[Info-vax] Bliss was Re: Learning VMS application programming

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2014-09-13 17:40:22 +0000, JF Mezei said:

> If  VMS itself moves to browser based management interfaces, then it 
> must have a browser so you can manage the machine within the machine.
> (consider when you reconfigure the network stack, you may wish to do 
> this locally without using the network).

If you're using a browser, you're going to need a functional network, 
even to reach localhost.  FWIW.  If you're forced into using the 
console line (traditional or MP), you probably don't have enough of the 
system working to be using a web browser.

> One can argue that systems management can be done from a desktop and 
> that the VMS servers need not have their own browsers...

More than a few servers on the market don't have GUIs.

Local management can also be available via AJAX or SOAP from within the 
available command-line tools (if the web interfaces are foundational), 
or by having the web management interfaces call through into the 
command line tools (if the command tools are foundational), without 
resorting to a local web browser.

OS X Server has the serveradmin and the networksetup commands, for instance.

There are other approaches, as well.  There's at least one VMS tool 
that has four APIs available: DCL verb, RUN command, foreign command, 
and shareable image.

> The problem here is that a stable VMS system could be managed pretty 
> much like a network appliance. However, a VMS system that supports 
> development teams, new apps, lots of testing and thinkering would 
> likely want a very more "hands on" system management.

Or roll in a VM guest or three, and hack away.  Yes, VM sprawl with all 
that implies, but you're also not tussling with conflicts within the 
operating system environments.


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