v72 spd

This "Software Product Description" (SPD 25.01.54) details the OpenVMS Operating System, Version 7.2, for both Alpha and VAX computer families, released in January 1999. It is designed as a general-purpose, multiuser operating system suitable for both production and development environments, emphasizing application portability, interoperability, and symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) across its supported hardware.

Version 7.2 introduces several key enhancements:

• Enhanced Interoperability with Windows NT: Designed to provide the highest level of integration between OpenVMS and Windows NT systems.
• Compaq Galaxy Software Architecture (Alpha Only): Delivers superior performance, scalability, availability, and operational flexibility by allowing multiple OpenVMS instances to run on a single physical Alpha computer.
• Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.1.6 (Alpha Only): Included to support the development and execution of Java applications.
• Performance and System Management Improvements: Specific enhancements for OpenVMS Clusters.

The document outlines a comprehensive array of features:

User Environment: Provides the English-like DIGITAL Command Language (DCL) for system interaction and scripting, includes text editors (EVE, EDT), a mail utility, and extensive options for user environment tailoring.

Program Development: Offers a robust set of tools including run-time libraries (RTLs), a linker, a librarian, and a symbolic debugger (with Heap Analyzer and kernel-level debugging). It supports multiple programming languages, features DECthreads for user-mode multithreading (POSIX and DCE compliant), and the Translated Image Environment (TIE) (Alpha Only) for running VAX binaries on Alpha systems.

System Management: Features advanced utilities such as the OpenVMS Management Station (a Windows PC-based GUI) for centralized cluster management (user accounts, printer queues, storage), DECamds for real-time monitoring, a powerful Batch and Print Queuing System (with load balancing), accounting and audit analysis utilities, AUTOGEN for automatic system configuration, and comprehensive Backup and disk structure analysis tools. The License Management Facility (LMF) manages software licenses.

Operating System Core: Supports 64-bit virtual addressing and Very Large Memory (VLM) features (Alpha Only), extended physical addressing (VAX Only), and vector processing (VAX Only). It incorporates sophisticated interprocess communication mechanisms (mailboxes, shared memory, lock manager) and DECdtm services for distributed transaction processing, ensuring data integrity across multiple resource managers.

Networking and Connectivity: Provides integrated networking capabilities supporting DECnet (Phase IV and Plus), TCP/IP Services, ATM Forum LANE/CLIP, and various terminal servers and LAN adapters.

Security: Offers multi-level security features, including Per-Thread Security Profiles (V7.2), external authentication (LAN Manager integration), Access Control Lists (ACLs), strong password policies, a security audit log, object protection, and data scavenging protection. OpenVMS has achieved C2 and B1 government security ratings.

Reliability and Data Management: Ensures high data availability and integrity through advanced error handling, the System Dump Analyzer (SDA) for post-failure analysis, power failure recovery (VAX Only), Volume Shadowing (RAID 1) for disk mirroring, Record Management Services (RMS) for flexible file and record management, and DECram for creating performance-enhancing RAMdisks.

Open Standards: Adheres to numerous industry standards, including OSF/Motif and OSF Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) (runtime services bundled), ANSI, FIPS, and ISO standards, promoting broad application portability and interoperability.

The document also provides detailed installation procedures, specific disk and memory requirements for various configurations, and information on the extensive documentation and source listings available on CD-ROM and tape. It includes a comprehensive list of supported AlphaServer, AlphaStation, and VAX systems, along with various peripherals, network adapters, and storage controllers.