TSX-32 Version 5.10
Release Notes
Copyright (c) 1998. S&H Computer Systems, Inc.
Table of Contents
1. Corrections for year 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Support for Network Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3. DISKCOPY program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
4. New COPY qualifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
5. Problems Corrected in Version 5.10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
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1
1. Corrections for year 2000
Various corrections have been made to a faulty leap year algorithm.
The error claimed that the year 2000 was not a leap year when in
fact it is. This would impact the system date transition at the
end of Feb 28, 2000. Instead of becoming Feb 29, the date would be
set to March 1. Other implications of this bug include the
scheduling of batch and print jobs to run after a certain time and
file utilities such as COPY and DELETE when directed to process
files based on a delta time, as with:
DELETE/BEFORE="-24" BBS:\SMTPSAV\*.SIN
2. Support for Network Printers
Version 5.10 features support for network printers. This includes
the popular HP JetDirect products as well as any network printer
which adheres to the LPR specification.
Network printer support is integrated into the existing print queue
mechanisms. Typically, a single base queue is directed to a single
network printer, although support for an arbitrary number of
network printers is included.
The integration with print queues makes network printing as easy as
any other type of printing. Explicit print commands such as the
following may be used:
PRINT/QUEUE=JETDIRECT MYDOC.LST
In addition, implicit printing (programs writing to a device) can
be directed to a network printer. This includes LPT output for DBL
or DOS programs.
Network printing works by defining a print queue to create a series
of temporary files, whose names are automatically generated by
version 5.10, into a specific directory. From there, a detached
network printer daemon, NPSERVER.EXP, locates the files and sends
them to the network printer associated with that directory. As
long as these print jobs remain the standard TSX print queues, the
QMAN or SET QUEUE commands can be used to view and cancel jobs.
The queue of files being sent to the printers is controlled with a
separate program, NPLOOK, which can examine or delete files waiting
to print or cancel the currently printing job.
Since the mechanism works through a directory whose purpose is to
store files waiting to be sent to the network printer, you are also
welcome to bypass the entire print queue mechanism and have your
programs place files directly into the holding directory. The
network print server will wait until your program closes the file
to send it to the printer.
2
As a convenience to customers who do not order manual updates,
version 5.10 includes a file named SY:NETPRINT.DOC which fully
details how to set up network printing.
3. DISKCOPY program
A new utility has been added to TSX. The DISKCOPY program not only
makes block by block copies of diskettes, regardless of the file
system, but can also be used to store diskette images on a hard
disk archive in the event you loose the original. Example DISKCOPY
commands are:
DISKCOPY A: ! Copy a floppy
DISKCOPY A: X.X ! ... Or store it in hard disk file x.x
DISKCOPY X.X A: ! ... Recreate original once it is lost
4. New COPY qualifier
The COPY command now supports a /HIDDEN qualifier to include hidden
files in the copy operation.
5. Problems Corrected in Version 5.10
1. The TCP/IP network handler distributed with version 5.00
produced a debug message at the console reading "connection
dropped". While entirely harmless, this message has been
removed.
2. Systems with the SMC EtherEZ ISA ethernet card would experience
job hangs when incoming ping (ICMP) packets were received. Any
jobs in a timed wait (TMWT) state would remain waiting
indefinitely.
3. The SET ARP command could run TSKMON out of channels if there
many of them in STARTNET.CMD.
4. An attempt to run a non-executable file could crash the system.
This might result, for example, by typing:
RUN SY:LSTARTUP.CMD
