Porting OpenVMS from VAX to Alpha AXP

Abstract

The OpenVMS operating system, developed by Digital for the VAX family of computers, was recently moved from the VAX to the Alpha AXP architecture. The Alpha AXP architecture is a new RISC architecture introduced by Digital in 1992. This paper describes solutions to several problems in porting the operating system, in addition to performance benefits measured on one of the systems that implements this new architecture.