Guide to VAX DEC/Module Management System

This manual introduces the VAX Module Management System (MMS), a tool designed to automate and simplify software system building on the VMS operating system (Version 5.0 or higher), analogous to the UNIX make utility. It guides users through creating and utilizing description files to define system components, dependencies, and build actions, enabling efficient system rebuilding by only updating changed parts.

The document covers core concepts such as built-in rules, user-defined rules, macros, and directives. It also delves into advanced techniques including double-colon dependencies, invoking MMS from description files or command procedures, gathering build statistics, parallel processing, and handling multiple outputs. Furthermore, the manual details how MMS interacts with various VMS libraries, including Code Management System (CMS), Forms Management System (FMS), Common Data Dictionary (CDD), and Source Code Analyzer (SCA) libraries. It concludes with a command dictionary and appendices explaining MMS messages, comparing MMS to UNIX make, and listing MMS's built-in features.