Goals

The VMS (Virtual Memory System) operating system is available only on VAX and Alpha processors, and in spite of its undeniable qualities, its future seems uncertain. The FreeVMS project tends to the coding of an operating system under the GPL licence according to the specifications of the VMS systems. This operating system has to function at least on I386 architecture, PPC, Sparc and Alpha processors. It is developed using the C language.

Internals Projects

Coordinator : Bertrand Joël

File System : Magne Mæhre

The Freevms project will use ODS-5 file system. The roadmap of the subproject is :

Coding of a VFS pilot to access the ODS-2 file system in read-only mode for a Linux 2.4.x kernel;
Coding of an utility "mkods2fs" to initialize new disks ;
Modification of the pilot to obtain a total read-write functionality ;
Modification of the pilot to include the ODS-5 support and coding of the "mkods5fs" utility;

System Libraries : may be Roar Thronæs

The system libraries will, in a first step, conform to the VMS 5.x system. Later the OpenVMS 7.x specifications (64bits support, new descriptors...) will be added

LBR$

LIB$

LIBRTL$

STARLET$

STR$

Command Language : Bertrand Joël plus others voluntary participants

The language used for scripts and the command line is DCL. I look for the exact specifications of DCL to check if it is possible to modify rather simply the RPL/2 language. This language - if it functions in Polish inverted notation - indeed comprises all what is necessary to analyze then execute a complex program as well as carrying out calculations in algebraic notation.

Help System : may be Thierry Boudet

Linux Kernel Modification : Bruce Allen

The FreeVMS kernel is for the moment a Linux 2.4 kernel, patched to get the ext3 support . This kernel will evolve by inclusion of more strict control mechanisms (imperative locks, ressources management, interactions between process...), and removal of what is written in hard code (cf rdev).

Boot program ( loader) : Bertrand Joël plus others voluntary participants

The system requires a boot program The kernel deriving from a Linux kernel it is possible to use grub. However, grub must be modified so that it can start a system on a ODS-5 partition. In addition, grub works only on i386, thus a mix with aboot is necessary for ALPHA architecture.

Download area

FreeVMS 0.0.1

CVS

An anonymous CVS access is offered ( in read only mode ) at CVSROOT address : :pserver:user@freevms.nvg.org:/usr/local/cvsroot, password cvs.

Mailing List

A mailing list is available at freevms@ml.free.fr, any inscription is done using mailto:freevms-request@ml.free.fr?subject=subscribe. This list is filed by Magne Mæhre - a large thank you to him - on http://freevms.nvg.org.

Last update : 13 November 2001 / Last translation : 13 November 2001
Contact mailto:freevms@free.fr .