Install hercules with Homebrew, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• card2txt
• cckd2ckd
• cckd642ckd
• cckdcdsk
• cckdcdsk64
• cckdcomp
• cckdcomp64
• cckddiag
• cckddiag64
• cckdmap
• cckdswap
• cckdswap64
• cfba2fba
• cfba642fba
• ckd2cckd
• ckd2cckd64
• convto64
• dasdcat
• dasdconv
• dasdconv64
• dasdcopy
• dasdcopy64
• dasdinit
• dasdinit64
• dasdisup
• dasdlist
• dasdload
• dasdload64
• dasdls
• dasdpdsu
• dasdseq
• dasdser

Project history

Roger Bowler's history says the idea dated back to 1994, with most of the initial implementation done in 1999. By autumn 1999 Hercules could IPL and run OS/360 MFT and Jan Jaeger's ZZSA standalone program; by early 2000 it could run more ESA/390-era operating systems.

In spring 2000, contributors expanded the project: Jay Maynard added S/370 virtual storage, Jan Jaeger added HMC and dynamic reconfiguration work, Windows ports and front ends broadened access, Debian packaging appeared, and compressed/shared DASD work improved practical use.

The SDL Hercules 4.x Hyperion README describes Hercules as created by Roger Bowler, maintained by Jay Maynard from 2000 to 2012, and advanced by Jan Jaeger through features such as dynamic reconfiguration, integrated console, interpretive execution, and z/Architecture support. The SDL Hyperion line contains fixes and enhancements beyond earlier 3.x and 4.0 versions.

Adoption history

Hercules became important to hobbyists, educators, systems programmers, and preservation-minded users because it made mainframe operating-system practice possible on ordinary host machines. Bowler's history also notes IBM engineers and mainframe specialists using Hercules for testing and demonstrations.

Its adoption is inseparable from legal and operational constraints around mainframe software: Hercules emulates hardware, but users still need operating systems and licenses or public-domain systems they may legally run. That boundary shaped its culture as both a learning tool and a serious emulator.

How it is used

A Hercules installation is driven by `hercules.cnf`, which describes CPUs, memory, channels, consoles, DASD, tapes, networking, and peripheral devices. The package includes many utilities for creating, converting, inspecting, and manipulating mainframe disk and tape images.

Users run the emulator to IPL operating systems, operate consoles, attach DASD/tape/card devices, and experiment with S/370, ESA/390, or z/Architecture environments. SDL Hyperion documentation covers installation, operation, networking, automatic operator behavior, tracing, and architecture-specific features.

Why package nerds care

Hercules is a package-manager oddity in the best sense: installing one formula gives a workstation a miniature mainframe lab plus a toolbox for legacy storage media formats. It is not just one command but a cluster of emulator support programs.

For preservation and systems-history users, package-manager availability lowers the barrier to repeatable mainframe experiments. For maintainers, the value is in making a complex C emulator and its utilities reproducible across Unix-like hosts.

Timeline

• 1994: Roger Bowler dates the germ of Hercules to this period.
• 1999: Most initial work was done, enough to IPL and run early operating-system workloads.
• 2000: Jay Maynard took over project control; major contributors added S/370 storage, VM/ESA-related support, Windows access, packaging, and DASD work.
• 2001: Hercules implemented z/Architecture support soon after IBM published the architecture manual.
• 2005: Hercules contributors shared the NaSPA Award for Technical Excellence.
• 2016: The SDL-Hercules-390 Hyperion GitHub repository was created for the 4.x Hyperion line.

Related projects

• SDL Hercules 4.x Hyperion is the maintained line represented by the Homebrew package metadata.
• Earlier Hercules 3.x and 4.0 lines are the historical base described by the Hyperion README.
• IBM System/370, ESA/390, and z/Architecture operating systems and media images are the workloads Hercules exists to emulate, subject to licensing.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/SDL-Hercules-390/hyperion
• https://github.com/SDL-Hercules-390/hyperion
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SDL-Hercules-390/hyperion/master/README.md
• https://sdl-hercules-390.github.io/html/
• https://sdl-hercules-390.github.io/html/hercnew.html
• https://www.rogerbowler.fr/hercules.htm