VMS Software / Documentation / VSI VMS/XDE

VSI VMS/XDE

Installation and Configuration Guide

Publication Date: April 2026

Software Version:
VMS/XDE V2026.04

1. Introduction

VMS Cross-Development Environment (VMS⁠/⁠XDE) is a set of tools for developing OpenVMS x86-64 applications on Linux operating systems. For a large part based on OpenVMS itself, it offers an accurate OpenVMS-like user environment suitable for OpenVMS development and debugging, using the exact same toolchain (compiler, librarian, linker, debugger) that is available on OpenVMS x86-64. Running on Linux, it also provides access to Linux-based tools, like editors and source-control.

For information about new features, bug fixes, and known issues in this release of VMS⁠/⁠XDE, refer to the Release Notes.

2. System Requirements

  • Host operating system: An x86-64 Linux distribution with a minimum kernel version of 5.9

  • CPU: Intel Skylake-based (6xxx) or AMD 1st generation Zen-based (Ryzen-1xxx)

  • RAM: 8 GB

  • Libraries: GLIBC 2.28 and GLIBCXX 3.4.26

  • File system: A file system that supports extended attributes (such as ext3 or ext4)

    Warning

    VSI does not guarantee that VMS⁠/⁠XDE will function correctly when installed directly on NTFS-based partitions or if NTFS-based partitions are used for the DKA0 or DKA1 storage devices?.

3. Licensing

VMS⁠/⁠XDE requires an OpenVMS license. Additionally, some of the components included in VMS⁠/⁠XDE (such as compilers and certain layered products) require their own separate licenses. To purchase a license or request an evaluation license, visit https://vmssoftware.com/products/licenses/ or contact VSI Sales at .

3.1. Preparing Your License For VMS/XDE

VMS⁠/⁠XDE accepts licenses only in the form of command procedure files (.COM). Once you have obtained your license, create a command procedure file (.COM) on the host system, copy the text of your license into the file, and add the following line at the end:

$ LICENSE LOAD

The contents of your .COM file should now look similar to this:

$ LICENSE REGISTER OPENVMS-X86-BOE -
/ISSUER=your-value -
/AUTHORIZATION=your-value -
/PRODUCER=your-value -
/UNITS=your-value -
/TERMINATION_DATE=your-value -
/OPTIONS=your-value - 
/TOKEN=your-value -
/CHECKSUM=your-value -
$ LICENSE LOAD

Important Considerations

  • If you create your .COM license file on a non-Linux operating system, make sure not to use the carriage return symbol at the ends of lines. In other words, all lines must end in LF, never CR LF.

  • The .COM license file must not call any other command procedure files.

4. Using VMS⁠/⁠XDE

Before you start using VMS⁠/⁠XDE, familiarize yourself with the current limitations of the product. Refer to Section 3, "Known Issues and Limitations" of the Release Notes.

4.1. Installing VMS⁠/⁠XDE

Warning

VMS⁠/⁠XDE can only be installed interactively (i.e. the installation procedure requires user input). For this reason, VMS⁠/⁠XDE installation cannot be automated as part of a pipeline, script, etc.

To install and configure VMS⁠/⁠XDE, perform the following steps:

  1. Make sure that your current host system user is not a root user or a member of the root group. Such users cannot install or run VMS⁠/⁠XDE.

  2. VMS⁠/⁠XDE is provided to users in the form of a self-extracting archive. Use the following commands to unpack the archive:

    $ chmod +x ./archive-name
$ ./archive-name

  3. You will be prompted for a license. If you have already prepared a .COM license file as described in Section 3.1, ''Preparing Your License For VMS/XDE'', answer yes and, when prompted, specify the full path? to your .COM license file.

    If you do not have a license yet or would like to register it later, answer no to continue installation.

During installation, the VMS⁠/⁠XDE archive will be extracted into the directory called VMS⁠-⁠XDE in the current host system directory, and an OpenVMS user will automatically be created within VMS⁠/⁠XDE. The name of that OpenVMS user will be the same as that of the current host system user, with the following modifications:

  • Names longer than 12 characters will be truncated.

  • Any special characters will be removed.

The resulting OpenVMS user name will be displayed on your screen during the installation.

4.1.1. Registering License After Installation

If you have not provided a valid OpenVMS license during installation, you must do so now. Otherwise, skip to the next section.

Prepare a .COM file as described in Section 3.1, ''Preparing Your License For VMS/XDE'' and enter the following command:

$ ./run.sh --license=path-to-your-COM-file

Warning

If you choose not to include the LICENSE LOAD command in your .COM file, you must restart VMS⁠/⁠XDE after running the command above. To do so, run the following commands:

$ ./shutdown.sh
$ ./run.sh

4.2. Starting VMS⁠/⁠XDE

To run VMS⁠/⁠XDE, run the following command from the VMS⁠/⁠XDE installation directory:

$ ./run.sh

You will be prompted for a username. Enter the name of the user that was created automatically during installation?. No password is required.

Usage Restrictions

When using VMS⁠/⁠XDE, do not alter the TCP/IP configuration, do not change the OpenVMS timezone settings, and do not use the SYSMAN utility. For more information, refer to Section 3, "Known Issues and Limitations" of the Release Notes.

4.3. Shutting Down VMS⁠/⁠XDE

When you exit a VMS⁠/⁠XDE interactive session, some of OpenVMS processes will keep running. To gracefully shut down VMS⁠/⁠XDE and all OpenVMS processes, first log out of OpenVMS via the command LOGOUT, then enter the following command:

$ ./shutdown.sh

4.4. Storage Emulation Directories In This Package

The following storage emulation directories? are included in this package and guarantee that VMS⁠/⁠XDE functions correctly:

DirectoryPurpose
vms_os/V9.2/DKA0Emulates the system storage device.
vms_os/V9.2/DKA1Emulates a device that contains the OpenVMS user home directory.
vms_os/V9.2/DKC0Both of these directories emulate storage devices for storing the files that are shared between VMS⁠/⁠XDE and the host operating system.
vms_os/V9.2/DKC1
vms_os/V9.2/LDM1Emulates an OpenVMS memory disk. Do not change anything about this directory, otherwise VMS⁠/⁠XDE may not function correctly.

A. Optional Configuration Steps and Reference Information

A.1. Understanding Storage Emulation Directories

All data within VMS⁠/⁠XDE is stored in storage emulation directories on the host system. Storage emulation directories are regular host system directories that VMS⁠/⁠XDE uses to emulate OpenVMS storage devices. Currently, VMS⁠/⁠XDE supports two types of devices:

DKAn

These devices support the OpenVMS file versioning feature and are intended for storing OpenVMS files.

The directories used for emulating DKA devices, as well as all subdirectories and files stored in them, must follow OpenVMS naming conventions, i.e. include the version number suffix ;n. For example, EXAMPLE-FILE.TXT;1, EXAMPLE-FILE.TXT;2, etc. For more information on OpenVMS file versions, refer to VSI OpenVMS User's Manual.

DKCn

These devices do not support the OpenVMS file versioning feature and are intended for storing the files that are shared between VMS⁠/⁠XDE and the host operating system.

The directories used for emulating DKC devices, as well as all subdirectories and files stored in them, must follow the host operating system naming conventions.

A.1.1. Creating Storage Emulation Directories

New storage emulation directories must be created in the directory ~/VMS-XDE/vms_os/V9.2. Before creating a storage emulation directory, make sure to gracefully shut down VMS⁠/⁠XDE as described in Section 4.3, ''Shutting Down VMS⁠/⁠XDE''. Mounting emulated OpenVMS devices while VMS⁠/⁠XDE is running is currently not possible, because the MOUNT utility is not supported.

The names of all storage emulation directories, subdirectories, and files stored in them, must use only the OpenVMS-supported symbols (ASCII, national code-pages are currently not supported). VSI recommends naming all storage emulation directories DKAn or DKCn.

A.2. Applications Included In the Current Release

The current version of VMS⁠/⁠XDE includes the following OpenVMS applications:

  • Base VSI OpenVMS operating system environment

  • The following compilers:

    • BASIC

    • BLISS

    • C

    • COBOL

    • C++

    • Fortran

    • LUA

    • MACRO-32

    • Pascal

    • Python

    • x86asm

  • Linker utility

  • Librarian utility

  • SDL translator utility

  • System Analyzer utility

  • Run-time libraries for included compilers and other system libraries, such as C RTL, LIB$RTL, etc.

  • The following layered products:

    • DECset

    • DECforms

    • DECwindows

    • curl

    • LDAP

    • SSL111

    • SSL3

    • SSL31

    • Git

    • GNV utilities set

    • VMSI18N

    • OpenSSH

A.3. Configuring DECwindows

Caution

DECwindows support is still under way. VSI tests were performed in a Windows environment using WSL2 and Ubuntu 20.04 with open-source VcXsrv used as the X server.

Using the DECwindows application with VMS⁠/⁠XDE requires additional setup to function properly.

  1. Configure an external X server that works via TCP/IP and correctly handles the IPv4 address 127.0.0.1 (localhost) on port 6000.

  2. Make sure that VMS⁠/⁠XDE is not running, then start the X server.

  3. Run VMS⁠/⁠XDE and execute the following DCL commands (or add them to your LOGIN.COM file):

    $ SET PROCESS/PRIVILEGES=CMEXEC
$ SET DISPLAY/CREATE/TRANSPORT=TCPIP/NODE=127.0.0.1/SERVER=0
$ DEFINE DECW$IGNORE_WORKSTATION "TRUE"
$ @SYS$STARTUP:DECW$STARTUP.COM

    Note

    If you choose to add the commands to your LOGIN.COM, make sure to execute the file after editing it.

A.4. SYSGEN Limitations

When using the SYSGEN utility in VMS⁠/⁠XDE, keep the following limitations in mind:

  • Do not change the values of the parameters VCC_FLAGS, MULTITHREAD, MAXPROCESSCNT. Doing so will result in a crash.

  • Do not set the values of the parameters listed below lower than the default. Doing so may result in unxepected behavior.

    ParameterDefault Value
    MAXBUF32768
    DEFMBXBUFQUO32768
    DEFMBXMXMSG8192

To restore all SYSGEN values to default, run the following command:

$ ./run.sh --default-sysgen

A.5. Optional Parameters for ./run.sh

The command ./run.sh accepts the following optional parameters:

Optional ParameterDescription
  • --version
  • -v

Show current version.

  • --help
  • -h

Show help.

  • --shutdown
  • -s

Gracefully shut down VMS⁠/⁠XDE and all OpenVMS processes.

--input=file-name

Full path to the DCL script that will be executed when VMS⁠/⁠XDE starts, for example --input=DKC0:[MY-DISK]INPUT.COM.

--output=file-name

Full path to the file where you want to write the VMS⁠/⁠XDE output, for example --output=DKC0:[MY-DISK]OUTPUT.LIS.

--error=file-name

Full path to the file where you want to write the error log, for example --error=DKC0:[MY-DISK]ERROR.LIS.

--fgsync

Run in non-interactive mode and wait until finished.

This parameter can be used only if the --input and --output parameters are set.

--license=file-name

Path to the license .COM file. Use this parameter to register and load your license after the installation, if you chose not to do that during the installation.

--default-sysgen

Restore the file X86_64VMSSYS.PAR to the default state.

1

For more information on storage emulation directories, see Section A.1, ''Understanding Storage Emulation Directories''.

2

Do not use the tilde character (~) in this path.

3

If you are planning to create more VMS⁠/⁠XDE users, note that the name, user ID, and group ID of the current VMS⁠/⁠XDE user must match those of the current host system user.

4

For more information on storage emulation directories, see Section A.1, ''Understanding Storage Emulation Directories''.