-Last Revised 11-September-1997 by Dan Sugalski <sugalsd@lbcc.cc.or.us>
-Originally by Charles Bailey <bailey@newman.upenn.edu>
+If you read this file _as_is_, just ignore the equal signs on the left.
+This file is written in the POD format (see [.POD]PERLPOD.POD;1) which is
+specially designed to be readable as is.
-* Intro
+=head1 NAME
+
+perlvms - Configuring, building, testing, and installing perl on VMS
+
+=head1 SYNOPSIS
+
+To configure, build, test, and install perl on VMS:
+
+ @configure
+ mmk
+ mmk test
+ mmk install
+
+=head1 DESCRIPTION
+
+=head2 Important safety tip
+
+For best results, make sure you read the "Configuring the Perl Build",
+"Building Perl", and "Installing Perl" sections of this document before
+you build or install. Also please note other changes in the current
+release by having a look at L<perldelta/VMS>.
+
+=head2 Introduction to Perl on VMS
The VMS port of Perl is as functionally complete as any other Perl port
(and as complete as the ports on some Unix systems). The Perl binaries
provide all the Perl system calls that are either available under VMS or
-reasonably emulated. There are some incompatibilites in process handling
-(e.g the fork/exec model for creating subprocesses doesn't do what you
+reasonably emulated. There are some incompatibilities in process handling
+(e.g. the fork/exec model for creating subprocesses doesn't do what you
might expect under Unix), mainly because VMS and Unix handle processes and
sub-processes very differently.
-There are still some unimplemented system functions, and of coursse we
+There are still some unimplemented system functions, and of course we
could use modules implementing useful VMS system services, so if you'd like
-to lend a hand we'd love to have you. Join the Perl Porting Team Now!
+to lend a hand we'd love to have you. Join the Perl Porting Team Now!
+
+=head2 Other required software for Compiling Perl on VMS
+
+In addition to VMS and DCL you will need three things:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item 1 A C compiler.
+
+HP (formerly Compaq, more formerly DEC) C for VMS (VAX, Alpha, or Itanium).
+Various ancient versions of DEC C had some caveats, so if you're using a
+version older than 7.x on Alpha or Itanium or 6.x on VAX, you may need to
+upgrade to get a successful build.
+
+There have been no recent reports of builds using Gnu C, but latent
+(and most likely outdated) support for it is still present in various
+parts of the sources.
+
+There is rudimentary but not quite complete support for HP C++; to try it out,
+configure with C<-"Dusecxx" -"Duser_c_flags=/WARN=INFORMATIONAL=NOCTOBUTCONREFM">.
+
+=item 2 A make tool.
+
+You will need the free MMS analog MMK (available from
+L<http://ftp.endlesssoftware.com.au/mmk/kits/> or
+L<https://github.com/endlesssoftware/mmk>). HP's MMS has not been known to work for
+some time as Perl's automatically-generated description files are too complex for it,
+but MMS support may return in the future. Gnu Make might work, but it's been so long
+since anyone's tested it that we're not sure.
+
+=item 3 ODS-5 and Extended Parse
+
+All development and testing of Perl on VMS takes place on ODS-5 volumes with
+extended parse enabled in the environment via the command C<SET PROCESS/PARSE=EXTENDED>.
+Latent support for ODS-2 volumes (including on VAX) is still present, but the number
+of components that require ODS-5 features is steadily growing and ODS-2 support may be
+completely removed in a future release.
-The current sources and build procedures have been tested on a VAX using
-VaxC and Dec C, and on an AXP using Dec C. If you run into problems with
-other compilers, please let us know.
-There are issues with varions versions of Dec C, so if you're not running a
-relatively modern version, check the Dec C issues section later on in this
-document.
+=back
-* Other required software
+=head2 Additional software that is optional for Perl on VMS
-In addition to VMS, you'll need:
- 1) A C compiler. Dec C for AXP, or VAX C, Dec C, or gcc for the
- VAX.
- 2) A make tool. Dec's MMS (v2.6 or later), or MadGoat's free MMS
- analog MMK (available from ftp.madgoat.com/madgoat) both work
- just fine. Gnu Make might work, but it's been so long since
- anyone's tested it that we're not sure. MMK's free, though, so
- go ahead and use that.
+You may also want to have on hand:
+=over 4
-If you want to include socket support, you'll need a TCP stack and either
-Dec C, or socket libraries. See the Socket Support topic for more details.
+=item 1 gunzip/gzip for VMS
-* Compiling Perl
+A de-compressor for *.gz and *.tgz files available from a number
+of web/ftp sites such as:
->From the top level of the Perl source directory, do this:
+ L<http://www.antinode.info/dec/sw/gzip.html>
+ L<http://vms.process.com/scripts/fileserv/fileserv.com?GZIP>
-MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS
+=item 2 VMS tar
-If you're on an Alpha, add /Macro=("__AXP__=1","decc=1")
-If you're using Dec C as your C compiler (you are on all alphas), add
-/Macro=("decc=1")
-If Vac C is your default C compiler and you want to use Dec C, add
-/Macro=("CC=CC/DECC") (Don't forget the /macro=("decc=1")
-If Dec C is your default C compiler and you want to use Vax C, add
-/Macro=("CC=CC/VAXC")
-If you want Socket support and are using the SOCKETSHR socket library, add
-/Macro=("SOCKETSHR_SOCKETS=1")
-If you want Socket support and are using the Dec C RTL socket interface
-(You must be using Dec C for this), add /Macro=("DECC_SOCKETS=1")
+For reading and writing Unix tape archives (*.tar files). Vmstar is also
+available from a number of sites such as:
-If you have multiple /macro= items, combine them together in one /Macro=()
-switch, with all the options inside the parentheses separated by commas.
+ L<http://www.antinode.info/dec/sw/vmstar.html>
+ L<http://vms.process.com/scripts/fileserv/fileserv.com?VMSTAR>
-Samples:
+A port of GNU tar is also available as part of the GNV package:
-VMS AXP, with Socketshr sockets:
+ L<http://h71000.www7.hp.com/opensource/gnv.html>
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("decc=1","__AXP__=1","SOCKETSHR_SOCKETS=1")
+=item 3 unzip for VMS
-VMS AXP with no sockets
+A combination decompressor and archive reader/writer for *.zip files.
+Unzip is available from a number of web/ftp sites.
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("decc=1","__AXP__=1")
+ L<http://www.info-zip.org/UnZip.html>
+ L<http://www.hp.com/go/openvms/freeware/>
+ L<http://vms.process.com/fileserv-software.html>
-VMS AXP with the Dec C RTL sockets
+=item 5 GNU patch and diffutils for VMS
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]/Macro=("decc=1","__AXP__=1","DECC_SOCKETS=1")
+Patches to Perl are usually distributed as GNU unified or contextual diffs.
+Such patches are created by the GNU diff program (part of the diffutils
+distribution) and applied with GNU patch. VMS ports of these utilities are
+available here:
-VMS VAX with default system compiler, no sockets
+ L<http://www.antinode.info/dec/sw/diffutils.html>
+ L<http://vms.pdv-systeme.de/users/martinv/gnupatch.zip>
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS
+=back
-VMS VAX with Dec C compiler, no sockets
+Please note that unzip and gunzip are not the same thing (they work with
+different formats). Many of the useful files from CPAN (the Comprehensive
+Perl Archive Network) are in *.tar.gz or *.tgz format (this includes copies
+of the source code for perl as well as modules and scripts that you may
+wish to add later) hence you probably want to have GUNZIP.EXE and
+VMSTAR.EXE on your VMS machine.
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("CC=CC/DECC","decc=1")
+If you want to include socket support, you'll need a TCP/IP stack and either
+DEC C, or socket libraries. See the "Socket Support (optional)" topic
+for more details.
-VMS VAX with Dec C compiler, Dec C RTL sockets
+=head1 Unpacking the Perl source code
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("CC=CC/DECC","decc=1","DECC_SOCKETS=1")
+You may need to set up a foreign symbol for the unpacking utility of
+choice. Once you have done so, use a command like the following to
+unpack the archive:
-VMS VAX with Dec C compiler, Socketshr sockets
+ vmstar -xvf perl-5^.19^.4.tar
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("CC=CC/DECC","decc=1","SOCKETSHR_SOCKETS=1")
+Then set default to the top-level source directory like so:
-Using Dec C is recommended over Vax C. The compiler is newer, and
-supported. (Vax C was decommisioned around 1993) Various older versions had
-some gotchas, so if you're using a version older than 5.2, check the Dec C
-Issues section.
+ set default [.perl-5^.19^.4]
-We'll also point out that Dec C will get you at least a ten-fold increase
-in line-oriented IO over Vax C. The optimizer is amazingly better, too. If
-you can use Dec C, then you *really*, *really* should.
+and proceed with configuration as described in the next section.
-Once you issue your MMS command, sit back and wait. Perl should build and
-link without a problem. If it doesn't, check the Gotchas to watch out for
-section. If that doesn't help, send some mail to the VMSPERL mailing list.
-Instructions are in the Mailing Lists section.
+=head1 Configuring the Perl build
-* Testing Perl
+To configure perl (a necessary first step), issue the command
-Once Perl has built cleanly, you need to test it to make sure things work.
-This step is very important--there are always things that can go wrong
-somehow and get you a dysfunctional Perl.
+ @configure.com
+
+from the top of an unpacked perl source directory. You will be asked a
+series of questions, and the answers to them (along with the capabilities
+of your C compiler and network stack) will determine how perl is custom-
+built for your machine.
+
+If you have any symbols or logical names in your environment that may
+interfere with the build or regression testing of perl then F<configure.com>
+will try to warn you about them. If a logical name is causing
+you trouble but is in an LNM table that you do not have write access to
+then try defining your own to a harmless equivalence string in a table
+such that it is resolved before the other (e.g. if TMP is defined in the
+SYSTEM table then try DEFINE TMP "NL:" or somesuch in your process table)
+otherwise simply deassign the dangerous logical names. The potentially
+troublesome logicals and symbols include:
+
+ COMP "LOGICAL"
+ EXT "LOGICAL"
+ FOO "LOGICAL"
+ LIB "LOGICAL"
+ LIST "LOGICAL"
+ MIME "LOGICAL"
+ POSIX "LOGICAL"
+ SYS "LOGICAL"
+ T "LOGICAL"
+ THREAD "LOGICAL"
+ THREADS "LOGICAL"
+ TIME "LOGICAL"
+ TMP "LOGICAL"
+ UNICODE "LOGICAL"
+ UTIL "LOGICAL"
+ TEST "SYMBOL"
+
+As a handy shortcut, the command:
+
+ @configure "-des"
+
+(note the quotation marks and case) will choose reasonable defaults
+automatically. Some options can be given explicitly on the command line;
+the following example specifies a non-default location for where Perl
+will be installed:
+
+ @configure "-d" "-Dprefix=dka100:[utils.perl5.]"
+
+Note that the installation location would be by default where you unpacked
+the source with a "_ROOT." appended. For example if you unpacked the perl
+source into:
+
+ F<DKA200:[PERL-5^.18^.0...]>
+
+Then the F<PERL_SETUP.COM> that gets written out by F<configure.com> will
+try to DEFINE your installation PERL_ROOT to be:
+
+ F<DKA200:[PERL-5^.18^.0_ROOT.]>
+
+More help with configure.com is available from:
+
+ @configure "-h"
+
+If you find yourself reconfiguring and rebuilding then be sure to also follow
+the advice in the "Cleaning up and starting fresh (optional)" and the checklist
+of items in the "CAVEATS" sections below.
+
+=head2 Changing compile-time options (optional) for Perl on VMS
+
+Most of the user-definable features of Perl are enabled or disabled in
+configure.com, which processes the hints file config_h.SH. There is
+code in there to Do The Right Thing, but that may end up being the
+wrong thing for you. Make sure you understand what you are doing since
+inappropriate changes to configure.com or config_h.SH can render perl
+unbuildable; odds are that there's nothing in there you'll need to
+change. Note also that non-default options are tested less than default
+options, so you may end up being more of a pioneer than you intend to be.
+
+=head2 Socket Support (optional) for Perl on VMS
+
+Perl includes a number of functions for IP sockets, which are available if
+you choose to compile Perl with socket support. It does this via the socket
+routines built into the CRTL regarless of which TCP/IP stack your system
+has.
+
+=head1 Building Perl
+
+The configuration script will print out, at the very end, the MMS or MMK
+command you need to compile perl. Issue it (exactly as printed) to start
+the build.
+
+Once you issue your MMS or MMK command, sit back and wait. Perl should
+compile and link without a problem. If a problem does occur check the
+"CAVEATS" section of this document. If that does not help send some
+mail to the VMSPERL mailing list. Instructions are in the L<"Mailing Lists">
+section of this document.
+
+=head1 Testing Perl
+
+Once Perl has built cleanly you need to test it to make sure things work.
+This step is very important since there are always things that can go wrong
+somehow and yield a dysfunctional Perl for you.
Testing is very easy, though, as there's a full test suite in the perl
-distribution. To run the tests, enter the *exact* MMS line you used to
+distribution. To run the tests, enter the I<exact> MMS line you used to
compile Perl and add the word "test" to the end, like this:
-Compile Command:
+If the compile command was:
+
+ MMK
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("__AXP__=1","decc=1","DECCRTL_SOCKETS=1")
+then the test command ought to be:
-Test Command:
+ MMK test
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("__AXP__=1","decc=1","DECCRTL_SOCKETS=1") test
+MMK (or MMS) will run all the tests. This may take some time, as there are
+a lot of tests. If any tests fail, there will be a note made on-screen.
+At the end of all the tests, a summary of the tests, the number passed and
+failed, and the time taken will be displayed.
-MMS will run all the tests. This may take some time, as there are a lot of
-tests. If any tests fail, there will be a note made on-screen. At the end
-of all the tests, a summary of the tests, the number passed and failed, and
-the time taken will be displayed.
+The test driver invoked via MMK TEST has a DCL wrapper ([.VMS]TEST.COM) that
+downgrades privileges to NETMBX, TMPMBX for the duration of the test run,
+and then restores them to their prior state upon completion of testing.
+This is done to ensure that the tests run in a private sandbox and can do no
+harm to your system even in the unlikely event something goes badly wrong in
+one of the test scripts while running the tests from a privileged account.
+A side effect of this safety precaution is that the account used to run the
+test suite must be the owner of the directory tree in which Perl has been
+built; otherwise the manipulations of temporary files and directories
+attempted by some of the tests will fail.
-If any tests fail, it means something's wrong with Perl. If the test suite
+If any tests fail, it means something is wrong with Perl, or at least
+with the particular module or feature that reported failure. If the test suite
hangs (some tests can take upwards of two or three minutes, or more if
-you're on an especially slow machine, depending on you machine speed, so
-don't be hasty), then the test *after* the last one displayed failed. Don't
+you're on an especially slow machine, depending on your machine speed, so
+don't be hasty), then the test I<after> the last one displayed failed. Don't
install Perl unless you're confident that you're OK. Regardless of how
confident you are, make a bug report to the VMSPerl mailing list.
-If one or more tests fail, you can get more info on the failure by issuing
-this command sequence:
+If one or more tests fail, you can get more information on the failure by
+issuing this command sequence:
-$ SET DEFAULT [.T]
-$ @[-.VMS]TEST .typ -v [.subdir]test.T
+ @[.vms]test .typ "" "-v" [.subdir]test.t
where ".typ" is the file type of the Perl images you just built (if you
-didn't do anything special, use .EXE), and "[.subdir]test.T" is the test
+didn't do anything special, use .EXE), and "[.subdir]test.t" is the test
that failed. For example, with a normal Perl build, if the test indicated
-that [.op]time failed, then you'd do this:
+that t/op/time failed, then you'd do this:
+
+ @ .vms]test .EXE "" "-v" [.OP]TIME.t
-$ SET DEFAULT [.T]
-$ @[-.VMS]TEST .EXE -v [.OP]TIME.T
+Note that test names are reported in UNIX syntax and relative to the
+top-level build directory. When supplying them individually to the test
+driver, you can use either UNIX or VMS syntax, but you must give the path
+relative to the [.t] directory and you must also add the .t extension to the
+filename. So, for example if the test lib/Math/Trig fails, you would run:
+
+ @[.vms]test .EXE "" -"v" [-.lib.math]trig.t
When you send in a bug report for failed tests, please include the output
from this command, which is run from the main source directory:
-MCR []MINIPERL "-V"
+ MCR []MINIPERL "-Ilib" "-V"
+
+Note that -"V" really is a capital V in double quotes. This will dump out a
+couple of screens worth of configuration information, and can help us
+diagnose the problem. If (and only if) that did not work then try enclosing
+the output of:
-Note that "-V" really is a capital V in double quotes. This will dump out a
-couple of screens worth of config info, and can help us diagnose the problem.
+ MMK printconfig
-* Cleaning up and starting fresh
+If (and only if) that did not work then try enclosing the output of:
+
+ @[.vms]myconfig
+
+You may also be asked to provide your C compiler version ("CC/VERSION NL:"
+with DEC C, "gcc --version" with GNU CC). To obtain the version of MMS or
+MMK you are running try "MMS/ident" or "MMK /ident". The GNU make version
+can be identified with "make --version".
+
+=head2 Cleaning up and starting fresh (optional) installing Perl on VMS
If you need to recompile from scratch, you have to make sure you clean up
-first. There's a procedure to do it--enter the *exact* MMS line you used to
-compile and add "realclean" at the end, like this:
+first. There is a procedure to do it--enter the I<exact> MMK line you used
+to compile and add "realclean" at the end, like this:
-Compile Command:
+if the compile command was:
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("__AXP__=1","decc=1","DECCRTL_SOCKETS=1")
+ MMK
-Cleanup Command:
+then the cleanup command ought to be:
-$MMS/DESCRIP=[.VMS]DESCRIP.MMS/Macro=("__AXP__=1","decc=1","DECCRTL_SOCKETS=1") realclean
+ MMK realclean
-If you don't do this, things may behave erratically. They might not, too,
-so it's best to be sure and do it.
+If you do not do this things may behave erratically during the subsequent
+rebuild attempt. They might not, too, so it is best to be sure and do it.
-* Installing Perl
+=head1 Installing Perl
There are several steps you need to take to get Perl installed and
-running. At some point we'll have a working install in DESCRIP.MMS, but for
-right now the procedure's manual, and goes like this.
+running.
-1) Create a directory somewhere and define the concealed logical PERL_ROOT
-to point to it. For example, DEFINE/TRANS=(CONC,TERM) PERL_ROOT dka200:[perl.]
+=over 4
-2) Copy perl.exe into PERL_ROOT:[000000]
+=item 1
-3) Copy everything in [.LIB] and [.UTILS] (including all the
-subdirectories!) to PERL_ROOT:[LIB] and PERL_ROOT:[UTILS].
+Check your default file protections with
-4) Either copy PERLSHR.EXE to SYS$SHARE, or to somewhere globally accessble
-and define the logical PERLSHR to point to it (DEFINE PERLSHR
-PERL_ROOT:[000000]PERLSHR.EXE or something like that). The PerlShr image
-should have W:RE protections on it. (Just W:E triggers increased security in
-the image activator. Not a huge problem, but Perl will need to have any
-other shared image it accesses INSTALLed. It's a huge pain, so don't unless
-you know what you're doing)
+ SHOW PROTECTION /DEFAULT
-5) Either define the symbol PERL somewhere, such as
-SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGIN.COM, to be "PERL :== $PERL_ROOT:[000000]PERL.EXE", or
-install Perl into DCLTABLES.EXE )Check out the section "Installing Perl
-into DCLTABLES" for more info), or put the image in a directory that's in
-your DCL$PATH (if you're using VMS 6.2 or higher).
+and adjust if necessary with C<SET PROTECTION=(code)/DEFAULT>.
-6) Optionally define the command PERLDOC as
-PERLDOC :== $PERL_ROOT:[000000]PERL PERL_ROOT:[LIB.POD]PERLDOC.COM -T
-Note that if you wish to use most as a pager please see
-ftp://space.mit.edu/pub/davis/ for both most and slang.
+=item 2
-7) Optionally define the command PERLBUG (the Perl bug report generator) as
-PERLBUG :== $PERL_ROOT:[000000]PERL PERL_ROOT:[LIB]PERLBUG.COM"
+Decide where you want Perl to be installed (unless you have already done so
+by using the "prefix" configuration parameter -- see the example in the
+"Configuring the Perl build" section).
-8) Optionally define the command POD2MAN (Converts POD files to nroff
-source suitable for converting to man pages. Also quiets complaints during
-module builds) as
+The DCL script PERL_SETUP.COM that is written by configure.com will help you
+with the definition of the PERL_ROOT and PERLSHR logical names and the PERL
+foreign command symbol. Take a look at PERL_SETUP.COM and modify it if you
+want to. The installation process will execute PERL_SETUP.COM and copy
+files to the directory tree pointed to by the PERL_ROOT logical name defined
+there, so make sure that you have write access to the parent directory of
+what will become the root of your Perl installation.
-DEFINE/NOLOG POD2MAN PERL_ROOT:[LIB.POD]POD2MAN.COM
-POD2MAN :== $PERL_ROOT:[000000]PERL POD2MAN
+=item 3
-8) Optionally define the command POD2MAN (Converts POD files to nroff
-source suitable for converting to man pages. Also quiets complaints during
-module builds) as
+Run the install script via:
-DEFINE/NOLOG POD2MAN PERL_ROOT:[LIB.POD]POD2MAN.COM
-POD2MAN :== $PERL_ROOT:[000000]PERL POD2MAN
+ MMK install
-* Installing Perl into DCLTABLES
+If for some reason it complains about target INSTALL being up to date,
+throw a /FORCE switch on the MMS or MMK command.
-Courtesy of Brad Hughes:
+=back
-Put the following, modified to reflect where your .exe is, in PERL.CLD:
+Installation will copy F<PERL_SETUP.COM> to the root of your installation
+tree. If you want to give everyone on the system access to Perl (and you
+have, for example, installed to F<dsa0:[utils.perl_root]>) then add a line
+that reads:
-define verb perl
-image perl_root:[exe]perl.exe
-cliflags (foreign)
+ $ @dsa0:[utils.perl_root]perl_setup
-and then
+to F<SYS$MANAGER:SYLOGIN.COM>. Or for your own use only, simply place
+that line in F<SYS$LOGIN:LOGIN.COM>.
-$ set command perl /table=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables.exe -
- /output=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables.exe
-$ install replace sys$common:[syslib]dcltables.exe
+Two alternatives to the foreign symbol would be to install PERL into
+DCLTABLES.EXE (Check out the section "Installing Perl into DCLTABLES
+(optional)" for more information), or put the image in a
+directory that's in your DCL$PATH.
-and you don't need perl :== $perl_root:[exe]perl.exe.
+See also the "INSTALLing images (optional)" section.
-* Changing compile-time things
+=head2 Installing Perl into DCLTABLES (optional) on VMS
-Most of the user-definable features of Perl are enabled or disabled in
-[.VMS]CONFIG.VMS. There's code in there to Do The Right Thing, but that may
-end up being the wrong thing for you. Make sure you understand what you're
-doing, since changes here can get you a busted perl.
+Execute the following command file to define PERL as a DCL command.
+You'll need CMKRNL privilege to install the new dcltables.exe.
-Odds are that there's nothing here to change, unless you're on a version of
-VMS later than 6.2 and Dec C later than 5.6. Even if you are, the correct
-values will still be chosen, most likely. Poking around here should be
-unnecessary.
+ $ create perl.cld
+ !
+ ! modify to reflect location of your perl.exe
+ !
+ define verb perl
+ image perl_root:[000000]perl.exe
+ cliflags (foreign)
+ $!
+ $ set command perl /table=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables.exe -
+ /output=sys$common:[syslib]dcltables.exe
+ $ install replace sys$common:[syslib]dcltables.exe
+ $ exit
-The one exception is the various *DIR install locations. Changing those
-requires changes in genconfig.pl as well. Be really careful if you need to
-change these,a s they can cause some fairly subtle problems.
+=head2 INSTALLing Perl images (optional) on VMS
-* Extra things in the Perl distribution
+On systems that are using perl quite a bit, and particularly those with
+minimal RAM, you can boost the performance of perl by INSTALLing it as
+a known image. PERLSHR.EXE is typically larger than 3000 blocks
+and that is a reasonably large amount of IO to load each time perl is
+invoked.
-In addition to the standard stuff that gets installed, there are two
-optional extensions, DCLSYM and STDIO, that are handy. Instructions for
-these two modules are in [.VMS.EXT.DCLSYM] and [.VMS.EXT.STDIO],
-respectively.
+ INSTALL ADD PERLSHR/SHARE
+ INSTALL ADD PERL/HEADER
-* Socket Support
+should be enough for F<PERLSHR.EXE> (/share implies /header and /open),
+while /HEADER should do for FPERL.EXE> (perl.exe is not a shared image).
-Perl includes a number of functions for IP sockets, which are available if
-you choose to compile Perl with socket support. (See the section Compiling
-Perl for more info on selecting a socket stack) Since IP networking is an
-optional addition to VMS, there are several different IP stacks
-available. How well integrated they are into the system depends on the
-stack, your version of VMS, and the version of your C compiler.
-
-The most portable solution uses the SOCKETSHR library. In combination with
-either UCX or NetLib, this supports all the major TCP stacks (Multinet,
-Pathways, TCPWare, UCX, and CMU) on all versions of VMS Perl runs on, with
-all the compilers on both VAX and Alpha. The socket interface is also
-consistent across versions of VMS and C compilers. It has a problem with
-UDP sockets when used with Multinet, though, so you should be aware of
-that.
-
-The other solution available is to use the socket routines built into Dec
-C. Which routines are available depend on the version of VMS you're
-running, and require proper UCX emulation by your TCP/IP vendor.
-Relatively current versions of Multinet, TCPWare, Pathway, and UCX all
-provide the required libraries--check your manuals or release notes to see
-if your version is new enough.
-
-* Reporting Bugs
+If your code 'use's modules, check to see if there is a shareable image for
+them, too. In the base perl build, POSIX, IO, Fcntl, Opcode, SDBM_File,
+DCLsym, and Stdio, and other extensions all have shared images that can be
+installed /SHARE.
+
+How much of a win depends on your memory situation, but if you are firing
+off perl with any regularity (like more than once every 20 seconds or so)
+it is probably beneficial to INSTALL at least portions of perl.
+
+While there is code in perl to remove privileges as it runs you are advised
+to NOT INSTALL F<PERL.EXE> with PRIVs!
+
+=head2 Running h2ph to create perl header files (optional) on VMS
+
+If using HP C, ensure that you have extracted loose versions of your
+compiler's header or *.H files. Be sure to check the contents of:
+
+ SYS$LIBRARY:DECC$RTLDEF.TLB
+ SYS$LIBRARY:SYS$LIB_C.TLB
+ SYS$LIBRARY:SYS$STARLET_C.TLB
+
+etcetera.
+
+If using GNU cc then also check your GNU_CC:[000000...] tree for the locations
+of the GNU cc headers.
+
+=head1 Reporting Bugs
If you come across what you think might be a bug in Perl, please report
it. There's a script in PERL_ROOT:[UTILS], perlbug, that walks you through
the process of creating a bug report. This script includes details of your
installation, and is very handy. Completed bug reports should go to
-PERLBUG@PERL.COM.
+perlbug@perl.com.
-* Gotchas to watch out for
+=head1 CAVEATS
Probably the single biggest gotcha in compiling Perl is giving the wrong
-switches to MMS/MMK when you build. If Perl's building oddly, double-check
-your switches. If you're on a VAX, be sure to add a /Macro=("decc=1") if
-you're using Dec C, and if you're on an alpha and using MMS, you'll need a
-/Macro=("__AXP__=1")
-
-The next big gotcha is directory depth. Perl can create directories four
-and five levels deep during the build, so you don't have to be too deep to
-start to hit the RMS 8 level point. It's best to do a
-$DEFINE/TRANS=(CONC,TERM) PERLSRC disk:[dir.dir.dir.perldir.]" (note the
-trailing period) and $SET DEFAULT PERLSRC:[000000] before building. Perl
-modules can be just as bad (or worse), so watch out for them, too.
-
-Finally, the third thing that bites people is leftover pieces from a failed
-build. If things go wrong, make sure you do a "(MMK|MMS|make) realclean"
+switches to MMS/MMK when you build. Use I<exactly> what the configure.com
+script prints!
+
+Be sure that the process that you use to build perl has a PGFLQ greater
+than 100000. Be sure to have a correct local time zone to UTC offset
+defined (in seconds) in the logical name SYS$TIMEZONE_DIFFERENTIAL before
+running the regression test suite. The SYS$MANAGER:UTC$CONFIGURE_TDF.COM
+procedure will help you set that logical for your system but may require
+system privileges. For example, a location 5 hours west of UTC (such as
+the US East coast while not on daylight savings time) would have:
+
+ DEFINE SYS$TIMEZONE_DIFFERENTIAL "-18000"
+
+A final thing that causes trouble is leftover pieces from a failed
+build. If things go wrong make sure you do a "(MMK|MMS|make) realclean"
before you rebuild.
-* Dec C issues
-
-Note to DECC users: Some early versions (pre-5.2, some pre-4. If you're Dec
-C 5.x or higher, with current patches if anym you're fine) of the DECCRTL
-contained a few bugs which affect Perl performance:
- - Newlines are lost on I/O through pipes, causing lines to run together.
- This shows up as RMS RTB errors when reading from a pipe. You can
- work around this by having one process write data to a file, and
- then having the other read the file, instead of the pipe. This is
- fixed in version 4 of DECC.
- - The modf() routine returns a non-integral value for some values above
- INT_MAX; the Perl "int" operator will return a non-integral value in
- these cases. This is fixed in version 4 of DECC.
- - On the AXP, if SYSNAM privilege is enabled, the CRTL chdir() routine
- changes the process default device and directory permanently, even
- though the call specified that the change should not persist after
- Perl exited. This is fixed by DEC CSC patch AXPACRT04_061.
-
-* Mailing Lists
-
-There are several mailing lists available to the Perl porter. For VMS
+=head2 GNU issues with Perl on VMS
+
+It has been a while since the GNU utilities such as GCC or GNU make
+were used to build perl on VMS. Hence they may require a great deal
+of source code modification to work again.
+
+=head2 Floating Point Considerations
+
+Prior to 5.8.0, Perl simply accepted the default floating point options of the
+C compiler, namely representing doubles with D_FLOAT on VAX and G_FLOAT on
+Alpha. Single precision floating point values are represented in F_FLOAT
+format when either D_FLOAT or G_FLOAT is in use for doubles. Beginning with
+5.8.0, Alpha builds now use IEEE floating point formats by default, which in
+VMS parlance are S_FLOAT for singles and T_FLOAT for doubles. IEEE is not
+available on VAX, so F_FLOAT and D_FLOAT remain the defaults for singles and
+doubles respectively. Itanium builds have always used IEEE by default. The
+available non-default options are G_FLOAT on VAX and D_FLOAT or G_FLOAT on
+Alpha or Itanium.
+
+The use of IEEE on Alpha or Itanium introduces NaN, infinity, and denormalization
+capabilities not available with D_FLOAT and G_FLOAT. When using one of those
+non-IEEE formats, silent underflow and overflow are emulated in the conversion
+of strings to numbers, but it is preferable to get the real thing by using
+IEEE where possible.
+
+Regardless of what floating point format you consider preferable, be aware
+that the choice may have an impact on compatibility with external libraries,
+such as database interfaces, and with existing data, such as data created with
+the C<pack> function and written to disk, or data stored via the Storable
+extension. For example, a C<pack("d", $foo)")> will create a D_FLOAT,
+G_FLOAT, or T_FLOAT depending on what your Perl was configured with. When
+written to disk, the value can only be retrieved later by a Perl configured
+with the same floating point option that was in effect when it was created.
+
+To obtain a non-IEEE build on Alpha or Itanium, simply answer no to the
+"Use IEEE math?" question during the configuration. To obtain an option
+different from the C compiler default on any platform, put in the option that
+you want in answer to the "Any additional cc flags?" question. For example, to
+obtain a G_FLOAT build on VAX, put in C</FLOAT=G_FLOAT>.
+
+=head1 Mailing Lists
+
+There are several mailing lists available to the Perl porter. For VMS
specific issues (including both Perl questions and installation problems)
-there is the VMSPERL mailing list. It's usually a low-volume (10-12
+there is the VMSPERL mailing list. It is usually a low-volume (10-12
messages a week) mailing list.
-The subscription address is VMSPERL-REQUEST@NEWMAN.UPENN.EDU. Send a mail
-message with just the words SUBSCRIBE VMSPERL in the body of the message.
+To subscribe, send a mail message to VMSPERL-SUBSCRIBE@PERL.ORG. The VMSPERL
+mailing list address is VMSPERL@PERL.ORG. Any mail sent there gets echoed
+to all subscribers of the list. There is a searchable archive of the list
+on the web at:
+
+ L<http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/vmsperl/>
+
+To unsubscribe from VMSPERL send a message to VMSPERL-UNSUBSCRIBE@PERL.ORG.
+Be sure to do so from the subscribed account that you are canceling.
-The VMSPERL mailing list address is VMSPERL@NEWMAN.UPENN.EDU. Any mail
-sent there gets echoed to all subscribers of the list.
+=head2 Web sites for Perl on VMS
-The Perl5-Porters list is for anyone involved in porting Perl to a
-platform. This includes you, if you want to participate. It's a high-volume
-list (60-100 messages a day during active development times), so be sure
-you want to be there. The subscription address is
-Perl5-Porters-request@perl.org. Send a message with just the word SUBSCRIBE
-in the body. The posting address is Perl5-Porters@perl.org.
+Vmsperl pages on the web include:
-* Acknowledgements
+ L<http://www.sidhe.org/vmsperl/index.html>
+ L<http://www.cpan.org/modules/by-module/VMS/>
+ L<http://www.xray.mpe.mpg.de/mailing-lists/vmsperl/>
+ L<http://archive.develooper.com/vmsperl@perl.org/>
+ L<http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/products/ips/apache/csws_modperl.html>
+
+=head1 SEE ALSO
+
+Perl information for users and programmers about the port of perl to VMS is
+available from the [.POD]PERLVMS.POD file that gets installed as L<perlvms>.
+For administrators the perlvms document also includes a detailed discussion
+of extending vmsperl with CPAN modules after Perl has been installed.
+
+=head1 AUTHORS
+
+Originally by Charles Bailey bailey@newman.upenn.edu. See the git repository
+for history.
+
+=head1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A real big thanks needs to go to Charles Bailey
-<bailey@newman.upenn.edu>, who is ultimately responsible for Perl 5.004
+bailey@newman.upenn.edu, who is ultimately responsible for Perl 5.004
running on VMS. Without him, nothing the rest of us have done would be at
all important.
There are, of course, far too many people involved in the porting and testing
of Perl to mention everyone who deserves it, so please forgive us if we've
missed someone. That said, special thanks are due to the following:
- Tim Adye <T.J.Adye@rl.ac.uk>
+
+ Tim Adye T.J.Adye@rl.ac.uk
for the VMS emulations of getpw*()
- David Denholm <denholm@conmat.phys.soton.ac.uk>
+ David Denholm denholm@conmat.phys.soton.ac.uk
for extensive testing and provision of pipe and SocketShr code,
- Mark Pizzolato <mark@infocomm.com>
+ Mark Pizzolato mark@infocomm.com
for the getredirection() code
- Rich Salz <rsalz@bbn.com>
+ Rich Salz rsalz@bbn.com
for readdir() and related routines
- Peter Prymmer <pvhp@lns62.lns.cornell.edu)
+ Peter Prymmer pvhp@best.com
for extensive testing, as well as development work on
configuration and documentation for VMS Perl,
- Dan Sugalski <sugalsd@stargate.lbcc.cc.or.us>
+ Dan Sugalski dan@sidhe.org
for extensive contributions to recent version support,
development of VMS-specific extensions, and dissemination
of information about VMS Perl,
the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory and the
Laboratory of Nuclear Studies at Cornell University for
- the the opportunity to test and develop for the AXP,
+ the opportunity to test and develop for the AXP,
+ John Hasstedt John.Hasstedt@sunysb.edu
+ for VAX VMS V7.2 support
+ John Malmberg wb8tyw@qsl.net
+ for ODS-5 filename handling and other modernizations
+
and to the entire VMSperl group for useful advice and suggestions. In
addition the perl5-porters deserve credit for their creativity and
willingness to work with the VMS newcomers. Finally, the greatest debt of
-gratitude is due to Larry Wall <larry@wall.org>, for having the ideas which
+gratitude is due to Larry Wall larry@wall.org, for having the ideas which
have made our sleepless nights possible.
Thanks,
The VMSperl group
+
+=cut
+
https://perl5.git.perl.org / perl5.git / blobdiff