OpenVMS or not?

[Robert Gezelter]

ngoht20,

To amplify Hoff's comments, there have been cases of far worse than firing, to wit, criminal prosecution for "insider" hacking.

Please be careful and make sure that you have permission to "investigate". In this case, permission from management is FAR, FAR cheaper than lawyer time defending against an overreaction.

- Bob Gezelter, http://www.rlgsc.com

[ngoht20]

OK, prople, let me make this very clear here.

ALl of our systems are being logged, monitored for illegal use.

Sencondly,

Even though I am very new to VMS systems, I am familiar with its ususal command line interface.

But all I want to know is that how do they program the system so it transformes from the command like shell into a menu-options driven screen...

Thats all. This is not about a hacking attempt or any other illegal activity.

Please understand.

Thanks you and sorry for the misunderstanding.

[Peter Quodling]

That's is sort of like asking how does a computer become a web server...

It's software - there are menuing system what have been written in everything VMS's Command Language DCL, through to high level languages. Screen manipulation may be done with VT100-ish specific embedded screen manipulation escape sequences, or if smarter, and in high languages, with calls to the SMG, or other libraries.

to use a comparision, it's like trying to relate what happens in Windoze with what can be done in a DOS Window on a Windoze system. (Of course, DOS Windows just became way more powerful with the new Microsoft CLI, which was incidentally developed by one of the Former VMS DCL Devos.


q

[Hoff]

Hidden identity. Odd questions. Unclear IT and management support. Lack of DCL access. Seeking information on system identification. Financial-oriented system involvement.

ngoht20, if the roles were reversed, how would you interpret the intent of somebody named "Hoff" that now was asking these details of you and of your local system. (And Hoff hadn't posted his name and affiliation.) What would you think?

Even entirely innocent, this just looks odd.

If I wandered into ITRC and saw my system menu displays posted here, there'd be an immediate security overhaul, security review, and (as needed) lockdown. Subsequent to the security verification, the organization and all authorized accessors would be involved in a discussion.

As for your various questions, details of how the menu system for the particular target site -- specific language(s), any screen maangement tools or APIs, specific local handling of DST, etc -- is implemented are available through the IT organization for the site, and through the responsible manager(s). We don't know the answer. We can guess. The site IT folks either know the answers, or the site folks have the access necessary to gather the answers.

I and others here can certainly provide mechanisms for implementing menu systems and for solving problems -- there's a full menu system in the back of the Writing Real Programs in DCL (2nd Ed) book I co-authored a while back. There's the OpenVMS User's Guide, mentioned in another thread. Tutorial sites referenced in the OpenVMS FAQ.

Most any language around can be used to implement user I/O, and to implement a menu system. DCL is a common choice here, but very far from the only choice available.

There are organizations around -- HoffmanLabs is one -- that can deliver training tailored to your needs and to that of your site. Or a security review, if the manager of this system should wander into ITRC. Have your organizational folks contact me, and I'll set you up with a class(es) that will get you up to speed on DCL and DCL programming, on up to compiled languages and advanced programming techniques.

But first things first: get your manager and your IT organization involved.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs