  Upgrading from older OpenVMS releases? 
 The Question is:
 
 
We are running MicroVMS 4.7 on an old VAXStation II. All our VAXStations
parts have been pulled to the last one. We would like to purchase
a newer computer that can run the same stuff. Our compilers, assemblers,
and linkers run on this computer. These programs were written in
Pascal. The only problem is that they were written for the VMS
We could update the pascal code, recompile, and re-create a system for
all of this stuff on another platform but it would save us an enormous
amount of time if we could just run the MicroVMS 4.7 on a new computer
I know that OpenVMS is different, so the Alpha machine does not help as
far as I can tell. Is there a way to run MicroVMS 4.7 or a knock-off
version of VMS on a newer computer (PC, MIPS, Alpha, etc.)?
 
Thanks,
 
Jason Meketa
Raytheon Missile Systems Company
jmmeketa@west.raytheon.com
 
 The Answer is:
 
  "OpenVMS" is not different, it is simply another name for "VMS".
  See the OpenVMS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for details.
 
  Assuming that the code is user mode code with no "clever" hacks or
  assumptions about the underlying hardware architecture, there is no
  reason to expect that your code will not just compile and work on any
  later version of OpenVMS, on VAX or likely even on Alpha.  In most
  cases, the code will work without recompilation.
 
  Upward-compatibility of user-mode code is a core of OpenVMS VAX releases,
  and portability of user-mode code from OpenVMS VAX to OpenVMS Alpha is
  typical.
 
  If you want to stay with MicroVMS V4.7, your choices of hardware are
  quite limited -- no current VAX systems are supported on that release.
  The MicroVAX II is extremely old and slow.
 
  The Wizard would recommend finding a used VAXstation 4000 series -- the
  VAXstation 3100 is another option, but the system disk size is limited
  to 1.073 GB or less on that system -- and simply try moving your programs
  to (say) OpenVMS VAX V7.1.  Depending on your code, you may be surprised
  at how smoothly it works.  Start by copying over the executable images
  and just RUN them.
 
  If you choose to move to OpenVMS Alpha, install the necessary layered
  product kits, copy over the sources and the build procedures, then
  perform a recompilation and relink.  Then try the application.  Further
  information on the (few) differences between OpenVMS VAX and OpenVMS
  Alpha are available in the documentation set, in the migration manual.
