28 Nov
2025
28 Nov
'25
12:25 a.m.
On 11/27/2025 10:44 AM, Peter Ekstrom via cctalk wrote:
Ok, started playing with the SIMH vax8600 simulator
and OpenVMS 7.3
Hobbyist.
I know they discontinued the hobbyist license program years ago, but does
one actually need a license to run it?
Without valid license PAKs, you have a very
limited system. You have one login session on the console device (OPA0:). I forget, but
you may also be limited to the SYSTEM account. But maybe not. The VAX/VMS layered
products are not available. VAXclustering is not available, Volume Shadowing is not
available, etc. Languages are not available except for MACRO-32 which comes with the base
install and BLISS-32 which comes from the FREEWARE repositories. Getting software loaded
that doesn't come on a SimH mountable image is a challange. There is no networking
software (DECnet requires a PAK) unless you can beg Hunter Goatley at Process to give you
a VAX Hobbyist license for Multinet (or TPUware). Editors available are EDT, TPU and
TECO-32.
Process:
https://www.process.com/resources/openvms/ - VMS library links
https://www.process.com/resources/openvms/hobbyist.html - Process Hobbyist link
BLISS-32
https://www.digiater.com/openvms/freeware/v70/bliss/
Or would an older version like 5.x
or something be better?
As others have mentioned anything from 5.0 and up will
require the PAK licenses. You can run V4.7 and earlier and everything will work - except
networking. DECnet required a special install tape - which is available online, I
believe. There are also some V4.x distributions set up which had the DECnet license
installed. There was no DEC TCP/IP (Called UCX - Unix Connector Exchange I think) product
yet. You have to get it from Wollengong (TGV) or other third party sources. That will
require some research but I don't think any of them are available currently.
I would stick with the Hobbyist V7.3 software until you get more experience with OpenVMS.
The OpenVMS community license is only for Alpha,
Itanium and some x86_64 architectures so I'm sure that wouldn't work in a
simulated VAX?
No. First of all because the VSI Community License only works on
VSI branded OpenVMS distributions. None of the VSI PAKs will work on any HP supplied
software. Second is that it is x86_64 only. To get Alpha or Itanium PAKS you have to
join the OpenVMS Ambassador's Program.
VSI Community Program:
https://vmssoftware.com/community/community-license/
VSI Ambassador's Program:
https://share.hsforms.com/131UO5x_iSEGxlYs8pQTYSQdi37l
- Peter
--
John H. Reinhardt