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MKS Toolkit

MKS Toolkit

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  • SKU: MKSTOOL


Provides a Unix-like environment for scripting, connectivity and porting Unix and Linux software to 32- and 64-bit Microsoft Windows systems.
MKS Toolkit is an inter-operability product for Microsoft Windows and UNIX that provides a Unix-like environment for scripting, connectivity and porting Unix and Linux software to 32- and 64-bit Microsoft Windows systems. It is available in the following editions:
  • MKS Toolkit for Professional Developers: a subset of MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers for the migration of non-graphical, character based, UNIX C, C++ and Fortran applications and utilities to Microsoft Windows
  • MKS Toolkit for Inter-operability: extends MKS Toolkit for Developers by adding an X server for displaying X Window System-based graphical applications including OpenGL and Motif applications on Microsoft Windows.

Please note that the 5 user licence is no longer available; an unlimited number of licences can be ordered using a single serial number. Multiple serial numbers are available on request. MKS Toolkit is licensed on a per named user/machine basis.


MKS Toolkit - Features


MKS Toolkit, a full range of cross-platform tools for Windows and UNIX/Linux based environments, provides tools for instant productivity in both 32 and 64-bit Windows environments with development, testing, or system administration tasks. UNIX/Linux scripts, commands and applications combined with over 450 utilities and a complete application SDK make even Windows palatable.

The major enhancements in MKS Toolkit 9.2 include:

  • Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 - MKS Toolkit 9.2 is fully compatible with the release version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008. Details on using the Visual Studio 2008 IDE to compile, link, and debug applications can be found in the "The Porting Process" and "Using the Visual C++ IDE" chapters of the online version of the MKS Toolkit UNIX to Windows Porting Guide.
  • In addition to support for various C/C++ compilers, this release also features support for version 10.0 of the Absoft Pro Fortran f90/f77 compiler. This compiler can produce executables for both the 32- bit x86 and the 64-bit x64 platforms
  • Updated Operating System Compatibility - Compatible with Windows Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008, and the release candidate of Windows XP SP3

MKS Toolkit for Developers

MKS Toolkit for Developers is a Windows development product for software, script, and Web developers, who can choose from command-line or graphical Visual Studio build environments. It is ideal for developing common, cross-platform scripts for UNIX, Linux, and Windows, from a single Windows desktop. Using the power of more than 300 command-line utilities, and CGI scripts.

Providing a comprehensive suite of UNIX and Windows utilities MKS Toolkit for Developers enables developers and system administrators to customize, control, and automate their software development and administrative processes.

MKS Toolkit for Developers speeds the software development and administration process and reduces errors by eliminating the time spent on tedious manual tasks.

  • Powerful scripting allows you to simplify and automate the execution of repetitive tasks.
  • New technology integration enables you to easily control and manipulate todays dynamic infrastructures.
  • Component-based architecture provides you with the ability to easily customize a solution configured to the needs of your organization.
Features Benefits
Multibyte Character Support MKS utilities and APIs support multibyte/Unicode characters, file
formats and interactive input. This allows users to display, load, edit,
search, and otherwise manipulate files and data in non-ASCII
standards. Interactively, users can specify filenames with extended
ASCII characters and can type/edit within the Vi editor.
Over 450 UNIX tools for Windows
  • Leverage existing investments in developer and system
    administrator training and experience
  • Maintain a single build environment across UNIX and Windows
Over 70 Windows specific utilities
  • Easily add and manipulate user and group accounts
  • Manipulate the Windows registry and Windows specific file
    permissions
  • Control Windows services
  • Clone system file trees
  • Visual Studio Plug-in
Process Automation
  • Increase developer and system administrator productivity by
    automating routine tasks and processes
  • Reduce errors caused by repetitive manual tasks
32 and 64-bit Windows Support Easily migrate systems and tools to the next generation of Windows
operating systems
Powerful Command Shells Replace the Windows Command Shell with your preference of Korn
(ksh), POSIX (sh), Bash (bash), or tclsh any of which offer more
control, flexibility, and a wider range of functionality than cmd.
Native Windows Architecture
  • Full integration and interaction with Win32
  • Control and manipulate Windows processes and applications
Complete Connectivity Suite
  • Securely connect to remote UNIX and Windows systems
  • Share resources in multiple geographic locations
  • Available in single and unlimited connect versions
  • Secure Visual SFTP lets you transfer/manipulate files to and from
    remote UNIX/Windows systems in a secure manner.
System Backup and Tape Handling Suite Quickly perform UNIX compatible full or incremental system backups
Automate Communications Improve communications by integrating and automating email, web
or network news notifications into your processes.

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MKS Toolkit for Interoperability

MKS Toolkit for Interoperability is a comprehensive update for developers and systems administrators who need to access and display graphical UNIX/Linux applications on Windows systems.

Organizations are maintaining and retaining their UNIX investments, adding to that investment with Windows, and experimenting with Linux. These organizations are also actively seeking interoperability solutions to enable themto effectively cross leverage their technology investment on these powerful platforms. MKS Toolkit for Interoperability is a comprehensive UNIX and Windows interoperability suite, allowing remote access, remote systemadministration, interconnectivity, file sharing, and full automation and scripting capabilities.

Features

Cross Leverage Investments in UNIX andWindows
MKS Toolkit for Interoperability enables the full utilization of existing UNIX-related in-house resources, including administratorsand engineersskills, experience, methodologies and software source code. This helps preserve high quality processes and applications while lowering costs throughout the enterprise.

  • MKS UNIX shell environments add power and flexibility to Windows command-line
  • POSIX compliant file and textmanipulation tools like vi, grep, and find simplify the interoperability initiative within an organization

Securely Access Remote Systems
Putting a copy of an MKS Toolkit for Interoperability product on each of your servers and workstations will give you the ability to connect to your network machines from anywhere else on your network or via a dialup line to performany necessary tasks. In amixed UNIX and Windows environment, you will be able to access and display applications fromyour UNIX servers, directly on your Windows desktops without ever leaving your desk1.

  • A telnet server, allowing remote access to the Windows machine
  • Secure shell client/service as well as other secure utilities (scp, sftp, sftp-service) Remote shell, rlogind and rexecd services, for remote access to Windows systems
  • Remote utilities (rsh, rexec, rcp, rlogin) for accessing other UNIX and Windows machines
  • Visual SFTP graphical application to transfer and manipulate files to/from/on remote UNIX/Windows systems
  • A complete X server for displaying XWindow Systembased graphical applications, including OpenGL and Motif applications, on Windows
  • xterm, and the ability to tunnel X11 communications through an encrypted connection

Lower TCO Through Enterprise Interoperability
Instead of choosing between Windows and UNIX/Linux, most MIS organizations are opting for a mix of the two operating systems, with many larger organizations using Windows as an add-on to their enterprise-wide backroom strategy. In order to decrease the total cost of ownership (TCO) of their business, these organizations need a single suite of tools that can help their teams be more productive.

Other Features:

  • A wide selection of command environments, (KornShell, CShell, bash, Tclsh) offering greater control, flexibility, and a wider range of functionality then the traditional Windows Command Prompt
  • Access remote UNIX, Linux, and Windows systems with Secure Shell utilities (secsh/secshd, scp, sftp), Remote Shell utilities (rsh/rshd, rexec/rexecd, rlogin/rlogind, rcp), telnetd, and xterm
  • Visual SFTP Explorer extension allowing drag/drop and other file operations through the graphical Windows interface
  • MKS utilities and APIs now support multibyte/Unicode characters within file content, file and directory names, pipes, environment variables, console displays, and other areas
  • A fully network-capable X server, for displaying both local and remote X Windows applications
  • A powerful scheduling interface as well as a suite of command-line utilities (at, batch, crontab, taskrun, and wts) for automating routine tasks
  • SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) services and utilities that allow you to control network devices and their functions
  • Commands to pull or push content from local or remote servers (web, netnews)
  • File systemhandling commands (mount, umount) and symbolic link support
  • Build automatic notification into processes and scripts with command-line mail utilities like smtpmail and mapimail
  • Copy permissions between objects and manipulateWin32 file and user security attributes (chacl, lsacl, su).
  • Create and manage users, groups, and permissions on Windows (userinfo, groupinfo, member)
  • Tape and archive commands (tar, pax, cpio, mt), for creating UNIX-compatible backups
  • Manipulate device drivers, Windows domains, and file associations (dev, domain, ftype)

System Administrators can:

  • Add users and groups
  • Clone system file or document tree
  • Remotely administer systems
  • Perform UNIX compatible backups

Software Developers can:

  • Multi-platformscripting
  • Perform cross-platformdistributed builds
  • Complex file search and retrieval
  • Automated testing

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MKS Toolkit for System Administrators

MKS Toolkit for System Administrators is a powerful administration suite that gives you the ability to remotely administer systems, perform backups across multiple platforms, and automate repetitive tasks that you could only do previously one-at-a-time using graphical Windows utilities. Increase productivity and automate tasks like password synchronization, adding users and groups, setting up new machines, cloning a system file or a document tree on local or remote systems, moving data and files between machines, performing complex file searches, and copying permissions between objects from a single desktop, using these powerful command line tools on Windows.

MKS Toolkit for System Administrators is a powerful administration suite that gives users the ability to remotely administer systems, perform backups acrossmultiple platforms, and automate repetitive tasks using graphical Windows utilities.

MKS Toolkit for SystemAdministrators Features

  • A wide selection of command environments, (KornShell, CShell, bash, tclsh) offering greater control, flexibility, and a wider range of functionality then the traditional Windows Command Prompt
  • Over 450 UNIX andWindows command-line utilities (full POSIX.2 specification)
  • Visual SFTP Explorer extension allowing drag/drop and other file operations through the graphical Windows interface
  • Create andmanage users, groups, and permissions onWindows (userinfo, groupinfo, member)
  • Copy permissions between objects and manipulate Win32 file and user security attributes (chacl, lsacl, su)
  • Start, stop, and queryWindows services and processes (service, ps) SNMP (Simple NetworkManagement Protocol) services and utilities that allow users to control network devices and their functions
  • MKS utilities and APIs now support multibyte/Unicode characters within file content, file and directory names, pipes, environment variables, console displays, and other areas
  • File system handing commands (mount, umount) and symbolic link support
  • Clone system file or document tree (tar, scp, sftp, cp, ls, find
  • Create and control Windows desktops, shortcuts, and appearances (desktop, shortcut)
  • Query and manipulate the Windows registry
  • Compression utilities (zip, unzip, gzip, gunzip) to complement the mkszip and uncompress commands
  • Manipulate device drivers, Windows domains, and file associates (dev, domain, ftype

New Features in version 9.2 Patch 3

  • Windows 7 Release Candidate Support
    MKS Toolkit 9.2p3 works specifically with the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 release candidates. Once Microsoft ships a Generally Available version of Windows 7, MKS will support this with a new MKS Toolkit release no later than 30 days after Microsoft's official release.
    Because there are compatibility issues that Microsoft introduced with Windows 7, YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY NEED TO UPGRADE MKS TOOLKIT IN ORDER TO USE MKS TOOLKIT ON WINDOWS 7. MKS Toolkit 9.2p2 and earlier will not work correctly under Windows 7. In order to use Windows 7 (release candidate), MKS Toolkit 9.2p3 is needed. Additionally, our official version 7-compatible release will be needed when Windows 7 is generally available.
    Below are key items that will no longer work if you are currently using a version of MKS Toolkit other than MKS Toolkit 9.2p3:
    • Shell has fork() problems due to an API regression in the operating system;
    • Su fails on x64 machines because of an API regression with GetProcAddress() on x64 machines with file system redirection disabled;
    • Pseudo-tty support, Sshd, rlogind, xterm, not working correctly; and
    • Installation fails to set ROOTDIR to a short path. This breaks start menu items and many scripts. This is due to a new concept of disabling short name generation on a per disk basis.
  • Improved sysinf utility to provide additional system information and support for new features of Windows 7 and Windows Sever 2008 R2 release candidates.
  • Cosmetic improvements to MKS Toolkit Control Panel Applet.

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MKS Toolkit - System Requirements

MKS Toolkit products have the following software requirements:

Platforms

  • Windows 2000
  • Windows XP
  • Windows Server 2003
  • Windows Server 2003 R2
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows XP x64 Edition
  • Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 x64 Edition
  • Windows Vista x64
  • Windows Server 2008 (32-bit and x64)
  • Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems

FAT File Systems
It is not currently possible to adequately secure an MKS Toolkit installation on a FAT file system. Therefore, on Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista systems, we recommend installing MKS Toolkit on an NTFS file system.

Compilers
The MKS Toolkit development products work with various compilers and compilation environments. The "Using Languages" chapter of the MKS Toolkit UNIX to Windows Porting Guide describes how to use these MKS Toolkit products with C, C++, and Fortran.

MKS Toolkit for Developers supports the following compilers:

  • Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, 7.0, 7.1, 8.0, or 9.0 (either as a separate product or as part of Microsoft Visual Studio)
  • Visual C++ 2008 Express (also known as Visual C++ 9.0 Express)
  • Visual C++ 2005 Express (requires Microsoft Platform SDK)
  • Microsoft C++ 2003 Toolkit (requires Microsoft Platform SDK)
  • Intel C++ 8.x or 9.x (requires Microsoft Platform SDK)
  • GCC 3.3.1, as provided in the MKS Toolkit Resource Kit

In addition, MKS Toolkit for Professional Developers and MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers also support the following compilation environments:

  • both versions of the Standard Template Library
  • the Absoft Pro Fortran f90/f77 compiler, versions 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0. (http://www.absoft.com/)

MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers 64-bit Edition supports the following additional 64-bit compilers:

  • Visual C++ from Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 (Note: Team edition is required for IA64 compiler)
  • Visual C++ from Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (Note: Team edition is required for IA64 compiler)
  • Microsoft Platform SDK Compiler
  • Intel C++ 8.x or 9.x (requires Microsoft Platform SDK)

For those 64-bit compilers that require the Microsoft Platform SDK (that is, the Intel C++ 8.x or 9.x compilers), the version of the SDK required depends upon your system's processor. For those processors with IA64 architecture, for Extended Architecture processors, you must use Build 1289 or later of the SDK.

Patch Upgrade

  • If you have upgraded an existing system with MKS Toolkit installed to Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, you simply need to apply the patch
  • If you have performed a fresh installation of Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 on a machine, you must install MKS Toolkit 9.2p3 from a CD image and have a valid MKS Toolkit license for that machine. You cannot install MKS Toolkit 9.2 and then apply the patch.
  • If you have not upgraded to Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2, you can simply apply the patch to get the problem fixes and new features.