Installing Layered Products

[soutbarr]

I hate how obtuse this is. I'm not a system administrator. So I just want to get into code. I'm finally up to being able to transfer files and everything else. So how do I install the Layered Products I can download? I looked for a couple of methods none of them are working for me. The documentation when I download one does not tell me how to do it. C/Cxx/cobol/etc

[sms]

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> [...]  I'm not a system administrator. [...]

   If not you, then whom were you expecting to administer this system?

> [...] how do I install the Layered Products I can download? [...]

   There are two generally used methods, PCSI and VMSINSTAL.  Which to
use depends on the form of the product kit.

> [...]  I looked for a couple of methods none of them are working for
> me. [...]

   If you're unwilling or unable to use the documentation, then your
first task might be to learn how to ask a technical question.  "not
working" is not a useful problem description.  With my weak psychic
powers, I don't know what you were trying to install, which "a couple of
methods" you tried, what, exactly, you did, and what, exactly, happened
when you did it.  Copy+paste is your friend.

> [...] The documentation when I download one does not tell me how to do
> it.

   As before, _which_ "The documentation" is another mystery.

   One (obviously) potentially useful document from the considerable
collection would be "VSI OpenVMS System Manager's Manual, Volume 1:
Essentials":

      https://docs.vmssoftware.com/

      https://docs.vmssoftware.com/vsi-openvms-system-manager-s-manual-volume-1-essentials

"Chapter 3. Installing, Upgrading, and Updating Software" seems to cover
the, uh, Essentials.

[jonesd]

Not many products use VMSINSTAL anymore. Generally you want to unzip the the downloaded file into a directory dedicated to holding install kits, then have privileged account set default to that directory and type the command "PRODUCT INSTALL *". It will give you a menu and prompt you for a product to install.

The product installer will likely ask for which options you want, so you need to read that product's installtion guide.

[arne_v]

True.

The only product that I can remember still use VMSINSTAL is VMS Pascal.

[roberbrooks]

> The only product that I can remember still use VMSINSTAL is VMS Pascal.

Off the top of my head -- DFG, DECforms, DTR, FMS, OMNIAPI, OSAP, ACMS

-- Rob

[sms]

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> Off the top of my head -- DFG, DECforms, DTR, FMS, OMNIAPI, OSAP

   From my (incomplete) set of downloads:
   
V87 $ pipe unzipv -l [...]*.zip | search sys$pipe .A_VNC
      540  07-13-2022 15:23   DFG033.A_VNC
      540  02-08-2022 18:05   FORMSRTX042.A_VNC
      540  02-08-2022 18:05   FORMSX042.A_VNC
      540  08-17-2023 12:27   PASCAL063.A_VNC

   I have dim recollections of BASIC and DECset, but probably from
before x86_64.  DECset is all PCSI these days.

[arne_v]

> The only product that I can remember still use VMSINSTAL is VMS Pascal.

Off the top of my head -- DFG, DECforms, DTR, FMS, OMNIAPI, OSAP

You know more products than me.



Added in 1 minute 54 seconds:

I have dim recollections of BASIC and DECset, but probably from
before x86_64. DECset is all PCSI these days.

Basic on older platforms are VMSINSTAL, but since it is not out for x86-64 yet, then we can't say with certainty whether it will be PCSI or VMSINSTALL on x86-64.

[soutbarr]

Not many products use VMSINSTAL anymore. Generally you want to unzip the the downloaded file into a directory dedicated to holding install kits, then have privileged account set default to that directory and type the command "PRODUCT INSTALL *". It will give you a menu and prompt you for a product to install.

The product installer will likely ask for which options you want, so you need to read that product's installtion guide.

Well that will work once I figure out how to unzip a file. unzip and extract don't work. Is there some program I'm missing?

[arne_v]

UNZIP should be there.

My SYLOGIN got:

$ unzip :== $dka0:[vms$common.syshlp.unsupported.unzip]unzip

(my system disk is DKA0)

[sms]

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> (my system disk is DKA0)

   More general:

      unzip :== $ SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON.SYSHLP.UNSUPPORTED.UNZIP]UNZIP.EXE

      show logical SYS$SYSDEVICE

   If you need Zip:

      zip :== $ SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON.SYSHLP.UNSUPPORTED.ZIP]ZIP.EXE

   (More Info-ZIP stuff is provided in those directories, too.)

      https://wiki.vmssoftware.com/Foreign_Command

   (".EXE" in these is assumed, but I include it for emphasis.)

> My SYLOGIN got:

   You can define these foreign-command symbols interactively, but it's
often helpful to add such definitions to a user's LOGIN.COM or the
system-wide SYS$SYLOGIN (a logical name, normally defined as
"SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGIN", with ".COM" implicit, so the actual file is
"SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGIN.COM").

      show logical *sylog*