RSTS/E V9.3 Release Notes Documentation Changes
3 Documentation Changes in RSTS/E V9.3
Page 46
There are no update pages for the RSTS/E documentation accompanying this release. Use these Release Notes to document any new features or changes on your system. All the on-line help files have been updated, where appropriate, to reflect the changes in these Release Notes.
3.1 Corrections
The following documentation errors will be corrected in a future version of RSTS/E:
o The RSTS/E System Installation and update Guide has not been updated to reflect the fact that you are no longer asked if you want DECnet or if you want data caching. Both of these are enabled in V9.3 monitors.
o On page 385 of the RSTS/E System Installation and Update Guide, the documentation incorrectly lists "RUN $DSKCVT" as the command to run DSKCVT. The documentation should read:
$ RUN AUXLIB$:DSKCVT
o In the RSTS/E System Directives Manual, page 3-12, under the heading "Data Passed", the first sentence should read:
The only data passed for this directive is byte 0 of the XRB.
o Page 3-298 of the RSTS/E System Directives Manual specifies DEVNFS as the error returned by the Return Pack Attributes SYS call (UU.ATR subfunction -4) in the case of an unmounted disk. The error actually returned is NOTMNT.
o In the RSTS/E System Directives Manual, on page 3-131, the second paragraph states,in part, "(Unless data passed and returned show specific values for the XRB, i t should be all zeros.)"
The following statement will help to clarify how you should handle FIRQB and XRB:
When using SEND/RECEIVE calls, you must clear both FIRQB and XRB, even if XRB is not used.
o In the RSTS/E System Directives Manual (.SPEC page 3-233.1) and the RSTS/E Programming Manual (the MAGTAPE and SPEC%
RSTS/E V9.3 Release Notes Documentation Changes
Page 47
functions page 2-36), the discussion on returned densities will be corrected as follows:
When you specify a density that is not a valid density, the next highest density for the drive is returned. If the specified density is higher than the maximum density for the drive, the maximum density is returned.
o In the RSTS/E Programming Manual, the discussion of the FIP SYS CALL 26 will be extended as follows:
When you do not have sufficient privileges and attempt to get the status of a job other than your own, the ?Illegal SYS( ) usage error message is returned. The job number is not forced to your own.
o In the RSTS/E Quick Reference Guide (page 27-29), the /USER qualifier was inadvertently omitted for the CREATE/ACCOUNT command. The documentation for the /USER qualifier is:
/[NO]USER
Indicates the type of account to create. /USER means create an account with login attributes and file storage capabilities. /NOUSER means create an account for file storage only.
o In the RSTS/E System User's Guide, on page 8-22, the
documentation incorrectly lists /CROSS_REFERENCE as a valid qualifier for the MACRO command.
o In the RSTS/E System User's Guide, on page 7-19, the
documentation incorrectly lists /ALL as a valid qualifier for the DELETE/ENTRY command.
o On page 381 of the Installation and Update Guide, the toggle sequence for the bootstrap is obsolete. The last line
presently reads:
010036 005007
This line should be replaced with the following three lines:
010036 010040 010042
010001 005000 005007
RSTS/E V9.3 Release Notes Documentation Changes
Page 48
o The RSTS/E utilities Reference Manual (page 2-118)
incorrectly states that the PIP /BL switch can be used to transfer non-sequential RMS files to tape.
Due to problems PIP has when copying non-sequential RMS files to tape, you should use the RMS utilities RMSBCK and RMSRST to transfer these files to and from tape.
RSTS/E V9.3 Release Notes Page 49 Known Restrictions with RSTS/E V9.3
4 Known Restrictions in RSTS/E Version 9.3
4.1 Initialization Code (INIT.SYS)
If your installed monitor has a Virtual Disk defined (DV:), and you START a monitor that has no Virtual Disk defined, and then START your original monitor containing the Virtual Disk again, you will get
"?Device unavailable" errors when you attempt to use the Virtual Disk.
The workaround is to use the DEFALT option of INIT.SYS to remove and then redefine the Virtual Disk for your original monitor.
4.2 Monitor
4.2.1 DB and DR Disk Drivers
The DB and DR disk drivers may count or log errors for the wrong disk unit if there is heavy DB/DR disk activity and an attempt is made to mount a unit that is spun down or offline.
This problem will corrected in a future release of RSTS/E.
4.3 Installation
4.3.1 Booting Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tape distributions of RSTS/E V9.3 or any bootable recovery tapes of V9.3 must be booted from unit zero. This problem will be corrected in the next release.
4.3.2 Flag Files
The installation or update of RSTS/E leaves several zero length flag files - files used by the installation procedure to determine what parts of the installation have been completed - in various system accounts after installation.
Deleting any of these files may cause unpredictable results. In particular, deleting the flag file [1,2]VER093.SYS breaks certain layered product installations and updates.
RSTS/E V9.3 Release Notes Page 50 Known Restrictions with RSTS/E V9.3
4.3.3 Deleting CLNUP.COM
The file [O,l]CLNUP.COM should delete itself after performing its
intended functions. However, CLNUP.COM is not executed (and therefore not deleted) if you answer "NO" to the prompt "Are you ready to
proceed?" If, after base installation or update, you find this file present, execute it by typing @[O,l]CLNUP.COM. This problem will be fixed in the "next release.
4.3.4 VS.O to V9.3 Upgrades
A problem has been discovered in DCL that affects upgrading a RSTS/E V8.0 or earlier system to V9.3.
step 4 of the Upgrade section in the RS1'S/E System Installation and Update Guide, page 138, explains that "You will see a number of DCL errors, followed by the $ prompt." The errors occur because DCL is unable to open its work file for writing on the system disk, since the system disk is mounted read-only. Under such conditions, DCL should report the error and immediately terminate any command procedure currently executing.
In V9.3, DCL will report the error, but will not terminate the installation command procedure. Instead, you will see the prompt:
Do you want to perform an installation or an update? <installation>:
Do not answer this question. Instead, type CTRL/C to abort the command procedure and return to the $ prompt. You can then proceed with the upgrade as described in the documentation.
This problem will be corrected in a future release of RSTS/E.
4.4 DeL
4.4.1 Odd Address Trap
If DCL finds duplicate parameter (file) qualifiers immediately after a par a me t e r, i t i s sue san "?? Od d add res s t rap" err 0 r . For e x amp 1 e, i f you issue the command:
$ PRINT F1LE.DAT/DELETE/NODELETE DCL displays the error message
?Odd address trap at line 3100 in "PBSMGR"
000000 015162 066550 015101 015162 001672 001646 055334 This is a problem in the DCL routines that parse the command language used in PRINT and other commands that include parameter qualifiers.
RSTS/E V9.3 Release Notes Page 51 Known Restrictions with RSTS/E V9.3
For a more complete description of this problem refer to The Software Dispatch article 20.5.1. This problem will be corrected in a future
release of RSTS/E.
4.4.2 Chaining to DCL Command Files
Chaining to a DeL command file at a non-zero line number with
parameters in core common does not work as documented. Instead, the first parameter is discarded; PI will contain the second parameter, P2 will contain the third, etc. This is a change from previous versions of DCL which did not pass any parameters to the command file.
As a workaround, you can either pass an extra leading parameter in core common, or use the Execute CCL Sys call to execute your command file. See Software Dispatch article 20.1.5 for further details.
Chaininsr to DCL command files will work as documented in the next release of RSTS/E.
4.4.3 ~?Unexpected Character" Error
If you try to specify more parameters than a command can handle you may get an "?Unexpected character" error message rather than the correct "?Too many parameters" error message. For example, you will get this error message if you try to delete more than six files with one DELETE command. This problem will be fixed in the next release of RSTS/E.
4.4.4 Log File Corruption
If the disk on which a DCL or BATCH log file is being written becomes full, then has space become available, the resultant log file may contain one or two ending blocks of random data.
4.4.5 BACKUP Compatibility Problems with VMS
There are two known BACKUP compatibility problems between RSTS and VMS:
o Multi-volume RSTS backup sets cannot be restored on VMS.
This problem is described in Software Dispatch article 6.2.2.