Release notes for Model 204 version 7.7

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These release notes list the enhancements and other changes contained in Model 204 version 7.7.

******THIS IS A DRAFT DOCUMENT.******

These release notes list the enhancements and other changes contained in Model 204 version 7.7, which is still in development. Until the commercial release of the software, Rocket reserves the right to add to, remove, or change anything described herein.

Overview

These release notes contain installation and features information for the Rocket Model 204 version 7.7 release. Before beginning your installation, please read through this information about product installation and changes.

New features

Long password support

Logon passwords, maintained in CCASTAT, can now contain up to 127 characters.
This feature includes support for:

  • LOGON command when used to change a password using oldpw:newpw
  • LOGCTL C USERID command
  • $Sir_Login function
  • Mixed-case passwords (if the CUSTOM parameter includes the value 11)
  • CCASTAT data sets created with or without password expiration support

This feature is available for logon passwords only and does not apply to file passwords. It is not available for use with the external security interfaces: ACF2, RACF, or TOPSECRET. No changes to CCASTAT and no new CCAIN parameters are required to enable long password support.

SOUL (User Language) enhancements

Method variable invocation

Method variables can now be invoked using %var() or %obj:var(), as in JavaScript.

Fast/Unload enhancements

Integration of Fast/Unload with the Online load module

zIIP exploitation

If you have an authorization zap which contains the base zIIP support product of Model 204 and the Fast/Unload HPO product, your standalone PGM=FUNLOAD jobs will run on a zIIP processor, if one is available.

Physically read-only file access with FUSI

New and changed commands

ZHPF (new parameters: filename and *)

The ZHPF command checks zHPF ability for the file currently opened by the user.

As of 7.7, you can specify parameters to ZHPF:

filename, to check a specific file

an asterisk (*), to check local files opened by all users

New and changed parameters

CUSTOM (new values)

The following values have been added to the CUSTOM parameter in this release:

  • The CUSTOM=23 value always truncates the userid to 10 characters.
  • The CUSTOM=41 value allows recording of data on successful RACF user logins. The login data is shown in RACFRW batch reports.

Performance enhancements

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.

Increase in request limit for number of images, screens, and menus

These limits are increased to 4095 per request:

  • The total number of images for all blocks (formerly 256)
  • The maximum number of menus and screens combined (formerly 256)

Debugging and testing updates

  • SoftSpy authorization

    SoftSpy and Muse are now authorized using the standard zap AUTH mechanism.

    EDIT CONFIG is no longer used to enter authorization keys, and the second (key entry) screen of SPY EDIT CONFIG no longer appears.

  • Error message for DBCSENV

    As in previous releases, SoftSpy is not supported in a DBCS (double-byte character set) environment. As of version 7.7, if the CCAIN parameter DBCSENV is set to a non-zero value, the SPY command is rejected with the following message:

    Message 207: SoftSpy may not be used in a DBCS environment.

Compatibility issues

APSYPAGE parameter cannot be non-zero

(applies to z/OS)

The APSYPAGE parameter was disabled (but still allowed) in version 7.6. As of version 7.7, if APSYPAGE is non-zero, the Online will not come up and the following error message will appear:

M204.2958: APSYPAGE is obsolete as of 7.6. Rocket recommends using RESPAGE and/or TEMPPAGE as the alternative

See APSYPAGE parameter for information about alternatives to APSYPAGE.

Unlabelled FDV statement compilation errors

Version 7.7 introduced an edge case incompatibility by disallowing code which is very questionable or clearly wrong; that is, previously the compiler allowed pretty much any statements between the label and the FDV. Such statements are no longer allowed.

For example, the following was allowed in older versions of Model 204:

a: audit 'About to FDV' fdv foo b: frv in a

Inserting SOUL code between a label and an FDV statement is no longer allowed, and so the result of the above is:

M204.0311 Unacceptable statement reference

This change was also introduced as maintenance in both version 7.5 (as zaps 75Z408 and 75Z414) and version 7.6 (as zaps 76Z175 and 76Z182).

KOMM addressing changes

  • KU is no longer 4K addressable from KOMM. It has been relocated to KOMM+1100 and must be addressed using grande (‘G’) instructions.
  • KHEOC has been renamed to KGEOC.
  • KUUSRNO has been renamed to KBUSRNO.
  • In addition, all KUP… fields have been removed and replaced by their 64-bit equivalent KUG… fields.
    For example, before 7.7, VTBL might be addressed by using L R1,KUPVT.
    As of version 7.7, that reference would require LG R1,KUGVT.

For context, see Converting user-written functions.

New and updated messages

See New and updated messages in Model 204 version 7.7 for details.

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