AUTO 'README' File
This is AUTO version 8.3 released on 2010-12-21.
License and Warranty
--------------------
This software is OSI Certified Open Source Software.
OSI Certified is a certification mark of the Open Source Initiative.
This software is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL)
version 2 and is not warranted in any way. For more information,
please see the LICENSE symbolic element distributed with this software
or visit:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
Documentation in HTML Format
----------------------------
The element AUTO/HTM tells you how to install and use AUTO.
This is in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format, so for best
results download it to a PC disk drive (or a Web server) and
use a Web browser.
The element RELEASE/HISTORY summarizes changes made with each
release of AUTO. Incompatible changes are summarized below.
Year 2000 Warning
-----------------
Because it uses four-digit years, AUTO will work fine in the
year 2000 and beyond. However, there is a bug in SSG version 23R1 and
23R1A whereby the DATE$ SGS will return 2010 as the year in the year
2000. See PLE #16447455 and UCF #65133202. This bug is fixed in SSG
23R1B.
Thus, it is imperative that sites using AUTO upgrade to SSG 23R1B
(or above), or apply the available fix to 23R1 or 23R1A, before the
year 2000.
Upgrading to AUTO 8.3
---------------------
There are no incompatibilities.
Upgrading to AUTO 8.2
---------------------
This release has new optional configuration parameters STARTMAX,
STARTWAIT and STARTWARN. If you want AUTO to retry @STARTs (TASK
... STRT) that get error 2 (file access denied), you may wish to
add these new parameters to your CONFIG element. Please see the
default CONFIG element for format information. If omitted, AUTO
acts as it did in previous releases (i.e., no retry on @START
error 2). Individual TASK ... STRT commands can also specify these
new parameters for the individual command (overrides the defaults).
The format of the console message that is shown if an @START fails
has changed. This might require changes to Smart Console (AMS)
script(s).
Old format (one message):
Error: status 4000000000nn on "&@START statement>"
New format (two messages):
Error: Task &taskname> got @START error &n> on:
&first 60 characters of @START statement>
Upgrading to AUTO 8.1
---------------------
This release has a new optional configuration parameter MAXDELAY.
If you use the delay feature, you may wish to add this to your
CONFIG element. Please see the default CONFIG element for format
information. If omitted, MAXDELAY defaults to 10 seconds.
This release has a new optional configuration parameter HOST.
If you use the new feature that allows scheduling based on host-id
within a Multi-Host File Sharing (MHFS) system, you should add
HOST SGSs to your CONFIG element. Please see the default CONFIG
element which contains a set of commented-out HOST SGSs. The
multi-host feature requires SSG 23R8 or higher.
Edits of TASK SGSs have been rewritten and are slightly stricter.
Some minor syntax errors that were ignored in previous versions
may now be caught.
Upgrading to AUTO 8.0
---------------------
There are no incompatibilities.
Upgrading to AUTO 7.1a
----------------------
There are no incompatibilities.
Upgrading to AUTO 7.1
---------------------
This release has a new configuration parameter (KEYIN_OK) but it's
optional (and commented out by default).
Upgrading to AUTO 7.0
---------------------
This is a major new feature release.
This release changes the format of the prerequisite file. The
first time AUTO 7 runs it will automatically upgrade this file, if
necessary. However, there are fallback considerations if you
fallback to a previous release after employing the new OR feature.
This release corrects a bug in the handling of the SHOWEXPIRY
SGS. Previously, the existence of this SGS (even "SHOWEXPIRY NO")
was incorrectly taken to turn this on. Now only "SHOWEXPIRY YES"
(the default) will turn it on. You may wish to check your CONFIG.
Upgrading to AUTO 6.3
---------------------
This release has a new configuration parameter (SYSID) but it's
optional (and commented out by default).
Upgrading to AUTO 6.2
---------------------
This release contains only one functional change: New
parameters (SITE_DATE_FORMAT and SITE_DATE_SEP_CHAR) are added
to the CONFIG element. If you do not install the default AUTO
CONFIG, you must manually add these parameters to your CONFIG.
Upgrading to AUTO 6.0
---------------------
This release contains extensive revisions, including
several incompatibilities with previous releases.
Many elements are renamed and some are deleted. Most
important, the old AUTO/CONFIG element has been split into
CONFIG and DICTIONARY. The CALENDAR/SGS element has been
renamed simply CALENDAR. The AUTO/TASKS element has been
renamed SCHEDULE.
A new file, the control file, is used so that AUTO no
longer misses tasks while it's been down. Be sure to
catalog this file by starting the background run with
condition code 4 or higher when upgrading to AUTO 6.0 (or
above).
Most of the background run ECL has been incorporated
into @AUTO,B. The meaning of the condition codes has also
changed to support the control file.
A new field (Day number) has been added to the calendar
(CALENDAR) such that previous calendars will not work with
AUTO 6.0. Thus, you must re-create your calendar (via AUTO,C)
when upgrading to AUTO 6.0 (or above).
The new @AUTO processor replaces @ADD elements for
AUTO administration functions such as creating a calendar,
querying AUTO's files, and scheduling simulation. This
processor also provide a normal termination procedure for
the background run, eliminating the need to E it.
The ADD action type is no longer supported on TASK SGSs.
If you lack Smart Console and have been using the ADD action
type with @KEYIN (from the Group W Toolset), you can use the
STRT action type to @START a batch job that does the keyins
via @KEYIN. The ADD action type was just too difficult to
support.
When the same task name occurs multiple times on TASK
SGSs, these SGSs must occur consecutively. This gives a
performance improvement.
The order of fields #1 and #2 is reversed on the WHEN
SGSs. The time is now the first time and task name is
now the second. You must upgrade your WHEN SGSs.
On TASK SGSs, 'WEEK_x_DAY&n' and 'MONTH_x_DAY&n' no
longer evaluate to true is the day is a non-x day (where
x is WORK, BANK, BATCH or ONLINE).
Upgrading to AUTO 5.5
---------------------
There is a new configuration parameter (in AUTO/CONFIG):
PAGELINES describes the number of lines per printed page. You
need to add this to your configuration only if you plan to use
the detailed simulation feature (also new in this release).
Upgrading to AUTO 5.4
---------------------
There is one significant incompatibility: task names are now
limited to 16 characters in length. If any of your task names are
greater than 16 characters in length, you must reduce them to 16
or fewer characters before installing AUTO 5.4. Previously, there
was no limit on task name length. This could cause *CREATE
directives in MAIN/SKEL to err, since *CREATE can create SGSs with
maximum length of 132 characters. The new 16 character limit avoids
this problem.
Upgrading from AUTO 4.0 to AUTO 5.x
-----------------------------------
The only major difference is that AUTO 5.x takes advantage of SSG
version 23R1's extended support for dates. AUTO uses the new DATE$
SGS to obtain a four-digit year. Thus, the CENTURY/SGS element no
longer exists. And, because DATE$ is updated each time it's referenced,
MAIN/SKEL no longer needs to exit and re-invoke itself at midnight
(previous versions did this to get the new date from DATIME$, which is
the date/time of SSG fire-up).
This version of AUTO requires SSG 23R1 (or above). The main AUTO
skeletons check for this (via the presence of the DATE$ SGS) and
terminate with an error message if a lower level of SSG is found.
Note that SSG level 23R1 will be released as part of System Base
5R3 (scheduled for September, 1994).
Upgrading from AUTO 3.x to AUTO 4.x
-----------------------------------
A new field (Julian date) has been added to the calendar
(CALENDAR/SGS) such that previous versions will not work with
AUTO 4.0. Thus, you must re-create your calendar (via the CALGEN
utility) when upgrading to AUTO 4.0 (or above).
*EOF*