Preface
This guide explains how to install and use MMK.
1. Intended Audience
This manual is intended for all MMK users, primarily programmers who need to build software systems.
MMK is patterned after VAX DEC/Module Management System (DEC/MMS), which is in turn based on the UNIX make utility. The reader is assumed to have at least cursory knowledge of make or DEC/MMS.
Further information regarding MMK, including release details and support agreements can be found at the Endless Software Solutions website:
Note
This document does not provide a general tutorial on make utilities. New users are advised to learn more about description files (makefiles) by reviewing either DEC/MMS documentation or books on the UNIX make utility.
2. Document Structure
This manual is divided into the following sections:
Chapter 1, Introduction gives an overview of MMK and explains how to invoke it.
Chapter 2, Description Files describes description files: dependencies and actions, inference rules, the suffix list, conditionals, directives, macros and macro substitution, and the builtin functions.
Chapter 3, Using DEC/CMS with MMK explains using MMK with DEC/CMS libraries.
Chapter 4, Command Description describes the MMK command and its qualifiers.
Appendix A, Differences between MMK and DEC/MMS lists the differences between MMK and DEC/MMS, and Appendix B, Built-in Dependency Rules lists the dependency rules built into MMK for each platform.
3. Related Documents
The following documents might also be helpful when using MMK:
The MMK Release Notes contain further information related to new and deprecated features of MMK.
The VSI DECset for OpenVMS Guide to the Module Management System contains further information related to VSI/MMS and can be found at https://docs.vmssoftware.com/vsi-decset-for-openvms-guide-to-the-module-management-system/.
The GNU Make Manual contains information related to make and can be found at https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/.
4. Conventions
In this document, the following convention will be used for the names of the three similar utilities:
MMK refers to the package described in this document.
DEC/MMS refers to DEC/Module Management System, a product of Digital Equipment Corporation.
make refers to the UNIX make utility.