VSI-I64VMS-VGIT-NOTES-01-FEB-2019.PDF

VGIT2 is a partial implementation of the Git version control system for OpenVMS IA64 (v0.9.6, 01-Feb-2019). This release introduces basic "stash" functionality, support for interacting with remote repositories via a proxy server, and fixes for cloning from Microsoft Azure DevOps.

The tool is designed for OpenVMS IA64 (8.4 or higher) and requires ODS-5 file systems. A key requirement is that all files added to repositories must be stream-lf. It includes vgit2.exe (a UNIX-style executable, with a CLI version likely to be discontinued) and cert.pem, a certificate file essential for connecting to services like GitHub or BitBucket.

To set up, users must extract the ZIP file, define vgit2 as a foreign command, set the logical name git$ssl_certs to point to cert.pem, and configure user details (username and email). Proxy settings and logical names for key-based authentication (git$id_rsa, git$id_rsa_pub) can also be configured.

VGIT2 offers built-in usage notes and supports many Git commands, though some options may differ. While initial repository loads, clones, or the status command for large projects can be slow, subsequent operations like commits, pushes, and pulls are not. The developers encourage users to try the tool and provide feedback for any issues or feature requests.