Systems That Can Support the GUI

In order to use the OpenVMS GUI, you must have either an OpenVMS system with graphics hardware or an X Window System client system that can use the OpenVMS system as a server.

The GUI interface was added several years after OpenVMS was created, and some OpenVMS machines have neither a graphics monitor, nor a mouse. These machines usually have terminal ports and network connections. They often sit in dedicated computer rooms or are mounted in a rack and act only as servers. Graphics hardware is simply not required for them to carry out their work.

On the other hand, many recent OpenVMS systems come equipped with graphics hardware. They have a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse. Certain models are even configurable with or without graphics hardware. GUI-capable OpenVMS computers are easily recognized; simply look for a graphics monitor and a mouse.

This book will concentrate on using the GUI interface directly on an OpenVMS system equipped with the appropriate graphics hardware. Most of the material is applicable to users of X Window System clients, but using such clients will not be specifically covered.