---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash July 1992 Software Technical Bulletin Contents SunFLASH Vol 42 #30 June 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article describing the contents of the Software Technical bulletin (STB) is posted to SunFlash to make those customers who have a support contract aware that they should be receiving this execellent publication. Note that copies of the STB are sent to the people listed in the support contract. They have limited duplication rights (see notice included each month within the STB). ****** I have been given permission to place the PostScript version of the whole STB (about 100 pages) in the SunFlash archives on solar.nova.edu:/pub/sunflash/1992 171,958 stbjul92.ps.Z This file should appear on ftp.uuu.net:systems/sun/sunflash/1992 This article contains two parts: o Table Of Contents for July 1992 o STB Editor's Introduction -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contents -------- 1. STB Editor's Introduction 1-1 STB Overview 1-1 Updated Sun Operating System Support Matrix 1-4 Updates 1-6 Updated Sun Operating System Support Matrix (March-May 1992) 1-6 Using Maximum Tape Capacity (February 1992) 1-7 Availability of Perl (December 1991, April 1992) 1-7 2. Multiprocessing 2-1 Multiprocessing Implementation in SunOS 4.1.2 2-1 The Perils of Sharing 2-2 Uniformity and Uniqueness 2-5 Interprocessor Communication and Control 2-6 Debugging 600MP Problems 2-6 Further Study 2-7 3. System Administration 3-1 Backup Copilot: The Next Step in Backup and Restore Technology 3-1 Introduction 3-1 Analysis of Requirements 3-2 A Step Forward: Backup Copilot 3-7 The Perl Language 3-15 4. Hardware 4-1 101A Keyboard 4-1 Product Overview 4-1 Window System Overview 4-2 Questions & Answers 4-3 References 4-9 5. Languages 5-1 ANSI C Compliance 5-1 Overview 5-2 Compiling with Compatibility Flags 5-3 Supplying Function Prototypes 5-3 Converting to ANSI C Function Declarations 5-6 Correcting Compiler Warnings and Errors 5-7 Correcting Run-Time Inconsistencies 5-9 ANSI C Notes and Code Samples 5-10 Unbundled Compilers 5-25 6. Software Release Levels 6-1 Current Sun Software Products and Release Levels 6-1 Operating Systems 6-1 Window Systems & Desktop Utilities 6-1 Sun Server & Database Software 6-2 Graphics Software 6-2 Network Management 6-2 Software Development 6-3 Other Products 6-3 Connectivity Products 6-4 7. Notes & Comments 7-1 World Hotlines 7-1 Reporting Bugs 7-3 Submitting Software Bugs: United States and Canada 7-3 Submitting Software Bugs: Europe 7-4 Submitting Software Bugs: Intercon 7-9 Your STB Subscription 7-12 Index ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STB Editor's Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ******************************************************************************* * NOTICE -- For the new Fiscal Year 1993, the Software Technical Bulletin * * (STB) is changing its name to the "Sun Technical Bulletin". This is a * * change that we have been anticipating for some time, due to the fact that * * the STB occasionally covers hardware issues for the interest of our * * software customers. * * * * This name change does not signify any change in the general purpose of * * the STB, nor in its audience, nor in its contractual obligations. The STB * * is still primarily a software document, delivered to customers with * * software (or software-and-hardware) support contracts. The Bulletin still * * covers primarily software-related topics, but with periodic coverage of * * hardware issues that may be of concern to software users--documentation * * problems, new commands and capabilities, performance benchmarks, and so * * on. * * * * Thank you for your continued interest in...the Sun Technical Bulletin. * ******************************************************************************* STB Overview ------------ This month's STB contains articles of general interest in the topics outlined below. In this chapter, we have brought back a revised updating of Sun's support matrix for Operating System release levels and platforms. Also, please note the Updates section at the end of the chapter. This section features new or updated information about articles from past issues of the STB. We appreciate the participation of our readership in calling this information to our attention. ** Multiprocessing This month, "Multiprocessing Implementation in SunOS 4.1.2" describes the technical concepts involved in adapting traditional UNIX to a multiprocessing environment. The covered issues include shared global memory and kernel locks, CPU-unique memory, interprocessor communication, and debugging problems. ** System Administration "Backup Copilot: The Next Step in Backup and Restore Technology" is a white paper produced by SunSoft, Inc., describing its Backup Copilot product. The paper describes the many inadequacies of the standard UNIX dump programs, and details how Backup Copilot can improve the efficiency and flexibility of a system administrator's backup scheme. We also include "The Perl Language," a condensed version of a common information file on the Perl programming language. ** Hardware "101A Keyboard" is a collection of frequently encountered issues regarding use of the 101A keyboard in the SunView and OpenWindows environments. The various setup commands are described, and a Question and Answer session addresses common problems with the keyboard and its distributed software. ** Languages This month, we present the first in a series of articles relating to conversion of C programs for Solaris 2.0. "ANSI C Compliance" outlines the migration path from common C in SunOS 4.1.x to Sun ANSI C in Solaris 2.0. Included in the discussion are ANSI C compatibility flags, function prototypes, and miscellaneous changes in compiler behavior, illustrated by numerous code samples. "Unbundled Compilers" briefly details some of the reasons behind Sun's decision to unbundle the C compiler from Solaris 2.0. ** Software Release Levels This section includes the current Sun software products and release level tables. As of this issue, the product lists have been revised to be in closer relationship with the End User Price List. Updated Sun Operating System Support Matrix ------------------------------------------- Sun's policy is to provide hardware and software support for out-of-production or transitioned systems and the latest compatible software for those systems for a minimum period of five years from the last order date. The details of Sun's software support policy have been published in a Sun Operating System Support matrix in past STB issues. As illustrated in the support matrix, older versions of the operating system generally receive lower levels of software support than newer versions. Thus, we recommend that you upgrade your system to the most current versions to ensure you receive the best quality of support from Sun. Since we continually enhance the operating system to meet our customers' needs, we promised to keep you abreast of updates to the support matrix via the STB. Now that SunOS 4.1.2 is available, we provide an updated matrix. Sun uses "support levels" to describe its software support policy. Please note that the services described in these levels are subject to local availability --contact your local service manager should you have any questions. ** Level 1 Support Level 1 offers the complete array of services contained in Sun's Personal AnswerLine Service, AnswerLine Service, and Software Update Service (see Note [1]). Level 1 support also includes the full availability of options such as SunStart, Sun's educational services, and supplementary consulting products and services. ** Level 2 Support Level 2 includes Sun's Personal AnswerLine and AnswerLine levels of phone support, limited availability of software and documentation, bug report submission and tracking, and emergency fixes and workarounds (see Note [1]). Level 2 support also includes availability of supplementary consulting products and services. ** Level 3 Support Level 3 provides Time and Materials (T&M) support only. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note [1] -- Software updates will only be available for the most current release. When a version of software has been designated as the final release for a platform, only critical bug fix releases will be available for that platform. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sun Operating System Software Support Matrix ******************************************** The following tables illustrate Sun's OS software support matrix. See Note [2] below regarding this section. For Sun-2 3.5 4.0/4.0.1 4.0.3 (see Note [3]) --------------------------------------------------------- 1/91-1/92 level 3 level 3 level 2 1/92-1/94 level 3 level 3 level 3 For Sun-3 3.5 4.0/4.0.1 4.0.3/4.0.3e 4.1 4.1.1 (see Note [3]) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/91-1/92 level 3 level 3 level 2 level 1 level 1 1/92-1/95 level 3 level 3 level 3 level 2 level 2 1/95-1/96 level 3 level 3 level 3 level 3 level 3 For Sun386i 4.0.1i 4.0.2i (see Note [3]) ------------------------------------------------ 1/91-1/92 level 2 level 1 1/92-1/95 level 3 level 2 1/95-1/96 level 3 level 3 For SPARC 3.5 4.0/4.0.1 4.0.3/4.0.3e 4.1 4.1.1 4.1.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/91-present level 3 level 3 level 3 level 2 level 1 level 1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note [2] -- The above levels 1 and 2 are for contract customers only. Non- contract customers have the option to purchase support on a Time and Materials basis or use Sun's consulting services. The then-current unbundled products will be supported at the same level as the customer's operating system. Support for emergency fixes and workarounds may require the customer to upgrade to a more current version of the product. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note [3] -- These will be the final releases for these product lines, with the exception of critical bug fix releases. Sun's future SVR4-based operating system will function primarily on SPARC processor-based systems (Intel-based support for SVR4 is available with SunSoft's INTERACTIVE UNIX product line). Interoperability between Sun-3 or Sun386i systems and SPARC SVR4 systems will be fully supported through services such as NFS, NIS, remote login, and the like. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In addition, Sun is committed to supporting Sun-3 diskless clients running SunOS 4.1.1 on Solaris 2.0 servers. Updates ------- This section presents updates on subjects covered in past issues of the Software Technical Bulletin. ** Updated Sun Operating System Support Matrix (March-May 1992) The text accompanying the support matrix published in three earlier issues contained some inaccurate or misleading information: Sun's future SVR4-based operating system will function only on SPARC processor-based systems. The recent release of SunSoft's INTERACTIVE UNIX System V/386 Release 3.2 Operating System, Version 3.0, provides a path to Solaris 2.0 on Intel platforms. These products are sold by SunSoft directly to developers and are not available through the standard Price List. In addition, Sun is committed to supporting Sun-3 diskless clients running SunOS 4.1.2 on Solaris 2.0 servers. This should have read "SunOS 4.1.1", which is the final supported SunOS release for Sun-3 systems. This passage led to questions about how a Solaris 2.0 server can support a Sun-3 diskless client, if Sun-3 binaries are not included in the Solaris 2.0 distribution. While Solaris 2.0 is a SPARC-only release, some customers who wish to upgrade to Solaris 2.0 SPARC servers may have diskless boot clients which cannot be upgraded. As a transition aid, Solaris 2.0 servers will support diskless boot clients running any SunOS 4.1.x-based release. The configuration takes extra steps and requires space on the server for the entire SunOS 4.1.x distribution. The SunOS 4.1.x release must be installed from CD-ROM, not tape. Diskless boot clients of any architecture that runs a SunOS 4.1.x release can be served in this fashion, either Sun-3 or Sun-4. Solaris 2.0 has the generic capability to do this with any SunOS 4.1.x-based release, from SunOS 4.1 through SunOS 4.1.3, including Sun-3s running SunOS 4.1.1. The restrictions above apply to diskless boot clients. All diskful ONC systems can use NFS to cross-mount filesystems, including home directories, as they have been able to in all previous SunOS releases. The NFS and TCP/IP protocols are unchanged in Solaris 2.0. ** Using Maximum Tape Capacity (February 1992) This article described the use of the tar and mt commands to place multiple files on a single magnetic tape. Under the heading "Read/Retrieve Multi-File Archive Tape," the article described the commands necessary to locate a file, including the following command: % mt -f /dev/nrst0 bsf In SunOS 4.1.1, executing this command on 1/4" SCSI tape drives generates the following error: /dev/nrst0 bsf failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device The bsf option is not supported under SunOS 4.1.1 for 1/4" SCSI tape drives (like the QIC-150). The st device driver in SunOS 4.1.2 is an improved version that should support the bsf option on SCSI drives. If you wish to pursue patching SunOS 4.1.1 rather than upgrading to 4.1.2, contact your Customer Support representative and reference bug numbers 1078062 and 1082260, and patch number 100581. ** Availability of Perl (December 1991, April 1992) Many readers have requested online copies of the Perl scripts that have appeared in the STB. Some readers are unfamiliar with this language and have inquired about its availability. In the System Administration chapter of this issue, we are including the article "The Perl Language," which reprints excerpts from a common information file on the language. The entire file is available to readers upon request. Further information can be obtained from Larry Wall, the author of the language, at e-mail address lwall@netlabs.COM. ***************************************************************************** We would like to encourage our readership to e-mail us any comments or suggestions regarding the content of the Sun Technical Bulletin, including requests for articles on specific subject matters. We are aiming at a broad spectrum of topics that are of interest to all sectors of our audience, both highly experienced technical people and relatively inexperienced users who are new to desktop workstations. We are not the appropriate channel for researching any and all technical problems that may come up in the field, but we will do our best to follow up on questions about articles that we have printed in the recent past. Please let us know what you think, and we will do our best to accommodate you in future issues. Thanks. The STB Editor sun!stb-editor or stb-editor@Sun.COM ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, paris.cs.miami.edu, uunet.uu.net, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.