Release notes for Model 204 version 7.6

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These release notes list the enhancements and other changes contained in Model 204 version 7.6.

Overview

These release notes contain installation and features information for the Rocket Model 204 version 7.6 release. Before beginning your installation, please read through this information about product installation and changes.

New in this release

This section summarizes the new features and enhancements for Model 204 version 7.6.

Category Feature
SOUL (User Language)
  • The Private keyword has been added to class declarations and Friend declarations have been added to Class blocks.
  • The Json class has been created to facilitate exchange of data with other platforms using the JSON format.
  • The Web class has been created as a container for Janus Web Server specific methods.
  • The Utf8ToUnicode and Utf16ToUnicode string methods can now handle values that cannot be translated into EBCDIC.
Performance
former-Sirius product enhancements
File management
  • The CHUNK attribute for DEFINE FIELD can now be specified for fields in a field group.

Operating system and hardware requirements

Operating system requirements

Requirements for Model 204 version 7.6 are still being determined.

  • IBM z/OS
    • Versions supported: z/OS version 1.07 through 2.1.

      • Version 1.07 is sufficient for all functionality except for the following features:

      • Large (1 MB) page support requires version 1.9.
      • Extended address volumes (EAV) requires version 1.12.

    On z/OS, Model 204 release 7.6 operates as an APF authorized load module, as required by many 7.6 features.
    To run Model 204 unauthorized, contact Technical Support.

  • IBM z/VM
    • Versions supported: z/VM version 5.4 through 6.3.
  • IBM z/VSE
    • Versions supported: z/VSE version 5.1 and 5.2.

Hardware requirements

Requirements for Model 204 version 7.6 are still being determined.

Model 204 version 7.6 requires the IBM z/890 or above processor, except for the following feature:

The large (1 MB) page support feature requires the IBM z10 or above processor.

Model 204 compatibility with operating systems

Content for version 7.6 is still being determined.

For information on Model 204 certification with IBM operating systems, see: http://www.rocketsoftware.com/products/rocket-model-204/technical-information

Connect* compatibility with Model 204

Connect★ version 7.6 is compatible with all versions of Model 204.

SOUL enhancements

New SOUL statements

Non-OO enhancements in SOUL

New and changed classes and methods

The LabeledArrayList (or TaggedArrayList) class is to be added.

Json class

The Json class has been created to facilitate exchange of data with other platforms using the JSON format. This class contains a large number of methods and also adds two new exception classes: InvalidJsonType and JsonParseError, and one new enumeration: JsonType. In addition, the JsonParse function was added to the Unicode intrinsic class.

Web class

The Web class has been created as a container for Janus Web Server specific methods. This class contains two new methods: ScreenInputCallback and ScreenOutputCallback. There is also an associated new system type: WebScreenCallback and a new WebScreenException exception class.

Utf8ToUnicode and Utf16ToUnicode string methods

The Utf8ToUnicode and Utf16ToUnicode string methods can now handle values that cannot be translated into EBCDIC. The AllowUntranslatable argument, now available for general use and True by default, specifies that such values will be stored into the target Unicode string rather than producing an exception.

New and changed $functions

Sirius products and product enhancements

This section describes enhancements to the former-Sirius products.

Changes to Janus Web Server

IPV6 Support for Janus TCP/IP Base is to be added.

SCREENTHROW setting for Janus Web Legacy

The new SCREENTHROW setting for Janus Web ports allows janus Web Legacy applications to trap client errors rather than deferring to the default Janus Web Legacy support error handling behavior.

Changes to Fast/Unload and Fast/Reload

These products are to be equipped with 64-bit addressing and Above The Bar (ATB) storage.

RockZap for VSE

Support is being added for running RockZap under z/VSE.

File-related enhancements

New field attributes

This section lists the new field attributes. For more information on how related attributes work together, see the Field design topic.

TBD

Support for OI CHUNK fields in field groups

The CHUNK attribute for DEFINE FIELD was introduced in Model 204 version 7.5 to improve the efficiency of range finds using Ordered Index (OI) processing. The CHUNK attribute can now be specified for fields in a field group.

System management enhancements

TBD

Performance enhancements

Massive zIIP offload

The approach to zIIP (IBM System z Integrated Information Processor) support in Model 204 prior to version 7.6 is to offload to zIIP only certain eligible code safe for execution on the zIIP engine. The V7.6 improvements to the zIIP offload make most of the Model 204 code zIIP tolerant: almost all MP-capable code (Model 204 code that may run on an MP subtask) is offloaded to zIIP. Code that cannot be executed on zIIP uses the MP subtask or a maintask.

Note: While a limited version of this capability is available to all customers, the fully improved zIIP support requires an additional license. For more information, contact Rocket Software.

This feature is for z/OS systems only. As previously, specifying a nonzero value for the NMPSUBZ parameter activates zIIP processing.

User-written $functions and zIIPs

Instead of having to indicate what code should run on zIIP, it is only necessary now to indicate what Assembler code may not run on zIIP. Customers planning to use zIIP processing must do either of these:

  • Inspect any user-written $functions for non-tolerant code (code that uses an SVC instruction or system services that may use SVC, like BSAM, VTAM, task-mode z/OS macros), which must be bracketed with SRBMODE OFF and SRBMODE ON.
  • Specify MP=NO (the default) or no MP setting at all in the function table to cause $functions to run on a maintask. Any other value for MP enables $functions to run on zIIP subtasks.

It is not always obvious if code may or may not run on a zIIP subtask. Even if all explicit SVCs and non-task-mode system macros issued by Model 204 have been identified and bracketed, some may be issued implicitly by z/OS or other services, so user testing is important.

Parameter changes for zIIP usage

The following are V7.6 changes to the documented recommendations for the parameters that initiate and control Model 204 zIIP processing:

  • Parameter ZQMAX is deprecated. If you have specified a value for ZQMAX, it is now ignored.
  • X'01' becomes the default value of the SIRFUNC parameter.

    The X'01' bit of SIRFUNC must be set (explicitly or as the default value) for zIIP processing or the run is cancelled.

  • The XMEMOPT X'02' bit was not documented as necessary for zIIPs. It is necessary as of V7.6.
  • It is now strongly recommended that customers running MP/204 not set the X'40' bit of the SCHDOPT parameter as MP subtasks will no longer steal work from zIIP SRBs unless they seem overloaded, in which case one would probably not want the SCHDOPT X'40' bit to prevent MP subtasks from helping out.

Journal and checkpoint processing enhancements

New journal and checkpoint write PSTs (pseudo subtasks) are invoked by the SYSOPT2 parameter.

A dual mode of operation (with and without write PSTs) is available: if the new PSTs are not created (for any reason), the journal and checkpoint processing continues as it does in version 7.5 of Model 204.

The NSUBTKS parameter is also crucial: If SYSOPT2 indicates new PSTs but NSUBTKS is too low, the Online will not come up.

64-bit addressing and Above The Bar (ATB) storage

Storage above the (2G) bar increases scalability, performance, and growth potential. 64-bit addressing is the de facto standard for Model 204.

  • ATB support for FTBL was released with Model 204 version 7.4.
  • ATB support for GTBL, NTBL, and QTBL was released with Model 204 version 7.5.
  • ATB support for STBL and VTBL is added in Model 204 version 7.6.

When using non-swappable ATB server space, each user gets SERVNSSZ bytes of ATB space, even if the thread is logged out or running resident requests. For greater efficiency, Model 204 also provides swappable ATB server areas that can supplement or replace the non-swappable areas. These swappable ATB server areas are controlled by the SERVGA and SERVGSZ parameters.

STBL and VTBL in above the bar storage

STBL and VTBL can now be placed into swappable or non-swappable server storage area above the bar.

In order to store a table in ATB storage:

TBD: any changes to SERVNSSZ or SERVNSA for 7.6

  • Increase the SERVNSSZ parameter by the corresponding table size.
  • Set the proper bit in SERVNSA:
    • for STBL set the xxx byte to X'xx', so the value of SERVNSA is X'........'
    • for VTBL set the xxx byte to X'xx', so the value of SERVNSA is X'........'

Note: The settings for each server table above the bar are independent of each other. So if FTBL, GTBL, NTBL, QTBL, STBL, and VTBL are all placed above the bar, then SERVNSA should be set to X'........'.

64-bit addressing support for TBO buffers, the Procedure dictionary, and Longstrings

This support will be new in version 7.6.

Debugging and testing enhancements

Unicode linefeed now causes line break on print

Printing or auditing a unicode string that contains a unicode linefeed character (u+000a) will now cause a new line to be started on the output device, rather than displaying . This should make it much easier to look at unicode strings that contain formatting linefeeds. This feature works for any display-oriented statements such as Print, Audit, Trace, PrintText, AuditText, TraceText, Text, etc.

SoftSpy

The SoftSpy debugging, testing, and performance tuning product is included as part of the Model 204 core product.

For more information about SoftSpy version 7.6, see the SoftSpy 7.6 release notes.

Connect★ enhancements

TBD

MQ/204 enhancements

TBD

Other features

TBD

Compatibility issues

Unicode linefeed now causes line break on print

Printing or auditing a unicode string that contains a unicode linefeed character (u+000a) will now cause a new line to be started on the output device, rather than displaying . This should make it much easier to look at unicode strings that contain formatting linefeeds. This feature works for any display-oriented statements such as Print, Audit, Trace, PrintText, AuditText, TraceText, Text, etc..

While this feature is likely to make it much easier to examine unicode strings, in theory it could cause a backward-compatbility problem for applications that parse the results of a Print of unicode data, expecting the &x#000A; values to be present.

New and changed commands

TBD


Reliability enhancements

TBD

New and changed parameters

New CFROPTS system parameter

The new CFROPTS parameter makes it possible to request that Model 204 use strict fair share enqueuing for critical file resource lock conflicts.

Documentation conversion to wiki format

Rocket Model 204 documentation is being converted from individual manuals in PDF format to a set of cross-linked HTML articles in this integrated wiki, M204wiki.

As of Model 204 release 7.6, most manuals are now in wiki format. The rest remain in PDF format, available in the M204 folder of the Rocket Software Documentation Library.

For details, see Model 204 documentation.

New and updated messages

Many messages have been updated and added in this release. See New and updated messages in Model 204 version 7.6 for details.

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