README.os400(1)

NAME

       README.os400 - Perl version 5 on OS/400

DESCRIPTION

       This document describes various features of IBM's OS/400 operating sys-
       tem that will affect how Perl version 5 (hereafter just Perl) is com-
       piled and/or runs.

       By far the easiest way to build Perl for OS/400 is to use the PASE
       (Portable Application Solutions Environment), for more information see
       http://www.iseries.ibm.com/developer/factory/pase/index.html This envi-
       ronment allows one to use AIX APIs while programming, and it provides a
       runtime that allows AIX binaries to execute directly on the PowerPC
       iSeries.

       Compiling Perl for OS/400 PASE

       The recommended way to build Perl for the OS/400 PASE is to build the
       Perl 5 source code (release 5.8.1 or later) under AIX.

       The trick is to give a special parameter to the Configure shell script
       when running it on AIX:

         sh Configure -DPASE ...

       The default installation directory of Perl under PASE is /QOpen-
       Sys/perl.  This can be modified if needed with Configure parameter
       -Dprefix=/some/dir.

       Starting from OS/400 V5R2 the IBM Visual Age compiler is supported on
       OS/400 PASE, so it is possible to build Perl natively on OS/400.  The
       easier way, however, is to compile in AIX, as just described.

       If you don't want to install the compiled Perl in AIX into /QOpenSys
       (for packaging it before copying it to PASE), you can use a Configure
       parameter: -Dinstallprefix=/tmp/QOpenSys/perl.  This will cause the
       "make install" to install everything into that directory, while the
       installed files still think they are (will be) in /QOpenSys/perl.

       If building natively on PASE, please do the build under the /QOpenSys
       directory, since Perl is happier when built on a case sensitive
       filesystem.

       Installing Perl in OS/400 PASE

       If you are compiling on AIX, simply do a "make install" on the AIX box.
       Once the install finishes, tar up the /QOpenSys/perl directory.  Trans-
       fer the tarball to the OS/400 using FTP with the following commands:

         > binary
         > site namefmt 1
         > put perl.tar /QOpenSys

       Once you have it on, simply bring up a PASE shell and extract the tar-
       ball.

       If you are compiling in PASE, then "make install" is the only thing you
       will need to do.

       The default path for perl binary is /QOpenSys/perl/bin/perl.  You'll
       want to symlink /QOpenSys/usr/bin/perl to this file so you don't have
       to modify your path.

       Using Perl in OS/400 PASE

       Perl in PASE may be used in the same manner as you would use Perl on
       AIX.

       Scripts starting with #!/usr/bin/perl should work if you have /QOpen-
       Sys/usr/bin/perl symlinked to your perl binary.  This will not work if
       you've done a setuid/setgid or have environment variable
       PASE_EXEC_QOPENSYS="N".  If you have V5R1, you'll need to get the lat-
       est PTFs to have this feature.  Scripts starting with #!/QOpen-
       Sys/perl/bin/perl should always work.

       Known Problems

       When compiling in PASE, there is no "oslevel" command.  Therefore, you
       may want to create a script called "oslevel" that echoes the level of
       AIX that your version of PASE runtime supports.  If you're unsure, con-
       sult your documentation or use "4.3.3.0".

       If you have test cases that fail, check for the existence of spool
       files.  The test case may be trying to use a syscall that is not imple-
       mented in PASE.  To avoid the SIGILL, try setting the
       PASE_SYSCALL_NOSIGILL environment variable or have a handler for the
       SIGILL.  If you can compile programs for PASE, run the config script
       and edit config.sh when it gives you the option.  If you want to remove
       fchdir(), which isn't implement in V5R1, simply change the line that
       says:

       d_fchdir='define'

       to

       d_fchdir='undef'

       and then compile Perl.  The places where fchdir() is used have alterna-
       tives for systems that do not have fchdir() available.

       Perl on ILE

       There exists a port of Perl to the ILE environment.  This port, how-
       ever, is based quite an old release of Perl, Perl 5.00502 (August
       1998).  (As of July 2002 the latest release of Perl is 5.8.0, and even
       5.6.1 has been out since April 2001.)  If you need to run Perl on ILE,
       though, you may need this older port: http://www.cpan.org/ports/#os400
       Note that any Perl release later than 5.00502 has not been ported to
       ILE.

       If you need to use Perl in the ILE environment, you may want to con-
       sider using Qp2RunPase() to call the PASE version of Perl.

AUTHORS

       Jarkko Hietaniemi <jhi@iki.fi> Bryan Logan <bryanlog@us.ibm.com> David
       Larson <larson1@us.ibm.com>

perl v5.8.8                       2006-06-14                      PERLOS400(1)