RALF - Restricted Access to Locked Files.
RALF is a utility that provides read access to files that have been opened
by another user in exclusive mode. It bypasses RMS to circumvent the
exclusive RMS lock, using direct $QIO calls to the File ACP.
Current version
The current release of RALF is 2.4.
To find out what version you
currently have click here.
RALF currently can only be used by privileged users (SYSPRV) as this
privilege is required to override the Files-11 lock that RMS also takes out
on the file (contact the developers if you are interested in providing the
functionality to nonprivileged users).
RALF Facilities
RALF is provided as a set of API calls that open and
read files that are locked by another user, allowing you to incorporate the
functionality into your own application. In addition, a standalone PEEK
program is provided which calls RALF routines to implement a TYPE-like
DCL command to read locked files. There is also a FILEINFO program that
returns information about a locked file.
Supported Platforms
RALF runs on OpenVMS VAX (5.5-2 through 7.3), OpenVMS Alpha (tested on 8.4,
but should work on 7.x), OpenVMS IA64 (8.4) and OpenVMS X86 V9.1
Documentation and Sources
RALF comes with full sources and documentation (and no formal support).
The routines are written in Macro-32, and are provided in both object library
(.OLB) and shareable image (.EXE) form. Documentation is provided in text,
HTML, Postscript and PDF. The product is installed with VMSINSTAL, and
the kit will provide files for all three architectures.
Developers
RALF was implemented by Peter Coghlan and Tom Wade.
Please read the conditions of use
here before downloading
Download RALF
View RALF documentation online
Download UNZIP for Alpha
Download UNZIP for VAX
Download UNZIP for IA64
Download UNZIP for X86
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