Updated: 11 December 1998

OpenVMS Version 7.2
New Features Manual

This chapter provides new features information for all users of the OpenVMS operating system.

2.1 DCL Commands, Qualifiers, and Lexical Functions

This section describes new and changed DCL commands, qualifiers, and lexical functions for OpenVMS Version 7.2.

2.1.1 New SET PATH_PREFERRED Command

OpenVMS Version 7.2 introduces the SET PATH_PREFERRED command as a command line interface to the QIO function for disk and tape drives. SET PATH_PREFERRED has the following qualifiers:

• /FORCE
• /HOST
• /NOHOST

For more information about SET PATH_PREFERRED and its qualifiers, refer to the OpenVMS DCL Dictionary.

2.1.2 Changed DCL Commands and Qualifiers

Several commands and qualifiers have been modified to support the Extended File Specifications, Hierarchical Storage Management, and clusterwide logical names. The following table contains a summary of these changes. For more information about changed commands and qualifiers, refer to the OpenVMS DCL Dictionary.

Table 2-1 Changed DCL Commands and Qualifiers

DCL Command	New Features
COPY	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
DEBUG	Support added for CLIENT/SERVER. Added new qualifiers, /CLIENT and /SERVER.
DELETE	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
DIRECTORY	Support added for the Hierarchical Storage Management (HSM) project. Added new keywords---PRESHELVED AND NOPRESHELVED---for /SELECT qualifier. Added PRESHELVED display information to /SHELVED_STATE qualifier. Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED. Added display item to /FULL to display client attributes.
DUMP	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added display item to /DIRECTORY to display Name type attribute. Added display item to /HEADER to display new attributes. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
EXCHANGE NETWORK	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
INITIALIZE	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added a new qualifier, /STRUCTURE=5. Support added for DECram allocation increase. Added new information to /SIZE qualifier for DECram size allocation increase.
Java	Support added for Java Development Kit (JDK). New DCL command and qualifiers added.
MIME	Support added for the MIME utility.
PRINT	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
PURGE	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
RENAME	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
SEARCH	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
SET DEFAULT	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Modified the directory-spec item. Added an example for the /PARSE_STYLE qualifier.
SET DEVICE	Support added for Fast Path. Support added for multipath parallel SCSI and Fibre Channel configurations. Added new qualifiers, /PATH, /ENABLE, /NOENABLE, /POLL, /NOPOLL, /SWITCH.
SET DIRECTORY	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
SET FILE	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
SET MAGTAPE	Support added for Fast Skip. Added new qualifier, /FAST_SKIP, with new keywords, PER_IO, ALWAYS, and NEVER.
SET PROCESS	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added a new qualifier, /PARSE_STYLE=(keyword), where keywords are TRADITIONAL and EXTENDED.
SET SECURITY	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED. Support added for Intra-Cluster Communications (ICC). Added new Object Class, ICC-ASSOCIATION.
SET VOLUME	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added a new qualifier, /STRUCTURE_LEVEL=5 device-name[:][,...].
SHOW CPU	Support added for Fast Path.
SHOW DEVICES	Support added for Multipath. Added new qualifier, /MULTIPATH.
SHOW DEVICES/FULL	Support added for Fast Path. Support added for Extended File Specifications. Updated the display information to show the disk structure level.
SHOW MEMORY/POOL SHOW MEMORY/POOL/FULL	Support added for Lock Manager. Added Lock Manager Dynamic Memory and Bus Addressable Memory attributes to SHOW MEMORY/POOL and SHOW MEMORY/POOL/FULL.
SHOW SECURITY	Support added for Intra-Cluster Communications (ICC). Added new Object Class, ICC-ASSOCIATION.
SHOW SYSTEM	Support added for threads. Added new qualifier, /MULTITHREAD.
SUBMIT	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.
TYPE	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new qualifier, /STYLE, with new keywords, EXPANDED and CONDENSED.

2.1.3 New and Changed DCL Lexical Functions

The following table contains a summary of new and changed DCL lexical functions. Refer to the OpenVMS DCL Dictionary for more information.

Table 2-2 Summary of Changes to DCL Lexical Functions

Lexical Function	New Features
F$FILE_ATTRIBUTES	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new item codes: FILE_LENGTH_HINT, VERLIMIT, DIRECTORY.
F$GETDVI	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new attributes to the ACPTYPE item code.
F$GETENV	Support added for new lexical. Returns the value of a specified console environment variable.
F$GETJPI	Support added for Extended File Specifications. Added new item codes: PARSE_STYLE_PERM and PARSE_STYLE_IMAGE.
F$GETSYI	Support added for clusterwide logical names. Added the CWLOGICALS item code. Removed references that certain item codes are for local nodes only.
F$TRNLNM	Support added for clusterwide logical names. Modified the case argument. Added the CLUSTERWIDE item code. Added two new examples.

2.2 Documentation Features

OpenVMS Version 7.2 includes some significant documentation on new features.

For this release, OpenVMS is shipping the following new manuals to support new and enhanced functionality:

• The OpenVMS Alpha Galaxy Guide introduces Compaq Galaxy Software Architecture concepts and describes how to create, manage, and use an OpenVMS Galaxy computing environment.
• The Guide to OpenVMS Extended File Specifications provides an overview of Extended File Specifications and describes the overall differences and impact Extended File Specifications introduce to the OpenVMS environment.
• The OpenVMS Alpha System Analysis Tool Manual explains how to use various Alpha system analysis tools to investigate system failures and examine a running OpenVMS system. These tools are useful for the system programmer who must investigate the causes of system failures and debug kernel mode code. The tools available are system dump analysis (SDA), system-code debugger, system dump debugger, and watchpoint utility.

Version 7.2 of the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual contains the following new appendixes:

• Managing the OpenVMS Registry
  This appendix explains how to install and manage the OpenVMS Registry.
• DIGITAL MIB Subagents Implemented on OpenVMS Alpha
  The Extensible Simple Network Management Protocol (eSNMP) allows network managers to manage many different types of devices across all network and vendor boundaries through the use of databases called MIBs (Management Information Bases). This appendix describes the DIGITAL Server MIB and the DIGITAL Cluster MIB.

In addition, selected manuals from the integrated layered products and OpenVMS archived manuals are also included with the documentation.

For Version 7.2, the OpenVMS Documentation CD-ROM supports a dual OpenVMS and Windows-based PC format. This means that you can mount and read the CD-ROM on both OpenVMS VAX and Alpha systems and a Windows 95 or Windows NT system.

Table 2-3 provides information about the files and manuals that are provided on the two partitions.

Table 2-3 Documentation CD-ROM File Types

File Type	Platform	Book Type
HTML	OpenVMS/Windows	OpenVMS Manuals
PostScript	OpenVMS	OpenVMS Manuals Archived Manuals Layered Product Release Notes and Install Guides
Bookreader	OpenVMS	Archived manuals Selected layered product manuals
PDF	Windows	Archived manuals
Text	OpenVMS/Windows	Release Notes, New Features, Install Guides

For the first time, OpenVMS is also shipping the executable files for the following browsers and viewers:

• Netscape Navigator Version 3.03 for OpenVMS Alpha and VAX
• Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading PDF files
• Bookreader for OpenVMS Alpha and VAX

The MIME utility allows you to read and compose MIME-encoded mail messages. The standard used to attach nontext files to mail messages is the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME). With MIME, nontext files, such as graphics or sound files, are encoded and sent as plain text, although that text may not be readable. The MIME utility decodes MIME files to their original form and allows you to create MIME-encoded files, which can be sent as mail messages using the OpenVMS Mail utility.

Complete instructions for using the MIME utility to decode or encode files are found in the OpenVMS User's Manual.

Information about the installation and administration of the MIME utility is found in the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual.

This chapter provides information about new features, changes, and enhancements for system managers.

3.1 BACKUP Utility

The following section discusses improvements to the BACKUP utility for OpenVMS Version 7.2.

3.1.1 /NOINCREMENTAL Qualifier

On a save operation, you can use the new BACKUP qualifier /NOINCREMENTAL to avoid saving all the files and subdirectories under directories that have been modified. Use this qualifier only if you are sure that you want to save specific files and do not want to save all data.

Prior to OpenVMS Version 6.2, the system, by default, did not save the files and subdirectories that were under directories that had been modified. In OpenVMS Versions 7.0 and 7.1, to ensure a successful restore, the system saved all files and subdirectories under directories that had been modified. This behavior, however, sometimes resulted in saving files and subdirectories that were not needed for later restore operations. The /NOINCREMENTAL qualifier has been implemented to allow you more control over the amount of file data that is saved.

Usage Notes

• /NOINCREMENTAL has no meaning in a restore operation.
• /NOINCREMENTAL might be useful for the incremental operations on PATHWORKS servers that are discussed in the OpenVMS System Manager's Manual: Essentials.

Work on the BACKUP utility for this release has resulted in the following performance improvements:

• For a badly fragmented disk, a significant reduction in run time for an image backup---at times as much as 30% less time
• Decrease in overall CPU usage
• Decreased image size, especially the BACKUPSHR.EXE file

In previous versions of OpenVMS, both storage and index file bitmaps were limited to 255 blocks. This size, in turn, limited a volume to approximately one million allocation units, or clusters. Larger disks were required to have a larger cluster factor to accommodate the limit; for example, a 9 GB disk required a cluster factor of 18.

Beginning with OpenVMS Version 7.2, the limits of storage and index file bitmaps have been increased as follows:

Type of Bitmap	Limit
Storage bitmap	65535 blocks
Index file bitmap	4095 blocks

The increased bitmap limits have the following advantages:

• For the foreseeable future, they allow you to use space more efficiently with small files.
• They increase the number of files allowed on a volume to the architectural maximum of approximately 16 million.

The behaviors of the INITIALIZE and BACKUP commands reflect the larger bitmap sizes. On OpenVMS Version 7.1 and earlier versions, you cannot mount a volume with bitmaps larger than 255 blocks. For this reason, the default cluster factor that the INITIALIZE command chooses on Files-11 structure level 2 disks limits the storage bitmap to 255 blocks. However, now you can override the default with an explicit cluster factor to make the storage bitmap as large as you want.

In OpenVMS Version 7.2, for Files-11 structure level 5 volumes, the INITIALIZE command assigns a cluster factor of 3 to currently available disks. The default maximum number of files---and hence, the size of the index file bitmap---that the INITIALIZE command assigns increases to correspond to the size of the storage bitmap.

In OpenVMS Version 7.2, when you use the BACKUP/IMAGE command to restore or copy a volume, the BACKUP utility normally preserves the cluster factor. However, when you copy an ODS-2 volume whose storage bitmap is 255 blocks or smaller, if the output volume is larger, BACKUP will increase the cluster factor to keep the storage map 255 blocks or smaller. This behavior ensures that a volume that was usable on pre-Version 7.2 systems remains usable when copied to larger media. You can override the BACKUP behavior by setting the output volume's cluster factor to any size by initializing the output volume with the /CLUSTER qualifier and then invoking BACKUP with the /NOINITIALIZE qualifier.

Beginning with OpenVMS Version 7.2, the OpenVMS Alpha and OpenVMS VAX operating system installation menus offer the choice to install either DECnet-Plus or DECnet Phase IV networking software. Note, however, that both DECnet products cannot run concurrently on your system. You must choose to install either DECnet-Plus or DECnet Phase IV. For DECnet Phase IV software service support, you must purchase an addendum to your standard support contract. See your local Compaq support representative for more information.

For detailed information about installing or upgrading DECnet-Plus and DECnet Phase IV, refer to the OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.2 Upgrade and Installation Manual and the OpenVMS VAX Version 7.2 Upgrade and Installation Manual.

3.4 Deferred Memory Testing on AlphaServer 4100 Computers

To speed up the time between system power-on and user login, the system manager can now defer a portion of memory testing on AlphaServer 4100 computers. When you choose this option, the console tests a minimum amount of memory and leaves the rest for the operating system to test.

To use this new feature, you need to specify a value for the MEMORY_TEST environment variable at the console before booting. The values for MEMORY_TEST are as follows:

Value	Description
FULL (off)	The console does all the testing.
NONE	32 MB of memory are tested before booting.
PARTIAL	256 MB of memory are tested before booting.

If you set MEMORY_TEST to NONE or PARTIAL, OpenVMS tests any remaining untested memory on an as-needed basis at either or both of the following times:

• While the operating system is booting
• In the scheduler idle loop when no processes are available to run

When you change the value of MEMORY_TEST, you must issue the INIT console command before the new value takes effect. Therefore, you need to follow these steps from the console before booting:

1. Change the value of MEMORY_TEST (if desired).
2. Issue the INIT command from the console.
3. Boot the operating system.

OpenVMS also gives you more control over when memory is actually tested. Bit 2 in the system parameter MMG_CTLFLAGS controls deferred memory testing:

• If the bit is clear (the default), OpenVMS tests memory in the background and not necessarily before the bootstrap process has completed.
• If you set the bit, OpenVMS guarantees that all memory will be tested by the end of EXEC_INIT in the system bootstrap process; that is, before IPL is lowered from 31.

Copyright © Compaq Computer Corporation 1998. All rights reserved. Legal

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