HP e3000 MPE/iX Sort and Millicode FAQs
Q1:
When did HP learn about the Sort and millicode issues?
A1: HP just
recently became aware of these issues. HP has worked aggressively and quickly to
resolve these issues.
Q2:
Can these situations occur on earlier MPE/iX releases like 5.5 or 6.0?
A2:
No, since the behavior requires
the use of large files and large file support was introduced in release 6.5 on
March 30, 2000.
Q3:
When did the exposure to these issues start?
A3: The exposure
began with release 6.5 and the use of large files.
Q4:
What is the status of the patches?
A4: Both patches
MPENX11 and MILNX10 are in General Release (GR) status and available on the
ITRC or through HP Support.
Q5:
Can the patches be staged?
A5: Patch MPENX11
can be staged with Patch/IX however MILNX10 cannot be. If patch MPENX11 is
installed by itself it may be staged and eventually installed by rebooting the
system. However, installing MPENX11 with MILNX10 will force PatchiX to create a
tape.
If you install MILNX10 by itself with
Patch/iX you will be prompted to create a tape however it WILL NOT require a
reboot to be officially installed as Patch/iX simply replaces MILLI.LIB.SYS and
then STREAMs an installation job (IHFNX10[A|B|C]) to create the files /lib/libmilli.a
and /lib/libmilli.sl with the appropriate file access permission settings. It is
important that the installation job be streamed to ensure that applications
developed via POSIX interfaces like c89 will include the new millicode.
Q6:
Do these patches resolve the issues for MPE OS?
A6: Patches
MPENX11 and MILNX10 address these issues for all MPE/iX FOS and Subsystem
software. Programs or libraries that use file system intrinsics such as FREAD or
FREADDIR or language I/O such as the PASCAL/iX or C/iX read() functions are
corrected when MPENX11 has been installed.
Q7:
Why does scanning object code for references to $$lr_unk_unk_long (or $$lr_na_unk_long)
have little value?
A7: Hundreds, if
not thousands of programs and libraries may reference these symbols without
causing any problems. There are a number of factors that must be considered in
determining whether an executable may be susceptible to this issue:
·
Does the
executable call HPFOPEN?
·
Do any calls
to HPFOPEN pass item 87 for large file mapped access?
·
Does the
executable also use the PASCAL predefine move_fast passing it a large file
pointer as the source address and request the transfer of 6 or fewer bytes.
·
Or does the
executable use PASCAL or C long pointer constructs to move 6 or fewer bytes from
a large file?
The HP recommended approach is for customers with in-house
applications written in Pascal/iX or C/iX to review their source code to see if
they meet all the criteria listed above. If all the criteria are met, then the
application should be rebuilt with the MILNX10 patch installed on the system. As
already mentioned those applications which use file system intrinsics or
language I/O functions are corrected with the application of MPENX11.
Q8:
Should I install just MPENX11
if I’m not recompiling any applications?
A8: HP
recommends that you install both patches so no new situation could be
introduced.
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