CHARON-AXP V4.7 Build 171-13 for Windows 64 bit - Patch Notes

This is the Patch Release Notes for
CHARON-AXP version 4.7 build 171-13 for Windows

a cumulative patch for:
CHARON-AXP version 4.7 build 171-01 for Windows

Published: 22 March 2018

Who should apply the patch?

- This patch is recommended to everyone since it addresses the important security issues found recently

Also:
- Users having inappropriate warning messages related to hardware specifications
- Users having problems with not sufficient network performance, especially with DE602 network interface
- Users having problems with very long backup procedure on Tru64
- Users having lost savesets after backuping to a virtual tape
- Users having not sufficient network performance
- Users running Tru64 (especially cluster)
- DS20 users using SAN in cluster environment
- DS15, DS25, ES45 users experiencing problems with booting VMS from SAN
- AS400, AS1000 and AS1000a users having problems with networking
- AXP users experiencing problems with RDB crashes
- AXP users experiencing problems with the Fortran debugger
- Users experiencing problems with CHARON license
- Users having problems with CHARON licence after applying the NCC "Disable TCP chimney offload for CHARON" feature
- Users having multihost SCSI cluster configurations
- Users experiencing the Launcher utility crash
- Users having problems with logmond utility
- Users having problems with starting CHARON as service
- Users having issues with Cluster Alias vMAC
- Users having "legacy_mode=true" in configuration files
- Users having issues with network auto-negotiation
- Users having OpenVMS 7.3-2 and the following HP AlphaServer models: 1000, 4000, 4100 and 800
- Users having CHARON-VAX version 4.7 installed on their system for CHARON-AXP and CHARON-VAX to have the same build number
- Users having loss of date/time synchronization after DST change

CHARON configuration changes required:
- None

Problems fixed by the patch:
- Soft limit on the required host CPU number is set according to the "n_of_cpus" parameter now (ID#5137)
- Fixed a problem with DE602 slow ftp transfer under Tru64 (ID#5134)
- To address security issues new Sentinel LDK 7.6 is used for building this release; most up-to-date Sentinel run-time (v7.63) replaces the old one (v6.65) included to the original kit (ID#5211)
- Tru64 backups are very inconsistent, they may take a lot of time comparing to OpenVMS backups (ID#5159)
- NCC "Disable Chimney offload" feature is fixed (ID#5111)
- Data loss during backup to virtual tape is fixed (ID#5144, Case #00029944)
- Network performance has been significantly improved (ID#5111)
- Fixed a loss of date/time synchronization after DST change (ID#5029)
- Fixed a problem leading to misfunction of network on as400, as1000, as1000a models (ID#4929)
- Fixed a problem where the patch installation failed if logmond was running as a service (ID#5040, Case #00029500)
- Fixed a problem with TCP connection between client and the server in specific customer environment (ID#4954, Case #00029305)
- Fixed bugcheck situation during installation of VMS 7.3-2 on as1000, as1200, as4000, as4100, as800 models (ID#4930)
- Fixed incorrect reporting license key ID in the log in case if it is too long (ID#4913)
- Fixed Auto-negotiation problem causing infinite link-down/up loop with (disabled) port (ID#4912)
- Fixed a problem when auto negotiation detectes link down and hangs (OpenVMS 7.2-1) (ID#4921)
- Fixed DE602 network connection issue when "legacy_mode=true" (ID#4904)
- Fixed support of cluster Alias vMAC with virtual DE500BA and DE602 (ID#4900)
- Fixed an issue when "HASP View" utility never reports that no licenses have been found (ID#4896)
- Fixed INCONSTATE Bugcheck on REBOOT in specific customer environment (ID#4871, Case #00028897)
- Fixed wrong error message if no core is available for reservation (ID#4867, Case #00028768)
- Fixed a problem when CHARON experienced segmentation violation when starting a service (ID#4838)
- Fixed an auto-degotiation mode error leading to Tru64 unability to access network in VMWare configurations (ID#4839, ID#4866)
- Fixed AdvFS I/O error while running Tru64 Cluster setup (ID#3844)
- Fixed DS20 intermittent boot failures %SYSBOOT-F-LDFAIL error 54 ("Unable to locate SYS$PUBLIC_VECTORS.EXE") (ID#4827, Case #00028604)
- Fixed the logmond utility issue - it did not accept "-" symbols in log prefix (ID#4825, Case #00028633)
- Fixed DS20 unability to survice SAN controller failure test (ID#4812, Case #00028599)
- Fixed a VMS crash booting AXP models DS15, DS25, ES45 form SAN (ID#3976, Cases #00023850 and #00028131)
- Fixed a hang of a CHARON instance if another CHARON instance, wrongly configured to use the same Emulex Pass Through device, is started (ID#4757, Case #00026541)
- Fixed a multihost SCSI cluster quorum recalculation IPC interrupt issue, "DEPOSIT SIRR C" command now supported (ID#4758, Case #00028145)
- Rolled back a DIT optimization which caused VMS crashes in Fortran debugger and RDB. This optimization will be fixed and applied in the next patch kit or release (ID#4781)
- Fixed a wrong SRM console behavior which ignored invalid parameter(s) and executed incomplete commands entered. Now SRM console would report an error (ID#4795)
- Fixed "Disable TCP chimney offload for CHARON" functionality (which caused CHARON to lose access to its license) (ID#4298)
- NCC is not allowed anymore to change the configuration of a disabled network adapter (ID#4725)
- The default log mode has been set to "append" in the configuration templates (ID#4752)
- Fixed the Launcher utility crash with "Out of Memory" message (ID#4780)
- Mkdisk utility graphics has been updated (ID#4743)
- Launcher utility icon has been fixed (ID#4719)
- Updated CFG template files (c) message to year 2016 (ID#4720)

Installation:
1. Login into account which is used for CHARON management (typically "Administrator" or another account with local admin privileges)
2. Stop all running CHARON virtual machines and close all CHARON utilities (launcher, service manager, logmond if started in the background, etc...)
3. Unpack the patch into a temporary folder
4. Run "InstallShell.exe"
5. If a patch for v4.7.17101 was already installed, please remove it first according to the "Uninstallation" instruction given below
6. Select the patch "CHARON-AXP v4.7.171xx patch for v4.7.17101" in the "Products" dialog
7. Proceed with default installation of this patch product
8. Reboot Windows

Important notes:
- If CHARON-AXP and CHARON-VAX are running on the same server, both must be patched at the same time. Note all CHARON-AXP and CHARON-VAX virtual machines must be stopped before patching any product
- In case either CHARON-AXP or CHARON-VAX is installed & patched, if you install CHARON-VAX or CHARON-AXP later, you will have to answer "No to all" to the question: "The local file has more recent modification date. Overwrite this file?"
- After installation of the patch on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 hosts the following problem may occur (very rare):

"The system cannot find the file specified. : EWA0: Failed to create symbolic link to the packet driver"

The following procedure must be applied in this situation:

1. Open up "Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center"
2. Select "Change Adapter settings"
3. Select each network interface used for CHARON and with right click of mouse select "Disable"
4. Select each network interface used for CHARON and with right click of mouse select "Enable"
5. Start CHARON

Uninstallation:
1. Login into account which is used for CHARON management (typically "Administrator" or another account with local admin privileges)
2. Stop all running CHARON virtual machines and close all CHARON utilities (launcher, service manager, logmond, etc...)
3. If the patch distribution is not preserved on the server, unpack the patch into a temporary folder
4. Run "InstallShell.exe"
5. Select the patch "CHARON-AXP v4.7.171xx patch for v4.7.17101" in the "Products" dialog
6. Proceed with default uninstallation of this patch product
7. All the CHARON-AXP v4.7.17101 executables will be restored automatically
8. Reboot Windows

Note: In case of full deinstallation CHARON-AXP v4.7.171xx patch for v4.7.17101 must be uninstalled first, only then - the product itself.

Stromasys SA
22 March 2018