Virtual Address Extension (VAX)

A Virtual Address Extension (VAX) was a midrange server computer developed in the late 1970s by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). The VAX was introduced as mainframe computers were being developed. The VAX computer had a 32-bit processor and a virtual memory setup.

Industry reports show that many thousands of VAX systems are still in use with an operating system called OpenVMS. These systems can be compatible with Windows NT servers and can use various programming interfaces.

As a successor to the Digital PDP-11 unit, the original VAX was prized for its reliability, power and user-friendly design, and could be used with a variety of languages including FORTRAN, BASIC and PASCAL. Today’s VAX has changed to accommodate the highly progressive nature of modern hardware.