Updated: 24-SEP-2003 (Use your browsers' Reload button to ensure you're viewing the most recent version)
VAXLIBR01_054 VAX V5.4 - V5.4-3 Delta Time (10,000 Day) ECO Summar
Copyright (c) Digital Equipment Corporation 1997. All rights reserved.
*** Note ***
The probability of experiencing the delta-time limit on earlier
versions of OpenVMS is significantly reduced because OpenVMS
DECthreads (both pthread and CMA interfaces) and the OpenVMS
SECURITY Server do not exist in versions of OpenVMS prior to
V5.5.
DIGITAL has created delta-time ECOs for OpenVMS Versions 5.0 -
5.4-3 for those customers possibly affected by the delta-time
limit or in the rare situation where a third-party or customer
application does not adhere to the delta-time limit.
DIGITAL is aware that some customers may have their own
customized versions of library routines in the LIBRTL.EXE image.
The pre-V5.5 kits completely replace the existing LIBRTL.EXE
with a new one and, in doing so, replace any customized versions
of library routines with the standard routines. For this reason,
DIGITAL recommends that only those customers who believe they
are impacted by the delta-time limit install the pre-V5.5 kits.
The problem occurs in software that converts times between UNIX
and OpenVMS formats. The UNIX time format is an offset from the
UNIX "epoch" of 1-JAN-1970 (UTC). On 19-MAY-1997 the offset
reaches 10,000 days, and any software attempting to use the RTL
LIB$ routines to manipulate these delta-time values will receive
errors. Applications use the conversion routines primarily for
compliance with the POSIX standard interface; therefore, DIGITAL
believes that most applications on earlier versions of OpenVMS
(V5.0 - V5.4-3) will not be impacted.
PRODUCT: OpenVMS VAX
COMPONENT: Delta Time
LIBRTL.EXE
LIBRTL.OBJ
LIBRTL2.EXE
MESSAGE_ROUTINES.EXE
LIBRTL$ECO_DROP.COM (If desired, this command file
may be used to remove the ECO
and restore the original
files and libraries. If this
file is used to remove the kit
from the system, the system
needs to be rebooted after the
successful removal of the kit.)
SOURCE: Digital Equipment Corporation
ECO INFORMATION:
ECO Kit Name: VAXLIBR01_054
ECO Kits Superseded by This ECO Kit: None
ECO Kit Approximate Size: 810 Blocks
Saveset A - 90 Blocks
Saveset B - 360 Blocks
Saveset C - 360 Blocks
Kit Applies To: OpenVMS VAX V5.4, V5.4-1, V5.4-2, V5.4-3
System/Cluster Reboot Necessary: Yes
Installation Rating: 3 - To be installed on all systems running
the listed versions of OpenVMS which
are experiencing the problems described.
NOTE: In order to receive the full fixes listed in this kit,
the following remedial kits also need to be installed:
None
ECO KIT SUMMARY:
An ECO kit exists for the Delta Time (10,000 day) problem on OpenVMS
VAX V5.4 through V5.4-3. This kit addresses the following problems:
o The OpenVMS operating system has a documented delta-time
restriction that may cause a serious error in some
applications and OpenVMS components beginning on or around
19-MAY-1997. DIGITAL has corrected this potential problem and
has provided ECOs (Engineering Change Orders) that remove the
delta-time limit.
Applications and OpenVMS components most likely to experience
errors are those that pass delta-time arguments with values
exceeding 9999 days on system-supplied date routines. The
most likely date that these errors will occur is
19-MAY-1997:00:00, which is 10,000 days after the common UNIX
time origin of 1-JAN-1970.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Detailed articles describing the problems listed above may exist in
the OpenVMS database. To view these articles, open the appropriate
product database and perform a query using either of the following
search strings: 'VAXLIBR01_054' or 'VAXLIBR'.
ECO KIT ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS:
If after an evaluation you wish to obtain this kit, request it
electronically using the appropriate Advanced Electronic Services
(AES) Service Tool. If you are not familiar with how to request
kits electronically, open the DIA, WIS or DSNLINK database and
review the article entitled:
[AES] How To Electronically Request ECO Kits Using Service Tools
INSTALLATION NOTES:
In order for the corrections in this kit to take effect, the system must
be rebooted. If the system is a member of a VMScluster, the entire
cluster should be rebooted. During installation, error messages
similar to the following may occur.
%LIBRAR-W-COMCOD, compilation warnings in module LIBRTL file
These messages are not an indication of installation problems or
failure and should be ignored.
==========================================================================
| Table of Kit Image Information |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| | Overall | Image File | Image Link |
| Image Name | Checksum | Identification | Date/Time |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| Image Information for OpenVMS VAX V5.4, V5.4-1 and V5.4-2: |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| LIBRTL.EXE |%XCB65DB0D| V05-001 | 25-APR-1997 |
| | | 11:08:53.36 |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| LIBRTL2.EXE |%XA9E49AA7| V05-000 | 25-APR-1997 |
| | | 11:09:02.09 |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| MESSAGE_ROUTINES.EXE |%XA57A9EA1| X-24 | 25-APR-1997 |
| | | 13:27:19.04 |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| Image Information for OpenVMS VAX V5.4-3: |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| LIBRTL.EXE |%XCC5DC3BC| V05-001 | 25-APR-1997 |
| | | 11:48:54.69 |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| LIBRTL2.EXE |%XA9E49AA7| V05-000 | 25-APR-1997 |
| | | 11:49:03.28 |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
| MESSAGE_ROUTINES.EXE |%XA57A9EA1| X-24 | 25-APR-1997 |
| | | 13:21:29.91 |
+----------------------------+----------+-----------------+--------------+
|
