ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ DCF/2 Release Version 1.4d Information ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ This file contains the README.14 text file contained in the latest DCF/2 1.4d distribution kit. If you are already using DCF/2 Version 1.4c, you only need to download the 1.4d if you have been recommended to do so by Proportional Software technical support or if you wish to disable the automatic activation of the OS/2 Drives Icon during VDU statistics activation. If you are using DCF/2 Version 1.4a or 1.4b, you should download DCFFIX.14D and install it directly over your existing DCF/2 installation (install with the DCF/2 running). If you are running a DCF/2 Version prior to 1.4a, there is a $24.95 upgrade fee which includes a new license. Upgrading is highly recommended because of the increased reliablity and performance of DCF/2 1.4. 30-day test drive versions of both the DCF/2 and DCF/2 Lite are available in the files TRYDCF.14D and TRYDCF.LTD, respectively. These test drive kits are fully-enabled and contain 30-day licenses. The kits do not expire, but the you are expected to license the product within 30 days of installation. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ DCF/2 Release Version 1.4d Release Notes ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ This newest version of the DCF/2 provides you with enhanced performance (up to twice as fast as version 1.2) and greater reliability. In addition, a number of new features have been added and old ones either modified or completely eliminated. The following topics are covered in these release notes: - What's New? - What's Changed? - What's Fixed? - What "Known Problems" Exist? - What's the New Technical Support Number? (Fixes to versions 1.4* are covered in the sections on "What's Fixed" and "Known Problems.") ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ What's New? ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ Version 1.4 of the DCF/2 includes the following new features: * Enhanced Screen-Oriented Startup Manager * New Optimize Menu Options * Auto-Optimize * Virtual & Physical "Space Maps" * System Drive Snapshot * Hot Keys * Mount/Dismount Virtual Disks * Definable Compression Rate & Level * Clean & Close * New Space Management Features like Auto-Suspend * Optional Early Startup for DCF/2 Control Processes The online documentation provides in-depth information about all of these new features. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ What's Changed? ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ DCF/2 1.4d has made the "Drives Icon" activation feature added to 1.4c settable, so you can disable it if you want. To disable the automatic activation of the Drives Icon unREM the following environment string line in your CONFIG.SYS: rem ÿ¯ set dcf2_mon_no_drives_icon=TRUE DCF/2 1.4c introduces a new startup capability which makes the compressed disks (VDUs) available even before the OS/2 system initialization is completed. This means that you can move applications which load from device drivers onto your VDUs. See the online help for additional details. The DCF/2 INSTALL utility will no longer clutter up your DESKTOP with the DCF/2 Online Help and DCAT objects. Both of these objects can be access at the click of a mouse button: - Control-Right-Mouse-Button on any LED Title Bar launches the DCAT (Disk Compression Analysis Tool) - ALT-Right-Mouse-Button on any LED Title Bar launches the DCF/2 Online Help Facility The Right-Mouse-Button-LED-bar "hot key" launches both the OS/2 Drives object and the VDU statistics screen. Now you can move & copy objects between physical and virtual space without having to use the command line or search the OS/2 System folder for the Drives object. The Control Program Startup Menu template has been activated during the startup sequences so that you can start/stop the DCF/2 control processes, run the OS/2 Warp Tiny Editor, and view the status of the DCF/2 control processes. The DCF/2 PDD and ACP priorities have been made dynamic, with the ACP controlling the PDD's wait states to prevent extreme slow-downs when totally out of physical disk space. DCF2VCP.EXE program module has been eliminated. DCF2INFO.CMD file for space management has been eliminated. Free list tables have been eliminated. Monitor LEDs now provide virtual disk unit information previously available via the DCF2INFO.CMD. Place your mouse pointer on any virtual disk LED title bar and press the right mouse button to "VIEW VDU Statistics" -- including graphical space usage information on virtual and physical drives. The "hot-key" combinations are: - Right-Mouse-Button-LED-bar for VDU Statistics - Shift-Right-Mouse-Button-LED-bar for the system drives snapshot - Control-Right-Mouse-Button-LED-bar to run the DCAT - Alt-Right-Mouse-Button-LED bar for DCF/2 Help NOTE: The Right-Mouse-Button now launches the OS/2 Drives Object. DCF2MON.EXE LEDs are no longer placed in your STARTUP folder; instead they are launched automatically each time the DCF/2 is started, both during system startup and during runtime. The online documentation is new and improved -- with expanded sections on OS/2's file systems, disk checking, user reference, troubleshooting, setting enviroment variables and tips and techniques when running the DCF/2. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ What's Fixed? ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ The DCF/2 Version 1.4c optimizer 'quick shuffles' much faster (3-5 times) for VDUs which are frequently optimized. DCF/2 Version 1.4c is fully compatible with OS/2 Warp (Version 3.0). The shared memory memory lock failure bug has been fixed. The SYSINFO bug has been fixed. Problems reported using the Describe word processor have been eliminated. A dynamic DCF/2 control program MOUNT command checks to ensure that the volume being dismounted is not in use by the operating system. If a volume being mounted is not certain to be refreshed by the OS/2 System, a command procedure is created to "re-MOUNT" the VDU either immediately or at some time in the future. DCF/2 1.4a Problem Fixes: The Drive Not Ready from the system drive statistics screen no longer is displayed (also corrected in the INSTALL.EXE program). The problem when running Windows File Manager has been fixed. PDD and Control Process priorities are dynamically updated when an out of space condition is approached. Previously a 'deadlock' condition could happen and make it seem like the system was hung due to process priority conflicts between the lazy writer(s), the DCF2PDD, and the scheduler. In version 1.4a, if a VDU was created, but not pointed to by an environment variable pointing to a real VDU container file, the PMSHELL program would hang during the CALL=DCF2 initialization time. Now the system is notified that the drive is not available and the PMSHELL no longer hangs. DCF/2 1.4b Problem Fixes: Several customers have reported a "beep-beep-beep" tone during file transfers. If they then ran shut down and restarted their system, it appeared that the transferred files had never been written to the virtual disk. Turning off the new "Clean & Close" feature eliminated this problem. We have not been able to reproduce the problem. However, we think it has been corrected in the 1.4c version. Anyone who experienced this problem should now be able to re-enable the "Clean and Close" feature. The auto-optimize level setting from the environment (DCF2_ACP_AUTO_OPTIMIZE_LEVEL=n) was not correctly passed. This is now processed correctly. The auto-optimize would not always return without typing ESCAPE or ENTER after auto-optimize. This user entry is no longer required. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ What "Known Problems" Exist? ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ If you are performing an I/O intensive activity on a VDU and Right-Mouse-Button on an LED title bar to get the current VDU statistics, sometimes the system will return the "Application not responding ..." message with the "Press Enter to terminate ..." or CANCEL options. Select CANCEL and the monitor will then respond. This problem is under investigation. The auto-optimizer appears to go off repeatedly when the desktop "lockup" is enabled (at the AUTO_OPTIMIZE_MINS rate). This means you may have to type ESCAPE back through multiple popup screens. There have been two reports of VIO call error messages (SYS0465 & SYS????). These are believed to be related to video drivers. Anyone experiencing this type of error, please call in the error or e-mail you system configuration at your earliest convenience. There have been three reports of problems with the Lantastic peer-to-peer LAN and sharing DCF/2 compressed volumes. These are under investigation. Several customers have reported "short" formatting problems which are apparently resolved by doing the HPFS "long" format. This too is under investigation. Two customers had problems during installation with insufficient room on the distribution diskette to backup their HFPS and UHPFS files. This has been corrected. One customer has reported that the MEMSIZ utility reports less memory after the DCF/2 is loaded than before. We have been unable to reproduce this. Two sites (including our test lab) have experienced traps during DCF/2 load-time after a system hang or trap (under investigation). One customer has reported dismount problems with an IOMEGA removeable drive (under investigation). One customer has reported a CHKDSK problem at startup because the system reports the VDU locked (under investigation). One customer has reported SYS3175's when loading ASCII files into Lotus AMIPRO (under investigation). Several problems have been reported when using Golden CommPass from a VDU. Initial experiments indicate that lowering the DCF/2 device driver priority will solve the problem. If GCP appears to hang, change the DCF2_PDD_WAIT environment variable (in your CONFIG.SYS) to 1 or 2. If the problem persists, try changing the DCF2_ACP_PRIORITY to 2 or 4. If you have access to CompuServe, please let us know your experiences (GO OS2AVEN, Section 6). A problem reported using file-by-file backups with the BackMaster product may still exist. If you receive a "3175" error message from OS/2 during a backup, the workaround is to backup the VDU container file itself. You can now backup that container file without stopping the DCF/2 (but you cannot access that VDU while backing it up). Ami Pro 3.0b for OS/2 does not like having its style sheet directory to be on a VDU. VIEW the AMIFIX.INF included on the DCF/2 Version 1.4 distribution disk or download it from CompuServe OS2AVEN Library Section 6. If you create more than 5 or 6 VDUs, you will probably get the message "A program in this session encountered a problem and cannot continue." during PM startup. If you have this happen, comment out the DCF2_VDU_x statements in your CONFIG.SYS so that no more than 5 or 6 VDUs are defined (it is ok to create more with the "/U:n" DCF2PDD.SYS). Then startup will work ok. You can put a "STARTALL.CMD" procedure in your STARTUP.CMD as documented in the DCF/2 online help. Sometimes your VDU statistics may display incorrect values if multiple activities are taking place concurrently. For example, if you are OPTIMIZING a VDU in one session and monitoring that VDU's statistics in another session, the values won't resynchronize until the optimize is completed. Whenever you need the statistics to be completely updated, stop the DCF/2 control processes and restart them. If you mount a VDU on an existing VDU unit which requires auto-optimization (more than DCF2_ACP_AUTO_OPTIMIZE_KB_FREE bytes are free in the mounted VDU) the default VDU is auto- optimized (not the one currently mounted). This is corrected and the fix can be made available as a private build. The fix will be included in the next maintenance release. ALT-O (auto-optimize from the DCF/2 Control Program) defaults to optimize level zero (quick shuffle only) and not the auto optimize level set with DCF2_ACP_AUTO_OPTIMIZE_LEVEL. To perform a purge and/or recompression, you must run the dcf2pakr optimize program. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ What's the New Technical Support Number? ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ Telephone support is available to registered users only. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Mountain Time. Registered users who require technical support should call (602) 337-2381. Note: The area code will change from 602 to 520 effective March 19, 1995. Please have your license number handy, as well as a copy of the DCF2ACP.LOG file, if appropriate. Online technical support is available to both registered and unregistered users through the Proportional Software OS2BBS CForum (OS2DCF2 via IBM TalkLink and Advantis) and through the Proportional Software Vendor Forum on CompuServe (GO OS2AVEN).