6 New and Changed Features in Version 4.0E

The Compaq DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E software is a replacement for the Version 4.0A, Version 4.0B, Version 4.0C and Version 4.0D operating system software and provides new or additional support for the following:

Maintenance for previous versions of DIGITAL UNIX

New and enhanced features, including the following:
- AdvFS support for atomic write data logging
- A method for preventing partial AdvFS data writes
- Support for the Euro currency sign
- Support for Redundant Array of Independent Network adapters (NetRAIN) in Available Server Environment (ASE) configurations
- Support for the extensible SNMP agent API for asynchronous processing
- A network enhancement to improve TCP connections for the TruCluster product
- A new sys_check tool to collect system data
- Enhanced security for TruCluster Version 1.5
- Enhancement to the disklabel command
- Support for ODBC and JDBC data access
- Ability for users to create a customized installation CD-ROM.

Hardware-related support, including the following:
- Support for new AlphaServer processors
- Support for the Univeral Serial Bus (USB) class driver
- Support for the Intraserver UNIX driver
- Support for Gigabit Ethernet
- Support for KZPCM/LVD

Software maintenance updates and new offerings, including the following:
- Enhancement to the sendmail program
- A new Prestoserve subsystem attribute
- Addition of arena malloc capabilities
- New versions of Netscape Navigator and Netscape FastTrack

The following sections provide more information on the major new features included in DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E.

6.1 New Processor Support

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E adds support for the Compaq AlphaServer GS60 and GS140 processors, formerly known as AlphaServer 8200/8400.

6.2 USB Driver Support

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E provides Universal Serial Bus (USB) class driver support for DIGITAL UNIX.

6.3 AdvFS Now Supports Atomic Write Data Logging

Writes of up to 8192 bytes in size may now be guaranteed to be atomic. That is, in the event of a system crash, either all of the write() buffer contents or none of it will be present in the file. It will not be possible that only part of the write() buffer contents will be present in the file.

6.4 Preventing Partial AdvFS Data Writes

To prevent partial AdvFS writes if a system crash occurs, you can use the chfile -L on command to enable atomic write data logging for a specified file.

6.5 Euro-character Support

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E provides initial support for the new Euro currency sign. The Euro is a new pan-European currency that is scheduled to be introduced on January 1, 1999 and should completely replace local European currencies by the end of 2002.

The support for Euro character is provided by using the Unicode character set. A number of new European UTF-8 locales are introduced in the Worldwide Language Software subsets in this release. UTF-8 is one of the transformation formats for Unicode and is a multibyte character set in nature.

Applications that want to support the new Euro currency symbol have to be modified to support Unicode as process code and UTF-8 as file code.

See the Euro(5) and Unicode(5) reference pages for more information on Euro character support in this release.

6.6 Arena Malloc

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E adds arena malloc capabilities to the DIGITAL UNIX malloc suite.

The following are new interfaces in libc:

acreate()

adelete()

amalloc()

afree()

arealloc()

acalloc()

arecalloc()

amallinfo()

amallopt()

6.7 NetRAIN

The use of Redundant Array of Independent Network adapters (NetRAIN) eliminates the network adapter as a single point of failure on a DIGITAL UNIX system. NetRAIN functionality will be supported for client access for both ASE and Production Server and for cluster communications in an ASE configuration.

The NetRAIN virtual interface configures multiple interfaces on the same LAN segment into a single interface. One of the real interfaces is always active while the others remain idle. If the active interface fails, an idle interface is brought online.

6.8 Asynchronous Processing Support in the Extensible SNMP Agent API

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E adds support in the extensible SNMP agent API ( libesnmp.so ) for asynchronous processing. This is accomplished by adding two new routines, esnmp_poll_pdu() and esnmp_pdu_response().

6.9 NFS Over TCP

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E provides a required network enhancement to clean up the TCP connections for the TruCluster product. Without this functionality, certain error conditions are possible as a result of relocation of an NFS service.

6.10 Intraserver ITPS Device Driver

The Intraserver UNIX (ITPSA) driver is integrated in DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E to support the new KZPAA-EB (SYMBIOS Low Voltage Differential (LVD)) UltraSCSI adapter board as well as the KZPCM-DA (ITI Combo adapter).

6.11 Gigabit Ethernet

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E provides support for Gigabit Ethernet by supporting a driver for the Alteon Gigabit Ethernet adapter.

6.12 sys_check Tool

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E provides a sys_check tool to collect system data.

An enhanced interface to sys_check is available. This interface provides a command line interface, a character cell interface, a graphical interface, and a Web-based interface to the sys_check command.

To run the sys_check interface, enter the following command: /usr/sbin/sysman escalation

This can also be started by double-clicking the Escalation Report icon in the CDE Application Manager's System_Admin/Support category.

For information on the sys_check tool, see the online help of the graphical interface, or the sys_check(8) reference page.

6.13 Sendmail Enhancement

The sendmail program has been upgraded to Version 8.8.8 as the default version for DIGITAL UNIX. For more information, see the sendmail(8) reference page.

6.14 New Prestoserve Subsystem Attribute

Prestoserve now supports the presto-buffer-hash-size attribute.

6.15 Enhanced Security for TruCluster Version 1.5

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E supports a large (greater than 30K users) distributed authentication database with enhanced security for TruCluster Version 1.5. This solution has no single point of failure and supports failover of the NIS master in a TruCluster Version 1.5 environment.

6.16 Enhancement to disklabel Command

The /sbin/disklabel command supports operations on an image file.

6.17 Support for ODBC and JDBC Data Access

DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E includes the software to support Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) and Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) data access for UNIX and Windows NT applications. DIGITAL UNIX Version 4.0E includes INTERSOLV's DataDirect software on the Associated Products CD-ROM Volume 1.

DIGITAL UNIX customers have full use of this software on their applications and databases on DIGITAL UNIX systems. This software helps deliver the industry's best integration between UNIX and Windows NT for data access. This software is also available at:

http://www.unix.digital.com/data-access

6.18 Netscape Communicator Version 4.05

This release of DIGITAL UNIX contains Version 4.05 of Netscape Communicator, which integrates the Netscape Navigator World Wide Web browser with Netscape's Messenger Mailbox, Collabra Discussions, and Page Composer components.

6.19 Netscape FastTrack Server Version 3.01

This release of DIGITAL UNIX contains Version 3.01 of the Netscape FastTrack Server, an easy-to-use entry-level Web server designed to let you create and manage a Web site.

6.20 Ability for Users to Create a Customized Installation CD-ROM

If you need to update many identical systems, this release of DIGITAL UNIX enables you to create a customized installation on a CD-ROM, using your own CD-ROM writer.

The customized CD-ROM will consolidate the latest firmware upgrade for a processor, and the operating system software into an ISO 9660-compliant CDFS image file. During installation, the fwupgrade utility is used to update the firmware.