[Info-vax] How do I make zip, unzip etc. available to all users?

[Kerry Main]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Info-vax [mailto:info-vax-bounces at info-vax.com] On Behalf Of
> johnwallace4--- via Info-vax
> Sent: 07-Jan-16 6:37 PM
> To: info-vax at info-vax.com
> Cc: johnwallace4 at yahoo.co.uk
> Subject: Re: [New Info-vax] How do I make zip, unzip etc. available to all
> users?
> 
> On Thursday, 7 January 2016 18:55:04 UTC, Kerry Main  wrote:
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Info-vax [mailto:info-vax-bounces at info-vax.com] On Behalf
> Of
> > > Stephen Hoffman via Info-vax
> > > Sent: 07-Jan-16 12:53 PM
> > > To: info-vax at info-vax.com
> > > Cc: Stephen Hoffman <seaohveh at hoffmanlabs.invalid>
> > > Subject: Re: [New Info-vax] How do I make zip, unzip etc. available to
> all
> > > users?
> > >
> > > On 2016-01-07 17:21:11 +0000, David Froble said:
> > >
> > > > Stephen Hoffman wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> Ad-hoc and manual deployments tend to lack documentation and
> > > >> particularly tend to lack reproducibility.
> > > >
> > > > Guess I'm deprived.  I don't have hundreds of VMS systems to
> > > > administer. Doesn't mean some others are not privileged to have
> such.
> > >
> > > Hundreds?  Deploying non-trivial apps to more than one box is a
> hassle,
> > > with VMS.  More than several boxes heads toward home-grown
> > > deployment
> > > tools.  With hundreds of boxes, you complain to VSI about the mess.
> > >
> >
> > While OpenVMS definitely needs improvements in config mgmt. and
> > tracking, it is also worth pointing out that ALL of the other server
> > platforms available today is a huge can of worms as well. That includes
> > Solaris, AIX, Linux, Windows, HP-UX ... all free BSD's etc. Includes
> > Mainframes and Non-Stop as well.
> >
> > To put things in perspective, when planning a DC migration and/or
> > consolidation, literally the first month of EVERY engagement is spent
> > just documenting the current state of HW and SW/Apps in the DC.
> > Tools (agent or agent-less) help, but these have their own challenges,
> > complexities and in some cases, high cost.
> >
> > Config mgmt. in 99.95% of all DC's is a dog's breakfast.
> >
> > Just ask the OPS or App manager for a detailed listing of all HW/SW/
> > Apps names, versions, models, configs and what Apps run on each.
> > Then ask them things like "who owns each system and/or network
> > device? Who supports each system? Who knows what the remaining
> > book value is on each piece of HW?"
> >
> > Good luck ..
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Kerry Main
> > Kerry dot main at starkgaming dot com
> 
> So if I understood correctly...
> 
> What you're after is a combination of VAX Remote System Manager
> (which iirc became Polycenter Software Distribution before being
> Palmerised into oblivion - correction welcome) for what applications
> are where.
> 
> For what network devices are where, there's VAX Ethernim. And as well
> as Ethernim you'll be wanting the MOP functionality from DECnet, so
> that devices can self-identify and be automagically added to the
> LAN config database. And the bridge protocol (whose name I forget)
> that allows clever software to work out what MAC address is where on
> a bridged LAN.
> 
> And maybe you'll need some other vendor supplied bits and pieces
> (VAXcluster Console System would be an obvious one) and usually some
> location-specific stuff such as the ones you mention.
> 
> DIGITAL had it then (probably in the 1980s, for these requirements).
> Wouldn't it be nice if anybody had actually known about and bought
> this stuff before it was all Palmerised away.

Preaching to the choir .. yeah, Digital not only had the products, they 
also were developing a multi-platform mgmt. architecture called EMA 
(Enterprise Management Architecture) before the sell-offs began to get
the company ready for the Compaq sale.

One of the better config mgmt. tools still available today for OpenVMS 
is called VMS_Check

It is a free pkg that was put together using 100% DCL to ensure 
compatibility across architectures and various OS versions.  

Reference:
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/journal/v7/vms_check_tool.pdf 

Challenge with DC config mgmt. is that are no agreed to standards that
everyone will agree to. Its why companies pay exorbitant amounts of
$'s for things like OpenVMS, Tivoli, BMC etc for their multi-platform 
products & services. 

Yes, there are loads of individual tools around, but a similar analogy 
would be comparing this to a few years ago when there were lots of 
network communication protocols around (TCPIP V4/V6, DECnet, SNA, 
NetBeui).  It wasn't until TCPIP became the defacto std that network
communications became much easier to implement.

Regards,

Kerry Main
Kerry dot main at starkgaming dot com