Release notes for Model 204 version 7.7

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.

Operating system and hardware requirements

Operating system requirements

IBM z/OS
- Versions supported: z/OS version 1.07 through 2.2.
On z/OS, Model 204 release 7.7 operates as an APF authorized load module, as required by many 7.7 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

In general, Model 204 version 7.7 requires the IBM z/890 or above processor.

However, the IBM z10 or above processor is required for the following features:

large (1 MB) page support
IBM's High Performance FICON (zHPF) support

Model 204 compatibility with operating systems

For information on Model 204 certification with IBM operating systems, see Model 204 system requirements.

SOUL (User Language) enhancements

New and changed classes and methods

New default certificate-signing algorithm

Janus Network Security as well as the StringList methods AppendSignedCertificate and AppendSignedClientCertificate methods have changed their default signature algorithm from SHA-1 to SHA-256.

This change is propagated by zap maintenance to versions 7.6 and 7.5 of Model 204.

"SSL" String methods

These new methods are added:

Method	Description
SHA384digest	SHA-384 digest
SHA512digest	SHA-512 digest

New DigestAlgorithm values

Values SHA384 and SHA512 are added to the DigestAlgorithm enumeration.

Method variable invocation

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

New XHTML entities for square-bracket characters

[ and ] are newly supported as XMHTL entities (notably in the U method). This provides a much better approach to specifying square brackets, such as for XPath expressions.

For example, assuming the Online's codepage as shown by the UNICODE DISPLAY command matches your 3270 emulator's codepage:

Recommended for version 7.6 and higher (the entities are also propagated by zap maintenance to 7.6):
The left and right square brackets in this example are created using the [ and ] XHTML entities. The UnicodeAfter method returns the part of a string that follows a specified delimiter:

begin %x is unicode %x = 'Released in 1966, Manos: The Hands of Fate [is a D-minus] ' with - 'of a B movie: Its plot, about desert-dwelling pagans, makes little sense.' printText {%x:unicodeAfter(']')} end

The request result is:

of a B movie: Its plot, about desert-dwelling pagans, makes little sense.
Recommended for version 7.5:
The square brackets below are created using the U method and placed in variables %sqL and %sqR. The variables are inserted into a Unicode string and used to parse that string:

begin %sqL is string len 1 initial("[":u) static %sqR is string len 1 initial("]":u) static %x is unicode %x = 'Released in 1966, Manos: The Hands of Fate ' with %sqL with - ' is a D-minus ' with %sqr with - ' of a B movie: Its plot, about desert-dwelling pagans, makes little sense.' printText {%x:unicodeAfter(%sqR)} end

Again, the request result is:

of a B movie: Its plot, about desert-dwelling pagans, makes little sense.

Janus product enhancements

Janus Network Security ciphers

Support for certificates signed using SHA-384 and SHA-512 are added to Janus Network Security. This makes it possible to generate certificates signed with these algorithms and to accept server or client certificates signed with these algorithms.

Janus Web Server default rules

Janus Web used to automatically implement two web server ON rules to set up access to the Janus Web sample home page and to demonstration application procedures. These rules were removed in version 7.6 (by zap maintenance) and are not present in version 7.7.

Also, the automatic JANUS WEB ALLOW rule, which allowed any user to access the port without requiring a login, is changed to the following to force login for any URL on a Janus Web port:

JANUS WEB portname ALLOW * USER *

This rule applies, in version 7.6 (by zap maintenance) and in version 7.7, unless overridden by user-added rules.

Fast/Unload enhancements

Integration of Fast/Unload with the Online load module

Starting with version 7.7 of Model 204, Fast/Unload is entirely linked with the Model 204 Online load module, maintenance zaps applied to the Online load module will include all Fast/Unload maintenance, and the version number of Fast/Unload is the same as the version number of Model 204.

Previously (for all versions of Fast/Unload through version 4.7), the standalone FUNLOAD load module was downloaded and linked separately and independently from Model 204.

zIIP exploitation

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

Physical read-only file access with FUSI

New and changed commands

JANUS DEFINE (new parameter: `SSLTRUST`)

The JANUS DEFINE command now has an SSLTRUST parameter that indicates that the certificate presented by the other side of a TLS/SSL connection is to be accepted even if it is not signed by a known certifying authority.

ZHPF (new parameters: filename and *)

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

As of Model 204 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.
The CUSTOM=42 value allows the editing of procedure names containing the following special characters: comma, equal sign, space, single quote, semicolon.

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)

Statistics and monitor display enhancements

BLKO

The performance statistic BLKO now reports invisible users as blocked out. In previous releases, invisible users were not reported and BLKO remained virtually zero. The new BLKO value is more precise, and by summing BLKO, WTSV, BLKI, REDY, SWPG and RUNG, you can now approximate USRS (average active users).

For the MONITOR command, the QUE column now reports BLKO instead of OFFQ for invisible users and displays new values OFFO and OFFI. OFFO is invisible and blocked out; OFFI is invisible and blocked in. BLKO now means blocked out and on some queue. BLKI now means blocked in and on some queue.

Other enhancements

MODEL 6 screen size and back-paging

As of Model 204 version 7.7 (and 7.5 or 7.6 with maintenance applied), a large LOUTPB value for MODEL 6 geometries is allowed even if screen back-paging has been enabled.

In previous releases, during initialization, if back-paging was enabled for the IODEV, LOUTPB was automatically reset to the limit that supported back-paging.

Back-paging will now be disabled for any terminal with a MODEL 6 screen geometry that requires more than 6142 bytes.

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 the IBM z/OS system.)

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.

Unlabeled 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.