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DFY$VMSCD: CD-R for VAX VMS

a freeware program by István Dósa

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For those who have Digital VAX or Alpha computers running VMS
operating system it has long been a problem to find a way to do
CD-Recordable premastering directly on that platform. While it is
possible to use the UN*X GNU program mkisofs to create an image
file using POSIX conventions, there are obvious reasons for
wanting to make discs in native VMS mode instead.

Over the years several people have asked me if I knew of any CD-R
premastering software for the VMS operating system, and although
I did contact several representatives of Digital to try to find
some I'd heard rumors about, no one seemed to know where to get
it. The consensus was that anyone who wanted to do this would
have to write their own program.

New Solution

Now someone has done that. István Dósa is a systems manager for a
county tax office in Hungary. He also is a parttime teacher of
Pathworks for Digital Hungary. He emailed me recently asking if I
knew of any software like this, and after telling him I couldn't
find one, he did his own search and also came up without it. So
he wrote DFY VMSCD and has generously made it available here.
Anyone who can use this is welcome to visit our FTP site and
download it. Go to ftp://ftp.cd-info.com/cd-info.com/pub/VMSCD/
for the files.

Updates!

Isn't it always the way? You think you have fininshed a piece of
software, and next thing you know someone -- yourself or someone
else -- realizes there is more that needs to be done. Istvan has
discovered this truth for himself, and has sent us his "fixes."
Remember this is unsupported freeware, although it is
copyrighted. Use at your own risk, but if you do have problems,
please let Istvan know so he can try to provide a solution.

Please read the documentation section, then refer to the problems
found and fixed area.

Documentation

There are text files included in the directory with the
application, and this is what István had to say about it in
email:

This program builds CD image file in FILES11B file format for VMS.
Similar to "mkisofs" for UNIX systems.
After writing image file to CD, you can use as other VMS CD-s,
but it is your edition.

The specified source directory is used on CD as [000000].
System files in CD root directory created by DFY$VMSCD
after read information of source files.
DFY$VMSCD copying all versions of files and directories.
Support linked files (created by SET FILE/ENTER command)
CD label can maximum 12 charaters.
The created image file can maximum 1344288 blocks.

If run DFY$VMSCD in source root directory you must have RWED privileges
and for all files below you must have RE privileges
(build image file recomended as SYSTEM user).
If running DFY$VMSCD, then source files and directories don't modify!

To use DFY$VMSCD you must
- copy it to SYS$SYSTEM and use MC DFY$VMSCD
or
- create symbol DFY$VMSCD == "$ SYS$LOGIN:DFY$VMSCD.EXE"
if DFY$VMSCD located in your login directory.

Two version of file exists:
DFY$VMSCD_A.EXE - for Alpha systems
DFY$VMSCD_V.EXE - for VAX systems
(Alpha and VAX versions compiled from identical source)

DFY$VMSCD written in MACRO-32 and compiled on VMS 6.2 (VAX) and VMS 6.2-1H3 (ALPHA).

Tested hardware:
Alpha 3000-600, CPU 175MHz, 128Mb RAM,
VAX 3400, 36Mb RAM

On 3000-600 Alpha system build image for maximal CD size approx. 12-17 minutes.

How to write CD:
================

CD write tested with EasyCD Pro for Windows 95.

Hardware: P100 processor
24Mb RAM
HP 4325 CD writer
Adaptec 2940U SCSI card

- The created file you can write to CD on PC, after copying to local
winchester.

- The image file not standard ISO file, but it must write to CD as ISO file.
EasyCD identify file as "raw data", it is correct.

- If you write you must select "disc at once" option for best result and must
write CD in MODE 1!

- If you write FILES11B file system, then you can't use multisession!
This CD can be read only on VMS.

If you have any problem, please send me email!

[from a later email]

We use DSM database, that use large files as datafiles.
I wrote datafile to CD (500Mb) and configure DSM to
use datafile directly from CD.
Use it without error, data integrity check completed
succesfully with 0 errors.

Problems Found and Fixed

Version 1.3

My friends in Budapest tested dfy$vmscd v1.2. Bad news:
error if archiving indexed or relative files. Good
news: my program run normally on Alpha 8400 5/300. In
VMS there are four file types: - sequential - relative
- indexed - direct Now only direct files are not
supported. (In my system this file type is not found).
Indexed and relative files now copyed correctly. The
new version I copy to you. In DFY_VMSCD_V013.TXT file I
wrote how one can test an image file without writing it
to CD. I tested the new version without writing to CD,
but I think the result is the same. I copy the image
file to disk that mounted as foreign. In this case VMS
place bytes in sequential order (as if written to CD).
After copy I mount disk as standard ODS-2 disk, and run
compare. This method is inexpensive and quick.

Version 1.4

I modified my program and send to you new version.
Modifications:
- use less I/O if collect file information and open files.
- if archiving system disk, then 2 files don't need to copy.
([000000]QUORUM.DAT, [000000]SECURITY.SYS)
If these files are copied, then can't mount disk without error.
- 000000.DIR as source directory now supported.

In text file I wrote how can create image file directly to PC,
if not enough free space available on VMS system.

My friends in Budapest tested V1.3 succesfully on Alpha 8400, all OK.

I tested the new version, system boot from CD not work, but if run
VMS all data on CD correct.

The next (last?) problem: boot from CD.
For boot, VMS uses a "boot block" (first 512 byte) and I don't know its structure.

I believe no other problems with DFY$VMSCD.

The Author

István Dósa ("Doffy")
APEH Nógrád megyei Igazgatósága
Salgótarjan
Kassai sor 44
Hungary

email: cj5018@mail.kerszov.hu

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DFY$VMSCD Copyright Š 1997 István Dósa
HTML Copyright Š 1997 The CD-Info Company, Inc.

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