alpha kit

This document, the "OpenVMS Hobbyist Guide: The Alpha Kit" from May 1999, serves as an installation and information guide for the OpenVMS Hobbyist Program.

Key aspects of the document include:

• OpenVMS Hobbyist Program: It details the program's history, originating from a 1996 proposal by Pat Jankowiak, which aimed to provide OpenVMS for non-commercial home use. The program, expanded in 1999 by Compaq, DECUS, and user groups, now includes OpenVMS V7.2 for Alpha Systems and over 100 layered products (e.g., Motif, Clustering, DECnet, TCP/IP, compilers).
• License Agreement: The guide includes the Compaq Hobby License Agreement, stipulating non-commercial use, a one-year limited license, and restrictions against transfer, reverse engineering, or removing proprietary notices.
• Hobbyist CD Contents: The provided Alpha Kit CD contains the OpenVMS V7.2 distribution, along with a wide array of layered products such as DECwindows Motif, AMDS, DECnet (Phase IV and OSI Phase V), DCOM, TCP/IP, Java, various compilers (DEC C, Pascal, FORTRAN, COBOL), NOTES, and Netscape Navigator. Installation kits are organized in a KITS.DIR and supplementary HTML documentation (FAQ, Digital Timeline) in an HTML.DIR.
• Software Installation: It outlines the basic requirements for installation (Alpha system, hard drive, CD drive, 32MB RAM) and guides users through preparing the Alpha console (SHOW DEV, SHOW CONFIG). The installation process involves booting from the CD, initializing the target disk, setting a SYSTEM password, configuring network and GUI components (DECnet Phase IV, TCP/IP, DECwindows), and registering the OpenVMS-Alpha license. The system performs automatic configuration (AUTOGEN) and reboots after the initial installation.
• Layered Product Installation: The document briefly explains how to install additional layered products using either VMSINSTAL or PRODUCT INSTALL commands, noting potential needs for system resource adjustments via AUTOGEN.