OpenVMS version 7.1 functionality |
OpenVMS Version 7.1 began shipping in January 1997.
OpenVMS Version 7.1 provides features specifically designed to
improve performance and expand configuration flexibility of OpenVMS
Clusters. In addition, OpenVMS Alpha and VAX Version 7.1 provide a
great number of enhancements and new features focused on connecting
OpenVMS with the Internet, extending the Very Large Memory (VLM)
capabilities introduced in OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.0, and making system
management of OpenVMS systems even easier.
This document describes some of the functionality included in OpenVMS
Version 7.1. Each header specifies whether it is Alpha specific, VAX
specific, or common to both. All systems and options supported in the
OpenVMS Alpha Version 6.2-1Hx hardware releases are supported in the
OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 release.
1 OpenVMS Cluster Features
This section describes OpenVMS Cluster features in OpenVMS Version
7.1. These capabilities bring additional performance and expanded
configurations and flexibility to OpenVMS Clusters.
1.1 MEMORY CHANNEL (Alpha)
MEMORY CHANNEL is a new, high-performance cluster interconnect
technology for PCI-based Alpha systems. With the benefits of very low
latency, high bandwidth, and direct memory access, MEMORY CHANNEL
complements and extends the unique ability of OpenVMS systems to work
as a single, virtual system.
MEMORY CHANNEL offloads internode cluster traffic (such as Lock
Management communication) from existing interconnects---CI, DSSI, FDDI,
and Ethernet---so that they can process storage/network traffic more
effectively. MEMORY CHANNEL significantly increases throughput and
decreases the latency associated with traditional I/O processing.
Any application that must move large amounts of data among nodes will
benefit from MEMORY CHANNEL. It is an optimal solution for applications
that need to pass data quickly, such as real-time and transaction
processing. MEMORY CHANNEL will also improve throughput in high
performance databases and other applications that generate heavy
OpenVMS Lock Manager traffic.
Customers who wish to use MEMORY CHANNEL in a two-node configuration
will require:
- Two MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapters and a single cable
Customers who wish to have three or more nodes will require:
- A MEMORY CHANNEL PCI adapter and cable for each node, to connect to
- A MEMORY CHANNEL Hub
The following hardware is needed:
|
CCMAA-AA
|
MEMORY CHANNEL ADAPTER
|
|
CCMHA-AA
|
MEMORY CHANNEL HUB (INCL. 4 PORT LINE CARDS)
|
|
CCMLA-AA
|
SINGLE PORT LINE CARD
|
|
CCMRA-AA
|
RACKMOUNT KIT MEM CHANEL HUB
|
1.2 CIPCA Adapter (Alpha)
The CIPCA is a CI-to-PCI adapter that was first introduced in OpenVMS
Alpha Version 6.2--1H2 and is currently supported in OpenVMS Alpha
Version 7.1. With this adapter, Alpha servers that contain a
combination of PCI and EISA buses can now connect to the CI.
CIPCA support for Alpha servers provides the following benefits to
customers:
- Lower entry cost and more configuration choices
- High-end Alpha speed and power
- Cost-effective Alpha migration path
- The speed, high-volume storage capability, and availability
features of the CI
Customers who wish to use the CI-to-PCI storage host bus adapter will
require a CIPCA-AA, as well as one of the following CI cables:
- BNCIA-10 (10 M CI cable)
- BNCIA-20 (20 M CI cable)
- BNCIA-45 (45 M CI cable)
1.3 SCSI Device Naming (Alpha & VAX)
Prior to OpenVMS Version 7.1, SCSI disk device names were constructed
using the SCSI controller letter and the SCSI bus ID. This simple name
construction has proved restrictive when configuring OpenVMS Clusters
with many SCSI buses and disks.
OpenVMS Version 7.1 implements a new, optional SCSI device-naming
scheme that provides greater configuration flexibility and allows a
greater number of SCSI devices to be served in a cluster without name
conflicts. The new scheme allows every SCSI bus in a configuration to
have its own allocation class, which is different from the traditional
node-based allocation class.
When new SCSI device naming is enabled, the controller letter for a
SCSI adapter is always set to "A". This convention provides additional
flexibility when configuring a multiple-host SCSI bus. In prior
releases, each logical SCSI bus (PKA, for example) was limited to 8
devices per cluster. As of OpenVMS Version 7.1, each physical adapter
can support 8 or 16 devices.
Note that usage of this new naming scheme is not mandatory. It can be
enabled when the current scheme proves limiting.
1.4 High SCSI IDs on Wide Adapters (Alpha)
OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 device driver support of high SCSI IDs allows
host adapters that support the wide SCSI bus to configure and use up to
16 devices per SCSI bus.
1.5 New Adapter Support for SCSI OpenVMS Cluster Configurations (Alpha)
[top]
OpenVMS Version 7.1 supports the KZPSA and KZTSA adapters. These SCSI
adapters connect a PCI bus (KZPSA) or a TURBOchannel bus (KZTSA) to a
single fast-wide differential SCSI bus.
2 Projects in Support of OpenVMS and NT
Integration
2.1 Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) Support (Alpha)
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is an internet layer protocol that is now
the widely accepted replacement for the Serial Line Interconnect
Protocol (SLIP). PPP support enhances the connectivity and
internet-readiness of OpenVMS Alpha by providing a way to establish a
dynamic Internet Protocol (IP) network connection over a serial line
without extensive router or server hardware.
Based on code originated at Carnegie Mellon University, this serial
protocol features:
- A way to encapsulate datagrams and a serial link. Specifically, PPP
supports an asynchronous link with 8 bits of data and no parity.
- A link control protocol (LCP) that establishes and verifies the
data link connection. This protocol enables each host, network, or
transport to configure various communication options.
To support this protocol, OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 offers a
Point-to-Point Protocol utility (PPPD) and related device drivers (PPP
and ASN). Once enabled by the IP stack installed on OpenVMS, users can
access this DCL-level utility to initiate and manage PPP network
connections.
2.2 DCL PIPE (Alpha & VAX)
OpenVMS Version 7.1 introduces some popular UNIX-style command
processing functions to its base operating system. With the PIPE
command you can quickly create complex command processing statements
from a single DCL command. For example, you can execute one or more of
the following operations from the same DCL command line:
- Pipelining
- Input/output redirection
- Multiple and conditional command execution
- Background processing
This style of command processing supports the development and use of
Internet software, which often expects some form of pipeline command
parsing to be present on both host and target systems.
2.3 External Authentication (Alpha & VAX)
The External Authentication project provides a mechanism that allows
users to be validated by a system other than OpenVMS. For OpenVMS
Version 7.1, this support will be provided in LAN Manager (via
PATHWORKS).
With this functionality, users can enter their Microsoft Windows userid
and password and log in to OpenVMS. Because there is only one password
for both Windows and OpenVMS, there is no synchronization problem. With
External Authentication, OpenVMS uses the password stored in the UAS
file to validate the user, not the password stored in the OpenVMS
SYSUAF file.
External Authentication can be selected on a per-user basis and is
disabled by default. To use the External Authentication feature in
OpenVMS Version 7.1, you must be running PATHWORKS Version 5.0.
2.4 PATHWORKS Integration (Alpha & VAX)
Within a larger effort to improve the integration of OpenVMS and
PATHWORKS, the $GETSYI system service will be enhanced to return
information displayed by the DCL command SHOW MEMORY.
2.5 Batch/Print Enhancements (Alpha & VAX)
OpenVMS Version 7.1 contains Batch/Print projects in support of
PATHWORKS Integration. The first project is support for multiple
simultaneous print jobs from one server process. The second project
allows deletion of a file whether or not the file has printed
successfully.
[top]
3 Connecting OpenVMS Systems to the Internet
OpenVMS customers now have simple and secure access to the Internet.
3.1 Internet Product Suite (Alpha and VAX)
The OpenVMS V7.1 operating system distribution will include the OpenVMS
Internet Product Suite, which provides a variety of products for easy
access to the Internet for our customers. The OpenVMS Internet Product
Suite is a comprehensive, conveniently packaged portfolio of
industry-leading third-party and Digital Internet products, plus
freeware, that allow users to choose the Internet software that best
meets their business needs. The OpenVMS Internet Product Suite will
contain everything users need to quickly and painlessly transform an
OpenVMS Alpha or VAX system into a web client or server.
Support for products included in the Internet Product Suite will vary
and the level of support available through Digital and third parties is
dependent on the existing industry standards that currently exist for
this class of product.
[top]
4 System Management Projects
System management gets easier with OpenVMS Version 7.1, with the
following new features and enhancements.
4.1 OpenVMS SCSI Device Driver Enhancements (Alpha and VAX)
OpenVMS SCSI device drivers have been enhanced significantly for
OpenVMS Version 7.1 to allow OpenVMS SCSI device drivers to work with a
wider range of non-Digital SCSI devices, while taking advantage of as
much SCSI functionality as the devices offer.
4.2 File-Based Autoconfiguration for Device Drivers (Alpha)
File-based autoconfiguration is a new feature that enables OpenVMS
Alpha to configure third-party hardware device devices automatically.
As of OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1, device configuration tables are
constructed from ASCII text files on the OpenVMS Alpha operating system
disk. Third parties and end users can configure non-Digital supported
devices and load user-written device drivers by adding simple
descriptions of their devices in the appropriate ASCII text file. This
file-based autoconfiguration method provides a simpler alternative to
the traditional methods of configuring devices available in previous
releases.
4.3 Dump off System Disk (Alpha)
Dump off system disk provides the ability to write crash dumps to
non-system disks. This feature is especially useful in clusters with
common system disks and in large memory systems. Dump off system disk
is supported on all Alpha systems. This feature was introduced on VAX
with OpenVMS VAX Version 6.2.
4.4 System Disk Mini-Merge (Alpha and VAX)
In previous releases of OpenVMS Volume Shadowing, the mini-merge
capability that is provided for CI- and DSSI-based disks was only
available for non-system disks. This restriction was necessary to
ensure that it was possible to write consistent crash dump files. In
Version 7.1 it is possible to configure crash-dump files off the system
disk. As a result it is now possible to enable the mini-merge feature
on system disks.
4.5 System Dump Analyzer/System Code Debugger (Alpha)
The following new features have been added to the OpenVMS Alpha System
Dump Analyzer and System Code Debugger:
- Operator shutdown no longer overwrites crash dumps.
- A system manager can now choose the key process that needs to be
dumped early in a dump.
- Re-ordering of processes and global pages to improve the ability
to get the most useful information when dumpfile is not big enough to
hold all of memory.
- Support of full memory dumps on systems over 4GB (previously a
limitation)
- The following new commands have been added to the System Dump
Analyzer on Alpha:
- SET ERASE_SCREEN
- SHOW ADDRESS
- SHOW BUGCHECK
- SHOW GLOBAL_SECTION_TABLE
- SHOW GSD
- SHOW WORKING_SET_LIST
- Several enhancements have been made to SDA/BUGCHECK to improve the
reliability of writing and reading crashdumps.
4.6 Lock Manager Limits and Quotas Extended (Alpha & VAX)
A number of existing limits in the OpenVMS Distributed Lock Manager
have either been removed or expanded. The following changes have been
made for OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1:
- To support processes with an ENQLM larger than 32767, a process
which has an ENQLM of 32767 can now exceed this limit. The value of
32767 will give a process a virtually unlimited ENQLM.
- The LOCKIDTBL_MAX SYSGEN parameter has been made obsolete. The
Lock Id table will now expand if there is available physical memory.
- The maximum size of the Resource Hash Table (RESHASHTBL SYSGEN
parameter) has been expanded to over 16 million. Previously the size
was limited to 64k entries.
- Sub resources can now be virtually unlimited. Previously there was
a 64k limit.
- Sub locks can now be virtually unlimited. Previously there was a
64k limit.
4.7 DECamds (Alpha and VAX)
With OpenVMS Version 7.1, the DECamds software product will be licensed
as part of the OpenVMS operating system base license. Prior to Version
7.1, customers were required to have an OpenVMS Cluster license to
utilize the DECamds product. Now customers can access and use all the
system management capabilities provided by DECamds from a non-clustered
environment.
4.8 OpenVMS Management Station Version 2.1 (Alpha and VAX)
The OpenVMS Management Station V2.1 (ARGUS) is included in this release
of OpenVMS. It is a PC-based tool that allows management of one or more
OpenVMS Cluster systems from a single point of control. This version
provides new functionality for printer and queue management, including
the ability to drag and drop jobs onto queues controlled under the same
queue manager. This new functionality is in addition to user account
management implemented in V1.0.
With this release, all OpenVMS user account and printer management can
be performed from any MS-Windows based (including Windows NT and
Windows 95) client, using a single set of Windows 95 style property-tab
dialogs. Both DECnet and/or TCP/IP transports are supported on client
and server. In addition, the PATHWORKS client is no longer required.
The OpenVMS Management Station is licensed and bundled with OpenVMS and
is also available separately from the OpenVMS home page at
http://h71000.www7.hp.com.openvms/product/argus/index/html.
[top]
5 Programming Features
OpenVMS Version 7.1 adds new capabilities that can improve the
performance of your applications and make programming on OpenVMS easier.
5.1 OpenVMS Alpha Very Large Memory Management Features (Alpha)
OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 provides extended, additional memory
management features that facilitate Very Large Memory (VLM) support on
OpenVMS. Memory-resident global sections and shared page tables provide
support for database, data warehouse, and other very large database
(VLDB) products. By using these new OpenVMS Alpha VLM features, data
warehousing and VLDB applications can realize increased capacity and
performance gains.
Memory-resident global sections allow a database server to keep larger
amounts of "hot" data cached in physical memory. The database server
accesses data directly from physical memory and does not perform I/O to
read the data from disk. With faster access to the data in physical
memory, run-time performance increases dramatically.
Shared page tables allow that same database server to reduce the amount
of physical memory consumed within the system. Because multiple server
processes share the same physical page tables that map the large
database cache, an OpenVMS Alpha system can support more server
processes. This increases overall system capacity and decreases
response time to client requests.
Also, with shared page tables, the database server startup time is
dramatically reduced. A memory-resident global section with shared page
tables can be mapped 1000 times more quickly than a global section
without shared page tables. With a multiple giga-byte global database
cache, the server startup performance gains can be significant.
5.2 Backup API (Alpha & VAX)
This project provides a callable API that allows invocation of backup
routines from an executable procedure.
5.3 Debugger Enhancements (Alpha and VAX)
The following enhancements have been made to the Debugger. Note that
some are Alpha specific, some VAX specific, and some common to both.
- Better support for debugging (Alpha) C++ programs. You can refer
to class members using C++ syntax and correctly match expressions to
symbols defined in the in the program according to current scopes. In
addition, when the current language is C or C++ the CALL command by
default passes arguments by value rather than by reference. Note that
this support requires use of the C++ Version 5.5 compiler.
- Support for Fortran-90 (VAX and Alpha).
- Ability to set watchpoints in global sections (Alpha).
- Ability to set breakpoints to suspend program execution whenever
unsigned byte and word fetch instructions have been emulated on Alpha
systems.
- New predefined screen-mode register views (Alpha) to display all
registers, general registers, or floating-point registers.
- A new debugger DUMP command to display the contents of a specified
memory range in a manner similar to the VMS DUMP command. You can
display registers, variables, and arrays in a variety of formats,
including binary, byte, word, longword, quadword, octal, decimal, and
hexadecimal.
- Support (on Alpha) for debugging programs linked with the
/NODEBUG/DSF=filespec qualifiers. You can specify a path for the .DSF
file to direct the debugger to symbol information.
5.4 System Services Support for 64-Bit Addresses (Alpha)
In OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1, the following system services have been
enhanced to support 64-bit addresses:
- $ASCTOID
- $ASCTIM
- $ASCUTC
- $BINTIM
- $BINUTC
- $CRELNM
- $CRELNT
- $DELLNM
- $FINISH_RDB
- $GETJPI
- $GETJPIW
- $GETSYI
- $GETSYIW
- $GETUTC
- $IDTOASC
- $NUMTIM
- $NUMUTC
- $PROCESS_SCAN
- $SETIME
- $TIMCON
- $TRNLNM
5.5 DECthreads with Multiple Kernel Threads (Alpha)
Kernel Threads provide for concurrent processing over all CPUs in a
multiprocessor system by allowing a multithreaded application to have a
thread executing on every CPU. Use of the Kernel Threads capabilities
will provide performance improvements for most threaded applications.
OpenVMS Version 7.1 includes a new linker qualifier which allows you to
enable and disable the kernel threads feature on a per-image basis.
[top]
6 Networking Changes
With OpenVMS V7.1, installing the network protocol of your choice gets
easier. The OpenVMS operating system CD-ROM includes TCP/IP Services
for OpenVMS, DECnet-Plus for OpenVMS and DECnet Phase IV for OpenVMS.
6.1 DECnet-Plus Product Replaces DECnet Phase IV Product (Alpha & VAX)
DECnet-Plus (formerly known as DECnet/OSI) is easier to install with
OpenVMS V7.1. With the OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 and OpenVMS VAX
Version 7.1 releases, the DECnet-Plus software product will replace the
DECnet Phase IV product in the main installation and upgrade
procedures. The OpenVMS operating system installation menu will allow
customers to choose among the following network software products:
DECnet-Plus, Digital TCP/IP Services, or a non-Digital network product.
The DECnet-Plus product supports DECnet Phase IV (NCP) protocol, the
OSI protocol, and allows interoperability with industry standard TCP/IP
protocol. DECnet-Plus Version 7.1 includes support for host based
routing.
The DECnet Phase IV software product is available on the operating
system distribution media and is now supported under the Prior Version
Support Program.
6.2 Digital TCP/IP Version 4.1
This new TCP/IP release includes Post Office Protocol, Version 3, that
ensures mail is accepted even when the PC is turned off. Network
management support is enhanced enabling developers to create sub-agents
that manage other entities in their network. A new Finger Utility
displays information about users on the systems, a new FTP Command
displays the contents of a file on the current output device, and a new
file naming enhancement to the NFS server allows users to create files
and directories in an OpenVMS file system using non-conforming names.
NFS now supports access to XQP+ which improves performance.
6.3 LAN emulation and Classical IP (CLIP) over ATM (Alpha)
OpenVMS Alpha users now have LAN Emulation Client support over the
ATMWORKS 750 and ATMWORKS 350. LAN emulation over an ATM network
permits a group of ATM stations to perform as though they were
connected to an ordinary local network. The ATMWORKS 750 adapter is
supported on the TURBOchannel based systems with the exception of the
DEC 3000-300. The ATMWORKS 350 is supported on the PCI-based systems
with the exception of the AlphaServer 200, and the AlphaServer 400.
Classic IP over LAN is included in OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 as a base system
capability. This support, when enabled by the IP network software
products, will allow Classical IP and ARP protocols in an ATM network
environment to be configured as a logical IP subnetwork.
6.4 Fast Ethernet LANs (Alpha)
OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.1 supports Fast Ethernet LANS, which raise the
data transmission rates from 10Mb/s to 100 Mb/s.
[top]
7 Licensing Changes
This section describes licensing changes and enhancements in OpenVMS
Version 7.1.
7.1 Volume Shadowing Per Disk Licensing Enforcement (Alpha & VAX)
Volume Shadowing Version 7.1 includes a license check for each volume
that is shadowed in a configuration. The ability to license the
Shadowing software product by disk has been available with several
releases, but this is the point at which the licensing will be enforced.
7.2 New LMF functionality in the release of LMF V1.2 (Alpha & VAX)
In addition to several new convenience features like automatic license
unloading prior to load, LMF Version 1.2 introduces greatly enhanced
flexibility in the handling of a variety of license types using a
single LMF product name.
[top]
8 DECwindows R6 Server (Alpha & VAX)
The DECwindows server for OpenVMS Alpha has been upgraded to be based
on the X Consortium's X11R6 server (X Windows system Version 11 Release
6). Some server extensions from X11R6 are also included in this
release. The server on both OpenVMS Alpha and VAX Version 7.0 are based
on the X11R5 server.
[top]
|
