VAX/VMS V1.6

This document details the VAX/VMS V1.6 update kit, designed to be installed on an existing VAX/VMS V1.5 system to produce a VAX/VMS V1.6 environment. Issued in August 1979, this release primarily focuses on fixes rather than major functional changes, supplementing previous VAX/VMS Release Notes.

Key updates and enhancements in VAX/VMS V1.6 include:

• RMS-11 V1.8 Support: This version upgrades RMS-11 to V1.8, introducing an Indexed File Load (IFL) utility for optimized loading of indexed files, a new RMS-11 User's Guide, a mass-insert mode for compatibility mode programs, deferred write capability for indexed files, and enhancements to the CONVERT utility and disk overlay ODL files.
• Resolved Problems: The release addresses several issues identified in VAX/VMS V1.5, notably removing the restriction on using the User File Option (UFO) in the file access block for indexed sequential (ISAM) files.

The document also outlines current known problems in VAX/VMS V1.6, such as:

• A VMSRTL error that can cause FORTRAN IV-PLUS programs to fail if ENCODE or DECODE statements execute during another I/O operation.
• SYSGEN utility AUTOCONFIGURE errors related to incorrect CSR addresses for line printers and access violations with AUTOCONFIGURE TR-number.
• Further VAX-11 RMS restrictions, including an RMS$_BUG_XX2 error for $PUT or $UPDATE operations on ISAM files under specific conditions, and the lack of validity checking for packed decimal data strings on record operations.
• Restrictions for the UETP Terminal Test under specific DZ11 multiplexer configurations.
• Limitations on the SYE program, preventing its execution from a command file and requiring a specific CPU type code in the System Identification Register for error display.
• Restrictions for the RMSIFL utility, where duplicate key values may lose input order and large bucket/record sizes can terminate command lines.
• An incorrect error message displayed by DCL SET and SHOW commands when ambiguous keywords are used.

Additionally, the release notes provide corrections and supplementary information for various published VAX/VMS documentation, and clarify that MACRO32 is the native mode assembler for VAX/VMS.