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1 | Perl 5 README file for the Stratus VOS operating system. |
2 | Paul Green (Paul_Green@stratus.com) | |
3 | August 12, 1998 | |
4 | ||
5 | Introduction | |
6 | ------------ | |
7 | This is a port of Perl version 5, revision 005-02, to VOS. Perl | |
8 | is a scripting or macro language that is popular on many | |
9 | systems. See your local computer bookstore for a number of good | |
10 | books on Perl. | |
11 | ||
12 | Most of the Perl features should work on VOS. However, any | |
13 | attempt by perl.pm to call the following unimplemented POSIX | |
14 | functions will result in an error message and an immediate and | |
15 | fatal call to the VOS debugger. They are "dup", "execlp", | |
16 | "execl", "execvp", "fork", and "waitpid". | |
17 | ||
18 | Compiling Perl 5 on VOS | |
19 | ----------------------- | |
20 | Before you can build Perl 5 on VOS, you need to have or acquire the | |
21 | following additional items. | |
22 | ||
23 | 1. The VOS Standard C Compiler and Runtime, or the VOS Standard C | |
24 | Cross-Compiler. This is a standard Stratus product. | |
25 | ||
26 | 2. The VOS OS TCP/IP product set. While the necessary header files | |
27 | are included in this distribution, you still need the appropriate | |
28 | object files in order to bind perl.pm. This is a standard | |
29 | Stratus product. | |
30 | ||
31 | 3. The VOS POSIX.1 environment. As of this writing, this is | |
32 | available on the VOS FTP site. Login to ftp.stratus.com | |
33 | anonymously and get the file /pub/vos/alpha/posix.save.evf.gz in | |
34 | binary file-transfer mode. Or use the Uniform Resource Locator | |
35 | (URL) ftp://ftp.stratus.com/pub/vos/alpha/posix.save.evf.gz from | |
36 | your web browser. This is not a standard Stratus product. | |
37 | ||
38 | To build build 5, change to one of the VOS object directories | |
39 | (e.g., perl5.005_02>vos>obj), and give the command "<build". If | |
40 | you have the cross-compilers and wish to build for a specific | |
41 | architecture, say "<build -processor pa7100" (for example). You | |
42 | can also customize the "compile_perl.cm" command macro for your | |
43 | system. | |
44 | ||
45 | Changes to Perl for VOS | |
46 | ----------------------- | |
47 | 1. The header perl.h was changed to include vosish.h instead | |
48 | of unixish.h. This change is necessary because VOS POSIX.1 | |
49 | does not (yet) implement the getgrname() or getgrgid() | |
50 | functions. | |
51 | ||
52 | Unimplemented Features | |
53 | ---------------------- | |
54 | If Perl 5 attempts to call an unimplemented VOS POSIX.1 | |
55 | function, it will print a fatal error message and enter the VOS | |
56 | debugger. This error is not recoverable. See vos_dummies.c for | |
57 | a list of the unimplemented POSIX.1 functions. To see what the | |
58 | error message looks like, compile and execute | |
59 | "test_vos_dummies.c". | |
60 | ||
61 | Restrictions | |
62 | ------------ | |
63 | This port of Perl version 5 to VOS uses Unix-style, | |
64 | slash-separated pathnames, not VOS-style greater-than-separated | |
65 | pathnames. If you wish to have it use VOS-style pathnames, try | |
66 | setting the external variable s$c_options to 4 with the | |
67 | following command line. Note that this way of configuring Perl | |
68 | 5 has not been tested; I don't know if Perl can handle the | |
69 | presence of the greater-thans, and the absence of the slashes. | |
70 | ||
71 | set_external_variable s$c_options -in perl.pm -type integer -to 4 | |
72 | ||
73 | The following command can be used to check the value: | |
74 | ||
75 | get_external_variable s$c_options -in perl.pm -type integer | |
76 | ||
77 | See the documentation for VOS POSIX.1 for the full set of option | |
78 | values. | |
79 | ||
80 | Support Status | |
81 | -------------- | |
82 | I'm offering this port "as is". You can ask me questions, but I | |
83 | can't guarantee I'll be able to answer them; I don't know much | |
84 | about Perl itself; I'm still learning that. | |
85 | ||
86 | (end) | |
87 |