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- Path: sparky!uunet!uvaarpa!darwin.sura.net!paladin.american.edu!auvm!SOCRATES.UMD.EDU!UCNICK
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- Message-ID: <L-VMCTR%92083016581724@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU>
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.l-vmctr
- Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1992 16:57:33 EDT
- Sender: VMCENTER Components Discussion List <L-VMCTR@AKRONVM.BITNET>
- From: "Nick Gavrielatos" <ucnick@SOCRATES.UMD.EDU>
- Subject: VMXMACUP - How it works
- X-To: l-vmctr <l-vmctr@vm1.cc.uakron.edu>
- Lines: 75
-
- Those of you who already know it forgive me, but let me try to
- summarize the way VMXMACUP works and what it does.
-
- Well, to run it you need 3 things. a) Access to VMRMAINT's 176
- disk, since that's where all source macros live. b) the update
- fix c) the AUX file. The update fix and the aux file you create
- them by spliting the FIXE file that you get from SCI.
-
- Now VMXMACUP first looks at the aux file and read the updates
- that it has to apply. It reads the aux file starting from the
- last record in there, ie it reads it in reverse order!
- So if you have 2 fixes to apply, say 123 and 789, and if 123 is a
- PREREQUISITE to 789, then the aux file should have them in the
- following order
- 789
- 123
-
- Many of the errors that result when we try to apply a fix with
- VMXMACUP, are the results of an incorrectly coded aux file, so
- that should be the first place to look if there is an error.
-
- Now, VMXMACUP applies each update to the source macro, and it
- finally creates an optimized version of the macro with all the
- updates. It then does two things: It leaves a copy of this
- optimized version on vmrmaint's 191 disk, just for our
- reference, ie just so that we see what the updated macro looks
- like. You can just erase that file away afterwards, it really
- plays no role at all.
-
- It also uses IUCV(actually the COPYTO primitive, which is an iucv
- application) to send the optimized version of the updated macro
- to VMSECURE's A disk. Careful here: It sends the updated macro to
- VMSECURE's A disk, no matter what that disk is. If you access
- VMSECURE's -say- FFF disk as its A disk, then that's where the
- updated and optimized macro will go. It stays there so that next
- time you recycle VMSECURE, it will pick this copy ahead of the
- old one, and will load this one in memory instead again of the
- old one.
-
- Last but not least, it will issue a MACLOAD that will load the
- updated and optimized macro in memory right away. This way you
- dont have to bring VMSECURE down and up in order for a fixe to
- take effect. The change takes affect right away, and while
- VMSECURE is up and running, ie update is dynamic.
-
- Now, that's just how it works, I am sure some would like it to do
- extra things, or even different things, but that's pretty much
- what it does. If you have an enhancement request call it in and
- it'll take its turn, you know how things go...
-
- One more thing. Everytime I was going to upgrade, I would always
- erase from VMSECURE's 191 disk(every product's 191 disk) all the
- updated macros, so that the newly loaded code would be executed.
-
- There is even an exec that can help you here, I think it comes
- with vmcenter or center 2, and its called(again I think) VMIDFC
- for Duplicate File Checker. It takes as args two filemodes, and
- it tells you what files are common in both these 2 disks, so you
- can erase the ones on the product's A disk.
-
- -------
-
- I know that wasnt a very detailed explanation, but I hope it helps
- explain VMXMACUP's general 'way of doing things' :-)
-
- Let me know if you have any further questions, time permitting
- I'll try them out. Have a nice weekend!
-
- Nick Gavrielatos
- ucnick@socrates.umd.edu
-
- P.S. I miss my old VM userid... I hate unix, I'll never learn
- this vi editor thing, it takes me 2-3 times longer to type up
- a note...
-