Virtual Memory System
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OpenVMS V7.3-1 running the CDE-based DECwindows GUI
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| Developer | Digital Equipment Corporation, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, VSI |
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| Written in | BLISS, VAX Macro, C, Ada, PL/I, Fortran, UIL, SDL, Pascal, MDL, C++, DCL, Message, Document |
| OS family | DEC OS family |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Closed source |
| Initial release | October 25, 1977 |
| Latest release | OpenVMS 8.4-2L1 (Hudson Release) / September 23, 2016 |
| Marketing target | High-end computer server |
| Available in | English |
| Update method | Concurrent upgrades, rolling upgrades |
| Package manager | PCSI and VMSINSTAL |
| Platforms | VAX, Alpha, Itanium |
| Kernel type | Monolithic kernel with loadable modules |
| Default user interface | DCL CLI and DECwindows GUI |
| License | Proprietary |
| Official website | www |
OpenVMS is a computer operating system for use in general-purpose computing. It is the successor to the VMS Operating System (VAX-11/VMS, VAX/VMS), that was produced by Digital Equipment Corporation, and first released in 1977 for its series of VAX-11 minicomputers. In the 1990s, it was used for the successor series of DEC Alpha systems. OpenVMS also runs on the HP Itanium-based families of computers. As of 2015, a port to the X86-64 architecture is underway.
The name VMS is derived from virtual memory system, according to one of its principal architectural features. OpenVMS is a proprietary operating system, but source code listings are available for purchase.
OpenVMS is a multi-user, multiprocessing virtual memory-based operating system (OS) designed for use in time sharing, batch processing, and transaction processing. When process priorities are suitably adjusted, it may approach real-time operating system characteristics. The system offers high availability through clustering and the ability to distribute the system over multiple physical machines. This allows the system to be tolerant against disasters that may disable individual data-processing facilities.
OpenVMS contains a graphical user interface (GUI), a feature that was not available on the original VAX-11/VMS system. Prior to the introduction of DEC VAXstation systems in the 1980s, the operating system was used and managed from text-based terminals, such as the VT100, which provide serial data communications and screen-oriented display features. Versions of VMS running on DEC Alpha workstations in the 1990s supported OpenGL and Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) graphics adapters.
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