Re: VAX software available for download

From: John Santos (john_at_egh.com)
Date: 06/28/05 

Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 01:59:23 GMT

Michael Kraemer wrote:
> In article <rdeininger-2506050642360001@user-105n8cn.dialup.mindspring.com>, rdeininger@mindspringdot.com (Robert Deininger) writes:
>
>>On Itanium, the PAKs have been reorganized. The bundle includes the OS,
>>unlimited users, networks, DECwindows, and various layered products, all
>>in a single PAK per system.
>>
>>PAKs have always been available for individual products, but in practice
>>they have been sold mostly in the bundles. The "PAK hell" you describe
>>exists mostly in your mind, or in the distant past.
>
>
> Well, if you call Jan-2005 (the date my hobbyist CD arrived) "distant past" ...
>
> To run even a primitive VMS properly I have to type in a PAK
> (after installation, doing it during the installation doesn't work,
> for whatever reason).

Huh? Of course it does.

> Motif needs another PAK. If I wanted to
> apply the dozens of further PAKs via a DCL script I would have to fetch
> it via ftp from somewhere, but, oh, that needs TCPIP to be up and running,
> and that, of course, needs another PAK. See what I mean ?

No, you receive the paks via email. You can export to a text command
file and copy to the VMS system by any means, including Kermit, or do a
text file transfer in any terminal emulator, or just cut and paste the
needed parts of the command file (or directly from the email client) in
a terminal emulator window. Since the PAK's are checksummed, you don't
even have to worry about serial line transfer errors; if the register
fails, just repeat the cut&paste or file transfer until it works.

> Add to that that the altogether clumsy way a VMS system must be installed.
> And compare that with contemporary UNIX systems (even including Tru64
> which also has PAKs, but in a less annoying way): put the CD(s)
> into the drive and there you go.

What's clumsy about it? You boot the CD, answer some config questions,
select installation options, and off you go. Just like anything else.

So you have to know about disk device names, and where you want to put
it, and so on. But on the other hand, you don't need to partition the
disk, and decide about strange partitioning options or need to run
3rd-party software before you can even start... 

-- 
John Santos
Evans Griffiths & Hart, Inc.
781-861-0670 ext 539

Relevant Pages

  • Re: VAX software available for download
    ... the PAKs have been reorganized. ... >>unlimited users, networks, DECwindows, and various layered products, all ... > (after installation, doing it during the installation doesn't work, ... just repeat the cut&paste or file transfer until it works. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: VAX software available for download
    ... the PAKs have been reorganized. ... > unlimited users, networks, DECwindows, and various layered products, all ... > in a single PAK per system. ... (after installation, doing it during the installation doesn't work, ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: VAX software available for download
    ... the PAKs have been reorganized. ... > unlimited users, networks, DECwindows, and various layered products, all ... > in a single PAK per system. ... (after installation, doing it during the installation doesn't work, ...
    (comp.sys.dec)
  • Re: Another opportunity
    ... comment on how well integrated TCPIP is into it's installation procedures. ... TCP/IP on most other systems does not need PAKs. ... start up a restricted FTP process) is there any system which allows ftp ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: VAX software available for download
    ... the PAKs have been reorganized. ... >(after installation, doing it during the installation doesn't work, ... for the network of your choice. ... Have you suggestions for improving the VMS installation process? ...
    (comp.os.vms)