HP OpenVMS Version 8.4 Cover Letter

This document announces the release of HP OpenVMS Version 8.4 for both Integrity servers and Alpha platforms, highlighting its focus on advanced functionality and quality.

Key aspects of the release include:

1. New Features: Numerous enhancements across various areas, including improved system availability, security, and performance; virtualization capabilities (OpenVMS as a guest OS on HP Integrity Virtual Machines); support for 2 TiB disk volumes; Resource Affinity Domain (RAD) for Integrity servers; new system services like $POWER_CONTROL and $GETTIM_PREC; and various system management, programming, storage, I/O, and associated product improvements (e.g., HP TCP/IP Services 5.7).
2. Operating Environment Changes: The previous three-tier model (FOE, EOE, MCOE) is replaced by a two-tier model: Base Operating Environment (BOE) and High Availability Operating Environment (HA-OE), with detailed migration paths and component inclusions.
3. Documentation & Resources: All OpenVMS manuals are available in PDF format on the website, along with Software Product Descriptions (SPDs) on media and online. HP Services Tools for diagnosis and support are also available.
4. Mandatory Updates & Fixes:
   • Mandatory update kits (VMS84IMUP-V0100 for Integrity and VMS84AMUP-V0100 for Alpha) are required for critical fixes.
   • HP TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS Version 5.7 ECO 1 is a mandatory update, adding Streams Controlled Transport Protocol (SCTP) and critical fixes.
   • A fix is available for a bug in the Availability Manager Data Analyzer Version 3.1.
5. Important Notes: Special considerations for RAD support on Integrity cell-based servers, including memory requirements and a warning regarding the Ultra 160 SCSI adapter with Per-RAD Non-Paged Pool.

The document advises reading the Release Notes before installation and provides links for downloading updates and accessing documentation.