In message <11031820281928_20200...@antinode.info> on Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:28:19
-0500 (CDT), "Steven M. Schweda" <s...@antinode.info> said:
sms> More VMS builder mysteries...
sms>
sms> In "makevms.com", I see:
sms>
sms> $! P6, if defined, sets a compiler thread NOT needed on OpenVMS 7.1 (and
up).
sms>
sms> I find this about as clear as mud. Can anyone explain what "sets a
sms> compiler thread" means? What, exactly, is "NOT needed on OpenVMS 7.1
sms> (and up)"? "A compiler thread"? P6? As I see it, if this P6 is _not_
sms> defined, then all the subsidiary builders add the C macro PTHREAD_USE_D4
sms> to the compiler commands (if the VMS version is V7.1 or higher). But if
sms> this P6 _is_ defined, then exactly the same thing happens (for slightly
sms> different reasons). What's really supposed to happen when? What would
sms> a user specify for this P6 (and why, and when)?
Oh, you're talking about history. I just dug through the log, 'cause
this is oooooold, we're talking about something that came with a
complete replacement of makevms.com and friends, back in the first
half of 1999.
Really, I can't remember, and I can't remember the last time I used
that parameter... I think I recall, from somewhere in the deep moldy
cellars of my memory, is that back when the D4 implementation was
introduced on VMS, there was talking of incompatibilities that could
affect programs in a bad way. Just the fact that you had to actively
enable it left people wondering. As I recall it, I went with it as a
default on VMS version where it was known to work (7.1 and up), but
gave people the option to use the older implementation if they
preferred that. Hence, this parameter.
sms> Can this stuff actually be built on VMS before V7.1?
It's been a long time since I last heard from anyone having a really
old system. However, for a very long time (up until 2000 or 2001 at
the very least), VMS 5.5 for VAX was the default oldest VMS version
developpers supported. OpenSSL did it with flying colors, as I recall
it.
sms> If PTHREAD_USE_D4 were _always_ defined, then would it have any
sms> effect on VMS versions before V7.1? Is all this P6 stuff just a
sms> (confusing) waste of time and effort?
I seem to recall it was dicy on pre-7.1. If my memory isn't totally
off, it was present but not well supported on some pre-7.1 systems.
sms> "test/maketests.com" says:
sms>
sms> $! Should we add MTTEST,PQ_TEST,LH_TEST,DIVTEST,TABTEST as well?
sms>
sms> where "crypto/threads/mttest.c" and "crypto/threads/th-lock.c" seem to
sms> be the only consumers of <pthread.h>. Seems to me to be a reasonable
sms> question. What's the answer? Currently, there exists a
sms> "crypto/threads]pthreads-vms.com" ("To compile mttest on VMS"), which
sms> seems to be ignored by the other builders. Should "test/maketests.com"
sms> be building these programs? (Should we have tests which use them?)
The build scripts are made to follow the Unix build as closely as
possible in practice. Those test programs aren't used by default on
Unix, so they haven't been introduced here either. Mind, they aren't
really tests of OpenSSL functionality per se, I believe they are more
the kind of test program that's lying around just in case you stumble
on a problematic system.
Cheers,
Richard
--
Richard Levitte rich...@levitte.org
http://richard.levitte.org/
"Life is a tremendous celebration - and I'm invited!"
-- from a friend's blog, translated from Swedish
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