DIGITAL Cover Letter for the OpenVMS[TM] VAX[TM] Version 5.5-2 Update AV-PPU6B-TE New Product Name for the VMS Operating System Digital Equipment Corporation bases a great deal of software de- velopment on national and international standards. To emphasize this commitment to software standards, Digital has revised the name of the VMS operating system. OpenVMS VAX is the new name for the VMS operating system software that runs on Digital's VAX processors.[1] OpenVMS VAX Quality Initiatives Digital is dedicated to improving software quality. The soft- ware contained in this release provides solutions for a number of customer-reported problems. This software has been rigorously tested within Digital and at customer test sites. Digital is con- tinuously developing and testing software improvements. Between releases, a number of patches are available through normal Digital support channels. Please contact your normal Digital support chan- nel for detailed information concerning these individual patches. Update Release Description Digital is pleased to provide you with OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2. This version of the OpenVMS operating system is a general main- tenance release that can be applied as an update to the OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5, Version 5.5-1, or Version 5.5-2HW releases. Open- VMS VAX 5.5-2HW was a special hardware release that supported the VAX systems listed below. OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 contains all the changes that were available in OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-1 and Version 5.5-2HW. This release also supports the following new VAX systems: o VAX 7000 Model 600 o VAX 10000 Model 600 o VAX 4000 Model 400 o VAX 4000 Model 100 o VAXstation 4000 Model 90 ____________________ [1] The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: AXP, Bookreader, DECdtm, DECintact, DECwindows, Digital, Mi- croVAX, OpenVMS, TK, TURBOchannel, VAX, VAXcluster, VAXstation, VMS, and the DIGITAL logo. Motif is a registered trademark of the Open Software Foundation, Inc. o MicroVAX 3100 Model 90 In addition, a special OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 installation kit is shipped with each of these systems. Installing this kit will allow these processors to boot on a standalone basis. This installation kit has been provided as a convenience for customers who have purchased one of the VAX systems mentioned in this cover letter. This software cannot be ordered separately. To add any of these new processors to an existing VAXcluster, use the OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 update kit. Refer to the VMS VAXcluster Manual for details. Digital Equipment Corporation. 1992. All rights reserved. OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2 also supports the TURBOchannel Adapter (DWCTX- BX) for the VAXstation 4000 Model 60 and Model 90. The TURBOchan- nel Adapter is a bridge to a single-slot TURBOchannel option. The VAXstation 4000 Model 60 supports the Thickwire Ethernet option (PMAD-AB) and the SCSI option (PMAZ-AB). The VAXstation 4000 Model 90 supports the PMAD-AB, the PMAZ-AB, and the FDDI controller 700 fiber optic option (DEFZA-AA). OpenVMS VAX 5.5-2 Kit Contents The OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 kit consists of: o OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 software o A printed copy of the VMS Version 5.5-2 Update Procedures o A printed and online (.txt) copy of the VMS Version 5.5-2 Re- lease Notes o A printed copy of the OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 Software Prod- uct Description (SPD) It is recommended that you review the release notes before pro- ceeding with the Version 5.5-2 update procedure. The VMS compact disc distribution kit includes printed copies of this cover letter, the VMS Version 5.5-2 Update Procedures, the VMS Version 5.5-2 Release Notes, and the VMS Version 5.5-2 Compact Disc Booklet. The following items reside on the compact disc: OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5 software OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 software VMS Version 5.5-2 Update Procedures VMS Version 5.5-2 Release Notes VMS Version 5.5-2 Software Product Description (SPD) VMS Version 5.5 Release Notes VMS Version 5.5 Upgrade and Installation Manual With the exception of the SPD, the documentation contained on the compact disc distribution kit is provided in ASCII text format, readable on your terminal, and also in .DECW$BOOK format, readable with the VMS DECwindows Bookreader. The SPD is available in ASCII text format only. 2 Update/Installation Procedures To update the operating system to OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2, your system must be currently running OpenVMS VAX Version V5.5, A5.5, V5.5-1, A5.5-1, V5.5-2HW, or A5.5-2HW. If your system is running any version prior to OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5, you must upgrade to OpenVMS VAX Version V5.5 or A5.5 before proceeding with the in- stallation of OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2. Refer to the VMS Version 5.5-2 Update Procedures for details on updating your operating system to OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2. OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 may also be installed for standalone use on any of the new VAX systems listed in this cover letter by using the special OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 installation kit that is shipped with these systems. Refer to the VMS Version 5.5 Upgrade and Installation Manual for details on installing the OpenVMS VAX operating system. OpenVMS DECwindows Software OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5 was the final functional release to con- tain integrated VMS DECwindows software. This software will remain integrated for maintenance releases that are applied to Open- VMS VAX Version 5.5. When the next functional release of OpenVMS VAX becomes available, customers who want to continue using VMS DECwindows software must obtain the VMS DECwindows Motif layered product. Contact your local Digital representative for information on how to acquire VMS DECwindows Motif (SPD 36.09.xx). Selecting VMS DECwindows Motif Device Support If you are starting with an installation of OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5, be aware that you need to answer YES to the question concern- ing optional DECwindows support. This will ensure that the device support files packaged with the OpenVMS VAX distribution kit, which are needed for the VMS DECwindows Motif layered product, will be properly installed on the system disk. This excerpt from the OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5 installation log shows how to answer the question: * Do you want to provide optional DECwindows support ? [y/n] y You can install either the complete DECwindows kit or selected portions of it. A complete installation requires 63400 blocks. If you want to perform a partial installation, you can choose to install one or more of the following DECwindows components: . DECwindows device support - 21400 blocks . DECwindows applications - 12000 blocks . DECwindows programming support - 26500 blocks . DECwindows example files - 3500 blocks * Do you want to install complete DECwindows support ? [y/n] n If you are installing this kit on a workstation or on a VAXcluster tha t includes workstations, you will need the device support files (33400 blocks) * Do you want to install DECwindows device support ? [y/n] y 3 Information for VAX 7000 Model 600 and VAX 10000 Model 600 Customers The Cover Letter for OpenVMS[TM] VAX[TM] Version 5.5-2 Support for VAX 7000 Model 600 and VAX 10000 Model 600 (AV-PST3B-TE) contains specific information concerning these systems. This letter is included as a component of the diagnostic kit (QZ-K62AA-F8) that is shipped with each system. Please refer to this cover letter when you receive your VAX 7000 Model 600 and VAX 10000 Model 600 system. 4 APPENDIX A Additional Release Notes for OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 Batch and Print Queuing System In OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5, enhancements to the Batch and Print Queuing System were implemented that increased previous capabili- ties and improved overall performance. Customers who were not yet ready to take advantage of these queuing system enhancements were able to do a partial upgrade to OpenVMS VAX Version A5.5. This process allowed customers to take advantage of other OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5 enhancements while using the Batch and Print Queuing System that was available in previous versions. Customers who are running OpenVMS VAX Version A5.5, A5.5-1, or A5.5-2HW may continue to use the previous version of the Batch and Print Queuing System by updating their operating system to OpenVMS VAX Version A5.5-2. Please refer to the VMS Version 5.5-2 Update Procedures for details. SYSGEN Command DEINSTALL Restriction A system crash can occur after you issue the DEINSTALL command of the System Generation Utility (SYSGEN). The DEINSTALL command removes, or "deinstalls," system page files and system swap files. Any file that is installed with the INSTALL command of SYSGEN can be removed with the DEINSTALL command. The system crash does not typically occur immediately when you issue the command, but can occur at any later time. The system machine check code for this crash is BADPAGFILD (Bad page file address deallocated). Digital recommends that you discontinue using the DEINSTALL com- mand until further notice. Defining System Parameters SCSNODE and SCSSYSTEMID The cover letter for the OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5 release stated that you must always define the system parameters SCSNODE and SCSSYSTEMID. This is not completely accurate. You do not need to define these system parameters if you are either running a node as a standalone system, or not running DECnet. The settings for these system parameters are: 5 ___________________________________________________________________ When Running When in a When Running Standalone, Parameter____DECnet________Cluster________or_Not_Running_DECnet____ SCSNODE Must be the Must be Must be " " (blank) same as the a unique DECnet node name in the name cluster SCSSYSTEMID Must match Must be Must be 0 (zero) the DECnet a unique node address value in the ___________________________cluster_________________________________ Calculate SCSSYSTEMID as follows: (DECnet area number * 1024) + DECnet-VAX node number For example, if the DECnet address is 2.211, then set SCSSYSTEMID to (2*1024) + 211. Refer to the VMS System Generation Utility Manual for details about these system parameters. Fatal Controller Errors When Using Volume Shadowing Under certain rare error conditions, it is possible for VMS Volume Shadowing (Phase II) to remove the wrong member from a shadow set when recovering from MSCP fatal controller errors. This problem does not occur with other error conditions, such as MSCP fatal drive errors. The problem exists in all versions of VMS Volume Shadowing (Phase II), and a fix is available through your normal Digital support channel. TURBOchannel Adapter When a non-Digital TURBOchannel device is installed and you issue the System Generation Utility (SYSGEN) command SHOW CONFIGURATION, the process stops abruptly. A fix for this problem is available through your normal Digital support channel. Using DECintact with OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 For DECintact users who are updating to OpenVMS VAX V5.5-2, a fix is available that resolves an issue related to DECdtm services. DECintact users can crash their system when aborting a transaction on a SMP system. This fix should be applied after updating to OpenVMS VAX 5.5-2. Customers can obtain this fix through their normal Digital support channel. This problem will be resolved in a future release of OpenVMS VAX. System Messages Online Help Removed from Default Help Library OpenVMS Version 5.4 provided an optional online help version of the VMS System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual. Because this was a large file, it was not included as part of the default root library, SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB. Information for accessing the file named SYS$HELP:SYSMSGHELP.HLB was provided in the VMS Version 5.4 New Features Manual. 6 In OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5, this file was inadvertently inserted into SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB, the default root library. This caused the topic "Errors" to appear by default when you entered the HELP command. In OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2, this optional online help informa- tion has been removed from the default root library SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.HLB, and restored to the intended optional library file SYS$HELP:SYSMSGHELP.HLB. The "Errors" topic will no longer appear by default when you enter the HELP command. For more information about installing and ac- cessing this optional online help file, see Section B.4.2 of the VMS Version 5.5 New Features Manual. InfoServer Support for DEC FDDIcontroller 400 (DEMFA) Now Available When you install OpenVMS from the InfoServer system using initial system load (ISL) and the only LAN adapter in the OpenVMS sys- tem is a DEMFA, VMS versions prior to OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2 will report the error stating "No InfoServer Support available." For OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2, this problem has been corrected. InfoServer ISL support for a DEMFA is now available. Write-Back Cache on Magnetic Tape Drives-Problem Corrected If a tape device supports a write-back cache, the magnetic tape ancillary control process (MTAACP) disables this feature for Files-11 tapes that span more than one volume. Entering the DCL command SHOW DEVICE for devices that support this feature displays the status "data caching (write-back cache disabled)" or "data caching (write-back cache enabled)". In previous versions of VMS, a problem was seen when using the DCL command COPY to copy large files that required more than one tape. When the second tape was mounted, write-back cache was disabled, creating a performance problem. In OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5-2, this problem has been corrected. 7 APPENDIX B Upcoming Changes for OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0 OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0 OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0 will be the next functional release of the OpenVMS VAX operating system. The following information pertains to changes that will be implemented with OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0. Support Revisions for OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0 o 4 MB of memory will be the minimum amount of memory required for running the OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0 operating system. o VAXTPU (Text Processing Utility) will be supported as the de- fault editor for OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0. EDT, the current default editor, will still be supported. o The MA780 shared memory option will no longer be supported by OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0. o A minimum version of OpenVMS VAX Version 5.5 will be required in order to upgrade to OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0. Upcoming Changes to the OpenVMS Documentation Set The OpenVMS Documentation Set will take on a new look and struc- ture for OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0, the next major release of the OpenVMS operating system. The following design changes reflect Digital's commitment to make the OpenVMS manuals more useful while keeping down the cost to customers and the environment: o The technical information will be more concise, easier to lo- cate, and easier to use. o The manuals will be packaged with white covers and new bind- ings. New Technical Information Design The new design of the OpenVMS Documentation Set better accommo- dates functionality added to OpenVMS VAX since Version 5.0 and efficiently serves the OpenVMS user on both the VAX and AXP plat- forms. The new structure focuses procedures about a topic in one place and reference information in another, for a more concise and easy- to-use format. In addition, the new structure decreases the number of manuals in the Extended Documentation Set. With OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0, the Extended Documentation Set will consist of new and existing manuals grouped in the following kits: 8 ___________________________________________________________________ Documentation_Kit______Description_________________________________ Base Kit Provides a broad range of general and system management information. Replaces the Gen- eral User Subkit and portions of the System Management Subkit. In the Base Kit, procedures are consoli- dated into task-oriented manuals for ease of use, and reference information about system management utilities is combined into one manual for easy access. Advanced System Contains information about system perfor- Management Kit mance, system dependability, and VAXclus- ters. Adds in-depth technical information to the basic system management procedures described in the Base Kit. Networking Kit Contains DECnet for OpenVMS manuals. Pro- vides concepts and procedures for users who need to perform functions in a network environment. Programming Kit Contains essential information for a pro- grammer developing software on the OpenVMS operating system. Master Reference Kit Contains a glossary, a master index, and a companion guide for the Help Message facil- ity. Helps you locate OpenVMS information quickly. Release Notes Kit Provides overall product information: - A complete description of available Open- VMS documentation - Complete release-specific information such as release notes, new features, and __________________________product_descriptions_____________________ To complement the Extended Documentation Set, an expanded offer- ing of optional manuals will be available. The optional manuals document older software that has not undergone recent changes, software that appeals to specialized audiences, or software for System Integrated Products (SIPs). The following manuals will be optional. These manuals will not be included in the Extended Documentation Set but will be available on compact disc and can be ordered in printed form. Volume Shadowing for OpenVMS VAX Volume Shadowing Manual OpenVMS System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual: Part I OpenVMS System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual: Part II 9 OpenVMS Software Overview OpenVMS Developer's Guide to VMSINSTAL OpenVMS VAX RTL Mathematics (MTH$) Manual OpenVMS Delta/XDelta Debugger Manual OpenVMS VAX Card Reader, Line Printer, and LPA11-K I/O User's Reference Manual Extensible Versatile Editor Reference Manual DEC Text Processing Utility Reference Manual Guide to the DEC Text Processing Utility OpenVMS EDT Reference Manual OpenVMS VAX Device Support Manual OpenVMS VAX Device Support Reference Manual OpenVMS Wide Area Network I/O User's Reference Manual OpenVMS RMS Journaling Manual OpenVMS Bad Block Locator Utility Manual OpenVMS Exchange Utility Manual OpenVMS Terminal Fallback Utility Manual OpenVMS RTL DECtalk (DTK$) Manual OpenVMS VAX Patch Utility Manual OpenVMS SUMSLP Utility Manual OpenVMS National Character Set Utility Manual VAX MACRO and Instruction Set Reference Manual OpenVMS DIGITAL Standard Runoff Reference Manual OpenVMS Obsolete Features Manual PDP-11 TECO User's Guide New Packaging With OpenVMS VAX Version 6.0, the OpenVMS manuals will be packaged as follows: o All manuals will have white covers. On the covers, the text will be printed with different colors to differentiate VAX specific OpenVMS documentation, AXP specific OpenVMS docu- mentation, and OpenVMS documentation that is common to both platforms. o Larger manuals will have paper bindings that lie flat when you open the books. Smaller manuals will be bound with a similar binding that allows pages to remain intact and secure. The new bindings eliminate the need for looseleaf binders. Service Update PAKs (SUPs) Digital has supplied valid license PAKs to most customers who were originally supported with SUPs. If you have not received a valid permanent license PAK or have misplaced your license PAK, please contact your local office for PAK resolution before you proceed with the OpenVMS Version 6.0 upgrade. 10 Verify that you registered your permanent license PAKs and that you are no longer using any SUPs or temporary PAKs. If you are currently using SUPs or temporary PAKs for OpenVMS, System Inte- grated Products, and/or Layered Products, the PAKs typically may be registered in one of two databases: SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]LMF$SYSTEM.LDB or SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE]LMF$LICENSE.LDB. The AUTHORIZATION NUMBER for a SUP usually begins with SQM or AWS and has a Version Num- ber or Product Release Date associated with it. A Temporary PAK usually begins with an AUTHORIZATION NUMBER of ATP or ATS and has either a Product Release Date or a Key Termination Date associated with it. Enter the following commands to determine if you have SUPs or temporary PAKs registered in your node-specific LMF database: $ LICENSE LIST/FULL/DATABASE=SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]LMF$SYSTEM.LDB $ LICENSE LIST/FULL/DATABASE=SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE]LMF$LICENSE.LDB If no licenses are displayed or the following error message ap- pears on your screen, you have no SUPs or temporary PAKs regis- tered in SYS$SPECIFIC:[SYSEXE]LMF$SYSTEM.LDB: %RMS-F-FNF, file not found Enter one of the following commands to determine if you have any SUPs or temporary PAKs registered in SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE]LMF$LICENSE.LDB or a user-defined database: $ LICENSE LIST/FULL/DATABASE=SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE]LMF$LICENSE.LDB $ LICENSE LIST/FULL/DATABASE=user_defined_database If any SUPs or temporary PAKs are active in any of the databases, you may delete them after receiving and registering the corre- sponding permanent PAKs. Register the corresponding permanent li- cense PAKs by using the command procedure @SYS$UPDATE:VMSLICENSE. See the VMS License Management Utility Manual for complete PAK registration instructions. 11