topic Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code? in Operating System - OpenVMS

What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

oldskul — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:27:46 GMT

I downloaded a pre-compiled binary source code file (Text2PDF.vax.bin) from the web (University of Nottingham, UK). I have no clue how to "use" it. It's not a zip file. I tried unzip on VMS and unzip on the desktop. I FTP'd the file from desktop to OpenVMS with type binary (and type ascii). I type RUN and it doesn't. I searched the web and see "Want the pre-compiled binary file? Click here" everywhere. But not one of those tells me what to with it once I have it.

Platform: OpenVMS V7.1 VAX. (I know). Upgrade is not an option. We're migrating to CHARON in the next six months and then maybe upgrading to V7.3-x and then to Integrity. Maybe.

In advance, thank you for your time and consideration.

Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

Hoff — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:40:06 GMT

Once the tool has been downloaded from (probably) the http://www.eprg.org/pdfcorner/text2pdf/ site (and preferably using the ftp binary-transfer mode), just RENAME the file from text2pdf.axp.bin or text2pdf.vax.bin (or whatever its current filename might be) to text2pdf.exe and RUN it.

Or set up a foreign command for the image, etc.

It's "just" an oddly-named "naked" executable image.

The ANALYZE /IMAGE command can show you if the image structures are valid, if you want to test that.

And I wouldn't assume you'll port to Integrity here. That appears unlikely, given the vintage of the current VAX environment, and your current trajectory toward the Stromasys emulator. That's a path followed by a site that's going to run that software into the ground, while (eventually and incrementally) migrating the data and the tasks to whatever the locally-preferred computing platform(s) might be.

Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

oldskul — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:53:23 GMT

Thank You. That works.

I wasn't assuming about the Integrity upgrade, I was praying.

Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

Hoff — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:02:11 GMT

Various functional Itanium servers that are capable of booting OpenVMS I64 regularly appears on the used-equipment market for US$200 to US$500 or thereabouts.

Hobbyist licenses and educational licenses are free, and the DVD distribution kit disk images can now be downloaded.

The commercial VMS licenses were priced a little under US$1000 per core, when last I checked.

Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

oldskul — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:12:10 GMT

We have two in the basement closet collecting dust. I won't stop praying.

Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

Hoff — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:17:47 GMT

If you want a software source code port to happen, then somebody will have to do the work needed to port the source code. Pull one of the Itanium boxes out of storage, dust it off, load OpenVMS I64 and the tools, and start porting the source code. Use whatever non-scheduled time you have or can make available for this effort.

Re: What to do with pre-compiled binary code?

oldskul — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:43:45 GMT

I agree with you 100%. However, there are a ton of politics, an unexplainable fear of change, a greater fear of one tiny hiccup, and millions of dollars involved. I've been upgrading OpenVMS since V1.2 (1980). If I did this conversion, upgrade, migration on my own time, in my spare time, saving millions of dollars I would lose my job. For various reasons not germane to this forum that can't happen at this time. Stuck in a Rut. But thank you for the encouraging words.