Writing VMS-format CD-ROMs

Writing VMS-format CD-ROMs

There are references on the Web about writing VMS-format CD-ROMs, but there's no "cookbook". Here is a procedure that works for me.

Related Links

Writing CDs for VMS
CD-R for VMS
Instructions for creation of a dual format CDrom (ODS-2/ISO-9660)
OpenVMS FAQ
CD-Writing HOWTO (mostly from a Linux point of view)

Equipment

An Alpha system running OpenVMS (sorry, the VDDRIVER runs only on Alpha)
A Linux system with a CD-R or CD-RW recorder (this could be the same machine, since Linux is available for Alpha)

Software

Procedure

The basic idea is to create a file under VMS which holds the image of the disk. That file is then FTP'd to the Linux system, and burned onto a CD.

First (and only necessary once):

Build and install VDSTEP2 on the Alpha OpenVMS system.
Build and install cdrecord on the Linux system. You may have to do some tweaking to get it to recognize your CD drive. The CD-Writing HOWTO is excellent for this.

For each CD you wish to create:

On OpenVMS (where dev:[dir] is where the software and container file is located):
- $ MCR SYSMAN IO CONNECT VDA0:/NOADAPTER/DRIVER=dev:[dir]VDDRIVER.EXE
- $ MCR SYSMAN IO CONNECT VDA1:/NOADAPTER/DRIVER=dev:[dir]VDDRIVER.EXE
- $ COPY NL: disk:[dir]VDA1.DSK/ALLOCATE=XXXXX/CONTIGUOUS
- $ SET FILE/END_OF_FILE/NOMOVE/NOBACKUP dev:[dir]VDA1.DSK
- $ ASNVD == "$DEV:[DIR]ASNVDM6.EXE"
- $ ASNVD/ASSIGN VDA1: dev:[dir]VDA1.DSK
- $ INITIALIZE VDA1: <label>
- $ MOUNT/SYSTEM VDA1: <label>
- (copy whatever you want to VDA1:)
- $ DISMOUNT VDA1:
- $ ASNVD/DEASSIGN VDA1:
- $ SET FILE/ATT=(RFM:FIX,RAT:NONE,LRL:512,MRS:512) dev:[dir]VDA1.DSK
- FTP the file dev:[dir]VDA1.DSK to the Linux system
On Linux:
- cdrecord -speed 2 dev=x,x,x -data VDA1.DSK

You're done! Mount and serve...