X86 Community license and software access

[madsweeney]

This is a suggestion and not a promise. If you are waiting for an email confirming your acceptance to the x86 community and access to x86 software and license, you can try connecting to the portal and check if your access is enabled. Connect to sp.vmssoftware.com and click on "Reset Password". Enter the email address that you used to register in the "Enter e-mail" box on the screen. If you get a 404 error, your account is not yet created, if you get the "Instructions Successfully Sent" check your email and set your new password. To learn how to navigate and use the portal without the introductory email, I recommend you post a topic here in the forum asking for the material.

[harrod]

Yes, I got a email - September 2022; however, sad to say, I didn't keep it.

[cct]

Silly chap!

[mister.moderator]

Yes, I got a email - September 2022; however, sad to say, I didn't keep it.

From the recent announcement for the community users:

"...Existing holders of community licenses for these architectures will get updates for those licenses and retain their access to the Service Portal until March 2025 for Alpha and December 2025 for Integrity. All outstanding requests for Alpha and Integrity community licenses will be declined...."

So if you are an existing Alpha/Itanium community license holder then you will get access to the Portal and to the final community licenses for Alpha/Itanium.

[whcox53]

Would someone who has gotten the VMDK like to provide a list of the layered products included for those of us still waiting? LSEDIT and SDL still hadn't shown up yet. And there was mention of a CDD replacement product coming soon.

[cct]

Would someone who has gotten the VMDK like to provide a list of the layered products included for those of us still waiting? LSEDIT and SDL still hadn't shown up yet. And there was mention of a CDD replacement product coming soon.

Code: Select all

$ type sys$update:VMSINSTAL.HISTORY

VMSINSTAL Product Installation History File

VMSINSTAL header format written on 18-MAR-2024

S = Success  HPC = HP  Signed  NA = Not Applicable  U = Unsigned
F = Failure  VSI = VSI Signed  NV = Not Validated

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Product Information                                                 | Installation Information
--------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------
Name                     | Mnemonic         | Version | Date        | Status| IVP   | Node   | Installer    | VALSIGN
--------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------
                         | PASCAL           |  6.3    | 18-MAR-2024 | S     | S     | V922   | SYSTEM       | VSI
$ prod show prod
------------------------------------ ----------- ---------
PRODUCT                              KIT TYPE    STATE
------------------------------------ ----------- ---------
VMSPORTS X86VMS PERL534 T5.34-0      Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS AVAIL_MAN_BASE V9.2-2     Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS C V7.5-9                  Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS CMS V4.8-9                Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS CXX V10.1-1               Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS DECNET_PLUS V9.2-E        Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS DECSET V13.0-1            Platform    Installed
VSI X86VMS DTM V4.5-6                Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS DWMOTIF V1.8              Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS DWMOTIF_SUPPORT V9.2-2    Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS ENVMGR V1.9-5             Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS FORTRAN V8.5-8            Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS KERBEROS V3.3-2A          Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS MMS V4.0-4                Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS OPENSSH V8.9-1G           Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS OPENVMS V9.2-2            Platform    Installed
VSI X86VMS SSL111 V1.1-1W            Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS SSL3 V3.0-11              Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS TCPIP V6.0-23             Full LP     Installed
VSI X86VMS VMS V9.2-2                Oper System Installed
------------------------------------ ----------- ---------

[sms]

Code: Select all

> $ prod show prod

   I did a quick (manual) comparison of products on one of my existing
x86_64 systems (V87) with those on a VMDK system (V922).  Differences:

      V87                             V922

   COBOL X3.2-1
   DCPS V2.8-2
   DECNET_PLUS V9.2-F              DECNET_PLUS V9.2-E
   OPENSSH V8.9-1H01               OPENSSH V8.9-1G
   TCPIP V6.0-24                   TCPIP V6.0-23
   VMS922X_PCSI V1.0
   VMS922X_UPDATE V1.0

   Not, in my opinion, a big improvement.

> [...] coming soon.

   Coming to whom?  Given the current state of Community access to
Packages on the Service Platform ("No packages to show"), it's not
immediately obvious (to me) how a peon like me would get access to
anything newer until the next VMDK arrives (next year?).  (I could use a
C++ compiler with a bug fix, for example.)

   For me, the entire value of the 5GB VMDK seems to be the 24KB .LDB.

[whcox53]

Well, that is disappointing to say the least. No Basic, Cobol, Pascal, Bliss, or X86 Assembler. Given that the expectation is that a new VMDK will be provided once a year, that leaves quite a bit out. And if they plan to make products available as they are released, I don't see how that would be less work than the previous regime of giving us access to the products in the service portal.

[sms]

Code: Select all

> [...] No Basic, Cobol, Pascal, Bliss, or X86 Assembler. [...]

   Pascal is there, but it's not a PCSI kit, so it doesn't appear in a
PRODUCT SHOW PRODUCT report.  Look for VMSINSTAL or Pascal, above.

[motk]

Well, that is disappointing to say the least. No Basic, Cobol, Pascal, Bliss, or X86 Assembler. Given that the expectation is that a new VMDK will be provided once a year, that leaves quite a bit out. And if they plan to make products available as they are released, I don't see how that would be less work than the previous regime of giving us access to the products in the service portal.

There's not a lot in there, full stop. Enough to bootstrap some basic stuff if you can spare the time, maybe install some of the provided vsi packages like apache, but you can't really do much out of the box but re-learn dcl and basic vms management.

I would've thought vsi would have devoted some time and love to at least keep the basic open source stuff rebuilt for x86. It's amazing that they've come so far and just sort of stumbled at the last jump.

[soutbarr]

I don't have use for any of them at the current time. Nor am I sure if it is technically allowed, so I installed one purely for the sake of testing it out. I kept all the packages I downloaded from the old method of distribution. It would install Cobol, Bliss and X86 Assembly and function. The Basic package gave errors when it did install on the previous years media, not like invalid license install but *shrugs*. It is a bright spot that maybe we won't have to wait a full year to get the media. Maybe they will just send emails throughout the year for us to download specific layered products like that.