VMS FAQ (DOC)

Where can I find online copies of OpenVMS manuals?

The Compaq OpenVMS and layered product documentation is copyrighted material.

HTML format on-line product documentation sets for specific Compaq OpenVMS products are presently available at:

  http://www.openvms.compaq.com:8000/
  http://www.openvms.compaq.com/doc/
  http://www.openvms.compaq.com/commercial/

Documentation is offered in CD-ROM form through a subscription to the Consolidated On-Line Documentation (ConOLD) product (see VMS7.) ConOLD manuals are readable with BNU, a viewer that is supplied with the documentation distribution. BNU can display HTML, Bookreader, and documentation in other formats.

MGBOOK, a viewer for Bookreader-format documentation is available for character-cell terminals (eg. VTxxx) via the WKU VMS Freeware file server - see question SOFT1 for details.

                                        [Steve Lionel]
                                        [Stephen Hoffman]

DOC2.

What online information is available?

On your OpenVMS system, the HELP command can provide a wealth of information, not only on DCL commands but on system services (HELP System_Services) and Run-Time Library routines (HELP RTL_Routines). The introduction displayed when you type the HELP command with no additional keywords provides further pointers.

OpenVMS Marketing runs a WWW server at http://www.compaq.com/openvms/ (http://www.openvms.compaq.com/.) Here, you will find product information, strategy documents, the contents of the latest OpenVMS Freeware CD-ROM and much more.

Software Product Descriptions (SPDs) for most every OpenVMS-related product Compaq sells is available via:

     http://www.compaq.com/info/spd/

System performance data (see ALPHA5), product infosheets, release notes and much more are also available.

In addition,

  http://search.compaq.com/

provides a handy method to search all of Compaq's public web servers for information of any kind.

Compaq Customer Services organization also hosts an Internet server. Various contract-access and non-contract access ECO (patch) kits are available at the URL:

  http://ftp.digital.com.au/pub/ecoinfo/ecoinfo/top.htm
  http://search.service.digital.com/

For ftp access use

  ftp://ftp.service.digital.com/

The Compaq Systems and Options Catalog (SOC) archive is available at:

  http://www.digital.com/info/SOHOME/SOHOMEHM.HTM

The Systems and Options Catalog is being replaced by Compaq QuickSpecs:

   http://www.compaq.com/products/quickspecs/productbulletin.html

The Compaq DSNlink electronic product support network (a good source for reporting problems, obtaining patches and ECOs, scanning Compaq support databases, searching for example programs, etc) is available at:

  http://www.support.compaq.com/dsnlink/

Compaq's Business Link provides product information, prices and permits online ordering:

   http://www.businesslink.compaq.com/

The services provided by BusinessLink are being replaced by other and country-specific mechanisms, please see the above URL for details.

Information on Compaq hardware, software, products and services is available through various telephone numbers (in the U.S.A.):

    1-800-AT-COMPAQ     : voice : Compaq (including DIGITAL and Tandem)
                                  products and services
    1-800-DIGITAL	: voice : DIGITAL products and services
    1-800-DEC-2717      : voice : The DECchip Hotline
    1-508-568-6868      : voice : (alternate number for above)

David Mathog offers two HTML documents which contain useful information about OpenVMS.

  http://seqaxp.bio.caltech.edu:8000/www/vms_sheet.html
  http://seqaxp.bio.caltech.edu:8000/www/vms_beginners_faq.html

The VAXarchive (hardware and software information) is at:

  http://vax.sevensages.org/index.html

Useful OpenVMS information and an extensive set of links is available at:

  http://www.levitte.org/~ava/

A wide variety of Compaq VAX, Alpha, platform and other product documentation (some introductory, some technical) is available at:

  http://www.digital.com/lists/master-index.html
  http://www.compaq.com/support/techpubs/qrg/index.html

The Compaq inFORM magazine and OpenVMS Times newsletters have email subscriptions available, see:

    http://www.compaq.com/inFORM/
    http://www.openvms.compaq.com/openvmstimes/

Also see the DFWCUG Longwords newsletter:

    http://www.dfwcug.org/

DOC3.

What books and publications are available?

A bibliography of current and recent OpenVMS books is available at:

  http://www.levitte.org/~ava/vms_book.htmlx

The Butterworth-Heinemann Digital Press imprint offers a number of OpenVMS books. A website is available at:

  http://www.bh.com/

Information on specific OpenVMS books is also available at:

  http://www.openvms.compaq.com/openvms/books.html

DOC4.

How do I extract the contents of a HELP topic to a text file?

To extract all the text of a HELP topic (and its subtopics) to a text file for perusal with a text editor, printing out, etc., use the following command:

     $ HELP/OUT=filename.txt help-topic [help-subtopic]

If the help text you want is not in the standard help library (for example, it's help for a utility such as MAIL that has its own help library), add /LIBRARY=libname after the HELP verb. To see the names of help library files, do a directory of SYS$HELP:*.HLB.

DOC5.

Does OpenVMS Marketing have an e-mail address?

Yes - if you can't get the answers to questions elsewhere, if you have comments or complaints about OpenVMS, send mail to openvms-info@compaq.com. (This address is NOT a support channel, and is solely intended to provide informal method to communicate directly with members of OpenVMS Marketing.)

DOC6.

What OpenVMS-related WWW sites are available?

    http://www.openvms.compaq.com/   (Sponsored by OpenVMS Marketing)
    http://www.montagar.com/          (Sponsored by DECUS - DFWLUG)
    http://www.levitte.org/~ava/            (Sponsored by Arne Vajhøj)
    http://www.saiga.com/             (Sponsored by Saiga Systems)
    http://www.tachyon.com/              (Sponsored by Wayne Sewell)
    http://www.progis.de/openvms.htm  (Sponsored by proGIS Software)
    http://www.jcameron.com/vms/      (Sponsored by Jeff Cameron)

The following web site is sponsored by "The Beave", and provides information that is directly relevent to system managers, security managers, and others interested in ensuring the continued security of OpenVMS systems:

    http://www.vistech.net/users/beave/hack-vms-faq

Suggestions (indirectly) provided by the above include disabling the port 11 and 15 stats provided by IP packages such as Multinet.

DOC7. Moved to MGMT25

DOC8.

Where can I find info about undocumented OpenVMS features?

After all this discussion about undocumented VMS features I started a collection of some documentation :-) about them on

    http://www.decus.de:8080/www/vms/qaa/undoc.htmlx

                                                [zinser@axp603.gsi.de]
                                                [HORN@exchng1.shsu.edu]

Also see the following:

    http://www.levitte.org/~ava/vms_tip.htmlx

                                                [Arne Vajhøj]

Various examples of undocumented features are also available on the OpenVMS Freeware:

    http://www.openvms.compaq.com/freeware/

DOC9.

Where is documentation on the DECnet Phase IV protocols?

Specifications for DECnet Phase IV can be found at:


    http://gatekeeper.dec.com/pub/DEC/DECnet/PhaseIV/index.html

DOC10.

Where can I learn about how the VMS executive works internally?

The OpenVMS Internals and Data Structure book explains how the OpenVMS executive works. The book covers the operating system kernel: process management; memory management; the I/O subsystem; and the mechanisms that transfer control to, from, and among these. It gives an overview of a particular area of the system, followed by descriptions of the data structures related to that area and details of the code that implements the area.

The first edition of the OpenVMS Alpha internals book describes Version 1.5. Although there have been several releases of OpenVMS Alpha since Version 1.5 (V6.1, V6.2, V7.0, and V7.1) and many details in the book are no longer accurate, it continues to provide a strong conceptual description of OpenVMS internals.

This book has been split into five pieces, each to be updated separately. The first such volume, published in early 1997, was OpenVMS Alpha Internals and Data Structures: Scheduling and Process Control, which covers the Version 7.0 implementation of true multithreading and the changed scheduling model it implies.

The internals books are available through Digital Press, an imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann. You can order by phone (from US and Canada, 1-800-366-2655, or from elsewhere, 781-904-2500). You can also fax an order to 1-800-446-6520 or 781-933-6333. The order form and additional information are available on their web site www.bh.com .

ISBN Title

1 55558 156 0 OpenVMS Alpha Internals: Scheduling and Process Control

1 55558 120 X OpenVMS AXP Internals and Data Structures: Version 1.5

1 55558 059 9 VAX/VMS Internals and Data Structures: Version 5.2

                                        [Ruth Goldenberg]

DOC11.

Where can new users find tutorial information about OpenVMS?

First, see if your local site has information on this topic. Each site can have site-specific features and configuration. Some sites will have site-specific new user's documentation, covering various site-specific things that are difficult or impossible for the general OpenVMS documentation to cover.

Various introductory manuals are available in the OpenVMS documentation set, including the OpenVMS User's Guide. The OpenVMS manuals - including the OpenVMS User's Guide - are available at:

    http://www.openvms.compaq.com:8000/
    http://www.openvms.compaq.com/doc/
    http://www.openvms.compaq.com/commercial/

Some of the OpenVMS books available from the Butterworth-Heinemann Digital Press imprint ( http://www.bh.com) include:

       Introduction to OpenVMS, 5th Edition,
       Lesley Ogilvie Rice
       ISBN 1 55558 194 3

       The OpenVMS User's Guide, Second Edition
       Patrick Holmay
       ISBN 1 55558 203 6

       Introduction to OpenVMS
       David W Bynon
       ISBN 1 878956 61 2

       OpenVMS System Management Guide
       Richard Berry
       ISBN 1 55558 143 9

       Using DECwindows Motif for OpenVMS
       Margie Sherlock
       ISBN 1 55558 114 5

       Writing Real Programs in DCL, Second Edition
       Hoffman and Anagnostopoulos
       ISBN 1 55558 191 9

For various features OpenVMS books, please see: http://www.openvms.compaq.com/openvms/books.html Various user-maintained websites are also available, including a beginner's FAQ, various user-written FAQs, a bibliography of books on OpenVMS, and information on various other hardware and software topics:

Members of the DECUS DFWLUG maintain a website with many materials available, including an Overview of OpenVMS, an Introduction to DCL and the TPU Editor, Advanced DCL Command Procedures, OpenVMS Operations: Batch, Print, Tape, an Introduction to OpenVMS Management, to OpenVMS User Management, to OpenVMS Network Management and to OpenVMS Cluster Management. These training materials have been presented at various DECUS symposia, and can be downloaded from:

   http://www.montagar.com/openvms_class/

Compaq offers training information and Technical Resource Kits (TRKs) for OpenVMS at:

    http://www.compaq.com/training/home.html

An OpenVMS certification (testing) program is also available.

The following URL has an OpenVMS Quiz:

    http://www.jcameron.com/vms/

CCSS Interactive Learning has OpenVMS training materials available:

    http://www.CCSScorp.com/

AcerSoft Training information:

    http://www.acersoft.com/

MindIQ training information:

    http://www.mindiq.com/

DOC12.

Access to the OpenVMS Netscape Navigator documentation?

The documentation URLs embedded into the browser itself may not operate correctly in all cases, and (for reasons not worthy of repeating here) redirects may not be available. You can manually access the documentation via:

    http://www.openvms.compaq.com:88/netscape/help/

Back

ISBN	Title
1 55558 156 0	OpenVMS Alpha Internals: Scheduling and Process Control
1 55558 120 X	OpenVMS AXP Internals and Data Structures: Version 1.5
1 55558 059 9	VAX/VMS Internals and Data Structures: Version 5.2