Unexpected changes to VMSnnn_xxxx.txt files on ftp.itrc.hp.com

[Sebastian Bazley]

For some reason, on 4th Jan most(all) of the VMS732_*.txt files in ftp://ftp.itrc.hp.com/openvms_patches/alpha/V7.3-2 were updated.

I checked a few for differences, and the only differences seems to be that the form-feeds have been deleted, and



has been replaced by

<CR>

The same seems to have happened in the V7.3-1 and V8.2 directories.

Any idea what the purpose of this is?

Or is it just a mistake ...

[Robert_Boyd]

All of the time stamps on the files in these directories have been affected. It is now impossible to tell by the dates on these files when they were posted originally to the directory.

This is "unfortunate" to say the least. Since we lost DSNLink this has been the easiest way to check on the status of patch kits and to see what is new/old at a glance.

Anyone at HP have any comment about who had the "bright" idea to touch all the files on or around Jan 5 2007 3:00AM ???

Robert

[Ian Miller.]

You have to use the master eco list file
e.g.
ftp://ftp.itrc.hp.com/openvms_patches/alpha/V7.3-2/ALPHA_V732_MASTER_ECO_LIST.txt

to determine when patches where released.

[Sebastian Bazley]

Unfortunately the master list itself is not always accurate. There have been date and or version errors in 3 or more of the recently published versions.

[Robert_Boyd]

I'm glad for FTP_NEW.COM -- I run it every week or 2 along with a monster DCL script I wrote that scans release notes for INCLUDED BY and SUPERSEDES notes to determine which patch kits are current and superseded. It maintains a database that shows all of the history links for patch kits.

Here's an excerpt:
VMS82A_TDF-V0100 INCLUDED VMS82A_UPDATE-V0300,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400
VMS82A_TDF-V0100 REQUIRES VMS82_UPDATE-V0100,VMS82A_TDF-V0100,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_TDF-V0100--4
VMS82A_TDF-V0200 INCLUDED VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500
VMS82A_TDF-V0200 REQUIRES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0300,VMS82A_PCSI-V0100,VMS82A_TDF-V0200,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_TDF-V0200--4
VMS82A_TDF-V0200 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_TDF-V0100
VMS82A_TZ-V0100 INCLUDED VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500
VMS82A_TZ-V0100 REQUIRES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200,VMS82A_PCSI-V0100,VMS82A_TZ-V0100,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_TZ-V0100--4,A
MERICA/CAMBRIDGE_BAY,AMERICA/GLACE_BAY,AMERICA/KNOX_IN,AMERICA/RAINY_RIVER,AMERICA/RANKIN_INLET,AMERICA/THUNDER_BAY,VMS82A_TZ/SEL=
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0100 INCLUDED VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0100 REQUIRES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0100,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_UPDATE-V0100--4
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0100 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_AMATHRTL-V0100,VMS82A_BACKUP-V0100,VMS82A_CMATIS-V0100,VMS82A_CPU270F-V0100,VM
S82A_DRIVER-V0100,VMS82A_GRAPHICS-V0100,VMS82A_IOGEN-V0100,VMS82A_IPC-V0100,VMS82A_MUP-V0100,VMS82A_SHADOWING-V0100,VMS82A_SYSLOA-V0
100,RELEASE_NOTES,VMS82A_UPDATE/VERSION=1,DESTINATION_DIRECTORY,/SELECT=FILE_NAME/DESTINATION=DESTINATION_DIRECTORY
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200 REQUIRES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200--4
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0100,VMS82A_AMATHRTL-V0100,VMS82A_BACKUP-V0100,VMS82A_CMATIS-V0100,VMS
82A_CPU270F-V0100,VMS82A_DDTM-V0100,VMS82A_DRIVER-V0100,VMS82A_FIBRE_SCSI-V0100,VMS82A_GRAPHICS-V0100,VMS82A_IOGEN-V0100,VMS82A_IPC-
V0100,VMS82A_KITTING-V0100,VMS82A_LAT-V0100,VMS82A_MONTOR-V0100,VMS82A_MUP-V0100,VMS82A_RTPAD-V0100,VMS82A_SHADOWING-V0100,VMS82A_SY
S-V0200,VMS82A_SYSLOA-V0100,VMS82A_XFC-V0100
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0300 REQUIRES VMS82A_PCSI-V0100
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0300 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200,VMS82A_AMATHRTL-V0100,VMS82A_BACKUP-V0100,VMS82A_BASRTL-V0100,VMS
82A_CMATIS-V0100,VMS82A_CPU270F-V0100,VMS82A_DDTM-V0100,VMS82A_DRIVER-V0100,VMS82A_F11X-V0200,VMS82A_FIBRE_SCSI-V0100,VMS82A_GRAPHIC
S-V0100,VMS82A_IOGEN-V0100,VMS82A_IPC-V0100,VMS82A_KITTING-V0100,VMS82A_LAT-V0100,VMS82A_LMF-V0100,VMS82A_LOADSS-V0100,VMS82A_MONTOR
-V0200,VMS82A_MUP-V0100,VMS82A_PTHREAD-V0100,VMS82A_RTPAD-V0100,VMS82A_SHADOWING-V0100,VMS82A_SYS-V0200,VMS82A_SYSLOA-V0100,VMS82A_T
DF-V0100,VMS82A_XFC-V0100
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400 REQUIRES VMS82A_PCSI-V0100,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400--4
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200,VMS82A_AMATHRTL-V0100,VMS82A_BACKUP-V0100,VMS82A_BASRTL-V0100,VMS
82A_CLUSTER-V0100,VMS82A_CMATIS-V0100,VMS82A_CPU270F-V0100,VMS82A_CPU2308-V0100,VMS82A_DDTM-V0100,VMS82A_DRIVER-V0100,VMS82A_F11X-V0
200,VMS82A_FIBRE_SCSI-V0200,VMS82A_GRAPHICS-V0100,VMS82A_INSTAL-V0100,VMS82A_IOGEN-V0100,VMS82A_IPC-V0100,VMS82A_KITTING-V0100,VMS82
A_LAT-V0100,VMS82A_LMF-V0200,VMS82A_LOADSS-V0200,VMS82A_MONTOR-V0200,VMS82A_MUP-V0100,VMS82A_OPCOM-V0100,VMS82A_PTHREAD-V0100,VMS82A
_RTPAD-V0100,VMS82A_SHADOWING-V0100,VMS82A_SYS-V0400,VMS82A_SYSLOA-V0100,VMS82A_TDF-V0100,VMS82A_TZ-V0100,VMS82A_XFC-V0100,VMS82A_UP
DATE-V0300
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500 REQUIRES VMS82A_PCSI-V0100,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500--4
VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400,VMS82A_ACRTL-V0100,VMS82A_ADARTL-V0100,VMS82A_AMATHRTL-V0100,VMS8
2A_AUDSRV-V0100,VMS82A_BACKUP-V0100,VMS82A_BASRTL-V0300,VMS82A_CLUSTER-V0100,VMS82A_CMATIS-V0100,VMS82A_COPY-V0100,VMS82A_CPU270F-V0
100,VMS82A_CPU2308-V0100,VMS82A_DDTM-V0100,VMS82A_DEBUG-V0100,VMS82A_DRIVER-V0100,VMS82A_F11X-V0200,VMS82A_FIBRE_SCSI-V0200,VMS82A_G
RAPHICS-V0100,VMS82A_INSTAL-V0100,VMS82A_IOGEN-V0100,VMS82A_IPC-V0100,VMS82A_KITTING-V0100,VMS82A_LAT-V0100,VMS82A_LMF-V0200,VMS82A_
LOADSS-V0200,VMS82A_MONTOR-V0200,VMS82A_MUP-V0100,VMS82A_OPCOM-V0100,VMS82A_PTHREAD-V0100,VMS82A_QMAN-V0100,VMS82A_RMS-V0100,VMS82A_
RTPAD-V0100,VMS82A_SECSRV-V0100,VMS82A_SHADOWING-V0100,VMS82A_SYS-V0500,VMS82A_SYSLOA-V0100,VMS82A_TDF-V0200,VMS82A_TZ-V0100,VMS82A_
XFC-V0100
VMS82A_XFC-V0100 INCLUDED VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0300,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0400,VMS82A_UPDATE-V0500
VMS82A_XFC-V0100 REQUIRES VMS82_UPDATE-V0100,VMS82A_XFC-V0100,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_XFC-V0100--4
VMS82A_XFC-V0200 REQUIRES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0300,VMS82A_PCSI-V0100,VMS82A_XFC-V0200,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_XFC-V0200--4
VMS82A_XFC-V0200 SUPERSEDES VMS82A_XFC-V0100

[Sebastian Bazley]

A good idea to extract the INCLUDED BY and SUPERSEDES details - but I think I would use Perl to do the heavy lifting...

BTW, not sure what the following bits are about:

VMS82A_TZ-V0100 REQUIRES VMS82A_UPDATE-V0200,VMS82A_PCSI-V0100,VMS82A_TZ-V0100,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_TZ-V0100--4,A
MERICA/CAMBRIDGE_BAY,AMERICA/GLACE_BAY,AMERICA/KNOX_IN,AMERICA/RAI
NY_RIVER,AMERICA/RANKIN_INLET,AMERICA/THUNDER_BAY,VMS82A_TZ/SEL=

and

VMS82A_TDF-V0100 REQUIRES VMS82_UPDATE-V0100,VMS82A_TDF-V0100,DEC-AXPVMS-VMS82A_TDF-V0100--4

etc

looks like there are some spurious entries...

[Robert_Boyd]

Due to the variability in the release note documents there are some spurious entries.

I've wanted to rewrite the DCL as perl script, just haven't had time to do that work. Once the script is in perl it will be easier to eliminate the spurious items getting in there.

[Hoff]

I'd ask that the ECO release notes documentation be migrated into an XML text file format, with a DTD included within or otherwise made available.

XML can support the release date, dependency references, the prerequisite kits, and the release notes text, as well as easily maintaining details such as tracking both the functional revisions to kits and the kit re-releases that can occur when there are ECO kit documentation revisions. And the XML and its DTD can be easily verified for structural and grammar correctness.

Carrying this request to its logical conclusion, the ECOs should themselves be in XML format, but that involves rather more changes to the downstream installation and ECO management tools within OpenVMS.

With the DTD and some XSLT, the web display can be driven directly off the XML files, too. Add an RSS feed, and the whole process can be end-to-end automated.

Yes, existing users can also continue to read the ECO text files directly; XML is easily readable by humans. And XML is far more easily processed by software than is free-form text.

[Sebastian Bazley]

This is getting rather off-topic ...

XML *can* be human-readable, provided that it is sensibly laid out, and uses tags and attributes appropriately.

However it can be awkward or really difficult to read.

e.g. the XML created by the ITRC system is not particularly easy to read.

Likewise the web pages generated from the underlying content (whether XML or not) can be well laid out or not (e.g. why does the MASTER ECO not appear in the correct date order in the VMS patch lists ??)

Just using XML is not necessarily going to make the end product easier for humans to use.