BASEstar_Open_Server________________________________ Release Notes March 1997 This document contains the release notes for BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 for OpenVMS, DIGITAL UNIX, HP-UX, and Windows NT systems. Revision/Update Information: This is a new document for the current release. Software Version: BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 Digital Equipment Corporation Maynard, Massachusetts ________________________________________________________________ March 1997 © Digital Equipment Corporation 1997. All Rights Reserved. Possession, use, or copying of the software described in this documentation is authorized only pursuant to a valid written license from DIGITAL or an authorized sublicensor. Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the use of its products in the manner described in this publication will not infringe on existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this publication imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description. The postpaid Reader's Comments forms at the end of this document request your critical evaluation to assist in preparing future documentation. The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: Alpha AXP, BASEstar, DEC, DECmessageQ, DECnet, DECnet-DOS, DECosap, DEComni, DIGITAL, DIGITAL UNIX, FMS, LN03, MicroVAX, NAS, OpenVMS, OpenVMS Alpha, PATHWORKS, PDAS, Rdb/VMS, ReGIS, ThinWire, TK, ULTRIX, VAX, VAXcluster, VAX COBOL, VAX FORTRAN, VAX Pascal, VAX RMS, VMS/ULTRIX Connection, VT, and the DIGITAL logo. The following are third-party trademarks: Excel is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. 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X/Open is a registered trademark of the X/Open Company Limited This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT, Version 2.1. _________________________________________________________________ Contents Preface................................................... v 1 Introduction and General Release Notes 1.1 Differences/Enhancements With Respect to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.0.......................... 1-1 1.2 BASEstar Open Documentation Set.................. 1-2 1.3 Pre-requisites................................... 1-3 1.4 BASEstar Open Inter-Version Compatibility........ 1-4 1.5 Implementation-Dependent Characteristics......... 1-4 2 Installation Release Notes 2.1 Installation Verification Procedure (UNIX platforms)....................................... 2-1 3 Modified Functionality 3.1 New bstr_realm_start_node Option (UNIX and OpenVMS only).................................... 3-1 3.2 New Communication Server Option (1).............. 3-1 3.3 New Communication Server Option (2).............. 3-2 3.4 New Environmental Variable Supported by the Data & Device Services Server and the Event Services Server........................................... 3-2 3.5 New Syntax for Supplying the Address of an Unnamed_Variable................................. 3-3 3.6 Static Libraries (UNIX only)..................... 3-3 3.7 Displaying a Float or Double Object Via the CLI.. 3-3 3.8 Specifying a 4-digit Year for the TIME Field of a Datatype (CLI)................................... 3-4 3.9 BSTR_REALM Environment Variable (Windows NT only)............................................ 3-4 iii 4 Restrictions 4.1 Availability of DCM-Modeled Device Connectivity on OpenVMS Platforms (OpenVMS only).............. 4-1 4.2 BASEstar CIMfast and Oracle Rdb.................. 4-1 4.3 Graphic Configuration Utility (Windows NT only).. 4-1 4.4 DDE Bridge (Windows NT only)..................... 4-1 4.4.1 Supported Datatypes ........................... 4-1 4.4.2 Warm Links Not Supported ...................... 4-2 4.5 Calling bstr_initialize in a Dynamic Link Library.......................................... 4-2 4.6 Modifying Fields in a Structure_Datatype......... 4-2 4.7 Checking the Mapping Path........................ 4-2 4.8 Checking Filter Expressions...................... 4-2 4.9 Datatype Congruency Checks....................... 4-2 4.10 Device Variable Address Checks................... 4-2 4.11 Device Time Format Not Converted................. 4-3 4.12 Enabling the Alternate Character Set (HP-UX only)............................................ 4-3 4.13 No Access to PERMANENT Database Services (Windows NT and HP-UX only)............................... 4-4 4.14 Spaces Not Accepted in File or Directory Names... 4-4 5 Bug Fixes 5.1 Support for TIME Datatype........................ 5-1 5.2 Updating of Unsolicited Device_Data_Points....... 5-1 5.3 Terminating Actors in a Distributed Environment.. 5-1 5.4 Incorrect Application Management Services Monitor Display.......................................... 5-2 5.5 Data & Device Services Server Crash with VARIABLE_LENGTH Array_Datatypes.................. 5-2 5.6 Application Management Services Monitor Hang Problem.......................................... 5-3 5.7 Sending a Message by Writing a Device_Data_Point................................ 5-3 5.8 Event Services Server Message.................... 5-4 5.9 PUT VALUE DATA_POINT Problem..................... 5-4 5.10 Arrays of BIT Datatypes.......................... 5-5 5.11 Data & Device Services Server Crash.............. 5-5 5.12 Device_Data_Point Points to Wrong VMD Variable... 5-6 5.13 GOM Server Crash During Execution of bstr_realm_start_node............................ 5-6 iv 5.14 Incorrect Error Message When Attempting to Map to a Data_Point in a Different Domain............... 5-6 5.15 Incorrect Source Trace Manager CLI Message....... 5-7 5.16 Incorrect Expression Calculation................. 5-7 5.17 Crash During Execution of bstr_context_set_default......................... 5-8 5.18 Error in Trigger FIL_PARAMETERS Parameter........ 5-8 5.19 Failure to Update (INIT_)UNSOLICITED Device_Data_Pointa Associated to Device Variable......................................... 5-9 5.20 Data Services Server Crash During get_value Operation........................................ 5-9 5.21 Event Services Server Receive Notification Problem.......................................... 5-10 5.22 Error When Declaring an Event with a VISIBLE_CHAR Array Parameter.................................. 5-10 5.23 Application Management Services Server Hangs in a Distributed Environment.......................... 5-10 5.24 Executing a PUT VALUE Command on a Data_Point of the VARIABLE_LENGTH Array Type................... 5-11 5.25 Data & Device Services Server Unable to Load Snapshot......................................... 5-11 5.26 Executing a PUT VALUE Command on a Mapped_Data_Point of the BIT Type................ 5-11 5.27 Incorrect Handling of the Trigger PRIORITY Attribute........................................ 5-11 5.28 User Application Hang Problem.................... 5-12 5.29 Data & Device Services Server Memory Leak........ 5-12 5.30 Value Mismatch Following a put_value Operation on a Mapped_Data_Point of the BIT Type.............. 5-12 5.31 Failure of SHOW FILTER and SHOW MAPPED_DATA_POINT Commands......................................... 5-12 5.32 Incorrect Handling of BIT String................. 5-13 5.33 Multiple Device_Data_Point BIT String on the Same Variable......................................... 5-13 5.34 Data Services Server Crash During Lock Operations....................................... 5-14 5.35 Abnormal Behavior of the bstr_get_object_type_info Procedure.............. 5-14 5.36 Filter Parameter Error........................... 5-14 5.37 CREATE DOMAIN Command on PODB (Oracle)........... 5-15 5.38 COM_SERVER Problem When Disconnecting Client..... 5-15 5.39 32 Character Limit on Client Application Names... 5-16 v 5.40 Data & Device Services Server Segmentation Fault............................................ 5-16 5.41 -BSTR_C_ENV_PC_MAX_SAPS_ASSOC Limit.............. 5-16 5.42 BSTR_POLLING_FACTOR Has No Effect (OpenVMS only)............................................ 5-16 5.43 Database Server Crashe (OpenVMS only)............ 5-17 5.44 DEE Bridge Unable to Receive Unsolicited Data_Point Changes............................... 5-17 5.45 DDE Bridge Browser Cannot Access Mapped_Data_Points............................... 5-17 5.46 CLI Segmentation Fault (UNIX only)............... 5-17 6 Known Problems 6.1 Graphic Configuration Utility (Windows NT only).. 6-1 6.2 Commands Not Displayed in the CLI Help (DIGITAL UNIX only)....................................... 6-1 6.3 Data & Device Services Exit with Core Dump (HP-UX only)............................................ 6-1 6.4 Command Languange Interpreter History Management (HP-UX only)..................................... 6-1 6.5 Expression Handling (HP-UX only)................. 6-2 6.6 Commands Not Displayed in the CLI Help (OpenVMS only)............................................ 6-2 6.7 Incorrect Allocation of Dynamic Memory........... 6-2 6.8 Forcing an Exit from the CLI (OpenVMS only)...... 6-2 6.9 Forcing an Exit from the CLI (UNIX only)......... 6-2 6.10 Support of Wildcard Characters................... 6-2 6.11 Output from the CLI.............................. 6-3 6.12 Interrupting Execution of a Command File......... 6-3 6.13 Resizing a Terminal Window....................... 6-3 6.14 Referencing an Object After Server Shutdown...... 6-3 6.15 Threads and the send_to_user_port Internal Routine (OpenVMS only)........................... 6-3 6.16 Threads and Sequence Numbers..................... 6-4 6.17 CLI Unable to Handle Filenames Beginning with \ (Windows NT only)................................ 6-4 6.18 Using bstr_initialize After bstr_finish.......... 6-4 6.19 Inconsistency of Timer and Trigger Attributes on PODB............................................. 6-4 6.20 Cannot Specify Producer in a Different Domain.... 6-5 6.21 Hostname Length Restriction...................... 6-5 6.22 Unaligned Access Error........................... 6-5 vi 6.23 Concurrent put_value Operations on Mapped_Data_Points............................... 6-5 6.24 GENERATE SNAPSHOT/SCRIPT Problem................. 6-6 6.25 Assigning a Default Value to a Data_Point........ 6-6 6.26 E-BSTR_S_OBJECT_NOT_FOUND Error on PODB.......... 6-6 7 Documentation Release Notes 7.1 The BASEstar Open Application Programming Interface........................................ 7-1 7.1.1 General ....................................... 7-1 Tables 1-1 Data Management Characteristics ............... 1-5 1-2 Event Management Characteristics .............. 1-6 1-3 Packet Management Characteristics ............. 1-7 1-4 Application Management - Configurable objects........................................ 1-7 1-5 Program/Environment Parameter File ............ 1-8 vii _________________________________________________________________ Preface Kit Identification You can identify this kit by the identifier that BASEstar Open Server processes print on the log files: o OpenVMS: "BASEstar Open Server V3.1" Alternatively, run the BSTR_ETC:BSTR_VER_SHOW.COM procedure, which prints the image id of all the BASEstar Open images (3.1-0). o DIGITAL UNIX: "BASEstar Open V3.1 (BSTBASE310)" o HP-UX: "BASEstar Open Server V3.1" o Windows NT: "BASEstar Open Server V3.1-00" v 1 _________________________________________________________________ Introduction and General Release Notes The structure of this document is as follows: o Chapter 1 provides a basic introduction to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. o Chapter 2 contains release notes relevant to the installation of BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 on OpenVMS and DIGITAL UNIX platforms. o Chapter 3 describes all issue concerning modified functionality with respect to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.0. o Chapter 4 describes all restrictions that apply to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. o Chapter 5 describes all BASEstar Open Server Version 3.0 bugs that have been fixed in Version 3.1. o Chapter 6 describes the problems known to exist in BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. o Chapter 7 contains all release notes concerning documentation issues specific to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. 1.1 Differences/Enhancements With Respect to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.0 The new features provided by BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 are as follows: o A Timer object that allows you to associate a time-based condition with a Trigger object, so that the Trigger fires when the Timer expires. You can also configure BASEstar Open to inform associated objects when a Timer expires. Introduction and General Release Notes 1-1 Introduction and General Release Notes 1.1 Differences/Enhancements With Respect to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.0 o A reduction in the number of threads used by the Event Services and Data & Device Services servers, resulting in a significant saving of system resources. o Implementation of the put/get value functionality in the Graphic Configuration utility (Windows NT and Windows 95 only). o BIT (BASEstar Open Integration Tool) and BOS (BASEstar Open SQL) support for integrating applications. After installing BASEstar Open Server, you will find the following the BIT/BOS documentation in the following subdirectories under the BASEstar Open root directory: o UNIX: /contrib o OpenVMS: [.examples] o Windows NT: \samples o Support for the RSLinx and SINEC TF DASes (Windows NT only). 1.2 BASEstar Open Documentation Set This manual describes a software component or aspects of the BASEstar Open family of products. The complete set of documents relating to the BASEstar Open family is as follows: o BASEstar Open: - BASEstar Open Introduction - BASEstar Open Reference Guide - BASEstar Open Command Language Interface - BASEstar Open Application Programming Interface - BASEstar Open Messages - Platform-specific installation and management guides 1-2 Introduction and General Release Notes Introduction and General Release Notes 1.2 BASEstar Open Documentation Set - BASEstar Open Guide to DCM-Modeled Device Connectivity (for supported platforms) o BASEstar CIMfast (for supported platforms): - BASEstar CIMfast User's Guide - BASEstar CIMfast Programmer's Reference Guide - BASEstar CIMfast Guide to DECmessageQ Support - BASEstar CIMfast Guide to SQL Support o DEComni API: - DEComni API and MMS User Guide - DEComni API Guide to Using Omni Directory Services (for supported platforms) - DEComni API Guide to Using OmniView (for supported platforms) - DEComni API Omni Definition Facility User Guide (for supported platforms) o Device Access Software documentation - Specific manuals for each supported device 1.3 Pre-requisites BASEstar Open Server runs on the following architecture and software configurations: o UNIX: - An Alpha processor (DIGITAL UNIX) or any PA-RISC (700 series or 800 series) processor (HP-UX) The BASEstar Open Server SPD contains a comprehensive list of the processors supported, together with any restrictions. - DIGITAL UNIX Version 3.2C (or higher) for DIGITAL UNIX platforms or HP-UX Version B 10.01 for HP-UX platforms. o OpenVMS: - An Alpha processor Introduction and General Release Notes 1-3 Introduction and General Release Notes 1.3 Pre-requisites The SPD contains a comprehensive list of the processors supported, together with any restrictions. - OpenVMS Version 6.1, 6.2 or 7.1 - TCP/IP Services (as supported by the operating system) - Oracle Rdb [1] (as supported by the operating system) - DECnet-OSI for OpenVMS Version 5.7 (optional) - DEComni API Version 3.1 (bundled in the BASEstar Open kit) o Windows NT: - Windows NT Version 3.51 or higher Version 3.51 and Version 4.0 support TCP/IP Services- this is already bundled with the operating system, and MUST be installed. By the time the product is shipped, the versions of these pre-requisites may have changed. 1.4 BASEstar Open Inter-Version Compatibility o Although BASEstar Open Version 3.1 can handle snapshots created with previous versions of the product, there is no guarantee that the reverse is possible. o Although BASEstar Open Version 3.1 can handle CLI scripts created with previous versions of the product, the reverse is only possible if you do not use Version 3.1 features. 1.5 Implementation-Dependent Characteristics The tables that follow contain details of the characteristics implemented in BASEstar Open services. ____________________ [1] Optional 1-4 Introduction and General Release Notes Introduction and General Release Notes 1.5 Implementation-Dependent Characteristics Table_1-1_Data_Management_Characteristics__________________ Description_______________________________Value____________ Maximum number of Activities (with AMS) 32 Maximum number of Activities (without 1 AMS) Maximum number of objects in a Domain No limit Maximum number of Data_Points in a Data_ No limit Point_Set Maximum Data_Point size 64512 bytes Maximum number of Triggers associated No limit with a Data_Point Maximum number of Trigger Event 1024 parameters Maximum number of Trigger Filter 33 parameters Maximum number of operands in a Filter 33 expression Maximum number of operators in a Filter 32 expression Maximum_number_of_clients_per_Activity____40_______________ Introduction and General Release Notes 1-5 Introduction and General Release Notes 1.5 Implementation-Dependent Characteristics Table_1-2_Event_Management_Characteristics_________________ Description_______________________________Value____________ Maximum number of Activities (with AMS) 32 Maximum number of Activities (without 1 AMS) Maximum number of objects in a Domain No limit Maximum number of Events in an Event_Set No limit Maximum number of Event parameters 1024 Maximum Event parameter size 64512 bytes Maximum number of clients per Activity 40 Maximum number of Enboxes bounded to a No limit client Maximum notification size (user Enbox) 8192 bytes Maximum notification size (system Enbox) No limit Maximum number of asynchronous requests 10 pending on a system Enbox Maximum number of synchronous requests 1 pending_on_a_system_Enbox__________________________________ 1-6 Introduction and General Release Notes Introduction and General Release Notes 1.5 Implementation-Dependent Characteristics Table_1-3_Packet_Management_Characteristics________________ Description_______________________________Value____________ Maximum number of Activities (with AMS) 32 Maximum number of Activities (without 1 AMS) Maximum number of objects in a Domain No limit Maximum number of input Packet 64 parameters Maximum number of output Packet 64 parameters Maximum Packet parameter size 64512 bytes Maximum number of clients per activity 40 Maximum number of ports bounded to a No limit client Maximum notification size (system Port) No limit Maximum number of asynchronous requests 10 pending on a system Port Maximum number of synchronous requests 1 pending_on_a_system_Port___________________________________ Table_1-4_Application_Management_-_Configurable_objects____ Resource________________________Maximum_value______________ Maximum number of Activities 32[1] per program Maximum number of Nodes 64 Maximum number of Actors 400 Maximum number of Programs 400 Maximum number of Activities 400 [1]Only_for_DATA,_EVENT,_PACKET_and_DEVICE_Programs._No____ limit for USER Programs ___________________________________________________________ Table 1-5 lists the maximum values associated with the Program/Environment parameter file. Introduction and General Release Notes 1-7 Introduction and General Release Notes 1.5 Implementation-Dependent Characteristics Table_1-5_Program/Environment_Parameter_File_______________ Resource________________________Maximum_value______________ Maximum input line length 256 Maximum number of lines No limit Maximum length of file names 254 Maximum number of env pair per 128 Program Maximum number of arg pair per 128 Program____________________________________________________ 1-8 Introduction and General Release Notes 2 _________________________________________________________________ Installation Release Notes 2.1 Installation Verification Procedure (UNIX platforms) To run the BASEstar Open Installation Verification Procedure (IVP) and the setup procedures, you must configure TCP/IP on the node where you intend to install the product. To check that your node is configured properly, type the following command: $ telnet `hostname` If you do not receive the login prompt, ask your system manager to check that TCP/IP has been configured correctly on your system. Installation Release Notes 2-1 3 _________________________________________________________________ Modified Functionality This chapter describes all BASEstar Open functionality that has been modified with respect to Version 3.0. 3.1 New bstr_realm_start_node Option (UNIX and OpenVMS only) Each time you execute bstr_realm_start-node, BASEstar Open starts up an instance of the Communication Server for the Realm in question (without Application Management Services control). This server has no real purpose unless you need to connect clients to the Realm. BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 provides a new parameter (-nocs) for use with the bstr_realm_start_node script that allows you to disenable the automatic startup of the Communication Server for the Realm. If you do not need to connect a client, -nocs allows you to save an environment process for each Realm. You can also specify the -nocs option to start up several instances of the Communication Server under Application Management Services control. 3.2 New Communication Server Option (1) In Version 3.0, each time you attempted to connect a client from a new host, the Communication Server consulted the LNS Server to ensure that the client in question was not already linked to another Communication Server; if the LNS Server had already registered the new client, it prevented you from establishing the connection. However, if there was no previous record of a link between the client and a Communication Server, it allowed you to establish the connection and registered the new link. Modified Functionality 3-1 Modified Functionality 3.2 New Communication Server Option (1) Given that this check procedure is only significant if there is more than one Communication Server in a Realm (for example, if a Realm is distributed across two Nodes, and the defaut COM_SERVER is active on both Nodes), the Communication Server in BASEstar Open Version 3.1 accepts a new option (-r OFF) which allows you to disactivate the registration of each new client with LNS. It is strongly recommended that you specify this option if you are using a Realm that is not distributed across several Nodes (and you therefore do not need to activate more than one COM_ SERVER). If you decide to use -r OFF, specify the option when you activate the Communication Server process: o Manually, by entering -r OFF in the command line o By modifying the platform-specific procedure responsible for starting up the default Realm COM_SERVER, such as $BSTR_ETC/realm_startup/com_start20.sh (DIGITAL UNIX). o By creating a parameter file to execute the COM_SERVER as an Application Management Services encapsulated program (refer to your management guide). 3.3 New Communication Server Option (2) The Communication Server accepts a new option (-a) that allows you to specify the name of a file containing a list of valid client IP addresses. If you specify this file in the Communication Server command line, BASEstar Open activates a security mechanism and refuses to accept the name of any client whose address is not listed in the file. 3.4 New Environmental Variable Supported by the Data & Device Services Server and the Event Services Server The Data & Device Services server and the Event Services server now manage a new environmental variable: BSTR_ SERVERS_PFACTOR. This variable enables you to save thread resources by allowing you to choose whether to perform certain operations sequentially. 3-2 Modified Functionality Modified Functionality by the Data & Device Services Server and the Event Services Server The value of BSTR_SERVICES_PFACTOR determines whether BASEstar Open performs the following operations in parallel or sequentially: o Execution/termination of Activities o Connection/disconnection of clients. For further information about the BSTR_SERVERS_PFACTOR variable, refer to your management guide. 3.5 New Syntax for Supplying the Address of an Unnamed_Variable The Device Services server makes a series of assumptions regarding the numeric value supplied as the address attribute of an Unnamed_Variable when address_type is NUMERIC. As a result, it can establish whether the value is a decimal, octal or hexadecimal constant. For further information about this functionality, and the syntax that you must use to enter the numeric value for address, refer to the BASEstar Open Command Language Interface. 3.6 Static Libraries (UNIX only) As of Version 3.1 of BASEstar Open Server, the kit will no longer include the libbstr.a and libbstrcma.a static libraries. Instead, the product will support shareable libraries which will be delivered directly to the customer. For full details of the shareable libraries supported by BASEstar Open Version 3.1, refer to the BASEstar Open Application Programming Interface. 3.7 Displaying a Float or Double Object Via the CLI In BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1, the CLI adopts the same semantics as the %g for printf. This behaviour brings the CLI into line with the Graphic Configuration utility. Modified Functionality 3-3 Modified Functionality 3.8 Specifying a 4-digit Year for the TIME Field of a Datatype (CLI) 3.8 Specifying a 4-digit Year for the TIME Field of a Datatype (CLI) As of Version 3.1 of BASEstar Open Server, you can specify a 4-digit year when supplying the TIME field of a datatype. The newly-supported format is: [D]D/[M]M/YYYY hh:mm:ss 3.9 BSTR_REALM Environment Variable (Windows NT only) As of Version 3.1 of BASEstar Open, the current Realm takes its name from the value of the BSTR_REALM variable (if set) in your environment. It thus overrides the name of the Realm entered via the REALM Setup... option in the Customize menu of the BASEstar Open Manager. Note that you can also use the realm argument specified with bstr_initialize to set up a Realm in a user application. If the argument is not NULL, it contains the name of the Realm in which the application runs. 3-4 Modified Functionality 4 _________________________________________________________________ Restrictions This chapter describes all restrictions that apply to BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. 4.1 Availability of DCM-Modeled Device Connectivity on OpenVMS Platforms (OpenVMS only) BASEstar Open Server for OpenVMS VAX Version 3.1 does not support DCM-Modeled Device Connectivity. However, this product is available with BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 on OpenVMS Alpha platforms. 4.2 BASEstar CIMfast and Oracle Rdb In order to run on OpenVMS platforms, BASEstar CIMfast requires Oracle Rdb Version 6.0. 4.3 Graphic Configuration Utility (Windows NT only) The following features and services are not yet implemented in the bstrcnfg application: o Reset: to clean the current configuration o Search: to search for objects by class 4.4 DDE Bridge (Windows NT only) 4.4.1 Supported Datatypes The DDE bridge supports only BASEstar Open simple datatypes, and arrays (fixed or variable length) of the VISIBLE_CHAR and OCTET type. In all cases, a NULL (0) character indicates the end of the string. The absolute maximum length of a string is 8192 bytes. Restrictions 4-1 Restrictions 4.4 DDE Bridge (Windows NT only) 4.4.2 Warm Links Not Supported The DDE bridge can only handle hot links with Data_Points; there is no support for warm links. For example, you cannot use LinkMode=3 (Notify) to link a Visual Basic object to the value of a BASEstar Open Data_Point. However, the DDE bridge does support the LinkMode=1 (automatic) and LinkMode=2 (manual) Visual Basic attributes. 4.5 Calling bstr_initialize in a Dynamic Link Library It is not possible to call bstr_initialize in a user- defined Dynamic Link Library. In other words, if you write a DLL that uses the BASEstar Open DLL, you cannot include a call to bstr_initialize in the LibMain() section. 4.6 Modifying Fields in a Structure_Datatype After creating a Structure_Datatype, it is not possible to modify or delete a field in the datatype. You must delete the datatype and then recreate it with the required fields. 4.7 Checking the Mapping Path When creating or modifying a Mapped_Data_Point, BASEstar Open does not perform validity checks on the mapping_path attribute. 4.8 Checking Filter Expressions When creating or modifying a Filter, BASEstar Open does not perform validity checks on the mapping_path attribute. 4.9 Datatype Congruency Checks When creating or modifying a Trigger, BASEstar Open does not check the datatype congruency of Filter and Event parameters with the Filter expression and the Event datatype. 4.10 Device Variable Address Checks When creating or modifying a Named_ or Unnamed_Variable, BASEstar Open does not check the address. 4-2 Restrictions Restrictions 4.11 Device Time Format Not Converted 4.11 Device Time Format Not Converted If the type of a Device_Data_Point or the type of field in a Device_Data_Point is TIME, BASEstar Open does not convert the corresponding value to the BASEstar Open internal format. Therefore, the BASEstar Open time routines do not work. 4.12 Enabling the Alternate Character Set (HP-UX only) Before invoking the Application Management Services Monitor, check that your video screen is able to display the alternative character set that the Application Management Services Monitor uses to create windows. On HP- UX, this capability is associated to the display which you set using the hpterm command. It is therefore recommended that you use the following command line when you execute hpterm: csh> hpterm -fn 8x16 -fb line.8x16 (1) The new terminal has the correct fonts for running the Application Management Services Monitor. You can use the following command to see the font path: csh> xset q If your font server is not a HP-UX server, you may not have the 8x16 font on your font server machine; if this is the case, the command in (1) will not work. For example, if your font server is running DIGITAL UNIX (8x16 font not supplied) and you execute a remote login on HP-UX, running the command on your remote terminal produces the following results: csh> hpterm -fn 8x16 -fb line.8x16 Warning: Cannot convert string "line.8x16" to type FontStruct To bypass the problem, follow these steps: 1. Create a directory for the fonts on your DIGITAL UNIX machine: csh> cd /usr/xxx/fonts 2. Copy the 8x16 fonts from the HP-UX environment (/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc/*8x16*) to your DIGITAL UNIX fonts directory. Restrictions 4-3 Restrictions 4.12 Enabling the Alternate Character Set (HP-UX only) 3. Move to the fonts directory: csh> mkfontdir /usr/xxx/fonts 4. Run the following comand from the remote terminal: csh> xset +fp /usr/xxx/fonts 5. Re-execute the hpterm command: csh> hpterm -fn 8x16 -fb line.8x16 4.13 No Access to PERMANENT Database Services (Windows NT and HP-UX only) BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1 does not provide database services on Windows NT and HP-UX platforms. The product can run on the VODB (VOLATILE scope) and can therefore exploit all the new functionality added to the VOLATILE database. 4.14 Spaces Not Accepted in File or Directory Names BASEstar Open cannot handle file or directory names that contain space characters. This limitation extends to the names of snapshot and work directories (if the user decides to modify the default name). 4-4 Restrictions 5 _________________________________________________________________ Bug Fixes This chapter describes all BASEstar Open Server Version 3.0 bugs that have been fixed in Version 3.1. 5.1 Support for TIME Datatype Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server were unable to provide full support for the TIME datatype in a heterogeneous environment. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.2 Updating of Unsolicited Device_Data_Points Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server contained a bug that was apparent in configurations that included a Data Services server with several Activities, each of which had several unsolicited Device_Data_Points mapped onto variables of a PLC. If the value of one of the PLCs changed, the Data Services server only updated the Device_ Data_Points of one Domain/Activity; the others remained unchanged. The Domain whose Device_Data_Points were updated was the Domain managed by the last Activity to establish a connection to the VMD when the Data Services server was started up. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.3 Terminating Actors in a Distributed Environment Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server contained a bug that caused the Application Management Services to hang when terminating Actors in a distributed environment. In a configuration consisting of two machines (M1 and M2) sharing the same Realm, each of which is running an Actor (e.g. /A1 on M1 and /A2 on M2), any attempt to terminate Bug Fixes 5-1 Bug Fixes 5.3 Terminating Actors in a Distributed Environment Actor /A2 on Node M2 after shutting down Node M1 caused the command to hang. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.4 Incorrect Application Management Services Monitor Display Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server contained an Application Management Services Monitor display problem, illustrated in the following scenario. Assume a configuration with two machines running the same Realm, where one machine is the primary LNS server (M1) and the other is the secondary LNS server (M2). The primary LNS server has a Data Services server and an Event Services server which are defined to run on Node M1. The secondary LNS server has another Data Services server and another Event Services server, defined to run on Node M2. In these circumstances, the ams_mon display on the primary LNS M1 is correct. However, the ams_mon on the secondary LNS M2 displays a series of question marks (????) in the "can run on" field for the Data Services server and Event Services server Activities running on M2. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.5 Data & Device Services Server Crash with VARIABLE_LENGTH Array_Datatypes Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server contained a problem which caused a Data & Device Services server acting as a Data Services server to crash when handling a Data_ Point whose datatype was a VARIABLE_LENGTH array. BASEstar Open logged the following error: DVM_SERVER I-BSTR_S_COM_SYSFAIL : System call failed CPI send to process 21643 - errno 54 DVM_SERVER COM error 112695746 E-BSTR_S_COM_OUT_FAIL Process %d LCPI port nonrecoverable failure Dispatch unsolicited calling bstr__com_send The error was caused by Data_Points created as follows: 5-2 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes Data & Device Services Server Crash with VARIABLE_LENGTH Array_Datatypes CREATE ARRAY_DATATYPE MSG \ -datatype OCTET \ -num_of_elem 512 \ -array_type VARIABLE_LEN \ -description "xxxx " CREATE DATA_POINT DDP1 \ -datatype MSG CREATE DATA_POINT DP \ -datatype MSG CREATE DATA_POINT DP2 \ -datatype MSG This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.6 Application Management Services Monitor Hang Problem In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, an attempt to execute ams_mon (with no Actor running) after starting a Realm caused the Application Management Services Monitor to hang with a "Waiting for data" message. No input was possible from the keyboard. This problem is no longer present in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.7 Sending a Message by Writing a Device_Data_Point In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, it was not possible to write a Device_Data_Point in order to send a message to a Siemens PLC. Consider the following scenario. A configuration includes three VMDs for the same Siemens PLC. Each VMD has the following TSAP access point configuration in ODSCL: TSAP={M:TSAPPLCi} where i = 1,2,3 and TSAPPLCi is a send/receive TSAP configured in the PLC. Both VMDs therefore have the same TSAP type. The user configures a Named_Variable in each VMD: CREATE DATATYPE MESSAGE -array_type VARIABLE_LEN -num_of_ele 512 -datatype OCTET CREATE NAMED VMDi.MESSAGE -datatype MESSAGE -SEND ALWAYS Bug Fixes 5-3 Bug Fixes 5.7 Sending a Message by Writing a Device_Data_Point VMD1 also has one Device_Data_Point for UNSOLICITED data and one Device_Data_Point for sending messages to the PLC, as follows: CREATE DEVICE ddp1_w -vmd VMD1 -var_name MESSAGE -var_class NAMED -datatype MESSAGE -device_access WRITE -update_policy SOLICITED -access_policy ALWAYS CREATE DEVICE ddp1_uns -vmd VMD1 -var_name MESSAGE -var_class - NAMED -datatype MESSAGE -update_policy UNSOLICITED The user creates one Device_Data_Point of the ddp1_w type for VMD2 and one Device_Data_Point of the ddp1_uns type for VMD3. The problem occurs if the user sends messages to the PLC using a ddp of the ddp1_w type. The send operation fails (both for VMD1, when two device Data_Point are linked to the same Named_Variable, and for VMD2). This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.8 Event Services Server Message Previous versions of BASEstar Open output the following error message to the Realm logfile in unpredictable circumstances: E-BSTR_S_FDB_OBJNOTFOUND: Object not found The problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.9 PUT VALUE DATA_POINT Problem In previous versions of BASEstar Open, if you executed a PUT VALUE DATA_POINT command on a Data_Point whose value needed to be aligned, BASEstar Open sometimes corrupted the last part of the value. There were problems on both sides (client and server) concerning the length of the put_value message sent by the client to the server. The problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5-4 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes 5.10 Arrays of BIT Datatypes 5.10 Arrays of BIT Datatypes Previous versions of BASEstar Open contained a bug concerning arrays of BIT datatypes, as illustrated in the following scenario: SET SCOPE VOLATILE CREATE ARRAY BITS16 -datatype BIT -num_of_elem 16 -log CREATE UNNAMED null.bit16 -datatype UNSIGNED_16 -address "W0" \ -addrtype SYMBOLIC -log CREATE DEVICE bit16 -datatype BITS16 -vmd null -var_name bit16 \ -var_class UNNAMED -update SOLICITED -access ALWAYS -log BSTR> PUT VALUE UN null.bit16 (Unsigned 16) : 1 BSTR> GET VALUE D bit16 array[16] of BIT 0 1 2 3 4 ------+--------------------------------------------- 0 | 10000000 00000000 BSTR> PUT VALUE UN null.bit16 (Unsigned 16) : 2 BSTR> GET VALUE D bit16 E-BSTR_S_CANNOT_ACCESS_EXTERNAL: Cannot access the external variable E-BSTR_S_INVALID_VALUE: Invalid value The problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.11 Data & Device Services Server Crash In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, it was possible for the Data & Device Services server to crash with a segmentation violation error when managing an unsolicited Device_Data_Point, if the Data_Point to be updated was temporarily locked by another concurrent operation (GET VALUE DATA_POINT, LOCK DATA_POINT). This problem is no longer present in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. Bug Fixes 5-5 Bug Fixes 5.12 Device_Data_Point Points to Wrong VMD Variable 5.12 Device_Data_Point Points to Wrong VMD Variable In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, given special circumstances, it was possible for a Device_Data_Point that was configured to point to a specific VMD variable actually pointed to a different VMD variable. This problem is no longer present in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.13 GOM Server Crash During Execution of bstr_realm_start_node In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, it was possible for the Global Object Services server to crash while executing the bstr_realm_start_node procedure if it was required to load a particularly large Common Services snapshot file. This was due to the fact that the GOM server was unable to extend its VODB cache memory under any circumstances. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.14 Incorrect Error Message When Attempting to Map to a Data_Point in a Different Domain BASEstar Open does not allow you to create a Mapped_Data_ Point that maps to a Data_Point in a different Domain, as in the example below: SET CONTEXT /DOM2 CREATE MAPPED_DATA_POINT DP1_MAP -datatype INTEGER_16 \ -mapped /DOM1/DP_1 However, previous versions of BASEstar Open did not display an error message if you attempted to perform this operation. BASEstar Open Version 3.1 displays the following error message in response to the same operation: E-BSTR_S_BAD_PARAMETER: Invalid parameter value E-BSTR_S_DOMAIN_NOT_ALLOWED: Object 'DP_1' must belong to domain '/DOM2' 5-6 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes 5.15 Incorrect Source Trace Manager CLI Message 5.15 Incorrect Source Trace Manager CLI Message If you run cli_trc with an incorrect argument on the command line, the system respons with a message indicating the correct syntax. However, in previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, the message referred to cli_bstr instead of cli_trc. This innaccuracy has been corrected in BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. 5.16 Incorrect Expression Calculation In BASEstar Open Version 3.0, the following behavior was possible when using expressions: BSTR> CREATE DATA_POINT a -datatype UNSIGNED_8 BSTR> CREATE DATA_POINT b -datatype UNSIGNED_8 BSTR> CREATE DATA_POINT c -datatype UNSIGNED_8 -expression "a ||- b" BSTR> CREATE DATA_POINT cc -datatype UNSIGNED_8 -expression "a |- b" BSTR> GET VALUE DATA a 0 BSTR> GET VALUE DATA b 0 BSTR> GET VALUE DATA c 0 BSTR> GET VALUE DATA cc 0 BSTR> PUT VALUE DATA a (Unsigned 8): 1 BSTR> GET VALUE DATA c 0 BSTR> GET VALUE DATA cc 1 In short, the value of the c Data_Point was wrongly indicated as 0 instead of 1. This problem was due to the incorrect implementation of the Logical Or and Bitwise Or operations, and has been fixed in Version 3.1. Bug Fixes 5-7 Bug Fixes 5.17 Crash During Execution of bstr_context_set_default 5.17 Crash During Execution of bstr_context_set_default Previous versions of BASEstar Open were subject to crashing if you attempted to execute bstr_context_set_default(ctx) without specifying a slash (/) before ctx, This problem is no longer present in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.18 Error in Trigger FIL_PARAMETERS Parameter When creating a Trigger with an associated Filter, if you specify "implicit" parameters in the Filter expression (i.e. parameters indicated by the #V, #OV, #S, and #OS keywords, representing the current value, previous value, current status and previous status of the Data_Point to which the Trigger is linked), you must make sure that they correspond to the filter_parameters attribute of the Trigger. This attribute lists any "explicit" parameters of the Filter (indicated in the expression by the #1, #2...#n keywords), as shown in the example below: CREATE EVENT EV_INT32 -param ( INTEGER_32 ) ! CREATE DATA_POINT DP_INT32 -data INTEGER_32 CREATE DATA_POINT DP_INT16 -data INTEGER_16 ! CREATE FILTER FLT -expr (#V GT 10 AND #1 EQ 5) ! CREATE TRIGGER TR_INT32 -Data_Point DP_INT32 -event EV_INT32 -filter FLT \ -fil_param ( DP_INT16 ) -eve_param ( DP_INT32 ) In previous versions of BASEstar Open, this led to problems if you executed bstr_object_get_attributes on the Trigger. The Data Services server also displayed the "implicit" parameters of the filter_parameters attribute, even though they were not specified when you created the Trigger: 5-8 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes 5.18 Error in Trigger FIL_PARAMETERS Parameter SHOW TRIGGER TR_INT32 OBJECT NAME : /TR_INT32 OBJECT CLASS : TRIGGER CREATION TIME : Tue Apr 9 15:09:05 1996 MODIFICATION TIME : Tue Apr 9 15:09:05 1996 PRIORITY : 0 STATE : ENABLED TRIGGER_EVALUATION : ON_VALUE_CHANGE DATA_POINT : /DP_INT32 FILTER : /FLT FIL_PARAMETERS : /DP_INT32 <------------------ /DP_INT16 EVENT : /EV_INT32 EVE_PARAMETERS : /DP_INT32 This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.19 Failure to Update (INIT_)UNSOLICITED Device_Data_Pointa Associated to Device Variable In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, the Data Services server failed to update Device_Data_Points of the (INIT_)UNSOLICITED type if they were associated to a device variable that was in turn part of a Polling_Set, and the value of the device variable underwent a change. This was the case if the VMD representing the device and the Domain in which the Device_Data_Point resided were both handled by the same Activity, associated with a DATADEV Program. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.20 Data Services Server Crash During get_value Operation In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, attempts to execute a get_value operation on a Data_Point of 21600 bytes (or greater) gave unpredictable results. The possible outcomes were: > o Successful completion of the command o The Data Services server returned a BSTR_S_NO_MEMORY error Bug Fixes 5-9 Bug Fixes 5.20 Data Services Server Crash During get_value Operation o The Data Services server returned an access violation error. The problem was due to a bug in the Data Services server code and has been fixed for Version 3.1. 5.21 Event Services Server Receive Notification Problem Previous versions of BASEstar Open logged the following error when declaring an Event with a subscription for an Enbox in a different Domain: Error in put_notification: E-BSTR_S_FDB_OBJNOTFOUND: Object not found As the message confirms, the Enbox did not receive the notification. This problem has been fixed in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.22 Error When Declaring an Event with a VISIBLE_CHAR Array Parameter In previous versions of BASEstar Open, if you declared an Event with a VISIBLE_CHAR Array_Datatype parameter containing 127 or more elements, subscribed to an Enbox whose notification_format field was set to FORMATTED_ STRING, the Event Services server responsible for handling the Event accessed non-allocated areas of memory. The results were unpredictable. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.23 Application Management Services Server Hangs in a Distributed Environment In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, if you executed a file of CLI commands from cli_bstr that was responsible for modifying the attributes of the Activities of two BASEstar Open Nodes in a distributed environment, it caused the Application Management Services server to hang. The problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5-10 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes a PUT VALUE Command on a Data_Point of the VARIABLE_LENGTH Array Type 5.24 Executing a PUT VALUE Command on a Data_Point of the VARIABLE_LENGTH Array Type In previous versions of BASEstar Open, an attempt to execute a PUT VALUE command on a Data_Point of the VARIABLE_LENGTH array type, in which the number of significant elements specified was less than the maximum size of the array, the Data & Device Services server accessed non-allocated areas of memory, with unpredictable results. Occasionally, the operation was successful; in other cases, the server crashed with a segmentation violation fault. The problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.25 Data & Device Services Server Unable to Load Snapshot In previous versions of BASEstar Open, if you defined an Activity with a VMD variable referenced by a Device_Data_ Point, the Data & Device Services server was unable to load correctly the snapshot containing the configuration. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.26 Executing a PUT VALUE Command on a Mapped_Data_Point of the BIT Type In previous versions of BASEstar Open, the Data & Device Services server crashed with a segmentation fault when performing executing a put_value operation on a BIT Mapped_ Data_Point mapped to a BITstream Data_Point. The problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.27 Incorrect Handling of the Trigger PRIORITY Attribute Previous versions of BASEstar Open did not always handle the Trigger priority attribute correctly. If you created a Trigger via the CLI, and specified a certain priority_ value, a subsequent SHOW TRIGGER command revealed a different PRIORITY value from the one assigned when you created the object. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. Bug Fixes 5-11 Bug Fixes 5.28 User Application Hang Problem 5.28 User Application Hang Problem Previous versions of BASEstar Open contained a bug that surfaced in various circumstances in user applications, causing them to hang. The problem was due to a library communication deadlock and has been fixed in Version 3.1. 5.29 Data & Device Services Server Memory Leak Previous versions of BASEstar Open contained a bug that affected the CREATE DATA_POINT, CREATE TRIGGER, PUT VALUE DATA_POINT e LINK DATA_POINT commands when used for the first time. An attempt to repeat execution of the CREATE and LINK commands invariably failed because the objects in question already existed. However, the Data & Device Services server continued to allocate memory. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.30 Value Mismatch Following a put_value Operation on a Mapped_Data_Point of the BIT Type In previous versions of BASEstar Open, a value mismatch problem occurre between a Named_/Unnamed_Variable and a related Device_Data_Point following a put_value operation performed on a Mapped_Data_Point of the BIT type. The problem was due to incorrect management of the expansion/compression of BIT values by the Data & Device Services server and has been corrected in Version 3.1. 5.31 Failure of SHOW FILTER and SHOW MAPPED_DATA_POINT Commands In previous versions of BASEstar Open, the SHOW FILTER and SHOW MAPPED_DATA_POINT commands failed on an Oracle PODB, with the following error: ORA-00932: inconsistent datatypes This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5-12 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes 5.32 Incorrect Handling of BIT String 5.32 Incorrect Handling of BIT String In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, the Data & Device Services server encountered various difficulties when handling Device_Data_Points of the BIT array type, as illustrated below: CREATE ARRAY_DATATYPE B16 -datatype BIT -num 16 CREATE NAMED_VARIABLE OSAPPLC_RW.VMD_BS16 -accessmode READ -datatype B16 CREATE DEVICE_DATA_POINT DP1_RS -datatype B16 \ -vmd_name OSAPPLC_RW -var_name VMD_BS16 -device_access READ \ -update_policy SOLICITED -access_policy ALWAYS These objects did not present problems if handled by the two seperate servers (Data, Device). However, if managed by the Data & Device Services server, the following error resulted: GET VALUE DATA_POINT DP1_RS E-BSTR_S_CANNOT_ACCESS_EXTERNAL: Cannot access the external variable E-BSTR_S_DVM_OMNI_ERR: Error calling DEComni The logfile contained the following error: DDM_SERVER : DEComni error 80117842 - The Value of the Data Buffer Size Parameter is Invalid - in DECOmni IOSB provider error This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.33 Multiple Device_Data_Point BIT String on the Same Variable In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, the following situation caused the Data & Device Services server to crash with a segmentation violation fault: o A Device Services server responsible for handling a variable of the BIT string type o A Data Services server responsible for handling two Device_Data_Points of the same BIT string type, mapped together on the same variable, and both with the following attributes: DEVICE_ACCESS = READ, UPDATE_POLICY = UNSOLICITED. Bug Fixes 5-13 Bug Fixes 5.33 Multiple Device_Data_Point BIT String on the Same Variable When the Device Services server informed the Data Services server of the new value, there were two possible outcomes: o The Data Services server crashed with a segmentation violation error o The Data Services server updates the first Device_Data_ Point correctly, but logged a "BSTR-E-INVALID_VALUE, Invalid value" error for the second Device_Data_Point. This problem has been rectified in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.34 Data Services Server Crash During Lock Operations Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server contained a bug concerning a put_value operation performed by the VMD thread of the Data Services server, following receipt of an Inforeport (unsolicited). The Data_Point to be updated appeared to be locked by another thread. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.35 Abnormal Behavior of the bstr_get_object_type_info Procedure In previous versions of BASEstar Open, if you supplied the bstr_get_object_type_info procedure with the reference of a Data_Point, it returned the size of the Data_Point interms of the number of bytes occupied, together with a reference to the datatype object of the Data_Point in question. However, if you attempted to use the datatype reference, several problems became evident. For example, the first attempt to execute bstr_object_get_attributes resulted in a BSTR_S_INTERNAL_ERROR; a subsequent attempt was successful. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.36 Filter Parameter Error When associating an expression to a Filter in previous versions of BASEstar Open, the formal parameters (#1, #2, ... #n) merely functioned as place-holders. 5-14 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes 5.36 Filter Parameter Error This problem has been corrected in Version 3.1 by treating these symbols as parameters (1st parameter, 2nd parameter, ... nth parameter) in the -FILTER_PARAMETERS list. For example, if the expression is of the #1 GT 0 AND (#1 LT 10)) type, you will only need to specify a single element in -FILTER_PARAMETERS. 5.37 CREATE DOMAIN Command on PODB (Oracle) Previous versions of BASEstar Open Server displayed the wrong error message if you attempted to create the root Domain (/) or the root Actor (/) on the PODB (Oracle). The error in question was "E-BSTR_S_INTERNAL_ERROR", instead of the usual "object already existing", obtained, for example, if you attempt to create a predefined Protocol_Profile. This behavior has been corrected in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.38 COM_SERVER Problem When Disconnecting Client In BASEstar Open Version 3.1, the COM_SERVER was unable to detect an interruption in the connection with the PC until two hours after the event. As a result, the Enbox of the DDE bridge remained connected. If you reconnected the PC to the same COM_SERVER to which it was previously connected, there were no problems because the COM_SERVER was capable of recognising the client and restoring the structures that had remained intact from the previous connection. However, if you reconnected the PC to another COM_SERVER (highly likely, given the load balancing algorithm employed by the client), the fact that the Enbox was already connected prevented the DDE bridge from functioning correctly. As a result, it was unable to receive BASEstar Open Events. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. Bug Fixes 5-15 Bug Fixes 5.39 32 Character Limit on Client Application Names 5.39 32 Character Limit on Client Application Names In previous versions of BASEstar Open, client applications with names exceeding 32 characters caused abnormal behavior in some BASEstar Open servers. Application names that were longer than 32 characters caused a memory corruption error. In BASEstar Open Version 3.1, the servers have been modified to accommodate application names of up to 175 characters in length. 5.40 Data & Device Services Server Segmentation Fault Previous versions of BASEstar Open contained a bug that affected the use of the GET VALUE command on a Mapped_ Data_Point of the BIT type, mapped to a Device_Data_Point (SOLICITED READ/RDWR) of the BIT type that was associated with a Named_/Unnamed_Variable of the same BIT type. The problem was due to the compression/expansion of the value from bits to bytes and viceversa; the memory allocated for the value of the Device_Data_Point corrisponded to its size in bits, whereas the value was received in bytes. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.41 -BSTR_C_ENV_PC_MAX_SAPS_ASSOC Limit Due to its inadequacy in managing client-server associations, the BSTR_PC_MAX_SAPS_ASSOC constant has been replaced in Version 3.1 by a new environment variable called BSTR_C_ENV_PC_MAX_SAPS_ASSOC. The new variable is tuneable. 5.42 BSTR_POLLING_FACTOR Has No Effect (OpenVMS only) The BSTR_POLLING_FACTOR environment variable did not work in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. If you defined this variable in the environment of a DEVICE or DATADEV Program in order to modify Polling_Set periods, it was totally ineffective; the Device Services server continued to base Polling_Set operations on the period specified in the TIME attribute, instead of the period defined by TIME/BSTR_POLLING_FACTOR. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5-16 Bug Fixes Bug Fixes 5.43 Database Server Crashe (OpenVMS only) 5.43 Database Server Crashe (OpenVMS only) In previous versions of BASEstar Open Server, attempts to access the Database Server after executing a GENERATE SNAPSHOT command sometimes resulted in a SERVER-NOT- REACHABLE error. This happened if you unset the Node /database, then set up the Node/database, started the Realm, and created objects in the PODB. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.44 DEE Bridge Unable to Receive Unsolicited Data_Point Changes In BASEstar Open Version 3.1, the DDE Bridge was able to read and write Data_Points following a timestamp, but was unable to receive unsolicited Data_Point changes. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. 5.45 DDE Bridge Browser Cannot Access Mapped_Data_Points BASEstar Open Version 3.1 prevented you from using the DDE Bridge browser to access a Mapped_Data_Point, even if it is defined as a simple datatype. In BASEstar Open Version 3.1, it is possible to select all varieties of Data_Point (Data_Point, Device_Data_Point, Mapped_Data_Point) from the DDE Bridge browser. 5.46 CLI Segmentation Fault (UNIX only) In previous versions of BASEstar Open, the CLI sometimes crashed with a segmentation fault when executing PUT VALUE and GET VALUE commands. This problem no longer exists in BASEstar Open Version 3.1. Bug Fixes 5-17 6 _________________________________________________________________ Known Problems This chapter describes the problems known to exist in BASEstar Open Server Version 3.1. 6.1 Graphic Configuration Utility (Windows NT only) The Graphic Configuration utility does not allow you to delete Events, Event_Sets or Enboxes with pending subscriptions. To do so, you must use the appropriate CLI commands. 6.2 Commands Not Displayed in the CLI Help (DIGITAL UNIX only) The following commands are not displayed by the CLI help: o Help o Man o Shell o Spawn 6.3 Data & Device Services Exit with Core Dump (HP-UX only) If the Data & Device Services server exits following execution of a bstr_realm_shut_node command (and is therefore not terminated by the Application Management Services server), the Data & Device Services server produces a core file and a cma_dump.log file. 6.4 Command Languange Interpreter History Management (HP-UX only) This version of BASEstar Open Server does not support CLI history management if you create an hpterm to execute a CLI session. Known Problems 6-1 Known Problems 6.5 Expression Handling (HP-UX only) 6.5 Expression Handling (HP-UX only) If a mathematical expression associated with a BASEstar Open Data_Point value includes a division by a value of zero, the Data Services server receives an exception that causes a server core dump. This is due to the pthreads exception-handling mechanism used by HP-UX. Furthermore, if the datatypes involved in the calculation are floating points, HP-UX does not currently generate an exception. 6.6 Commands Not Displayed in the CLI Help (OpenVMS only) The man command is not displayed by the CLI help. 6.7 Incorrect Allocation of Dynamic Memory Every time a client makes a connection to the Event Services server, the Event Services server allocates a certain amount of dynamic memory. However, it then fails to release this memory correctly. After a certain time, this results in a CMA exception in the Event Services server. 6.8 Forcing an Exit from the CLI (OpenVMS only) If you attempt to use the end-of-file sequence (/) to force an exit from the CLI, BASEstar Open displays the CLI prompt twice. 6.9 Forcing an Exit from the CLI (UNIX only) If you attempt to use the end-of-file sequence (/) to force an exit from the CLI, BASEstar Open displays the CLI prompt twice. 6.10 Support of Wildcard Characters The following commands do not support wildcard characters: o GET VALUE DATA_POINT o GET VALUE NAMED_VARIABLE o GET VALUE UNNAMED_VARIABLE o GET INFO ENBOX o GET INFO ACTIVITY 6-2 Known Problems Known Problems 6.10 Support of Wildcard Characters o GET INFO ACTOR o GET INFO PORT o GET STATUS DATA_POINT o GET STATISTICS all objects 6.11 Output from the CLI Output from the CLI is not paged. 6.12 Interrupting Execution of a Command File If you interrupt the execution of a BASEstar Open CLI command file activated from the CLI (SOURCE or RUN commands), BASEstar Open forces an exit from the CLI. 6.13 Resizing a Terminal Window The resizing of a DECwindows Motif terminal window may have an unpredictable effect on command editing and history mechanisms. 6.14 Referencing an Object After Server Shutdown If an application includes a reference to a BASEstar Open object, and the server managing the object goes down, the reference becomes invalid. Therefore, if Application Management Services restart the server (either on the same Node or on a different Node), the application should: o Unset the original reference o Create a new reference 6.15 Threads and the send_to_user_port Internal Routine (OpenVMS only) In the internal routine send_to_user_port, a pointer receives the value of a variable in a critical region and then uses it outside. Since it is possible for the variable to be reallocated by another thread, this may cause unpredictable side-effects. Known Problems 6-3 Known Problems 6.16 Threads and Sequence Numbers 6.16 Threads and Sequence Numbers It is possible for two different threads to generate the same sequence number for a fastway message. This causes a subsequent call to the internal procedure bstr_com_take_buffer to fail with the following error: BSTR_S_COM_INP_FAIL 6.17 CLI Unable to Handle Filenames Beginning with \ (Windows NT only) The BASEstar Open CLI is does not accept filenames that begin with the \ character. To avoid this problem, specify the drive name before the filename, as follows: $ show data_point dp_1 -output c:\myfile.txt The use of the \ character after the filename does not present any problem. 6.18 Using bstr_initialize After bstr_finish If you use the bstr_finish command in a multithreaded environment, BASEstar Open fails to release all the resources allocated for calls that were interrupted. Therefore, an application cannot invoke bstr_initialize after bstr_finish. 6.19 Inconsistency of Timer and Trigger Attributes on PODB At present, when you create or modify Timer object definitions on the PODB, BASEstar Open only performs basic checks on the attributes of the object (for example, it checks that an integer value is an integer value). As a result, it is possible to create Timer object definitions with invalid attributes. Likewise, BASEstar Open only performs basic checks on Trigger objects whose trigger_evaluation attribute is set to ON_TIMEOUT. BASEstar Open performs the necessary validity checks when you create or modify Timer and Trigger objects on the VODB. However, if you load PODB object definitions onto the VODB, an incorrect Timer (or Trigger ON_TIMEOUT) attribute may cause an error when BASEstar Open attempts to create the corresponding VODB objects. 6-4 Known Problems Known Problems 6.20 Cannot Specify Producer in a Different Domain 6.20 Cannot Specify Producer in a Different Domain When creating a Data_Point, the CLI does not allow you to specify a producer Data_Point in a different Domain. If you attempt to do so, the CREATE DATA_POINT comand hangs: SET SCOPE VOLATILE CREATE DATA_POINT /D1/PROD CREATE DATA_POINT /D2/CONS -producer /D1/PROD (hangs) However, if you create the two Data_Points separately and then link them, the problem does not arise: SET SCOPE VOLATILE CREATE DATA_POINT /D1/PROD CREATE DATA_POINT /D2/CONS LINK DATA_POINT /D2/CONS -producer /D1/PROD 6.21 Hostname Length Restriction BASEstar Open Version 3.1 does not support hostnames that are greater than 32 characters in length. 6.22 Unaligned Access Error The CLI sometimes returns an "Unaligned Access" warning message if you attempt to access unaligned data. For example, an attempt to execute a GET VALUE DATA_POINT command on a Data_Point defined as a VARIABLE_LEN Array_ Datatype of the D_FLOAT type causes a core dump of the CLI on HP-UX systems. This is because the operating system on HP-UX systems cannot handling unaligned access operations. It is recommended that you use the +u1 compilation option when building applications on HP-UX applications. This option automatically sets the byte alignment facility. 6.23 Concurrent put_value Operations on Mapped_Data_Points If two applications attempt to modify simultaneously the value of two Mapped_Data_Points, the Data & Device Services server may fail to update the value of the mapped Device_ Data_Point in both cases. Consequently, the PLC memory will not be updated with the new value. Known Problems 6-5 Known Problems 6.23 Concurrent put_value Operations on Mapped_Data_Points A workaround exists for this problem, consisting of a modification of the configuration or of the applications involved. 6.24 GENERATE SNAPSHOT/SCRIPT Problem The current implementation of the GENERATE SNAPSHOT (on the VODB) and GENERATE SCRIPT presents a few problems regarding the order in which BASEstar Open objects are stored in the snapshot or script. The problem is considerably more serious in the case of the snapshots, given that, unlike the CLI scripts, it is not possible to modify them. The following scenario illustrates that Data_Points (in their various subclasses) may appear in an order that does not reflect the possible relationships: o mapper - mapped, e.g.: CREATE MAPPED_DATA_POINT M -MAPPED D ... CREATE DATA_POINT D o expression result - expression argument: CREATE MAPPED_DATA_POINT M -MAPPED D ... CREATE DATA_POINT D o expression result - expression argument: CREATE DATA_POINT RES -EXPRESSION "ARG + 1" ... CREATE DATA_POINT ARG ... However, the producer - consumer relationship is handled correctly. 6.25 Assigning a Default Value to a Data_Point BASEstar Open does not allow you to assign a default value to a simple datatype of the F_FLOAT or D_FLOAT type. 6.26 E-BSTR_S_OBJECT_NOT_FOUND Error on PODB The Database Server does not perform consistency checks on Data_Point expressions, nor does it record dependencies between Data_Points being created and other Data_Points that represent the operands of the expression. For example: 6-6 Known Problems Known Problems 6.26 E-BSTR_S_OBJECT_NOT_FOUND Error on PODB BSTR> SET SCOPE PERMANENT BSTR> CREATE DATA_POINT A -datatype INTEGER_32 -express "B * 2" BSTR> SHOW DATA_POINT B E-BSTR_S_OBJECT_NOT_FOUND: Object not found E-BSTR_S_CNF_SQL_NOT_FOUND: Object '/B' does not exist or does not belong to the specified class As a result, Data_Points may appear in the wrong order if a snapshot is generated from the PODB (i.e. ordered alphabetically by name). Known Problems 6-7 7 _________________________________________________________________ Documentation Release Notes This section details any errors in the BASEstar Open documentation set. 7.1 The BASEstar Open Application Programming Interface This section lists any documentation errors in the BASEstar Open Application Programming Interface manual. 7.1.1 General Some of the BASEstar Open API functions do not fully implement all the capabilities made available by the "request control block". However, these limitations are not always highlighted in the BASEstar Open Application Programming Interface manual. For example, if you use the bstr_data_point_get_value routine with a timeout value set in the request control block, BASEstar Open returns the status code "Not implemented". Documentation Release Notes 7-1