macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install herculesprovider-native install command
brew / rank 4665
Install hercules with Homebrew
System/370, ESA/390 and z/Architecture Emulator. Version 4.9.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
System/370, ESA/390 and z/Architecture Emulator
Project links
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
history
Project history and usage
Hercules is an open source emulator for IBM mainframe architectures: System/370, ESA/390, and z/Architecture. The Homebrew `hercules` package delivers the SDL Hercules 4.x Hyperion line and its collection of emulator, DASD, tape, card, and utility commands.
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
security posture
Risk level: green
narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.
Risk classifier
green risk · low confidence · appliance
Why
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals
Signals
- metadata:no-higher-risk-signals
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
hercules.cnf
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
card2txt | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckd2ckd | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckd642ckd | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdcdsk | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdcdsk64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdcomp | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdcomp64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckddiag | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckddiag64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdmap | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdswap | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cckdswap64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cfba2fba | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
cfba642fba | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ckd2cckd | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
ckd2cckd64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
convto64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdcat | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdconv | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdconv64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdcopy | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdcopy64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdinit | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdinit64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdisup | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdlist | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdload | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdload64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdls | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdpdsu | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdseq | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dasdser | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
dmap2hrc | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
fba2cfba | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
fba2cfba64 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
hercifc | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
herclin | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
hercules | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
hetget | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
hetinit | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
hetmap | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
hetupd | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
maketape | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tapecopy | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tapemap | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tapesplt | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tfprint | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
tfswap | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
txt2card | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
vmfplc2 | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version4.9.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:hercules |
|---|---|
| Version | 4.9.1 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://sdl-hercules-390.github.io/html/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/SDL-Hercules-390/hyperion |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation