DIGITAL_Commander_____________________________ Server Release Notes July 1998 These release notes describe new features, changes since the previous version, and new scanning modules included with this release of the DIGITAL Commander server. They also provide information on installing the DIGITAL Commander server, and any known problems you may encounter. Software Version: DIGITAL Commander Version 3.2 Revision/Update Information: This manual super- sedes the server and scanning module Release Notes for Enterprise Mail Monitor Version 3.0 Operating System and Version: OpenVMS Version 6.2 or later, excluding Version 7.0, (on VAX or Alpha), DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0B or later, or Windows NT Version 4.0 or later (on Intel or Alpha) Digital Equipment Corporation __________________________________________________________ The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. Possession, use, dissemination, or duplication of the software described in this documentation is authorized only pursuant to a valid written license from DIGITAL or the third-party owner of the software copyright. No responsibility is assumed for the use or reliability of software or equipment that is not supplied by Digital Equipment Corporation. Digital Equipment Corporation makes no representations that the interconnection of its products in the manner described in this document will not infringe existing or future patent rights, nor do the descriptions contained in this document imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment or software in accordance with the description. © Digital Equipment Corporation 1998. All Rights Reserved. The following are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation: ALL-IN-1, DECnet, DIGITAL, DIGITAL UNIX, MAILbus, OpenVMS, VAX, and the DIGITAL logo. The following are third-party trademarks: Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Microsoft, Microsoft Exchange Server, Windows and Windows NT are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Netscape Enterprise Server is also a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively by X/Open Company Ltd. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. This document was prepared using VAX DOCUMENT Version 2.1. ________________________________________________________________ Contents Preface.................................................. v 1 The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.1 New Features................................. 1-1 1.2 Changes since Enterprise Mail Monitor Version 3.0 and Version 3.1.......................... 1-2 1.2.1 Changes to the Server.................... 1-2 1.2.1.1 Windows NT Service Creation............ 1-2 1.2.1.2 Scan Failures Reported................. 1-2 1.2.1.3 Log Request Speed...................... 1-2 1.2.1.4 Reboot Command......................... 1-2 1.2.1.5 Control Management Module Password..... 1-3 1.2.2 Changes to the Scanning Modules.......... 1-3 1.2.2.1 Microsoft Exchange Server Scanning Module................................. 1-3 1.2.2.2 Counter Values......................... 1-3 1.2.2.3 DLL/Shareable Image Names.............. 1-3 1.2.2.4 Child Processes........................ 1-4 1.2.2.5 Microsoft Exchange Server Version 5.5 is Supported........................... 1-4 1.2.2.6 Checking Jobs, Queues, and Accounts.... 1-4 1.2.2.7 Version Information.................... 1-4 1.2.2.8 Environment Variables and Logical Names.................................. 1-4 1.2.2.9 Service Names.......................... 1-4 1.2.2.10 Age Severity in MAILbus 400 Module..... 1-5 1.2.2.11 Links.................................. 1-5 1.2.3 Installation Changes..................... 1-5 1.2.3.1 Licensing Information.................. 1-5 1.2.3.2 New Minimum Versions................... 1-5 1.3 New Scanning Modules......................... 1-5 iii 1.4 Installation Information..................... 1-6 1.4.1 Prerequisites............................ 1-6 1.5 Known Problems............................... 1-6 1.5.1 X.500 Scanning Module.................... 1-7 1.5.2 Previous Installations................... 1-7 1.5.3 Nonexistent Scanning Modules............. 1-7 1.5.4 Control Management Module Password....... 1-7 1.5.5 UIC Format for NAMON$SERVER.............. 1-7 1.5.6 Microsoft Exchange Server Event Scanning................................. 1-8 1.5.7 Large DECnet Event File or NT Events List..................................... 1-8 1.5.8 `Send NT Message to Domain' Message...... 1-8 iv ________________________________________________________________ Preface Purpose of this Document These release notes describe new features, changes since the previous version, and new scanning modules included with this release of the DIGITAL[TM] Commander server. They also provide information on installing the DIGITAL Commander server, and any known problems you may encounter. Intended Audience These release notes are intended for system managers installing and using the DIGITAL Commander server. Structure of this Document These release notes contain one chapter. Associated Documents o DIGITAL Commander Server Guide o DIGITAL Commander: Installing on a Windows NT System o DIGITAL Commander: Installing on a DIGITAL UNIX System o DIGITAL Commander: Installing on an OpenVMS System v 1 ________________________________________________________________ The DIGITAL Commander Server This chapter contains the following information: o New features information o Changes since Enterprise Mail Monitor Version 3.0 and Version 3.1 o New scanning modules o Installation information o Known problems 1.1 New Features DIGITAL Commander Version 3.2 is different from Enterprise Mail Monitor in various ways: o There are several new scanning modules: - Microsoft[R] Internet Information Server scanning module for Windows NT[R] - Netscape Enterprise Server[R] scanning module for Windows NT - IP Ping Monitoring scanning module for all platforms - Generic HTTP scanning module for all platforms - Generic FTP scanning module for all platforms - Generic NEWS scanning module for all platforms o Improved performance and reliability The DIGITAL Commander Server 1-1 The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.2 Changes since Enterprise Mail Monitor Version 3.0 and Version 3.1 This section documents features that have changed since the last releases (Enterprise Mail Monitor Version 3.0 and Version 3.1). 1.2.1 Changes to the Server This section deals with defects corrected in the server. 1.2.1.1 Windows NT Service Creation In the previous release, when the DIGITAL Commander Server was installed, it created the Windows NT Service to run in the background. Defining the service involved referencing the server executable, which could corrupt it and generate an `Access Denied' error. This no longer occurs. 1.2.1.2 Scan Failures Reported If a client requests information at the same time as the server scheduler begins a scan for that information, and the scan fails, an error message is sent to the client. 1.2.1.3 Log Request Speed When a client requests the scanner log for all entities, the server uses references to the logs to create the combined log file. As a result, the scanner log is returned to the client in less time, and without using additional memory. 1.2.1.4 Reboot Command A new command that reboots any system has been added. The command runs, outputs any results to the Control Management module interface, and quits. The Control Management module informs the client that the system has been rebooted. For further information on this command, refer to the DIGITAL Commander Server Guide. 1-2 The DIGITAL Commander Server The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.2.1.5 Control Management Module Password The Control Management module password is now encrypted. 1.2.2 Changes to the Scanning Modules This section deals with changes to the scanning modules. 1.2.2.1 Microsoft Exchange Server Scanning Module The Microsoft[R] Exchange Server scanning module uses a generic section called [SoftwareVersion] in the configuration file to determine which version of Microsoft Exchange Server is installed. If the software is not installed, the scanning module reports an error and terminates scanning. If the software is installed, the version information can then be used to activate or deactivate some checks, and also to update the configuration where needed. For example, the Exchange POP3 server is only available since Version 5.X, so the checks for this server are disabled if a lower version is installed. 1.2.2.2 Counter Values In the previous release, some scanning modules were reporting counter values into monitor records, instead of counter records. For example, the ALL-IN-1[TM] scanning module reported connections and link counts in monitor records. Counter values are now appearing in counter records, and are only appearing in monitor records when a user-defined threshold is reached. 1.2.2.3 DLL/Shareable Image Names All of the scanning modules, on all supported platforms, use the following new DLL/shareable image names: o DIGITAL UNIX[TM] - libdc_sm.so o OpenVMS[TM] - namon$dcsmshr.exe o Windows NT - builds dc_sm.dll The DIGITAL Commander Server 1-3 The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.2.2.4 Child Processes Scanning modules now have access to a list of running child processes, and can terminate them with a single command. This ensures that if a scanning module is halted, none of the processes belonging to the scanning module will continue to run. 1.2.2.5 Microsoft Exchange Server Version 5.5 is Supported Microsoft Exchange Server Version 5.5 is now fully supported, and components are controlled by the scanning module without user intervention. 1.2.2.6 Checking Jobs, Queues, and Accounts The following new sections have been added to the scanning module configuration files for OpenVMS systems: o a [Job] section for checking jobs o a [Queue] section for checking queues o an [Account] section for checking user accounts For further information on these sections, see the DIGITAL Commander Server Guide. 1.2.2.7 Version Information Windows NT scanning modules now use an [Image] section like the OpenVMS scanning modules. They can also use the Registry_Key and Registry_Entry entries to determine the path, if necessary. 1.2.2.8 Environment Variables and Logical Names Generic scanning module checks handled by [File ], [Device ] and [Image ] sections did not support environment variables on Windows NT in the previous version. These variables are now fully supported, by translating environment variables to determine the path of the file, device, or image before performing the check. 1.2.2.9 Service Names If you set up a service name for your server, for example, nam$debug, this information is now passed to the scanning modules. This allows you to set up a service other than the default nam$server. 1-4 The DIGITAL Commander Server The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.2.2.10 Age Severity in MAILbus 400 Module The MAILbus[TM] 400 scanning module on OpenVMS systems now reports the oldest message age correctly. This corrects a problem in the previous release where the scanning module reported the information, but the age was reported incorrectly. 1.2.2.11 Links The ALL-IN-1 and DIGITAL OfficeServer scanning modules check the IP links on servers running IP. This corrects a problem that existed in the previous release, where the scanning modules also looked for IP links on servers that were not running IP. 1.2.3 Installation Changes This section deals with defects corrected in and about the installation process (not necessarily the procedure itself). 1.2.3.1 Licensing Information License text is now displayed before the server or scanning modules are installed on OpenVMS and DIGITAL UNIX. The scanning module installation process now asks the user to accept the license agreement. 1.2.3.2 New Minimum Versions The operating system prerequisites have changed. The new values are not checked by the installation procedure, so that it is now possible to install DIGITAL Commander on a platform on which it cannot run. See Section 1.4.1 for details. 1.3 New Scanning Modules The DIGITAL Commander server supports the following new scanning modules: o Microsoft Internet Information Server scanning module on Windows NT The DIGITAL Commander Server 1-5 The DIGITAL Commander Server o The Netscape Scanning Module scanning modules on Windows NT For further information on these scanning modules, see the DIGITAL Commander Server Guide. The DIGITAL Commander server also supports the following new scanning modules, available on all platforms: o Generic HTTP scanning module o Generic FTP scanning module o Generic NEWS scanning module These scanning modules perform generic monitoring of the named services. These scanning modules are undocumented. 1.4 Installation Information This section contains information on the installation. For more detailed information, see the installation card for your operating system. 1.4.1 Prerequisites To install the DIGITAL Commander server, you need one of the following: o An Alpha system running DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0B or later; or OpenVMS Version 6.2 or later, excluding Version 7.0 o A VAX[TM] system running OpenVMS Version 6.2 or later, excluding Version 7.0 o A Windows NT System Version 4.0 or later running on either Intel[TM] or Alpha 1.5 Known Problems This section describes the problems you may encounter with the DIGITAL Commander server or scanning modules. 1-6 The DIGITAL Commander Server The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.5.1 X.500 Scanning Module The X.500 scanning module currently reports three counters (and optionally the corresponding list of elements): o Naming Contexts o Superior References o Subordinate References The values reported are incorrect. 1.5.2 Previous Installations If you do repeated installations of the DIGITAL Commander server, the installation script will not recognize where the software is already installed. 1.5.3 Nonexistent Scanning Modules When the server attempts to start a scanning module image which does not exists on a DIGITAL UNIX system, no error message is generated. When the server attempts to start a scanning module image which does not exist on a Windows NT system, a CMD.EXE process is left running on the system. Eventually system resources will be completely consumed. 1.5.4 Control Management Module Password When you are installing DIGITAL Commander on a Windows NT system, the installation script asks you to enter the password to be used by the Control Management module. Although it allows you to choose not to enter a password, if you do not, you will not be able to use the Control Management module. 1.5.5 UIC Format for NAMON$SERVER On OpenVMS systems, the installation procedure prompts for a UIC for the NAMON$SERVER account, but does not check the format of the UIC that the user supplies. As a result, it is possible to specify an incorrectly formatted UIC which causes a system crash later on in the installation. The DIGITAL Commander Server 1-7 The DIGITAL Commander Server 1.5.6 Microsoft Exchange Server Event Scanning The Microsoft Exchange Server scanning module scans for Windows NT events by source, but it cannot scan for a particular event number. 1.5.7 Large DECnet Event File or NT Events List The DECnet[TM] Event File and NT Events list can be very large. While parsing the DECnet Event File or NT Events list, a scanning module may exceed the MaxRun value specified. When this happens, the server stops the scanning module before it finishes the scan; no results are transmitted. Subsequent scans will fail for the same reason. To avoid this, you must tune your system to have either a larger MaxRun or a smaller DECnet Event File or NT Events list. If you do not want to change the settings in your initialization files, you can work around this problem by deleting the DECnet Event File and then recreating an empty one or by purging the NT Events list. 1.5.8 `Send NT Message to Domain' Message When you use the service `Send NT Message to Users' the message is broadcast to Windows NT users but not Windows[R] 95 users in the same NT Domain. 1-8 The DIGITAL Commander Server