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OpenVMS Version 7.1 Release Notes


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At the beginning of the execution phase of a PRODUCT INSTALL, PRODUCT REMOVE, or PRODUCT RECONFIGURE command, the POLYCENTER Software Installation utility estimates the amount of disk space required to perform the operation. It estimates both the peak space utilization (maximum number of disk blocks used at once) and the net space utilization (the number of disk blocks consumed at the end of the operation).

Previously, these estimates were often too low, causing an installation to fail even though the utility reported that enough disk space was available. These problems have been corrected in OpenVMS Version 7.1 by implementing a more comprehensive algorithm.

Informational messages that convey the disk space estimates are no longer displayed by default. Starting with OpenVMS Version 7.1, you must specify the /LOG qualifier to obtain this information. In addition, the format of the data has changed. For example, execution of the PRODUCT INSTALL /LOG command for product TEST displays the following:

Execution phase starting ... 
The following product will be installed: 
    DEC AXPVMS TEST V1.0 
%PCSI-I-VOLINFO, estimated disk block usage for volume DISK$ALPHAVMS 
-PCSI-I-VOLSPCFB,     free space before operation:      871134 
-PCSI-I-VOLSPCPK,     peak space utilization:             3705 
-PCSI-I-VOLSPCNT,     net space utilization:              2982 
-PCSI-I-VOLSPCFA,     free space after operation:       868152 

4.17 RMS Journaling

The following release notes pertain to RMS Journaling for OpenVMS.

4.17.1 Problems and Restrictions

The following notes describe restrictions to RMS Journaling for OpenVMS.

4.17.1.1 Remote Access of Recovery Unit Journaled Files in an OSI Environment

V6.1

OSI nodes that host recovery unit journaled files that are to be accessed remotely from other nodes in the network must define SYS$NODE to be a Phase IV style node name. The node name specified by SYS$NODE must be known to any remote node attempting to access the recovery unit journaled files on the host node, and must be sufficiently unique for the remote node to use this node name to establish a DECnet connection to the host node. This restriction applies only to recovery-unit journaled files accessed across the network in an OSI or mixed OSI and non-OSI environment.

4.17.1.2 VFC Format Sequential Files

VAX V5.0
Alpha V1.0

You cannot update variable fixed-length control (VFC) sequential files when using before-image or recovery unit journaling. The VFC sequential file format is indicated by the symbolic value FAB$C_VFC in the FAB$B_RFM field of the FAB.

4.18 Security

This section contains release notes pertaining to system security.

4.18.1 Changes and Enhancements

This section describes changes and enhancements to system security.

4.18.1.1 DETACH Privilege Renamed to IMPERSONATE

V7.1

The DETACH privilege has been renamed IMPERSONATE. The power of this privilege has increased over time so that a user with this privilege can now perform a general impersonation of another user.

Some ways that the IMPERSONATE privilege can be used are as follows:

4.18.1.2 DIRECTORY Command Now Summarizes Suppressed PATHWORKS ACEs

V7.1

In OpenVMS Version 7.1, if you execute the DCL command DIRECTORY/SECURITY or DIRECTORY/FULL for files that contain PATHWORKS access control entries (ACEs), the hexadecimal representation for each PATHWORKS ACE is no longer displayed. Instead, the total number of PATHWORKS ACEs encountered for each file is summarized in this message: "Suppressed n PATHWORKS ACE." To display the suppressed PATHWORKS ACEs, use the DUMP/HEADER command.

4.19 StorageWorks RAID Array 110 Subsystem (VAX Only)

This section contains release notes pertaining to the StorageWorks RAID Array 110 Subsystem.

4.19.1 Problems and Restrictions

This section describes known problems and restrictions with the StorageWorks RAID Array 110 Subsystem.

4.19.1.1 SHOW DEVICE Does Not Display Capacity

V6.1

On some VAX systems, the capacity of the StorageWorks RAID Array 110 Subsystem is not displayed after you enter the following console command:

>>> SHOW DEVICE 

Instead, the capacity displays as "...". (This is due to the current settings for spin up time in the EEPROM of the StorageWorks RAID Array 110 Subsystem.)

If you reenter the SHOW DEVICE command, the correct capacity will be displayed. This will be corrected in an update to the DEC RAID OpenVMS VAX Utility Kit.

4.19.1.2 TURBOchannel Devices: Booting Not Supported

V6.1

VAX workstations running the OpenVMS VAX operating system do not provide support for system booting from a TURBOchannel device. You cannot, therefore, boot from a StorageWorks RAID Array 110 Subsystem connected to a TURBOchannel-SCSI adapter.

4.20 System Management Utility

This section contains release notes pertaining to the OpenVMS System Management utility (SYSMAN).

4.20.1 Corrections

The following sections describe corrections to problems associated with SYSMAN.

All of these problems have been fixed in OpenVMS Version 7.1. Some corrections have been incorporated into remedial kits for previous versions of OpenVMS. Contact your Digital support representative or your authorized reseller for more information.

4.20.1.1 DO Command Performance Corrected

V7.1

Previously, the SYSMAN DO command performed slowly for certain DCL commands that generate no output (for example, the DEFINE command). This problem has been fixed.

4.20.1.2 DO Command Output Line Length Is Again 2048 Bytes

V7.1

The maximum output line length with the SYSMAN DO command was previously changed from 2048 to 512 bytes. The change back to 2048 bytes allows the correct display of files created by PATHWORKS when you use DCL commands such as DIRECTORY/SECURITY.

4.20.1.3 SHUTDOWN.LOG File Now Closes Properly With SHUTDOWN NODE Command

V7.1

Previously, when the SYSMAN SHUTDOWN NODE was executed, the output file for the shutdown (SYS$MANAGER:SHUTDOWN.LOG) was not properly closed. This problem has been fixed.

4.20.1.4 Extraneous Message Removed on PARAMETER SET Command

V7.1

Previously, the SYSMAN PARAMETER SET command printed out an extraneous SYSTEM-W-NOMORENODE message. This problem has been fixed.

4.20.1.5 Exclamation Mark at Start of Command Line No Longer Causes Warning Message

V7.1

Previously, if a SYSMAN command line started with an exclamation mark (!) character (to denote the start of a comment), a CLI-W-NOCOMD message was output. This problem has been fixed.

4.20.1.6 SYSMAN DISKQUOTA ENABLE and DISABLE Commands Now Work On Entire Cluster (VAX Only)

V7.1

On VAX systems, the SYSMAN DISKQUOTA ENABLE and DISABLE commands did not work over the entire cluster if the disk was mounted clusterwide. For example, if you issued an ENABLE command, some of the nodes were enabled and others were not. This problem has been fixed so that these commands now work over the entire cluster.

This problem did not affect SYSMAN on Alpha systems.

4.21 System Parameters

This section contains release notes pertaining to OpenVMS system parameters.

4.21.1 Changes and Enhancements

The following sections describe changes to or clarifications about several system parameters. Consult online help for SYSGEN to obtain complete details about system parameters.

4.21.1.1 DUMPSTYLE

V7.1

DUMPSTYLE specifies the method of writing system dumps.

DUMPSTYLE is a 32-bit mask, with the following bits defined. Each bit can be set independently. The value of the system parameter is the sum of the values of the bits that have been set. Remaining or undefined values are reserved to Digital.
Bit Mask Description
0 00000001 0 = Full dump (SYSGEN default). The entire contents of physical memory will be written to the dump file.
1 = Selective dump. The contents of memory will be written to the dump file selectively to maximize the usefulness of the dump file while conserving disk space.
1 00000002 0 = Minimal console output.
1 = Full console output (includes stack dump, register contents, and so on).
2 00000004 0 = Dump to system disk.
1 = Dump off system disk (DOSD) to an alternate disk.¹ (Refer to the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual for details.)
3 (Alpha only)² 00000008 0 = Do not compress.
1 = Compress. (See description following this table.)
4 --- 14 Reserved to Digital.
15 (VAX only)³ 00008000 0 = Disable use of bits 16 --- 27.
1 = Enable use of bits 16 --- 27.
16 --- 27 (VAX only)³ 0FFF0000 Range of DOSD unit numbers.
28 --- 31 Reserved to Digital.


¹If you plan to enable the Volume Shadowing Version 7.1 new feature that enables minimerge on an Alpha system disk, be sure to specify DOSD to an alternate disk. See Section 4.25.2.3 for more information.
²VAX systems do not support dump compression.
³Specific to VAX 7000 systems.

On Alpha systems, system managers can save space on the system disk and, in the event of a crash, save time recording the system memory by using the OpenVMS Alpha dump compression feature. Unless the system manager overrides the default AUTOGEN calculations (by setting DUMPSTYLE in MODPARAMS.DAT), AUTOGEN uses the following algorithm:

Examples:

The mask of 00000006 directs the system to send a full dump, with full console output, off the system disk (to the alternate disk).

For a VAX 7000, a mask of 00098006 directs the system to send a full dump with full console output to the DOSD whose unit number is 9.

On Alpha systems, the mask of 00000009 directs the system to compress a selective dump with minimal console output.

DUMPSTYLE has AUTOGEN and DYNAMIC attributes.

4.21.1.2 GBLPAGES and GBLPAGFIL (Alpha only)

V7.1

As of OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1, the system parameters GBLPAGES and GBLPAGFIL have been modified to become dynamic parameters. Users with the CMKRNL privilege can now change these parameter values on a running system. Increasing the value of the GBLPAGES parameter will allow the global page table to expand, on demand, up to the new maximum size.

For more information about using the GBLPAGES and GBLPAGFIL parameters for VLM applications, see OpenVMS Alpha Guide to 64-Bit Addressing and VLM Features.

4.21.1.3 GH_RSRVPGCNT (Alpha Only)

V7.1

On Alpha systems, GH_RSRVPGCNT specifies the number of pages in the resident image granularity hint region that the Install utility can use after the system has finished booting.

If bit 2 of the LOAD_SYS_IMAGES parameter is set, the image LDR$WRAPUP releases all unused pages in the granularity hint region at the the end of system startup. The unused pages of the resident image granularity hint region are either reserved for future use or given back to the free memory list.

GH_RSRVPGCNT specifies the number of pages that LDR$WRAPUP attempts to leave in the resident image granularity hint region. If the GH_RSRVPGCNT number of pages is larger than the unused pages in the granularity hint region, the region is not expanded to accommodate the number of pages requested.

GH_RSRVPGCNT has the FEEDBACK attributes.

4.21.1.4 LOCKIDTBL_MAX

V7.1

This parameter is obsolete as of OpenVMS Version 7.1. Beginning with OpenVMS Version 7.1, the lock id table continually expands if free memory is available.

4.21.1.5 MAXBUF (VAX Only)

V7.1

On OpenVMS VAX Version 7.1 systems, the default value of the MAXBUF system parameter has been increased to 4112 from 2064. The default value on Alpha systems remains unchanged at 8192.

4.21.1.6 PIOPAGES

V7.1

PIOPAGES specifies the size of the process I/O segment, which holds data structures and buffer pool space for RMS to use when handling I/O involving process-permanent files.

PIOPAGES is now a dynamic parameter. Once PIOPAGES has been reset in SYSGEN, any new process will receive the changed value.

PIOPAGES has the AUTOGEN and DYNAMIC attributes.

4.21.1.7 RMS_DFMBC

V7.1

RMS_DFMBC specifies a default multiblock count only for record I/O operations, where count is the number of blocks to be allocated for each I/O buffer.

You can set this system parameter with the DCL command SET RMS_DEFAULT/SYSTEM and display the parameter using the SHOW RMS_DEFAULT command.

RMS_DFMBC has the AUTOGEN and DYNAMIC attributes.

4.21.1.8 RMS_GBLBUFQUO

V7.1

This parameter is obsolete as of OpenVMS Version 7.1. The number of global buffers on a system can be sufficiently controlled by the system parameters GBLPAGES, GBLPAGFIL, and GBLSECTIONS.

4.21.1.9 STARTUP_P1--8

V7.1

STARTUP_P1 specifies the type of system boot the system-independent startup procedure is to perform. " " indicates a full boot. "MIN" indicates a minimum boot that starts only what is absolutely necessary for the operating system to run.

STARTUP_P2 controls whether verification is set during the execution of the system-independent startup procedure. " " indicates no verification. "TRUE" indicates that verification is enabled.

STARTUP_P3 through STARTUP_P8 are reserved for future use.

4.21.1.10 VIRTUALPAGECNT (VAX Only)

V7.0

On VAX systems, VIRTUALPAGECNT sets the maximum number of virtual pages that can be mapped for any one process. A program is allowed to divide its virtual space between the P0 and P1 tables in any proportion.

If you use SYS$UPDATE:LIBDECOMP.COM to decompress libraries and the VIRTUALPAGECNT setting is low, make sure you set the PGFLQUOTA field in the user authorization file to at least twice the size of the library.

At installation time, AUTOGEN automatically sets an appropriate value for VIRTUALPAGECNT. The value depends on the particular configuration --- the type and number of graphics adapters on the system, if any exist. You cannot set the VIRTUALPAGECNT value below the minimum value required for your graphics configuration.

Because the VIRTUALPAGECNT setting is used to support hardware address space rather than system memory, do not use the value of VIRTUALPAGECNT that AUTOGEN sets to gauge the size of your page file.

VIRTUALPAGECNT has the AUTOGEN, GEN, and MAJOR attributes.

4.21.1.11 VIRTUALPAGECNT (Alpha Only)

V7.0

Starting with OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.0, VIRTUALPAGECNT ceases to be a tunable parameter on Alpha systems and is no longer used to specify the virtual size of a process. The process page tables have migrated from system space to a dedicated page table space that is guaranteed to be large enough to accommodate the virtual address space provided by the system. This migration has rendered the parameter obsolete, and OpenVMS Alpha ignores its contents entirely.

Note, however, that on Alpha systems the parameter remains in existence for compatibility purposes and now has a default and maximum value of %X7FFFFFFF. Both SYSBOOT and AUTOGEN enforce this default value.

VIRTUALPAGECNT has the AUTOGEN, GEN, and MAJOR attributes.

4.21.2 Documentation Changes and Corrections

This section describes a correction to the documentation of the MSCP_CMD_TMO system parameter.

4.21.2.1 OpenVMS Version 7.1 New Features Manual

V7.1

In Section 3.16.6 of the OpenVMS Version 7.1 New Features Manual, the default value for the MSCP_CMD_TMO system parameter is incorrectly documented as 600. The correct default value is 0. A nonzero setting increases the amount of time before an MSCP command times out.

The rest of the description in the OpenVMS Version 7.1 New Features Manual is correct.

4.22 Terminal Fallback Facility (TFF) (Alpha Only)

On OpenVMS Alpha systems, the Terminal Fallback facility (TFF) includes a fallback driver (SYS$FBDRIVER.EXE), a shareable image (TFFSHR.EXE), a terminal fallback utility (TFU.EXE), and a fallback table library (TFF$MASTER.DAT).


Note

TFFSHR has been removed from IMAGELIB because it is not a documented, user-callable interface. The image is still available in the SYS$LIBRARY: directory.

OpenVMS Alpha TFF differs from OpenVMS VAX TFF in the following ways:

RT terminals are not supported by TFF.

For more information about the Terminal Fallback facility, refer to the OpenVMS Terminal Fallback Utility Manual¹.


Note

¹ This manual has been archived but is available in PostScript and DECW$BOOK (Bookreader) formats on the OpenVMS Documentation CD--ROM. A printed book can be ordered through DECdirect (800--354--4825).


4.23 UETP (User Environment Test Package)

This section contains notes pertaining to UETP.

4.23.1 Problems and Restrictions

The following note describes a support restriction for this release.

4.23.1.1 RRD45 CD--ROM Testing (VAX Only)

V7.0

UETP does not support the RRD45 CD--ROM on OpenVMS VAX Version 7.0 and later. This release note describes a temporary workaround that you can use until support is added in a future release.

If you have an RRD45 CD--ROM, UETP will fail in the following manner:

%UETP-S-BEGIN, UETINIT01 beginning at 13-NOV-1995 16:35:22.76 
 . 
 . 
    ********************** 
    *  DISK_NODE$DKA     * 
    *  Error count =  1  * 
    ********************** 
    -UETP-E-TEXT, RMS file error in file 
    NODE$DKA500:NODE_NODE$DKA5000.TST 
    -RMS-E-DNR, device not ready, not mounted, or unavailable 
    %UETP-S-ENDED, UETDISK00 ended at 13-NOV-1995 16:36:15.10 
 . 
 . 
    NODE$DKA:   testable     100, 200, 300 
                untestable   500 
 . 
 . 
 *************************************************** 
 *                                                 * 
    END OF UETP PASS 1 AT 13-NOV-1995 16:44:49.85 
 *                                                 * 
 *************************************************** 

You can work around this problem and test the RRD45 device by running the CD--ROM test (UETCDRO00.EXE) against the RRD45 separately from UETP.COM. Follow these steps:

  1. Edit UETSUPDEV.DAT to include the following line:
    01 36 UETCDRO00.EXE ! RRD45 
    
  2. Edit UETINIDEV.DAT to change the "N" in the row for the RRD45 device to a capital "T". The line should look like this (the number might be different):
    UCB T 00500 UETCDRO00.EXE 
    
  3. Run the CD--ROM test, for example:
    $ RUN UETCDRO00.EXE 
    Controller designation?: NODE$DKA 
    %UETP-S-BEGIN, UETCDRO00 beginning at 13-NOV-1995 15:15:43.20 
    %UETP-I-ABORTC, CDRO_NODE$DKA to abort this test, type ^C 
    %UETP-S-ENDED, UETCDRO00 ended at 13-NOV-1995 15:18:45.98 
    $ 
    

4.24 VAX System Dump Analyzer (SDA)

The following release notes pertain to the VAX System Dump Analyzer (SDA).

4.24.1 Changes and Enhancements

The following note describes a change to VAX SDA.

4.24.1.1 Dump File Process

V7.0

OpenVMS VAX SDA now uses RMS file access to process the dump file instead of mapping the dump file into the working set. Because of this change, some commands that execute over a large range, such as SEARCH, may take longer.

Another effect of this change is that a value of 16,000 for the system parameter VIRTUALPAGECNT should be sufficient to analyze any dump, even if a large number of symbols is read in.

4.25 Volume Shadowing

The following release notes pertain to volume shadowing software.

4.25.1 Changes and Enhancements

This section describes changes to volume shadowing software.

4.25.1.1 Shadow Set Member Support Raised to 500

V7.1

As of OpenVMS Version 7.1, the limit on the number of supported shadow set members has been raised from 400 to 500.

4.25.1.2 Per-Disk Licensing Enforced

V7.1

Volume Shadowing Version 7.1 includes a license check for each disk that is shadowed using the per-disk volume shadowing license. Described as follows, this feature provides system managers with an easy and effective method for controlling these licenses.

Per-disk volume shadowing licenses apply to full shadow set members only. When the number of shadow set members exceeds the number of per-disk licenses for five minutes, shadowing issues an OPCOM warning message. You can have this message also sent to an E-mail account by defining the system logical SHADOW_SERVER$MAIL_NOTIFICATION to a standard OpenVMS Mail address or a UNIX (Internet) address. An invalid address will not generate a failure message.

Shadowing issues notification again 59 minutes after non-compliant shadow set members are mounted. One minute later, shadow set members are automatically removed from shadow sets until the number of members equals the number of licenses. Members are removed systematically from multiple-member shadow sets; single-member shadow sets are not affected.

Disks that are the target of a copy operation do not consume a license unit until the copy is complete. Thus, it is always possible to obtain a copy of a single-member shadow set.

4.25.1.3 Volume Shadowing Locally Connected SCSI Disks (VAX Only)

V6.2


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