VMS 1.6 Release Notes

This document, the VAX/VMS V1.6 Release Notes, published in August 1979, describes an update kit designed to upgrade a VAX/VMS V1.5 system to VAX/VMS V1.6. It supplements the VAX/VMS V1.5 Release Notes.

Key information includes:

1. Installation:

   • The kit consists of documentation (this manual, new RMS-11 manuals) and seven floppy diskettes containing patches and replacement files.
   • It must be installed on a VAX/VMS V1.5 system without prior patches, and all updates within the kit are mandatory.
   • It lists updated supported versions for various optional software products with VAX/VMS V1.6, such as DECnet-VAX 1.2, VAX-11 FORTRAN IV-PLUS 1.3, and VAX-11 COBOL-74 4.1.

2. Differences from VAX/VMS V1.5:

   • V1.6 is primarily a problem-fixing update with few major functional changes.
   • The most significant update is the support for RMS-11 V1.8, which includes enhancements like:
     • An Indexed File Load (IFL) utility for optimized loading of indexed files.
     • A new RMS-11 User's Guide with extensive information on file structure and utilities.
     • Mass-insert mode and deferred write capability for compatibility mode programs.
     • Changes to the CONVERT utility and new disk overlay ODL files for optimal RMS code overlay.
   • Corresponding RMS-11 documentation (User's Guide and MACRO-11 Reference Manual) is updated.

3. Problems Resolved:

   • The VAX-11 RMS restriction on using the User File Option (UFO) with indexed sequential (ISAM) files has been removed.

4. Current Known Problems (in VAX/VMS V1.6):

   • A VMSRTL error affecting FORTRAN IV-PLUS programs that attempt ENCODE/DECODE during I/O.
   • SYSGEN utility AUTOCONFIGURE errors, particularly with incorrect CSR addresses for line printers and access violations with AUTOCONFIGURE TR-number.
   • VAX-11 RMS restrictions, including an RMS$_BUG_XX2 status return on ISAM $PUT/$UPDATE operations (not file corruption, but requires reorganization) and lack of validity checking for packed decimal data strings.
   • A UETP Terminal Test failure under specific DZ11 multiplexer configurations.
   • Restrictions on the SYE program, which cannot be run from a command file and requires a specific SID Register setting for error display.
   • RMSIFL utility issues where duplicate key values may lose input order during sort, and large bucket/record sizes can terminate the command line.
   • An incorrect error message ("SYSTEM-W-NORMAL") displayed by DCL for ambiguous SET/SHOW commands (to be fixed in V2.0).

5. Notes to Published Documentation:

   • Provides supplementary information and corrections for the SYE program (prompts, responses, display options), the RMS-11 User's Guide (clarifying RMSIFL behavior), VAX/VMS V1.5 Release Notes, and the VAX/VMS System Services Reference Manual (warning about AST service routines and potential stack overflow).

6. Native Mode Assembler:

   • Confirms MACRO32 as the supported native mode assembler for VAX/VMS V1.5+, emphasizing the use of the DCL MACRO command over MAR (the compatibility mode assembler), which no longer runs on VAX/VMS V1.5+.