MicroVAX VMS Course?

[w2hx]

Hi all,

Several years ago, I acquired a MicroVAX desktop standing thingy. It has been in storage for all those years. Last night I decided to boot it up (prev owner gave me the un/pw for it) and lo and behold, I logged into VMS 5.3! Then I remembered, I really don't know anything about VMS. I haven't used it since the mid 1990s and even then, I was hired as a PC guy so didn't get a lot of experience on VMS.

So I struggled to figure out how to shut it down properly. After many hours I finally figured it out. One of the problems, I think was the logicals were not the same as whatever instructions I found on the internet for shutdown.

Anyhow. I have a LOT to learn about the basics of VMS. Even simple things like filespecs, directories, devices, users, logicals, all the basics. Can anyone recommend a VMS for dummies or equivalent? Maybe a youtube resource perhaps? If not, happy to learn from any online resource in any format.

Thanks very much
73 Eugene W2HX

 

[F11ACP]

Hi,

I suppose that the VMS System Manager's Manual is your best bet for operations like shutting down the system orderly. Copies are available on bitsavers:

Loading…

bitsavers.org

But in the nutshell, you have to run

$ @SYS$SYSTEM:SHUTDOWN

as a privileged user (SYSTEM, usually), and answer a few simple questions, before the command file stops the system.

See pg 2-24 (Section 2.10.1) in the PDF linked above.

HTH

P.S. For simpler things like files, directories, etc, there's the User's Guide, in the same Internet archive:

Loading…

bitsavers.org

Good luck!

P.P.S.
BTW, there's also a very affordable hard copy of that very System Manager manual available on eBay for only $8.50 !
(I guess they did not place, and thus, priced it properly, because the same manual under the "DEC vintage" materials
is offered at $49):

VMS System Manager's Manual | eBay

Title: VMS System Manager's Manual.

www.ebay.com

So it's your chance, and you can have it the old-fashioned way, too.

 

[w2hx]

@F11ACP Great info! thank you very much. I purchased that manual on ebay and I've already begun to read the PDFs. Thanks a lot. BTW I think the problem was SYS$SYSTEM wasn't translating to where the SHUTDOWN program was located. I think I had to go to SYS$COMMON or something, but with some reading under my belt, I'm sure I'll figure it out.
thanks again!
73 Eugene W2HX