source: trunk/third/perl/README.mpeix @ 17035

If you read this file _as_is_, just ignore the funny characters you
see. It is written in the POD format (see perlpod manpage) which is
specially designed to be readable as is.

=head1 NAME

README.mpeix - Perl/iX for HP e3000 MPE
                                       
=head1 SYNOPSIS

   http://www.bixby.org/mark/perlix.html
   Perl language for MPE
   Last updated June 2, 2000 @ 0400 UTC
   
=head1 NOTE

This is a podified version of the above-mentioned web page,
podified by Jarkko Hietaniemi 2001-Jan-01.

=head1 What's New

June 1, 2000
       
=over 4

=item *

Rebuilt to be compatible with mod_perl.  If you plan on using
mod_perl, you MUST download and install this version of Perl/iX!
       
=item *

bincompat5005="undef": sorry, but you will have to recompile any
binary 5.005 extensions that you may be using (if any; there is no
5.005 code in what you download from bixby.org)
uselargefiles="undef": not available in MPE for POSIX files yet.
       
=item *

Now bundled with various add-on packages:

=over 8

=item *

libnet (http://www.gbarr.demon.co.uk/libnet/FAQ.html)

=item *

libwww-perl (LWP) which lets Perl programs behave like web browsers:
       
    1. #!/PERL/PUB/perl
    2. use LWP::Simple;
    3. $doc = get('http://www.bixby.org/mark/perlix.html');  # reads the
       web page into variable $doc
       
(http://www.bixby.org/mark/perlix.html)

=item *

mod_perl (just the perl portion; the actual DSO will be released
soon with Apache/iX 1.3.12 from bixby.org).  This module allows you to
write high performance persistent Perl CGI scripts and all sorts of
cool things. (http://perl.apache.org/)
   
and much much more hiding under /PERL/PUB/.cpan/
   
=item *

The CPAN module now works for automatic downloading and
installing of add-on packages:

    1. export FTP_PASSIVE=1
    2. perl -MCPAN -e shell
    3. Ignore any terminal I/O related complaints!
       
(http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/data/perl/CPAN.html)

=back

=back

May 20, 2000

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.6.0.  Builds straight out of the box on MPE/iX.

=item *

Perl's getpwnam() function which had regressed to being
unimplemented on MPE is now implemented once again.
       
=back

September 17, 1999

=over 4

=item *

Migrated from cccd.edu to bixby.org.

=back
   
=head1 Welcome

This is the official home page for the HP e3000 MPE/iX
(http://www.businessservers.hp.com/) port of the Perl scripting
language (http://www.perl.com/) which gives you all of the power of C,
awk, sed, and sh in a single language. Check here for the latest news,
implemented functionality, known bugs, to-do list, etc. Status reports
about major milestones will also be posted to the HP3000-L mailing list
(http://www.lsoft.com/scripts/wl.exe?SL1=HP3000-L&H=RAVEN.UTC.EDU) and
its associated gatewayed newsgroup comp.sys.hp.mpe.
   
I'm doing this port because I can't live without Perl on the Unix
machines that I administer, and I want to have the same power
available to me on MPE.
   
Please send your comments, questions, and bug reports directly to me,
Mark Bixby (http://www.bixby.org/mark/), by e-mailing to
mark@bixby.org. Or just post them to HP3000-L.
   
The platform I'm using to do this port is an HP 3000 957RX running
MPE/iX 6.0 and using the GNU gcc C compiler
(http://jazz.external.hp.com/src/gnu/gnuframe.html).
   
The combined porting wisdom from all of my ports can be found in my
MPE/iX Porting Guide (http://www.bixby.org/mark/porting.html).
   
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Yes, I do work for the HP CSY R&D lab, but ALL of
the software you download from bixby.org is my personal freeware that
is NOT supported by HP.

=head1 System Requirements

=over 4

=item *

MPE/iX 5.5 or later. This version of Perl/iX does NOT run on
MPE/iX 5.0 or earlier, nor does it run on "classic" MPE/V machines.

=item *

If you wish to recompile Perl, you must install both GNUCORE and
GNUGCC from jazz (http://jazz.external.hp.com/src/gnu/gnuframe.html).

=item *

Perl/iX will be happier on MPE/iX 5.5 if you install the MPEKX40B
extended POSIX filename characters patch, but this is optional.

=item *

Patch LBCJXT6A is required on MPE/iX 5.5 machines in order to
prevent Perl/iX from dying with an unresolved external reference
to _getenv_libc.

=item *

If you will be compiling Perl/iX yourself, you will also need
Syslog/iX (http://www.bixby.org/mark/syslogix.html) and the
/BIND/PUB/include and /BIND/PUB/lib portions of BIND/iX
(http://www.bixby.org/mark/bindix.html).

=back

=head1 How to Obtain Perl/iX

=over 4

=item 1.

Download Perl using either FTP.ARPA.SYS or some other client

=item 2.

Extract the installation script

=item 3.

Edit the installation script

=item 4.

Run the installation script

=item 5.

Convert your *.a system archive libraries to *.sl shared libraries
       
=back

Download Perl using FTP.ARPA.SYS from your HP 3000 (the preferred
method).....
  
    :HELLO MANAGER.SYS
    :XEQ FTP.ARPA.SYS
    open ftp.bixby.org
    anonymous
    your@email.address
    bytestream
    cd /pub/mpe
    get perl-5.6.0-mpe.tar.Z /tmp/perl.tar.Z;disc=2147483647
    exit

.....Or download using some other generic web or ftp client (the alternate
method)
  
Download the following files (make sure that you use "binary mode" or
whatever client feature that is 8-bit clean):

=over 4

=item *

Perl from

    http://www.bixby.org/ftp/pub/mpe/perl-5.6.0-mpe.tar.Z

or

    ftp://ftp.bixby.org/pub/mpe/perl-5.6.0-mpe.tar.Z
       
=item *

Upload those files to your HP 3000 in an 8-bit clean bytestream manner to:

    /tmp/perl.tar.Z
       
=item *

Then extract the installation script (after both download methods)
  
    :CHDIR /tmp
    :XEQ TAR.HPBIN.SYS 'xvfopz /tmp/perl.tar.Z INSTALL'

=item *

Edit the installation script
  
Examine the accounting structure creation commands and modify if
necessary (adding additional capabilities, choosing a non-system
volume set, etc).

    :XEQ VI.HPBIN.SYS /tmp/INSTALL

=item *

Run the installation script.
  
The accounting structure will be created and then all files will be
extracted from the archive.

    :XEQ SH.HPBIN.SYS /tmp/INSTALL

=item *

Convert your *.a system archive libraries to *.sl shared libraries
  
You only have to do this ONCE on your MPE/iX 5.5 machine in order to
convert /lib/lib*.a and /usr/lib/lib*.a libraries to their *.sl
equivalents.  This step should not be necessary on MPE/iX 6.0 or later
machines because the 6.0 or later update process does it for you.

    :XEQ SH.HPBIN.SYS /PERL/PUB/LIBSHP3K

=back

=head1 Distribution Contents Highlights

=over 4

=item README

The file you're reading now.
          
=item INSTALL

Perl/iX Installation script.
          
=item LIBSHP3K

Script to convert *.a system archive libraries to *.sl shared libraries.
          
=item PERL

Perl NMPRG executable.  A version-numbered backup copy also
exists.  You might wish to "ln -s /PERL/PUB/PERL /usr/local/bin/perl".
          
=item .cpan/

Much add-on source code downloaded with the CPAN module.
          
=item lib/

Perl libraries, both core and add-on.
          
=item man/

Perl man page documentation.

=item public_html/feedback.cgi

Sample feedback CGI form written in Perl.
          
=item src/perl-5.6.0-mpe

Source code.

=back
   
=head1 How to Compile Perl/iX

=over 4

=item 1.

cd src/perl-5.6.0-mpe

=item 2.

Read the INSTALL file for the official instructions

=item 3.

./Configure -d

=item  4.

make

=item 5.

./mpeix/relink

=item  6.

make test (expect approximately 15 out of 11306 subtests to fail,
mostly due to MPE not supporting hard links, UDP socket problems,
and handling exit() return codes improperly)

=item 7.

make install

=item 8.

Optionally create symbolic links that point to the Perl
executable, i.e. ln -s /PERL/PUB/PERL /usr/local/bin/perl
       
=back

The summary test results from "cd t; ./perl -I../lib harness":

  Failed Test  Status Wstat Total Fail  Failed  List of failed
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  io/fs.t                      29    8  27.59%  2-5, 7-9, 11
  io/openpid.t                 10    1  10.00%  7
  lib/io_sock.t                14    1   7.14%  13
  lib/io_udp.t                  7    2  28.57%  3, 5
  lib/posix.t                  27    1   3.70%  12
  op/lex_assign.t             187    1   0.53%  13
  op/stat.t                    58    1   1.72%  3
  15 tests and 94 subtests skipped.
  Failed 7/236 test scripts, 97.03% okay. 15/11306 subtests failed, 99.87% okay.

=head1 Getting Started with Perl/iX

Create your Perl script files with "#!/PERL/PUB/perl" (or an
equivalent symbolic link) as the first line.  Use the chmod command to
make sure that your script has execute permission. Run your script!
   
Be sure to take a look at the CPAN module list
(http://www.cpan.org/CPAN.html). A wide variety of free Perl software
is available.  You can automatically download these packages by using
the CPAN module (http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/CPAN/data/perl/CPAN.html).

=head1 MPE/iX Implementation Considerations

There some minor functionality issues to be aware of when comparing
Perl for Unix (Perl/UX) to Perl/iX:

=over 4

=item *

MPE gcc/ld doesn't properly support linking NMPRG executables against
NMXL dynamic libraries, so you must manually run mpeix/relink after
each re-build of Perl.

=item *

Perl/iX File::Copy will use MPE's /bin/cp command to copy files by
name in order to preserve file attributes like file code.

=item *

MPE (and thus Perl/iX) lacks support for setgrent(), endgrent(),
setpwent(), endpwent().

=item *

MPE (and thus Perl/iX) lacks support for hard links.

=item *

MPE requires GETPRIVMODE() in order to bind() to ports less than 1024.
Perl/iX will call GETPRIVMODE() automatically on your behalf if you
attempt to bind() to these low-numbered ports.  Note that the Perl/iX
executable and the PERL account do not normally have CAP=PM, so if you
will be bind()-ing to these privileged ports, you will manually need
to add PM capability as appropriate.

=item *

MPE requires that you bind() to an IP address of zero.  Perl/iX
automatically replaces the IP address that you pass to bind() with
a zero.

=item *

If you use Perl/iX fcntl() against a socket it will fail, because MPE
requires that you use sfcntl() instead.  Perl/iX does not presently
support sfcntl().

=item *

MPE requires GETPRIVMODE() in order to setuid().  There are too many
calls to setuid() within Perl/iX, so I have not attempted an automatic
GETPRIVMODE() solution similar to bind().

=back
   
=head1 Known Bugs Under Investigation

None.
   
=head1 To-Do List

=over 4

=item *

Make setuid()/setgid() support work.

=item *

Make sure that fcntl() against a socket descriptor is redirected to sfcntl().

=item *

Add support for Berkeley DB once I've finished porting Berkeley DB.

=item *

Write an MPE XS extension library containing miscellaneous important
MPE functions like GETPRIVMODE(), GETUSERMODE(), and sfcntl().
   
=back

=head1 Change History

May 6, 1999
       
=over 4

=item *

Patch LBCJXT6A is required on MPE/iX 5.5 machines in order to prevent
Perl/iX from dying with an unresolved external reference to _getenv_libc.
       
=back

April 7, 1999

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.005_03.

=item *

The official source distribution once again compiles "straight out
of the box" for MPE.

=item *

The current incarnation of the 5.5 POSIX filename extended
characters patch is now MPEKX40B.

=item *

The LIBSHP3K *.a -> *.sl library conversion script is now included
as /PERL/PUB/LIBSHP3K.
       
=back

November 20, 1998

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.005_02.

=item *

Fixed a DynaLoader bug that was unable to load symbols from relative
path name libraries.

=item *

Fixed a .xs compilation bug where the mpeixish.sh include file wasn't
being installed into the proper directory.

=item *

All bugfixes will be submitted back to the official Perl developers.

=item *

The current incarnation of the POSIX filename extended characters
patch is now MPEKXJ3A.
       
=back
   
August 14, 1998

=over 4

=item *

The previous POSIX filename extended characters patch MPEKX44C has
been superseded by MPEKXB5A.
       
=back
   
August 7, 1998

=over 4

=item *

The previous POSIX filename extended characters patch MPEKX76A has
been superseded by MPEKX44C.
       
=over 4

=back
   
July 28, 1998

=item *

Updated to version 5.005_01.
       
=back
   
July 23, 1998

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.005 (production release).  The public
freeware sources are now 100% MPE-ready "straight out of the box".
       
=back
   
July 17, 1998

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.005b1 (public beta release).  The public
freeware sources are now 99.9% MPE-ready.  By installing and
testing this beta on your own HP3000, you will be helping to
insure that the final release of 5.005 will be 100% MPE-ready and
100% bug free.

=item *

My MPE binary release is now extracted using my standard INSTALL script.
       
=back
   
July 15, 1998

=over 4

=item *

Changed startperl to #!/PERL/PUB/perl so that Perl will recognize
scripts more easily and efficiently.
       
=back
   
July 8, 1998

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.004_70 (internal developer release) which is now
MPE-ready.  The next public freeware release of Perl should compile
"straight out of the box" on MPE.  Note that this version of Perl/iX
was strictly internal to me and never publicly released.  Note that
[21]BIND/iX is now required (well, the include files and libbind.a) if
you wish to compile Perl/iX.
       
=back
   
November 6, 1997

=over 4

=item *

Updated to version 5.004_04.  No changes in MPE-specific functionality.
       
=back
   
October 16, 1997

=over 4

=item *

Added Demos section to the Perl/iX home page so you can see some
sample Perl applications running on my 3000.
       
=back
   
October 3, 1997

=over 4

=item *

Added System Requirements section to the Perl/iX home page just so the
prerequisites stand out more. Various other home page tweaks.
       
=back
   
October 2, 1997

=over 4

=item *

Initial public release.
       
=back
   
September 1997

=over 4

=item *

Porting begins.

=back
   
=head1 Author
   
Mark Bixby, mark@bixby.org