Books

Digital Press, CBM Books (which is now part of Digital Press), and others published many VMS (and OpenVMS) titles when DEC hardware and software were in their prime, but many (but not all) of the titles listed are out of print today. Clearly, Digital Press is still active in the OpenVMS market. Be sure to read the back cover for a list of the latest Digital Press books.

Anagnostopoulos, Paul C., and Steve Hoffman. Writing Real Programs in DCL, second edition. Digital Press, 1999, ISBN 1555581919.

• The is the command language "Bible." It is required reading for system managers.

Baldwin, Lawence. OpenVMS System Management Guide. Digital Press, 1996, ISBN 1555581439.

• This is a concise yet complete description of the System Manager's Manual. Most commonly performed operations are covered. A second edition is in the publication cycle.

Bell, C. Gordon, J. Craig Mudge, and John E. McNamara. Computer Engineering: A DEC View of Hardware Systems Design. Digital Press, 1978, IBSN 0932376002.

• Contains the nitty-gritty of the hardware design constraints DEC hardware engineers had to manage. Gordon Bell was DEC's chief hardware architect. Although technologically dated, Bell's general observations probably still hold in computer design today.

Coburn, James W. OpenVMS Performance Management, second edition. CBM Books, 1994, ISBN 187895640X.

• This book addresses specific algorithms used to test and adjust OpenVMS. Because it is dated, this text should be used in conjunction with OpenVMS Performance Management.

Davis, Roy G. VAXCluster Principles. Digital Press, 1993, ISBN 1555581129.

• Clustered VAXes were introduced in 1983, so the algorithms and data structures presented in this book still hold true; however, newer hardware architecture will not be included.

Goldenberg, Ruth E., Denise E. Dumas, and Saro Saravana. OpenVMS Alpha Internals: Scheduling and Process Control. Digital Press, 1997, ISBN 1555581560.

• A detailed description of OpenVMS data structures is found in "the book of Ruth." The earlier titles were either VAX/VMS Internals and Data Structures or OpenVMS Internals and Data Structures, depending on the edition. This book is republished often to keep up with newer versions of OpenVMS. The latest complete VAX/VMS edition is for Version 5.5-2. The latest complete Alpha/VMS edition is for Version 1.5. This newest Alpha edition has been partially updated and will continue to be updated.

Holmay, Patrick. The OpenVMS User's Guide, second edition. Digital Press, 1998, ISBN 1555582036.

• If you've never used OpenVMS before, this is the best introduction available. OpenVMS's basic commands, editors, the file structure, and an introduction to Command Procedures (i.e., script writing) are included.

Miller, David Donald. OpenVMS Operating System Concepts, second edition. Digital Press, 1997, ISBN 1555581579.

• Describes several basic operating system concepts (e.g., paging, lock management, process communication, and the I/O kernel) and illustrates them using OpenVMS. If you do not know how operating systems work, read this book before tackling Goldenberg.

Ogilvie, Lesley Rice, David W. Bynon, and Terry C. Shannon. Introduction to OpenVMS, fourth edition. CBM Books, 1996, ISBN 1878956612.

• This is another introductory OpenVMS book directed at the novice. The fifth edition (I have not see it) is published by Digital Press. This book gives a cursory treatment of OpenVMS (more so than Holmay's User's Guide) but covers a broader range of topics, including Motif and some management issues.

Pearson, Jamie (ed.). Digital At Work: Snapshots from the First Thirty-Five Years. Digital Press, 1992, ISBN 1555580920.

• This is a composite of recollections by folks who participated in DEC's successes. The book includes some great pictures. It was published in 1992, so no Alpha stories are included.

Rifkin, Glenn, and George Harrar. The Ultimate Entrepreneur: The Story of Ken Olsen and Digital Equipment Corporation. Contemporary Books, 1988, ISBN 0809245590.

• Ken Olsen's biography—and Digital's too, of course—is recorded here. It was published in 1988, during DEC's heyday, so it's not the whole story. The Alpha development is missing completely.