Selected Multics Source Programs
(1999) Here is a small selection of nine Multics PL/I and ALM source files, rescued from a mangled copy of the system source formerly hosted at MIT in 1985, corresponding to MR11. These modules are presented for nostalgia and study, and should not be incorporated into any contemporary operating system without the advice of a trained professional.
To explore a complete Multics source library, including post-Bull development, see Multics Source Code.
- activate.pl1
The piece of segment control that makes an AST entry for a segment and brings its page table into core.
- link_snap.pl1
This piece of the linker is called in response to a linkage fault. It finds the link target and "snaps" the link.
- pxss.alm
Process Exchange Switch Stack, the Multics scheduler and dispatcher. This is Multics assembly language code.
- fim.alm
Fault Interceptor Module. This program is entered from the hardware fault vector when the CPU takes a fault. This is Multics assembly language code.
- vtoc_man.pl1
The VTOC manager. See The New Storage System and It Can Be Done for a description of the functions of this module.
- dialup_.pl1
The main event loop of the answering service. This program responds to event signals to manage the state of terminal connections, including reading the login command, looking up user names and passwords, creating user processes, handling line disconnections, and executing administrative commands.
- bound_info_rtns_.s.archive
An archive containing the source for eight commands and four subroutines involved with presenting information to the user. check_info_segs, help, help_, list_help, list_ref_names, print_motd, resource_usage, ring0_get_, user_info_ system_info_, who, where.
- calendar.pl1
This application program prints a wall calendar. See especially Dennis Capps's lengthy comments on the Easter routine.
- bigletter_.pl1
A subroutine to print "big letters," used by the I/O Daemon's head and tail page.