VMS 5.3 Release Notes

This document, "VMS Version 5.3 Release Notes" (October 1989), details software problems, corrections, restrictions, and documentation changes pertaining to the VMS operating system Version 5.3. It supersedes the VMS Version 5.2-1 Release Notes, with VMS Version 5.2 notes still applying unless explicitly modified.

Key updates and information are provided for various user groups:

• General Users: Addresses fixes for PRINT and SUBMIT command error conditions, changes to SUBMIT/DELETE behavior, allows initializing unformatted diskettes without VOLPRO privilege, and includes various corrections and restrictions for VAX Text Processing Utility (VAXTPU), the Extensible VAX Editor (EVE), and DECwindows desktop applications (Window Manager, FileView, Calendar, Mail, Paint, PrintScreen). Performance improvements for the Batch/Print facility are also noted.
• System Managers: Covers reductions in VAXcluster reconfiguration time with quorum disks, fixes for Ethernet circuit loopback tests and XMDRIVER powerfail recovery, a page fault fix within SYSLOA, and changes to DSSI disk device naming (introducing the VMS5 SYSGEN parameter). It also provides guidance on modifying License Units with the License Management Facility (LMF), VMS support for various VAX processors, a VAXstation 3100 model name change, the VMSD2 SYSGEN parameter for SCSI devices, and a fix for the VMS/RZ55 data integrity problem. Notes on using RZ23 as a system disk, LAT terminal service, DECwindows installation, and DECnet-VAX fixes are included.
• Programmers: Details corrections for the MTH$SINCOS routine and Math Run-Time Library, VMS Debugger restrictions (e.g., GO command, Pascal subrange), information on SCSI class drivers, a memory problem with PPL$TRIGGER_EVENT, and the removal of a restriction on appending to shared sequential files. Extensive changes and restrictions for VMS DECwindows' Xlib, Server, XUI Toolkit, User Interface Language (UIL) Compiler, and font handling are also outlined.
• Documentation: Provides a list of new and revised VMS 5.3 manuals and numerous corrections and additions to existing VMS documentation, including the VMS New Features Manual, VMS DCL Dictionary (CONVERT/DOCUMENT, VIEW commands), and the VMS Developer's Guide to VMSINSTAL.
• DECwindows Performance: An appendix offers considerations for recommended minimum memory configurations, running DECwindows applications remotely, using AUTOGEN for system tuning, and improving DECwindows memory sharing.