HP OpenVMS Industry Standard 64 Evaluation Release Version 8.1 New Features and Release Notes

This document is the "New Features and Release Notes" for HP OpenVMS Industry Standard 64 Evaluation Release Version 8.1 for Integrity Servers, published in December 2003.

Key Points:

• Evaluation Only: The release is explicitly stated to be for evaluation purposes only and is not intended for use in production environments. This implies it may contain incomplete features or known issues.
• Purpose: It serves as a guide for setting up the hardware environment, installing, booting, and configuring the OpenVMS I64 operating system on Integrity Servers. It also details general release notes and new features for users and programmers.
• Mandatory Recompilation: All programs compiled for OpenVMS I64 Version 8.0 must be recompiled for Version 8.1 due to incompatible changes in shareable image interfaces, object/image formats (ELF ABI Version 1 to 2), debugging information, and improved compiler code generation.
• Clustering: OpenVMS Cluster software is supported with many features, including mixed-architecture clusters (Alpha and I64). However, certain Alpha interconnects (DSSI, CI, Memory Channel) and Disaster-Tolerant Cluster Services (DTCS) are not supported in this release. Temporary restrictions include no network booting and a maximum of four I64 systems per cluster, each requiring its own system disk.

• Unsupported/Restricted Features:

  • HP Volume Shadowing and InfoServer client software are not supported.
  • Some DCL commands (e.g., EDIT/TECO, SET SERVER, THREADCP) are not working.
  • The Error Log Report Formatter (ERF) is not ported and has no plans for future I64 versions.
  • The License Management Facility (LMF) temporarily returns "success" for all calls to aid development, with PAKs not required in this release.
  • Machine check abort handling and processor init handling are not supported on the rx4640, potentially causing system hangs or crashes.
  • The DELTA debugger is not ported. The I64 Debugger has significant limitations, restrictions, and known problems, including issues with the DECwindows Graphical User Interface and certain commands.
  • DECnet-Plus does not support DECdns server operations or MOP operations, and X.25 Data Links are not supported.

• New Features & Enhancements:

  • System Management: Numerous system parameters (e.g., for process limits, pool quotas, working sets) have been updated for I64 systems, and a new parameter VHPT_SIZE is introduced.
  • Programming Services: New and revised system services (e.g., SYS$GOTO_UNWIND_64, SYS$SET_RETURN_VALUE, LIB$LOCK_IMAGE, LIB$UNLOCK_IMAGE) are available. PFN-Mapped Sections now accept the SEC$M_UNCACHED flag.
  • Utilities: The Linker, Analyze utility, Librarian, Monitor utility, and CHECKSUM utility have been ported or enhanced for I64, with support for ELF objects and images. However, some still have limitations or are not fully tested.
  • DECram is now a system-integrated product, available without a license in this evaluation release.

• Compiler Notes: Specific release notes cover HP Fortran T8.0, HP BLISS, HP C, HP C++, HP COBOL T2.8, HP MACRO, and Intel Assembler, detailing supported features, known problems, and workarounds.

• Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) Boot Manager: The document provides instructions for using the EFI Boot Manager and its commands for system setup and booting.