SeamlessRDP - Using Two Systems and the Same Time - Solaris and Vista

Here is a demo of SeamlessRDP, using tsclient on Solaris to connect to a Vista desktop machine.



This is the Blastwave package. A simple "/opt/csw/bin/pkg-get install rdesktop" will do the trick.

ES40 - OpenSource Alpha AXP Emulator

I've already posted about other free Alpha or VAX emulators like PersonalAlpha (the free version of CHARON-AXP, also makers of CHARON-VAX) and SIMH. Now it's time for something open source, that will work on Windows and UNIX systems.

AlphaServer ES40 Emulator is a portable emulator for the HP (DEC, Compaq) AlphaServer ES40. The current version is capable of running OpenVMS with some limitations. The goal is to have a drop-in replacement for real ES40's. Emulates the Alpha AXP EV68CB processor and other devices.

Now you can run OpenVMS or Tru64 UNIX on your own personal computer.



The advantage of ES40 over PersonalAlpha is that you can emulate EV68 CPUs and a more modern system (AlphaServer ES40) and additional hardware. It's also open source, and will run on your Windows, Linux and UNIX machines. The problem is, it's no match for CHARON-AXP or PersonalAlpha in terms of performance.



You can even use ES40 to install other operating systems like BSD and Linux on Alpha.
Here's FreeBSD/alpha 6.3-RELEASE

Communigate Pro - Mail and Communications on OpenVMS

Communigate Pro is by far one of the best communications suite, and can easily replace even an Exchange / LCS / OCS suite (Unified Communications and all that). It can do clustering, VoIP, interface with Windows phones and has integrated WebMail, mailing lists, and so on.

The installation is pretty straight forward too. First, disable OpenVMS POP3 and IMAP services, and make sure nothing is running on port 8010 and 8100. Then unzip and proceed to install the POLYCENTER package.

$ PRODUCT INSTALL CGatePro

Once the installation is over, start CommuniGate Pro services and login to the administrative interface withing 15 minutes. Enjoy.

@SYS$COMMON:[CommuniGate]STARTUP.COM START



The WebMail is pretty nice too:



It also has Calendar function and a few themes (the XCHANGE one looks like OWA from Exchange).



By default, CommuniGate Pro supports the following features:

+ Mail + POP + IMAP + PWD + ACAP + WebMail + WebSite + Relay + Mobile + FTP
+ MAPI + TLS + S/MIME + LDAP + WebCAL + RADIUS + SIP + PBX + XMPP + XIMSS

Here's a screenshot of the WebMail SSL (HTTPS) interface with the XCHANGE skin:



So now you can have a fully encrypted, secure, highly available enterprise communications suite with E-Mail and VoIP features on your OpenVMS cluster :-).

HP OpenVMS Secure WebServer (Apache)

Now that we've tested WASD, we can also try HP Secure WebServer (ex Compaq WebServer). It's basically Apache + SSL and OpenVMS patches.

FTP upload or download or get the packages on the server.

$ DIR SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.hpweb]

Directory SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.hpweb]

CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-V0201-1-1.PCSI_SFX_AXPEXE;1

Total of 1 file.
$ SET DEF SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.hpweb]


$ RUN SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.hpweb]CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-

V0201-1-1.PCSI_SFX_AXPEXE;1
UnZipSFX 5.42 of 14 January 2001, by Info-ZIP (Zip-

Bugs@lists.wku.edu).
inflating: CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-V0201-1-

1.PCSI$COMPRESSED
inflating: CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-V0201-1-

1.PCSI$COMPRESSED_ESW


$ DIR/SIZE

Directory SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.hpweb]

CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-V0201-1-1.PCSI$COMPRESSED;1
24952
CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-V0201-1-1.PCSI$COMPRESSED_ESW;1
18
CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS-V0201-1-1.PCSI_SFX_AXPEXE;1
19887


$ PRODUCT INSTALL
_Product name (* to show list): *
The following product has been selected:
CPQ AXPVMS CSWS V2.1-1 Layered Product


Once the package is installed, configure it:

@SYS$MANAGER:APACHE$CONFIG

Now you can start apache:

$ @SYS$STARTUP:APACHE$STARTUP.COM

$ TELNET deimos 80
GET / HTTP/1.1
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:20:05 GMT
Server: Apache/2.0.52 (OpenVMS)


Let's say we'd like to patch our webserver instead, using Web Server Suite Software Patch Kits.

Stop Apache:

$ @SYS$STARTUP:APACHE$SHUTDOWN.COM

$ RUN CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS211_UPDATE-V0100--4.PCSI_SFX_AXPEXE;1
UnZipSFX 5.42 of 14 January 2001, by Info-ZIP (Zip-Bugs@lists.wku.edu).
inflating: CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS211_UPDATE-V0100--4.PCSI$COMPRESSED
inflating: CPQ-AXPVMS-CSWS211_UPDATE-V0100--4.PCSI$COMPRESSED_ESW
$ PRODUCT INSTALL
_Product name (* to show list): *

The following product has been selected:
CPQ AXPVMS CSWS211_UPDATE V1.0 Patch (remedial update)

[...]

The following product has been installed (and a recovery data set created):
CPQ AXPVMS CSWS211_UPDATE V1.0 Patch (maintenance update)

CPQ AXPVMS CSWS211_UPDATE V1.0: Functional update for CSWS V2.1-1

Post-installation tasks are not required.

Now you can start the webserver:

$ @SYS$STARTUP:APACHE$STARTUP

You can now just drop stuff in SYS$COMMON:[APACHE.HTDOCS]

WASD VMS Hypertext Services

Time to take a look at the "non-stop webserver", aka WASD VMS Hypertext Services.

To install this webserver, we're going to need the compiler suited we've previously installed (C and CXX-V products).

To install WASD, you need to download and unpack 2 images: HTROOT921.ZIP, the platform independent pack, and HTROOT921-AXP.ZIP (or VAX or IA64) - the platform specific files.

The installation process will largely go like this:

$ SET DEFAULT DKA0:[000000]
$ UNZIP "-V" SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.wasdkit]HTROOT921.ZIP;1
$ UNZIP "-V" SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.wasdkit]htroot921-axp.zip;1
$ @dka0:[HT_ROOT]INSTALL
$ @HT_ROOT:[INSTALL]DEMO.COM

%HTTPD-I-SOFTWAREID, HTTPd-WASD/9.2.1 OpenVMS/AXP SSL


The INSTALL procedure will take a while to compile then link the package. If you do not have the OpenVMS SSL product (Compaq/HP) you'll require the OpenSSL toolkit.

The C Programming Language

To program using the C Programming Language on OpenVMS, you need the DEC C compiler.

$ run CC073.DCX_AXPEXE;1
$ @SYS$UPDATE:VMSINSTAL
* Products: *

Then we test it:

SET TERMINAL/DEVICE=VT102
EDIT HELLO.C

#include "stdio.h"
int main()
{
printf("Hello, OpenVMS CC!");

return (0);
}

[End of file]


$ CC HELLO.C
$ LINK HELLO.OBJ
$ RUN HELLO.EXE
Hello, OpenVMS CC!


C++ is similar, but you need CXX instead of CC.

Kicking it up a gear with Oracle Rdb Server on OpenVMS

$ show system
OpenVMS V8.3 on node DEIMOS 8-MAR-2008 16:15:25.04 Uptime 0 13:09:50

Time to install a database server on this box :-). And nothing says "database" quite like Oracle Rdb (ex DEC product btw).

Grab Oracle Rdb, unzip it (unzip SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.RDBKIT]rdbv72200kit_amv.zip;1), and install it :-).

@SYS$UPDATE:VMSINSTAL RDBV72200AM SYS$SYSROOT:[SYSMGR.rdbkit]

Now we can restart the service, and create our database.

$ @SYS$MANAGER:RMONSTOP72.com
$ @SYS$STARTUP:RMONSTART72.COM

$ UCX show services

Service Port Proto Process Address State

BIND 53 TCP,UDP TCPIP$BIND 0.0.0.0 Disabled
FTP 21 TCP TCPIP$FTP 0.0.0.0 Enabled
IMAP 143 TCP TCPIP$IMAP 0.0.0.0 Enabled
POP 110 TCP TCPIP$POP 0.0.0.0 Enabled
RDBSERVER 611 TCP RDB72 0.0.0.0 Enabled
SSH 22 TCP TCPIP$SSH 0.0.0.0 Enabled
TELNET 23 TCP not defined 0.0.0.0 Enabled

$ run SYS$SYSTEM:SQL$72.exe
SQL> SHOW VERSION
Current version of SQL is: Oracle Rdb SQL V7.2-200
SQL> DROP DATABASE filename PRODUCTS;
SQL> CREATE DATABASE filename PRODUCTS;
SQL> CREATE TABLE clients
cont> (
cont> ClientID char(9)
cont> CONSTRAINT CL_ID
cont> PRIMARY KEY,
cont> FirstName varchar(25),
cont> LastName varchar(25)
cont> );
SQL> INSERT INTO clients VALUES ('1','Some','Guy');
1 row inserted
SQL> INSERT INTO clients VALUES

('2','Other','Bloke');
1 row inserted
SQL> SELECT * from clients;
CLIENTID FIRSTNAME LASTNAME
1 Some Guy
2 Other Bloke
2 rows selected
SQL>

All we have to do now is fire up Phobos and cluster them :-).

If you install SQL Services on the database server, you can install the Rdb Client on your Windows box in order to administer Oracle Rdb on OpenVMS.

Installing Java 1.5 JDK on OpenVMS 8.3 Alpha

I've already covered ancient version of Java and OpenVMS, now it's time for something more recent. Just grab the latest Java 1.5 JDK for OpenVMS from HP.

$ RUN DEC-AXPVMS-JAVA150-V0105-3-1.PCSI_SFX_AXPEXE

$ PRODUCT INSTALL JAVA150 /SOURCE=SYS$SYSROOT:

[SYSMGR] /NORECOVERY_MODE

$ PRODUCT EXTRACT FILE JAVA150 /SOURCE=SYS$SYSROOT:

[SYSMGR] /SELECT=RELEASE_NOTES.HTML /DEST=[]

$ @JAVA$150_SETUP.COM;1

$ java -version
java version "1.5.0"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition
Classic VM (build 1.5.0-3, 03/01/2007-14:39, native
threads, jit)

$ javac -version
javac 1.5.0

$ SET TERMINAL/DEVICE=VT102

$ EDIT hello.java
class HelloWorldApp {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello, OpenVMS!");
}
}
^z

$ javac hello.java

$ java hello
Hello, OpenVMS!

SSH X11 Redirection on OpenVMS and Using XMing and putty for Windows Clients

Wanna run some graphical OpenVMS applications? ssh -x or use Putty + MingW :-). X11 Forwarding is simple and easy to use. Just enable SSH on your OpenVMS box (UCX ENABLE SERVICE SSH) and make sure you've got proper keys generated.



You can also just start individual applications.

Steve Wozniak - iWoz

Here's a great talk by Steve Wozniak (the guy that co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs). He's the guy that created Apple I and Apple II.



He talks about his life, and how Steve Jobs lived the life of a hippie, etc :-). Cool stuff. Plus, he's a great engineer.

"Where really smart people work, there's generally doors unlocked"
Steve Wozniak - on how he managed to obtain documentation to learn stuff.