SHIP25 MAINTENANCE SUMMARY
--------------------------
Date: May 31, 1999
Memorandum
To: All Comm-Pro Users at the SHIP25 Distribution Levels.
All references to SHIP25 also includes support for SHIP25 Mod 1
(SHIP25M1) and SHIP25 Mod 2 (SHIP25M2) unless otherwise noted.
The following is a summary of SHIP25 maintenance (APARs, etc.)
issued as of the noted dates. This summary is provided as a
reference for problem resolution or preventative maintenance.
The summary record contains the following information:
APAR - Assigned Comm-Pro APAR number (S25nnn)
REF/NOTE - Comm-Pro internal identification (R_name) for
miscellaneous fixes and enhancements.
CP_NOTE - Comm-Pro product or support issues.
IBM_NOTE - IBM product or support issues, including early
warning of IBM PTF/APAR or error conditions.
COMPONENT - The Comm-Pro package or resource type that the
corrective logic addresses.
DATE - For APARs and Enhancements, this date reflects
when the actual corrective logic was applied
to the standard Comm-Pro SHIP25 distribution
libraries.
For all others, this date reflects when the item
was added to the summary.
DESCRIPTION - Brief description of the problem. Refer to the
actual APAR Memo for additional information
and corrective logic, if available.
Please refer to the SHIP25 documentation manual in APPENDIX F
(Maintenance) for additional information.
SHIP25 Maintenance Summary Detail
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APAR/REF - COMPONENT
DATE DESCRIPTION.
S25100 - All Comm-Pro users,
01-01-1999* Comments from 03-13-1998 entry expanded as follows:
(REQUIRED)
*.TXT * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*.ZIP * This PTF is required by all customers applying manual *
* maintenance because of sequence number changes that *
* were made to expand our XFFLIH maintenance record ID *
* assignment (XXXXF25). *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ITI NCP/NEO session can terminate prematurely after a very
unusual RTR/BID timing sequence occurs. Problem observed in a
CICS environment after CICS received a BID that was rejected
with an 0814 Sense followed by an FMD that did not carry BBI,
CICS returned an UNBIND immediately causing the session to
disconnect.
Solution is to change our XFLULU FMDR logic so that bracket
indicators are used when RTR expected remembrance is set. This
remembrance (LUBSTRRM in LUBBST2) is set by the BID processor
when it detects queued input for an SLU that is first speaker.
This problem was observed at a site configured with a UNIX_
TCP/IP-to-X.25_Pad interface. 10 SVC's were configured on
the X.25 link into the Comm-Pro X.25 NAS ITI NCP/NEO software
that supported an unknown number of telnet type sessions on
the TCP/IP side of the Pad. The remote Pad would generate an
X.25 session (CALL REQUEST) each time a transaction arrived
from the UNIX interface from any one of the several devices
attached to it. The remote Pad would disconnect the X.25 SVC
session (CLEAR REQUEST) after a response was received from
the host. Under unusually high load, this constant connect
and disconnect activity for each single device inquiry with
a single host response caused the abnormal RTR/BID timing
condition.
A more efficient use of this environment would have been to
define the X.25 sessions as PVC's or induce a momentary
delay in the remote pad disconnect processor to send in the
next transaction if available thus avoiding another connect
sequence although these features/options were not available
in the remote UNIX_TCP/IP_X.25_pad environment).
R_HLASM - New High Level Assembler Supported by Comm-Pro Stage 1 process,
02-01-1999 The new HLASM can be used for the CPSTG1 macro sysgen process.
(MVSHLASM) For MVS, PGM=ASMA90 users, '//SYSLIN DD DUMMY' is required.
*.TXT We also suggest that PARM='DECK,SIZE(MAX-1M,ABOVE) be coded on
*.ZIP the EXEC JCL statement. Note that you can continue to use
IHR90 or IEV90 if supported in your environment. Some of our
customers are still using the old IFOX00 assembler for our
CPSTG1 process.
For VM/CMS, our XFCOMPRO exec is set-up to invoke HLASM if
the product is located on an accessed minidisk. If we are
unable to locate HLASM, we will use HASM, ASMH or default to
ASSEMBLE. Please contact Comm-Pro should you wish to use a
different assembler for the XFCOMPRO CPSTG1 process and we
will provide an update to our XFCOMPRO sysgen exec.
For DOS/VSE, your '// EXEC ASSEMBLY' environment should be
defined to use the newer assembler. IFZASM is one of the
older VSE assembler.
S25102 - ITI NCP/NEO users,
03-15-1999 This APAR addresses two separate conditions:
*.TXT
*.ZIP Item 1 - FMD RU size (device to host) previously restricted
to 1024 bytes per chained element. This limitation was the
result of a restriction in the DSP support that uses common
logic with ITI NCP/NEO sessions.
Solution is to bypass logic that restricts the RU size to
1024 if the session is ITI. We will now use any legitimate
size as defined in the BIND from the application. Note that
the majority of applications for ITI NCP/NEO (PU Type 1, LU
Type 0 or 1) BIND the session with an RU size of 256 bytes.
This problem was observed at a site with custom logic to
force OIC (only in chain) RU's. The remote transaction
generator was intermittently batching transaction groups
in excess of 1024 byte lengths which caused the RU size
exception. Note that our standard RU chaining logic
would not have encountered this problem. This is because
RU chain elements normally contain the X.25 packet level
window size (+1 packet) of packet data per RU chain
element for large m-bit packet sequences.
Item 2 - This condition can only affect sessions bound with
FM Usage - Common LU Protocols, normal-flow send/receive
mode selection of half-duplex contention (HDX/CTN).
Register usage error can cause the SLU (Secondary LU) to
appear as the contention winner if Bracket Termination
Rule 2 is in effect. Note that this is primarily a cosmetic
change because of the standard values normally set in the
BIND for Common LU Protocols.
Solution is to test LUBBCCWM (flag X'10') in BIND byte 7
(LO7) instead of byte 6 (HI7).
R_2ACTLU - ITI NCP/NEO leased (DIAL=NO) user,
(2ACTLUNTFY) Enhancements were made to our ACTLU Response logic that
03-15-1999 reduces an unnecessary PIU exchange encountered during VTAM
(Optional) resource activation.
*.TXT
*.ZIP In changing our ACTLU response Control Vector from Power-On
(connected) to Power-Off (not connected) for the initial
resource state, we eliminate some unnecessary PIU exchanges
during resource ACTLU processing for X.25 resources with no
current device connection. The previous default value of
Power-On was causing the initial host greeting to be rejected
(deferred) until the remote resource connected. Now a Notify
Power-On will be delivered to the host only after the X.25
user connects. The Power-On will signal that host that the
device is now able to accept output from the host.
CP_NOTE - OS/390 and MVS environments,
03-15-1999 Sample JCL member MVS25TST added to our XFM37XX macro library.
(MVS25TST) Customers with CPUT25 PLI utility tapes can use this JCL to
*.TXT execute our PLITEST program and verify that the Comm-Pro PL1
*.ZIP programs will operate properly in their environment without
having to run our sysgen process (CPSTG3 NEOBLD or NDFPLI)
PL1 programs. The test program is useful when upgrading to
a new PL1 or LE (language environment) to verify proper
STEPLIB concatination.
CP_NOTE - NCP Version 7 Release 7 and EP Version 1 Release 14 support,
03-23-1999 Our standard SHIP25 Mod 2 release now includes support for
NCP V7R7 in a NCP or PEP (NCP V7R7 with EP R14) environment.
The EP Version 1 Release 14 Standalone product is currently
being tested and is expected to be available sometime in
July 1999. All of these product require the newer, V4R7 SSP
libraries.
Note that you will generally require a distribution tape with
a TCD (tape creation date) of 03-23-1999 or later for this
support. Customers with recent (mid to late 1998) product
distributions may qualify for our simple macro update pack
instead of a CUME refresh or upgrade. Please contact Comm-Pro
for details.
A special note for our VM/CMS users, IBM now packages ASM3705
in VMSES distributions under SSP V4R7. You will no longer
have to build ASM3705 using a custom IBM exec.
- SSP Version 4, Release 7 support for OS/390, MVS/ESA, VM/ESA
and VSE/ESA, SSP V4R7 products are required for load module
generation and utility functions for ACF/NCP V7R7 and EP R1V14
support. Note that this product is downward compatible with
earlier NCP and EP distributions still supported by IBM. This
product also requires that you have the High Level Assembler
installed at you location.
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SHIP25 Maintenance Summary Detail End
Last Update - May 31, 1999