Re: VAX software available for download

From: Michael Kraemer (m.kraemer_at_gsi.de)
Date: 06/28/05 

Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 14:57:46 +0000 (UTC)

In article <%92we.384$Ku6.55@trnddc04>, John Santos <john@egh.com> writes:
> >
> > 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.

Not over here. Tried both, VAX and alpha.
During installation I'm asked to enter the license stuff.
I tried my best, several times. The procedure is further complicated
by the fact that the prompted keywords/values or not identical
with the ones found in the PAK file.
If I enter them after installation as a DCL command
(as given by the PAK file), it works.
 
> No, you receive the paks via email.

... which pretty much looks like a DCL script.
So I had the idea to fetch it via ftp and simply run it.
But obviously I'm thinking too easy.
 
> What's clumsy about it? You boot the CD, answer some config questions,
> select installation options, and off you go. Just like anything else.

Well, the installation procedures (at least on VAX) is a real
hodgepodge of actions and commands (product install vs vmsinst or so) to be entered, and without
a set of manuals thoroughly to be studied one has zero chance to get the
thing done. I compare that to the installation of, say,
Solaris, HP-UX or AIX. I had zero admin knowledge of the first two
of them, but their straightforward installation procedure lets
one install at least a base system with just the info on the thin booklets
that come with the CDs.
 
> 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...

Any commercial Unix does that by default anyway, except maybe Tru64 (4.x),
where you have to think about partitioning before.

It's not that I would like to start some flame war here,
because that would lead to nothing.
It's just from the "unexperienced user vs Unix" vs "unexperienced user vs VMS"
experience I'd say that VMS has a lot to catch up.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: VAX software available for download
    ... >> To run even a primitive VMS properly I have to type in a PAK ... During installation I'm asked to enter the license stuff. ... where you have to think about partitioning before. ... It's just from the "unexperienced user vs Unix" vs "unexperienced user vs VMS" ...
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