*VAX is a Trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation.
with at least the following equipment:
memory: 256K bytes or more.
disk: RP06, RM03, or equivalent.
tape: any 9-track MASSBUS-compatible tape drive.
The following equipment is strongly recommended:
communications controller such as DZ11 or DL11.
full duplex 96-character ASCII terminals.
extra disk for system backup.
The system is normally distributed on 9-track tape.
The minimum memory and disk space specified is enough to run
and to keep all source on line.
More memory will be needed
big data bases, diversified complements of devices, or large
occupies 40-55K bytes depending
system data also occupies 30-55K bytes.
Most of the programs available as
Source code and printed manuals are
distributed for all of the listed software
Almost all of the code is written in C.
Commands are self-contained and do not require extra setup
unless specifically noted as ``interactive.''
Interactive programs can be made to run from a prepared script
simply by redirecting input.
Most programs intended for interactive use
command level (the Shell).
Most file processing commands
can also go from standard input to standard output
The piping facility of the Shell may be used
to connect such filters directly to the input or output
includes the time-sharing operating
system with utilities, and a
compiler for the programming language C\(emenough
write and run new applications
and to maintain or modify
on which everything else depends.
Supports the system calls, and maintains the file system.
philosophy and system facilities appeared in
the Communications of the ACM, July, 1974.
A more extensive survey is in the Bell System Technical Journal
Reentrant code for user processes.
``Group'' access permissions for cooperative projects,
with overlapping memberships.
Timer-interrupt sampling and interprocess monitoring
for debugging and measurement.
Multiplexed I/O for machine-to-machine communication.
All I/O is logically synchronous.
I/O devices are simply files in the file system.
Normally, invisible buffering makes all physical
record structure and device characteristics transparent and exploits the
hardware's ability to do overlapped I/O.
Unbuffered physical record
I/O is available for unusual applications.
Drivers for these devices are
Asynchronous interfaces: DZ11, DL11.
Support for most common ASCII terminals.
Automatic calling unit interface: DN11.
Printer/plotter: Versatek.
Pack type disk: RP06, RM03;
minimum-latency seek scheduling.
Physical memory of VAX-11, or mapped memory in resident system.
Recipies are supplied to aid the construction of drivers for:
Asynchronous interface: DH11.
Synchronous interface: DU11.
Fixed head disk: RS11, RS03 and RS04.
Cartridge-type disk: RK05.
Phototypesetter: Graphic Systems System/1 through DR11C.
Verify password and establish user's
individual and group (project) identity.
Adapt to characteristics of terminal.
Establish working directory.
Announce presence of mail (from MAIL).
Publish message of the day.
Execute user-specified profile.
Start command interpreter or other initial program.
User can change his own password.
Passwords are kept encrypted for security.
Change working group (project).
Protects against unauthorized changes to projects.
Set tab stops appropriately for specified terminal type.
Set up options for optimal control of a terminal.
In so far as they are deducible from the input, these
options are set automatically by LOGIN.
Carriage return+line feed vs. newline.
Mapping of upper case to lower.
Delays for tabs, newlines and carriage returns.
Concatenate one or more files onto standard output.
Particularly used for unadorned printing, for
inserting data into a pipeline,
and for buffering output that comes in dribs and drabs.
Works on any file regardless of contents.
Copy one file to another,
or a set of files to a directory.
Works on any file regardless of contents.
Print files with title, date, and page number on every page.
Parallel column merge of several files.
Spools arbitrary files to the line printer.
Compare two files and report if different.
lines or characters to end.
Split a large file into more manageable pieces.
Occasionally necessary for editing (ED).
Physical file format translator,
for exchanging data with foreign
systems, especially IBM 370's.
Manipulation of Directories and File Names
Only the name goes away if any other names are linked to the file.
Step through a directory deleting files interactively.
Delete entire directory hierarchies.
``Link'' another name (alias) to an existing file.
Change permissions on one or more files.
Executable by files' owner.
Change owner of one or more files.
Change group (project) to which a file belongs.
Change working directory.
name matches a given pattern,
creation date in given range,
date of last use in given range,
given special file characteristics,
boolean combinations of above.
Any directory may be considered to be the root.
Perform specified command on each file found.
The Shell, or command language interpreter.
Supply arguments to and run any executable program.
Redirect standard input, standard output, and standard error files.
simultaneous execution with output of one process connected
Compose compound commands using:
break, continue and exit,
parentheses for grouping.
Initiate background processes.
Perform Shell programs, i.e., command scripts with
Construct argument lists from all file names
satisfying specified patterns.
Take special action on traps and interrupts.
User-settable search path for finding commands.
Executes user-settable profile upon login.
Optionally announces presence of mail as it arrives.
Provides variables and parameters with default setting.
Tests for use in Shell conditionals.
File nature and accessibility.
Boolean combinations of the above.
String computations for calculating command arguments.
Wait for termination of asynchronously running processes.
Read a line from terminal,
for interactive Shell procedure.
Print remainder of command line.
Useful for diagnostics or prompts in Shell programs,
or for inserting data into a pipeline.
Suspend execution for a specified time.
Run a command immune to hanging up the terminal.
Run a command in low (or high) priority.
Terminate named processes.
Schedule regular actions at specified times.
Actions are arbitrary programs.
conjunctions of month, day of month, day of week, hour
Ranges are specifiable for each.
Schedule a one-shot action for an arbitrary time.
Pass data between processes and divert a copy into one or more files.
List the names of one, several, or all files in one or more directories.
Alphabetic or temporal sorting, up or down.
what kind of information is in a file by consulting
the file system index and by reading the file itself.
Print today's date and time.
Has considerable knowledge
of calendric and horological peculiarities.
Report amount of free space on file system devices.
Print a summary of total space occupied by all files in a hierarchy.
Print summary of file space usage by user id.
Tell who's on the system.
List of presently logged in users,
Optional history of all logins and logouts.
Report on active processes.
List your own or everybody's processes.
Tell what commands are being executed.
Optional status information:
state and scheduling info,
Print statistics about system I/O activity.
Print name of your terminal.
Print name of your working directory.
Attach a device containing
Protects against nonsense arrangements.
Remove the file system contained on a device
from the tree of directories.
Protects against removing a busy device.
Make a new file system on a device.
Make an i-node (file system entry) for a special file.
virtual devices, physical memory, etc.
Manage file archives on magnetic tape or DECtape.
Collect files into an archive.
Update DECtape archive by date.
Replace or delete DECtape files.
stored on a specified device, selectively by date, or indiscriminately.
Restore a dumped file system,
or selectively retrieve parts thereof.
Temporarily become the super user with all the rights and privileges
Check consistency of file system.
Report duplicate use of space.
Report inaccessible files.
Check consistency of directories.
Peremptorily expunge a file and its space from a file system.
Used to repair damaged file systems.
Force all outstanding I/O on the system to completion.
Used to shut down gracefully.
The timing information on which the reports are based can be
manually cleared or shut off completely.
Publish cumulative connect time report.
Connect time by user or by day.
For all users or for selected users.
Gives usage information on each command executed.
Total system time, user time and elapsed time.
Optional averages and percentages.
Sorting on various fields.
Mail a message to one or more users.
Also used to read and dispose of incoming mail.
The presence of mail is announced by LOGIN
Each message can be disposed of individually.
Messages can be saved in files or forwarded.
Automatic reminder service for events of today and tomorrow.
Establish direct terminal communication with another user.
Inhibit receipt of messages from WRITE and WALL.
Call up another time-sharing system.
Transparent interface to remote machine.
Take remote input from local file or put remote output
Remote system need not be
Automatic queuing until line becomes available
and remote machine is up.
Copy between two remote machines.
Differences, mail, etc., between two machines.
Basic Program Development Tools
Some of these utilities are used as integral parts of
the higher level languages described in section 2.
Maintain archives and libraries.
Combines several files into one for housekeeping efficiency.
Creates object program consisting of
code, normally read-only and sharable,
initialized data or read-write code,
Relocatable object code is directly executable without
Object code normally includes a symbol table.
``Conditional jump'' instructions become
branches or branches plus jumps depending on distance.
The basic run-time library.
These routines are used freely by all software.
Buffered character-by-character I/O.
Formatted input and output conversion (SCANF and PRINTF)
for standard input and output, files, in-memory conversion.
Mathematical function library, including
trigonometric functions and inverses,
exponential, logarithm, square root,
Examination of arbitrary files, with no limit on size.
Interactive breakpoint debugging with the debugger as a separate
Symbolic reference to local and global variables.
Stack trace for C programs.
1-, 2-, or 4-byte integers in octal, decimal, or hex
single and double floating point
disassembled machine instructions
Searching for integer, character, or floating patterns.
Output options include any combination of
octal or decimal or hex by words,
Range of dumping is controllable.
Combine relocatable object files.
Insert required routines from specified libraries.
Resulting code is sharable by default.
Places object file names in proper order for loading,
so that files depending on others come after them.
Print the namelist (symbol table) of an object program.
Provides control over the style and order of
Report the memory requirements
of one or more object files.
Remove the relocation and symbol table information from
an object file to save space.
Run a command and report timing information on it.
Construct a profile of time spent per routine
from statistics gathered by time-sampling the
Subroutine call frequency and average times for C programs.
Controls creation of large programs.
Uses a control file specifying source file dependencies
uses time last changed to deduce minimum amount of work necessary.
Knows about CC, YACC, LEX, etc.
UNIX/32V Programmer's Manual
Machine-readable version of the
All subroutines in C and assembler libraries.
All devices and other special files.
Formats of file system and kinds
of files known to system software.
Boot and maintenance procedures.
Print specified manual section on your terminal.
Computer-Aided Instruction
A program for interpreting CAI scripts, plus scripts
Scripts for basic files and commands,
advanced files and commands,