Ok, the initial release has been posted to http://sourceforge.net/projects/vms-por ... S_Python/.

This release is a total new implementation from the prior version. Testing has been done against the Samba 4.3.1 WAF build environment. ONLY ONE edit was necessary to allow execution of the configure process - to force the file type of the result of a LINK to not have the ".EXE" file type.

Yes there are other issues I have fighting with getting as many of the errors out of the configure process but they have nothing to do with the execution of the Python subprocess module.

For instance, there is a test of the mmap() function. It used fork() in the classically thought of way of duplicating the process (and executable) - which OpenVMS does not support, currently. It was a minor edit to create a mechanism to use vfork()/execl() to create a child process and then additional minor modifications to have the execution "detect" whether it is running as a parent or as a child.

So, now I am attacking the issue of using the Kerberos already installed on my OpenVMS systems as part of the build of Samba - more investigation and tweaking of the configure environment.

Bill.

Have gotten the configure script to run to the point of attempting to compile the summary.c code at the end of the configure process - it fails but that is not unexpected.

It gets there! That is what is important. Farther than at any time in the past on this project so that makes me feel good. A lot to do still. Boy, a whole heck of a lot to do.

Also some improvements on the subprocess.py module. Need to do some final testing and clean up and implement a could other features that I have bypassed for this project.

Bill.

Some time back, about 18 months in fact, I started on a project to port Samba 4.x to OpenVMS. Well, then there was a year that was very interesting, very demanding, and not much progress occurred on my Open Source On OpenVMS projects. Times change - now back working on the port.

Samba 4.x saw a major change in the build environment. It went from the classical configure/make and bash scripting to using a Python-based environment called WAF. So LOTS of learning and finding things that needed to be worked to make things work. The initial attempt showed that the subprocess.py module in Python had no support for OpenVMS. I did an initial implementation using lib$spawn and sys$crembx as well as some other items but I found that to limiting and required too many changes in the Python scripts.

My current effort has created a new version - soon to be available - of subprocess.py. This version uses more of the CRTL features to do thing closer to the way Linux/Unix works. So we have the use of the execv()/execve() functions and vfork to create the child. We had to implement some of the code in C due to the way vfork/exec calls work but that is easily called from Python and could be implemented in a single call rather than multiple, which would not work.

We have eliminated any changes to the Python scripts and currently have the configure process running to a point where it is trying to test for building extensions to Python, which is quite a ways down the process - several thousand tests.

Will add more to this as we progress...

Bill.

We have been busy behind the scenes working on our new website. As you can see if is a bit sleeker and more focused on our offerings.

We have also been developing new offerings. One of the most important is the Support of Open Source On OpenVMS. You can check it out here.

Do you have a new project that needs help?

Do you need to get your systems tuned or evaluated?

Or how about that open source software, does it need to be updated?

Contact us for a quote or proposal.

The 2015 OpenVMS Boot Camp is scheduled to begin on 28 September!

It is not too late to still sign up to attend! This is THE OpenVMS Community event of the year! Come join many of your VMS colleagues and network and plan your year together!

There are currently over 80 technical sessions, as well as the Vendor Round House on the evening of the 28th and the Banquet/VMS Reunion and Scholarship Auction on the evening of the 29th.

And for those that really want to get into the details about Security and OpenVMS there is the Pre-Conference Seminar on Sunday, 27 September. The presenters include:

Stephen Hoffman, HoffmanLabs LLC
Colin Butcher, XDelta Limited
James Preciado, James J. Preciado, LLC
Bill Highleyman, Availability Digest
Greg Guthman, Software Concepts International, Inc.
Bill Pedersen, CCSS, LLC
Eddie Orcutt, VMS Software, Inc.

The schedule for the Pre-Con is here:

Continental Breakfast/Registration
Morning
Introduction
Infrastructure
Securing hardware consoles, ILOs, MPs, Virtual Connect, Chassis and other things
Why worry about this?
Default usernames and passwords
TELNET and FTP
External authentication
Individual accountability and activity logs
Monitoring
Routers
LDAP
VLAN
Fibre
NAS/SAN
Break
VMS Security in review
Built in components
SYSUAF - Password Policy - History
ACL / ACE’s - / Identifiers / Groups etc.
Auditing / Accounting
Monitoring / OPCOM
Add-in components/Tools
Encryption
Commercial options
Open Source options
Rapid Recovery / State checking
Other
Networking:
DECnet / LAT
bjects / Proxies
TCPIP
ACME - LDAP
Proxies
IPSec
SSL
DMZ’s / VLAN’s
Lunch
Afternoon
Best practices
VMS Guide to Security
Overview of various Standards
Audits and Standard Compliance
Risk vs. Compensating Control
What makes an effective control?
The "nasty" privileges
Fine tuning and monitoring access and functions
Segregation of duties
Security policies and escalation procedures
Real world examples
Application / Open Source remediation / hardening
Smart Card Technology
Break
Infrastructure
Penetration test preparation
Futures (VSI)
Round table