

    13.9 Where can I get Perl for OpenVMS?

     t

    pEOpenVMS support is included in the standard distribution of Perl, theIGpopular scripting language created by Larry Wall. In addition to nearlyeDall of the functionality available under Unix, OpenVMS-specific PerlEmodules provide interfaces to many native features, as well as access-Eto Oracle, Ingres, and Sybase databases via the Perl DBI available onrOpenVMS.

    nEA website useful for getting started with Perl on OpenVMS---where youaGwill find such things as download links, instructions, auxiliary tools,r%and sample scripts---is available at:d

    i

    DIf you have a C compiler, the best way to obtain Perl is to downloadBand build it yourself. The latest production quality source kit isavailable from:x

    r

    p@You will need GUNZIP and VMSTAR (both available from the OpenVMSDFreeware CD, or from other sites) to unpack the archive; once you've8done that, read the instructions in the README.vms file.

    /FBinary distributions for most Alpha and VAX environments are availableGon the OpenVMS Freeware CD-ROM and from various websites, including them following:

    >

    sDDuring active Perl development cycles, test kits are sometimes found at: from:/

    i

    'HWatch the mailing list (see below) for details on experimental releases.

    ,DCharles Lane maintains pages on how to write CGI scripts in Perl forFthe OSU HTTP server, as well as more general tips, tricks, and patches)for building and running Perl on OpenVMS:.

    N

    FThere are OpenVMS-specific Perl modules that implement interfaces to aGsubset of the VMS System Services. With these modules, you can get (and:<often set) device, job, queue, user, system, and performanceCinformation. The lock manager, RMS indexed files, screen managementiFutilities, and Intracluster Communication Services are also accessible6via Perl. The relevant modules are all available from: 

    i

    fETo subscribe to the OpenVMS Perl mailing list (a discussion forum fort@both user support and new development), send an email message tovmsperl-subscribe@perl.org

    n-The mailing list archives may be searched at:.

    /z

    13.10 Obtaining the DECmigrate (AEST or VEST, and TIE) translator?

    aaaat

    pEThe DECmigrate image translation family provides tools that translate EOpenVMS VAX images for use on OpenVMS Alpha, and OpenVMS Alpha imagesn1for use on OpenVMS I64, Details are available at:s

    a

    lGVEST is the name sometimes given to the DECmigrate translation tool foraVAX images, AESTfD is the name given to the Alpha translation tools, and TIE names theH DECmigrate run-time environment within OpenVMS. (If you've ever noticedD images with filenames ending with _TV and wondered what this meant, these images are part of TIE.)a-EAnd yes, you can use AEST to re-translate images that were translated.@using VEST; you can perform a second translation of a VAX image.

    avPlease see Section 13.12 for related information. Please see theBwebsite for the most current details on availability and plans and1status of translations for OpenVMS I64 platforms.ps

    13.11 Where can I get Zip, Unzip, self-extracting zip, etc?

    />Ciu

    w?Many packages are provided in ZIP, GZIP, or BZIP2 format, whichGrequires you to acquire the associated unzip tool to unpack it. You canlBget ZIP and UNZIP and related and similar tools from the followingareas:

    

    =

    /== e c
    Freeware V4.0aD [000TOOLS...]*ZIP*.EXE

    @ The Freeware V4.0 [000TOOLS...] pre-built versions of ZIP willG erroneously return BILF errors on OpenVMS V7.2 and later. This is notG the only error lurking within these pre-built versions, just the most G obvious. Accordingly, please use one of the far more current versionsE that are now readily available, whether on the most recent Freewareo6 distribution, or from one of the sites listed above.

    DDo not use the Freeware V4.0 [000TOOLS...]*ZIP*.EXE images.p

    o

    r=Directions for creating and using the sfx self-extracting zipMs Afile compression mechanism are available in the unzip kit that isl available at:w

    

    BIf you want to build the zip images for yourself (eg: for an olderEOpenVMS version), pull over the entire contents of a recent unzip andlFunzip directory, or Info-Zip directory, or visit one of the web sites.BWith most OpenVMS ports of the tools, find and invoke LINK.COM. NoFcompilers are needed, as objects are provided with most distributions.er"

    =HP OpenVMS Engineering uses a tool known as FTSV for creatingaBself-extracting compressed files using the OpenVMS DCX compressionDtools, as seen with various OpenVMS ECO (patch) kits. (sfx typicallyGprovides better compression than does DCX.) FTSV and FTSO are available Fon Freeware V7.0, for OpenVMS VAX and OpenVMS Alpha. Due to changes in@the image headers, no version of FTSV is presently available for OpenVMS I64.

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    a#d6laater releases.

    CJava is not available on OpenVMS VAX. As for why: the Java languageEdefinition req3 .2CB(y筗 >9.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB3 .2CB(y筗 ?90.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB3 .2CB(y筗 >1.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB3 .2CB(y筗 >2.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB3 .2CB(y筗 >3.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB3 .2CB(y筗 >5.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB3 .2CB(y筗 >6.HTML;BEAVIS DISK$WEB