  OpenVMS VAX and Alpha sharing RMS data files? 
 The Question is:
 
I'm working in a System Integrator Consultant that has a great customer with
 this problem:
 - Microvax 3100/90 running Open VMS 6.2, Cobol 4.3 and RPG.  They intend to
 migrate the environment to running on AlphaServer 800 with Open VMS 7.1 and
 Cobol.   I know that it's perfectly possible to do it on this way.
But this customer wants to make a contigency site using both machines.   The
 question is, How can I make the reverse way to portability and accessibility
 the datas from AlphaServer800 to Microvax 3100/90, and Is it possible?
 
Thanks
 
 The Answer is:
 
  For ease of porting, the OpenVMS Wizard recommends moving the OpenVMS
  VAX system forward to the same OpenVMS version and the same layered
  product version as the target OpenVMS Alpha system.  (Compatible version
  combinations also include OpenVMS VAX V7.1 and OpenVMS Alpha V7.1-2,
  and OpenVMS VAX V7.2 and OpenVMS Alpha V7.2-1.)  There have been
  various discussions of migration in the past, and there is a manual
  on this topic.
 
  As for the data files themselves, RMS data files are fully shareable
  and fully compatible across OpenVMS VAX and OpenVMS Alpha systems.
  For example, mixed-architecture OpenVMS Cluster configurations fully
  write-share the SYSUAF.DAT file and other core RMS files within the
  cluster.  Oracle Rdb database files are also fully shareable, as are
  the data files for various other Compaq and third-party products.
 
  You will want to be aware of data alignment when working in a mixed
  architecture configurations, as OpenVMS Alpha compilers regularly
  use natural alignment (for performance reasons), while the OpenVMS
  VAX compilers use byte alignment (for storage reasons).  OpenVMS
  Alpha data structures can be explicitly byte-aligned, as required.
 
