CHARON Newsletter - July 2005

 

 

Contents

 

 

1. Introduction

Software Resources International publishes the CHARON newsletter to keep customers, potential customers and partners informed about the recent changes in CHARON-VAX and CHARON-11 product offerings and functionality updates.

The last Newsletter was published in January 2005.

If you did not receive this Newsletter directly and do wish to be added to the distribution fill in the form at http://www.softresint.com/Newsletter.html to subscribe. If on the other hand you do not wish to receive the CHARON Newsletter please reply to this note and change the subject to "unsubscribe". Sending this mail will automatically remove your address from our distribution list.

Back copies of the CHARON Newsletter are available from the Software Resources International WEB site:

http://www.softresint.com/Newsletter.html

For full details on CHARON-VAX see www.charon-vax.com and for full details on CHARON-11 see www.charon-11.com.

The July 2005 edition of the CHARON Newsletter contains updates on a set of new CHARON-VAX products running on OpenVMS Alpha, information about maintenance releases of CHARON-11 and CHARON-VAX plus details of the functionality of the forthcoming version 3.1 of CHARON-VAX/XM /XL /XK (Plus) for Windows.

The July 2005 Newsletter also includes information about CHARON-VAX backup keys, announces the forthcoming CHARON-VAX training events and includes the usual updates on new partners and the standard reminder about operating system and layered products licensing support.

2. The new products CHARON-VAX/66x0 for OpenVMS Alpha are available for Field Testing.

Software Resources international have developed:

• CHARON-VAX/6660 Plus for OpenVMS/Alpha
• CHARON-VAX/6630 Plus for OpenVMS/Alpha
• CHARON-VAX/6630 Plus for OpenVMS/Alpha
• CHARON-VAX/6610 Plus for OpenVMS/Alpha

The initial versions 1.0.32 are available for field testing.

Functionality:

• Advanced CPU feature (ACE).
• May operate as an unattended batch service.
• Support up to 2 GB VAX memory.
• Support 10 or 100 Mbps network connections.
• Can be configured as a VMS NI-cluster member or as a cluster member with shared MSCP disk clustering
• Earliest VMS version supported is 5.5-2H4
• KDM70 XMI disks
• KDM70 XMI tapes. Tapes can only be used for data exchange. Booting from tape is not possible. Only hardware tapes are supported, no tape images.
• Three DEMNA Ethernet adapters.
• The products are installable on any Alpha running VMS 8 or later with a minimum of 4 GB of memory.
• The host must have at least one more CPU than the number of CHARON-VAX CPU´s

The products are enabled through a CHARON-VAX LMF PAK.

If you are interested in participating in this Field Test please send mail to miller.donaldson@softresint.com

3. CHARON-VAX maintenance releases

Recently two new releases were created to fix known problems. These new releases are available to all users of current versions at no charge. Please contact your CHARON sales organization if you require access to this software. In case of doubt send email to miller.donaldson@softresint.com quoting the license number that you wish to update.

CHARON-VAX/6610 (and /6620 and /6630) Plus for Windows version 1.1.40 was created to fix an important error in SMP memory management. All users of these products must update to this version. If you are already using any 1.1.x version, this version update is free of charge and will not require an update to the license key.

CHARON-VAX/XM (and /XL and /XK) (Plus) for Windows version 3.0.39 was created to fix a packaging problem that leads to unnecessary missing License key messages. All customers running version 3 must update to this version. If you are already using any 3.0.x version, this version update is free of charge and will not require an update to the license key.

4. CHARON-11 version 2.5

CHARON-11 version 2.5 build 117 is available for shipment. This release is supported on PC hosts running Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server Standard Edition. This release improves network connectivity, offers optional KW11-L50 and KW11-L60 with smoother time transition for specialized real time applications, corrects WIRE function, corrects IEQ-11 operation over the BCI-2104, introduces a network feature allowing network filtering, improves "running as a service" facility including starting Wire automatically from the configuration file.

Version 2.5 is available to supported customers at no charge, it requires an update to the CHARON-11 license key to run.

See the User manual at

ftp://ch11_public:charon@ftp.sri-gva.ch/Documentation/Manuals/10-01-001.pdf

5. Functionality of the forthcoming version 3.1 of CHARON-VAX/XM /XL /XK (Plus) for Windows.

CHARON-VAX/XM (and /XL and /XK) (Plus) for Windows version 3.1 is currently in Field test and will be available for general shipment in September. The functionality introduced with this release will include;

• The 3100-96/96 and 4000-106/108 can boot VMS 5.5-2 without the H4 extension.
• A DVD write capability. Eberhard Heuser-Hofmann (vaxinf@chemie.uni-konstanz.de) sells a CD/DVD reading/writing software for VAX/VMS.
• Improved networking performance.
• Corrections for running as a service under Windows 2003.
• Tape images may be of unlimited size. (Previously limited to 4 GB)
• CHARON-VAX launcher now takes the CHARON-VAX model from the configuration file and remembers the default configuration file.
• A new Dummy_VCB02 function is implemented (does not need CHAPI.) allowing D type VMS licenses (Workstation) to run on CHARON-VAX/XM/XK/XL
• It is now possible to halt a 3600 emulation that is set up for Auto Boot.

6. CHARON-VAX backup keys.

Software Resources International now offers Back-up keys for CHARON-VAX products on Windows platforms. This 720 hours usage key with no date limit may be used as part of a disaster recovery plan. The prerequisites are an unlimited license and a valid GOLD or PLATINUM support for a CHARON-VAX product. The back up key is always associated with one and only one unlimited license. Technical product details and host system requirements are described in the see the Software Product Descriptions at http://www.softresint.com/charon-vax/index.htm

7. CHARON-VAX training.

The next European CHARON-VAX training will take place during October 5th and 6th, 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland. Partners and customers are invited to attend. For more information and enrolment, please email to info.necco@softresint.com

Stan Quayle of Quayle Consulting, Inc. will run a CHARON-VAX training in conjunction with the HP Technology Forum in New Orleans. The HP Technology Forum will be held in New Orleans between 12 and 15 September 2005. If you wish additional information about this in-depth "hands-on" CHARON training, please go to http://www.hptechnologyforum.com/about/sessions.html or send email to Stan at stan@stanq.com. To register please go to http://www.hptechnologyforum.com/registration/

8. New Partners

We are pleased to announce the following new Value Added Resellers:

Dectime Systems AB
Mr. Kjell Lambert
email: sales@dectime.se
www.dectime.se
P.O. Box 6022
SE-141 06 Kungens kurva
Sweden
Tel: +46 8 740 46 00
Fax: +46 8 711 09 80

Hexalis S.A.
Pascal Pierrot
email: pascal.pierrot@hexalis.fr
www.hexalis.fr
4, avenue Morane Saulnier
78140 Velizy, France
Tel: +33 1 30 67 15 67
Fax: +33 1 30 67 15 90

Advanced Systems & Storage Solutions (A3S)
François Mandonnet, General Manager
email: francois.mandonnet@a3s.fr www.a3s.fr
24, rue Lavoisier - Bâtiment B
92000 Nanterre, France
Tel: +33 1 41 37 9630
Fax: +33 1 55 17 0612

Clemessy
Jocelyn ZINDY
email: j.zindy@clemessy.fr
www.clemessy.com
18 rue de Thann, BP 2499
68057 MULHOUSE CEDEX 2, France
Tel: +33 3 89 32 37 08
Fax: +33 3 89 32 32 07

ALBA d.o.o.
Marijan Minkuz
email: marijan@alba.si
Vipavska cesta 69
5000 Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Tel: +386 5 333 40 11, +386 5 333 40 10
Fax: +386 5 333 41 80

Net Direct Systems, LLC
Steve Morrison
email: smorrison@netdirectsystems.com www.NetDirectSystems.com
2524 Reliance Avenue, Apex,
NC 27539, USA
Tel: +1 (563) 332 2385
Cell: +1(563) 650 0083
Fax: +1 (563) 332 9409

ITcomm S.R.L.
Eduardo Marcelo Serrat,
email: eduardo.serrat@itcomm.com.ar
www.itcomm.com.ar
Agustín Garzón 1668 Piso 6 Of B
(X5006FUL) Córdoba,
Argentina
Tel: +54 351 4559244, 54 351 4559259
Fax: +54 351 4559271

9. Operating system and layered products licensing support

To maintain support from the software owners remember that when deploying CHARON-VAX or CHARON-11 you can buy transfer licenses.

For HP supported VAX software contact your local HP office using the references from the following page:
http://www.openvms.compaq.com/openvms/sri-charon-vax-emulator.html.

For Mentec supported PDP-11 software contact Mentec Inc. at
www.mentec-inc.com or call the Mentec US office at +1 603 883 7711.

For Oracle Rdb, please see the following page: http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/rdb/htdocs/rdb7/charon_vax.html