OpenVMS

OpenVMS
OpenVMS V7.3-1 running the CDE-based DECwindows "New Desktop" GUI
DeveloperVMS Software Inc (VSI)[1] (previously Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard)
Written inPrimarily C, BLISS, VAX MACRO, DCL.[2] Other languages also used.[3]
Working stateCurrent
Source modelClosed-source with open-source components. Formerly source available[4][5]
Initial releaseAnnounced: October 25, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-10-25)
V1.0 / August 1978; 46 years ago (1978-08)
Latest releaseV9.2-2 / January 25, 2024; 9 months ago (2024-01-25)[6]
Latest previewE9.2-3 / August 8, 2024; 3 months ago (2024-08-08)
Marketing targetServers (historically Minicomputers, Workstations)
Available inEnglish, Japanese.[7] Historical support for Chinese (both Traditional and Simplified characters), Korean, Thai.[8]
Update methodConcurrent upgrades,
rolling upgrades
Package managerPCSI and VMSINSTAL
PlatformsVAX, Alpha, Itanium, x86-64
Kernel typeMonolithic kernel with loadable modules
InfluencedVAXELN, MICA, Windows NT
Influenced byRSX-11M
Default
user interface		DCL CLI and DECwindows GUI
LicenseProprietary
Official websitevmssoftware.com

OpenVMS, often referred to as just VMS,[9] is a multi-user, multiprocessing and virtual memory-based operating system. It is designed to support time-sharing, batch processing, transaction processing and workstation applications.[10] Customers using OpenVMS include banks and financial services, hospitals and healthcare, telecommunications operators, network information services, and industrial manufacturers.[11][12] During the 1990s and 2000s, there were approximately half a million VMS systems in operation worldwide.[13][14][15]

It was first announced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as VAX/VMS (Virtual Address eXtension/Virtual Memory System[16]) alongside the VAX-11/780 minicomputer in 1977.[17][18][19] OpenVMS has subsequently been ported to run on DEC Alpha systems, the Itanium-based HPE Integrity Servers,[20] and select x86-64 hardware and hypervisors.[21] Since 2014, OpenVMS is developed and supported by VMS Software Inc. (VSI).[22][23] OpenVMS offers high availability through clustering—the ability to distribute the system over multiple physical machines.[24] This allows clustered applications and data to remain continuously available while operating system software and hardware maintenance and upgrades are performed,[25] or if part of the cluster is destroyed.[26] VMS cluster uptimes of 17 years have been reported.[27]

  1. ^ Patrick Thibodeau (July 31, 2014). "HP gives OpenVMS new life". Computerworld. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  2. ^ Camiel Vanderhoeven (May 30, 2021). "How much of VMS is still in MACRO-32?". Newsgroup: comp.os.vms. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "2.7 In what language is OpenVMS written?". The OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference wizard-vms-source was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Webinar 16: x86 Update". VSI. October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "OpenVMS V9.2-2 public availability". VSI. January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "Japanese OpenVMS OS (JVMS)". VSI. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  8. ^ Michael M. T. Yau (1993). "Supporting the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Languages in the OpenVMS Operating System" (PDF). Digital Technical Journal. 5 (3): 63–79. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "OpenVMS at 20 Nothing stops it" (PDF). Digital Equipment Corporation. October 1997. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Software Product Description and QuickSpecs - VSI OpenVMS Version 8.4-2L1 for Integrity servers" (PDF). VMS Software Inc. July 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  11. ^ "VSI Business & New Products Update – April 9, 2019" (PDF). VSI. April 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  12. ^ Charles Babcock (November 1, 2007). "VMS Operating System Is 30 Years Old; Customers Believe It Can Last Forever". InformationWeek. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Drew Robb (November 1, 2004). "OpenVMS survives and thrives". computerworld.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  14. ^ Tao Ai Lei (May 30, 1998). "Digital tries to salvage OpenVMS". computerworld.co.nz. Archived from the original on September 25, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  15. ^ Jesse Lipcon (October 1997). "OpenVMS: 20 Years of Renewal". Digital Equipment Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "VAX-11/780 Hardware Handbook" (PDF). Digital Equipment Corporation. 1979. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  17. ^ Patrick Thibodeau (June 11, 2013). "OpenVMS, R.I.P. 1977-2020?". Computerworld. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  18. ^ Tom Merritt (2012). Chronology of Tech History. Lulu.com. p. 104. ISBN 978-1300253075.
  19. ^ "VAX 11/780 - OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : HISTORY / detailed info". Archived from the original on September 26, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  20. ^ "Supported Platforms". VSI.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference 9.0 Rollout was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "HP hands off OpenVMS development to VSI". Tech Times. August 1, 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  23. ^ "VMS Software, Inc. Named Exclusive Developer of Future Versions of OpenVMS Operating System" (Press release). Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference cluster-docs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ "Cluster Uptime". November 28, 2003. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "Commerzbank Survives 9/11 with OpenVMS Clusters" (PDF). July 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  27. ^ "February 2018 Business & Technical Update" (PDF). VSI. February 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2021.