*************************************************************************** November 4 1999 Important Notice SilverPlatter have identified a problem with ERL dbserver 4.05 which affects some searches, typically involving a combination of multiple search terms, a large number of "hits", and the repetition of search terms. The problem is related to memory usage within the dbserver. We now have a proposed fix for this problem and this fix seems to address all examples of the problem that we know about. This fix is currently being tested and an ERL dbserver 4.06 release containing this fix will be made available as soon as the release has passed our formal product test procedure. We will announce this new release on SPIN-L as soon as it is ready. We want to emphasize that we have no reason to believe that this problem is caused by WebSPIRS 4.1 General Release, or indeed by any other WebSPIRS release. *************************************************************************** 8 September 1999 REVISED 14 OCTOBER 1999 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Release Notes for ERL v4.05 for SCO UNIX, Sun Solaris, AIX, and Red Hat Linux =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================= About these Release Notes ========================= *************************************************************************** These Release Notes are revised to correct an error in the previous Release Notes, in the description of the versions of Solaris that are supported. ERL v4.05 is supported on Solaris 2.6, and 7. *************************************************************************** These Release Notes should be read together with the ERL Administrator's Guide, which is available in PDF format on the ftp site: ftp.silverplatter.com/software/erl-server/solaris/erlmn405.pdf or from the SilverPlatter web site: http://www.silverplatter.com The ERL Administrator's Guide contains full details of how to install and configure ERL v4.05. These Release Notes contain the following additional information (along with other items listed in the Contents): * Information that is specific to the UNIX platform, but has not yet been included in the ERL v4.05 Guide. * Any other, late-breaking information about ERL v4.05 that has not yet been included in the ERL v4.05 Administrator's Guide. * Details of features that are new or are changed in this release. * Details of known issues in this release. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Contents =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. Downloading the software and the ERL 4.05 Administrator's Guide 2. Installing and Running ERL v4.05: Additional information for UNIX 3. Late-breaking information about ERL v4.05 4. New Features and Changes in this release 5. Known Issues on UNIX 6. Contacting SilverPlatter Technical Support =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1. Downloading the software and the ERL v4.05 Administrator's Guide =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you have not yet got a copy of the ERL v4.05 software, and ERL v4.05 Administrator's Guide, this is how you download them: Downloading with a web browser: ------------------------------- 1. Access the software download page on the SilverPlatter web site; http://www.silverplatter.com/support/registration.html 2. Choose the ERL dbserver 4.05 check box and select your platform from the drop-down menu. 3. Fill in the registration details, and click Submit Request. 4. The download package contains the following files: The compressed software (erlsrvr.pkg.Z) The release notes (readme.txt) (this document) The ERL Administrator's Guide (erlmn405.pdf) Downloading using ftp: ---------------------- 1. Use anonymous ftp to connect to SilverPlatter's site: ftp.silverplatter.com 2. Login with user-id anonymous and enter your email address as a password. 3. Change to the /software/erl-server directory. (To do this, enter cd/software/erl-server) 4. Change to the directory for the platform you will use for the ERL Server. 5. Make sure you will download the files as binary files. (To do this, enter bin) 6. Download all the files from the directory. (To do this, enter mget *. You are prompted to enter y to download each file.) The files will download into whatever is your local directory. The files are: The compressed software (erlsrvr.pkg.Z) The release notes (readme.txt) (this document) The ERL Administrator's Guide (erlmn405.pdf) Note: Before you install the ERL v4.05 Server software, contact your local distributor or SilverPlatter Information to obtain the ERL Server ID and database license sheets that you need. Note: WinSPIRS 2.0 is no longer supported by SilverPlatter. ERL v4.0 and later only work with WinSPIRS 2.1 or later. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 2. Installing and Running ERL v4.05: Additional information for UNIX =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Full details of the hardware requirements for installing and running ERL v4.05 are given on the SilverPlatter web site: http://www.silverplatter.com/erl/erlserverreq.htm The requirements for the Linux release are the same as for Windows/NT. Full details of how to install the ERL v4.05 software are given in Chapter 2 of the ERL Administrator's Guide (erlmn405.pdf), but you should also note the following points: Upgrading to ERL 4.05 --------------------- * The ERL Server v4.05 software has been designed to replace ERL Server v2.x and ERL Server v4.0x. * If you are upgrading from ERL v4.0, you do not need to perform a system backup, or export your statistics, but you must uninstall ERL v4.0x and then install ERL v4.05. All your databases and data files will be preserved, but you should note the known limitation (detailed below) that the admin password is reset when you upgrade. * Statistics from an ERL v4.x server are automatically converted to the new statistics format when you install ERL 4.05. If you are upgrading from a version of ERL that is earlier than 4.0 you must perform a system backup and export any statistics before you install ERL 4.05, if you want to retain old statistics files. * Instructions for uninstalling software, and making a system backup are included in Chapter 2 of the ERL v4.05 Administrator's Guide. SCO UNIX Notes -------------- Route Daemon: When the route daemon is running, the SPIRS client may appear as a gateway in the server's routing table. This renders the server inaccessible. The SCO installation runs this daemon as a default. If you encounter this problem, comment out the routed line in the /etc/rc2.d/S85tcp file. Sun Solaris Notes ----------------- ERL v4.05 is supported on Solaris 2.6, and 7. Starting dbserver from a Command Prompt: In Solaris the default maximum number of files open for a process is 64. When ERL is started on bootup the SM0dbserver script increases this value automatically to 256. If you start the dbserver process using the following command: $/sproot/bin/dbserver -m the Solaris default value (64) will be used. To start the dbserver process from a UNIX prompt start the dbserver process with the following command: $/sproot/scripts/start_server The dbserver process is now running with a maximum number of files set at 256. Red Hat Linux Notes ------------------- To install the Red Hat Linux version of the ERL software, follow the instructions in Chapter 2 of the Administrator's Guide, following any instructions for UNIX, or where a UNIX platform is specified, following the instructions for AIX. This is the first version of ERL available for Linux so you can ignore all references to upgrading from a previous version, of course. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 3. Late-breaking information about ERL v4.05 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If you used the beta version for ERL v4.05 on SCO, Solaris, or AIX, you should note that the latest version of the ERL v4.05 Administrator's Manual contains some further amendments, as outlined in the next section. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4. New Features and Changes in this release =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Changes made in version 4.05 of ERL =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ----------------------- Changes in the software ----------------------- Statistics Module ----------------- The statistics module has been changed in 4.05. The main difference is that the new implementation is based on ASCII log files, rather than binary database files. The benefits to users include the following: * Statistics retrieval is much faster than the previous implementation, statistics recording is slightly faster than before, and some operations associated with database opening and closing have been streamlined. In testing, reports generated using BrlAdmin ran between 15 and 20 times faster than in version 4.04. * The log files are slightly less than half the size of the binary versions. * A new log file can be started (called "splitting") from the ERL Server Menu. Automatic splitting also works, and is by default set to Monthly. We recommend that you leave the setting at Monthly for optimum performance. * Existing ERL 4 log files are converted to the new format automatically when ERL 4.05 is installed. Our technical support staff can advise on using a conversion utility after installation, to convert any files that were off line during installation. * Server activity can be monitored easily with a "tail -f" command on the current log file. * ERL only appends to the log file, except to retrieve statistics. This means that even if a statistics log file should somehow be corrupted, this cannot interfere with database access. * The log files are named with the date of the first record in the file. This makes it easier to manage backups. (The software relies on the file names, so it is important not to change them.) * The information in the log files is completely self contained, so you can move them from one server to another. * The format of the log files is quite simple, so you can create your own log analysis tools relatively easily. * The only files used are the .log files and their associated .idx files. .idx holds a pointer to the location in the corresponding .log file for each server up and stats dump line. It is used only to find the best place within .log to start reading. If .idx is missing, .log is scanned to find the same starting point with a modest performance penalty. The ERL 4.05 software package includes the statidx utility so you can regenerate .idx files if you need to. * The logic for deciding what sort of logins to count in statistics reports has been simplified. Reports now count logins associated with the most detailed key that is mentioned, that is, the first key from the list below. (A key is "mentioned" if that key is selected in any one of the Key Field boxes in WebAdmin.) If Database ID is mentioned, logins to individual databases are counted. If Database family or Portfolio is mentioned, logins are counted as explained below. If Account or IP Address is mentioned, server logins are counted. Database family and Portfolio logins have a rather complex relationship that affects which is counted. The choice is made according to these rules: If These are Mentioned: These logins are counted: ----------------------- ------------------------- DB family - yes DB family Portfolio - no DB family - no Portfolio Portfolio - yes DB family - yes - and cumulated Portfolio Portfolio - yes - not cumulated DB family - yes - not cumulated DB family Portfolio - yes - and cumulated DB family - yes - not cumulated - with * Error displayed Portfolio - yes - not cumulated - with * DB family - yes - not cumulated - with * DB family Portfolio - yes - not cumulated DB family - yes - not cumulated Portfolio Portfolio - yes - not cumulated - with * Note: The portfolio and database family key fields will only run together if the contents of one of the fields is specified, or if other key fields are included. This means: If you select only one of Database Family or Portfolio, the logins counted will be the one you selected. If you select both, the logic comes into play to select the most sensible action. If only one of the two is cumulated, the non-cumulated logins will be counted. If both are cumulated, portfolio logins will be counted. If neither is cumulated, and only one has a wildcard '*', the one with the wildcard is counted. Note: We recommend that you split your statistics logs monthly. The maximum splits possible within a given day is 27. Note: If you will be generating large and detailed statistics reports we recommend that you use a BrlAdmin script such as: login name=admin password="admin" exportstats { username=* ipadd=* dbfam=* portname=* db=* period="daily" startdate="1 May 1999 00:00" enddate="31 May 1999 23:59" dformat="%d %m %y %H:%M" format="%username%:::%ipadd%:::%dbfam%:::%portname%:::%db%:::%totlogin s% :::%rejects%:::%peakusers%:::%peaktime%:::%ctime%:::%searches%:::%star tdate % :::%enddate%:::%nwabs%:::%nwrecs%:::%servername%:::%serverid%:::%desc% :::%ref%:::%pdesc%:::%dbname%:::%ctd0%:::%logintype%\n" filter="GTE" } This is because if the dbserver generates a results file greater than 100Kb the applet in WebAdmin may take a long time to load this. In testing, a 300 mhz processor could handle a results file of about 75 - 100 kb before a performance degradation was noticed. On a 133 processor results files larger than 25Kb led to a performance degradation. As a guideline, a 25kb results file has about 180 records if you select all data and all keys. Option to Exit is now 11 ------------------------ Experienced ERL administrators will want to note that the menu option to quit the ERL Menu is now 11. (The previous number, 10, now generates a statistics split.) ----------------------------------- Problems Corrected in this Release: ----------------------------------- A problem using pkgadd when installing ERL on a new installation of Solaris 2.6 has been corrected. (9537) A problem that occurred when installing ERL on AIX has been fixed, and it is no longer necessary to edit the erlsvr.cfg settings: MM.VM_DESIRED= MM.FAR_DESIRED= (9720) A problem that meant the server misinterpreted the number of sequential connections as "too many" has been corrected. (9739) The ADJ operator now works correctly. (6676) A problem where the end-date for the coverage of some databases was displayed erroneously as "February" has been fixed. However, for this fix to work, you must re-install all I3-type databases (9684) A problem that put the dbserver process into an endless loop in some circumstances has been fixed (10155). A problem with certain databases, where after the database is installed, a control character is displayed in file DBL.TXT, preventing users from selecting or searching those databases, has been fixed. (10161) ------------------------------------ Changes in the Administrator's Guide ------------------------------------ The ERL Server Administrator's Guide, available from the ftp site, has been revised for 4.05, and includes the following changes: Page 2-7 to 2-8 --------------- Additional information about the way ERL 4.05 converts existing statistics files when you upgrade. Page 2-8 -------- Additional information about upgrading ERL software on AIX. Page 2-14 to 2-15 ----------------- Changed instructions for installing the AIX and Linux versions. Page 4-2 -------- Additional "Split Statistics" option on the ERL server menu. Page 4-6 -------- Information about setting the DBIPATH variable on NT. Page 4-14 to 4-15 ----------------- Correction in the instructions for creating a menu of database titles. (This cannot be user-specific.) Page 5-3 -------- Additional information about IP address logging. Page 6-2 -------- Correction in the instructions for creating user-specific information. (This does not include a database menu.) Chapter 7 --------- Revised chapter on statistics. Page 9-5 -------- Correction to the URL for SilverLinker image files. Some of the features introduced in version 4.0 of ERL =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Offsite File No Longer Used ------------------------------ * The offsite file in /sproot/files is no longer used. The same functionality can be achieved using the user specific ipincl and ipexcl files in /sproot/cfiles. dbmenu.cfg Location Has Changed ---------------------------------- * dbmenu.cfg and dbmenu.eg are now located in the /sproot/cfiles subdirectory. UNIX Logins Not Supported ----------------------------- * UNIX Logins are not supported in ERL v4.0 and later. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5. Known Issues =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Performance and Capacity Issues ------------------------------- * Adding, deleting, or modifying portfolios involves heavy CPU use for up to a few seconds. Portfolios ---------- * Do not delete portfolios with active users. Check to ensure all users in a portfolio are logged off before deleting it. Statistics ---------- * Statistics for ERL v4.05 are more detailed than for ERL v2.x and, as a result, 4.05 statistics files are larger than 2.x statistics files. Using ErlAdmin To Report On Statistics On AIX --------------------------------------------- * You can only report on statistics for a single database if you are using ErlAdmin to report on a dbserver running on AIX. Errors Updating Databases With Connections (SCO UNIX) ----------------------------------------------------- * With ERL v4.03 4.04 and 4.05 on SCO UNIX updating databases with users connected results in a message generated on the server console. The error does not cause any problems for the user or with server operation. * The following steps will exhibit the problem: 1. With SPIRS, connect and open Applied Science & Tech Index (WS21). 2. In dbserver menu -- dbinstall, search for candidates, pick WS22 (currently in cd0). 3. Mount WS22, and Apply Database Update. 4. Press return to disconnect users. 5. Back in SPIRS, exchange WS21 for WS22. 6. At this point, "memory fault - core dumped" or "segmentation fault - core dumped" occurs at the dbserver menu, and the menu is closed. (9741) Browsing Index in WinSPIRS Doesn't Increase Searches Stat --------------------------------------------------------- * When browsing the Index in WinSPIRS and looking at displayed records but not specifically performing a search, the TOTALRECS stat is incremented but the SEARCHES stat is not. (8380) Rejected Logins Statistics -------------------------- * Rejected logins refer to logins rejected due to license or portfolio constraints. Portfolios do not appear as part of the rejected logins information because databases can be listed in several portfolios that a user has access to. (8631, 8741) Use Spaces Not Commas as Delimiters ----------------------------------- * When specifying any lists for dbserver, use spaces not commas as delimiters. (This includes mount and unmount, all dbinstall menus, etc.) (8051, 8105) Dismounting Databases May Not Generate Dismount Messages -------------------------------------------------------- * When dismounting more than one database at a time, dismount messages may not appear for all the databases. (8141) Database Menu Headings ---------------------- * If you create a database title menu (dbmenu.cfg) with tiered subheadings and do not specify databases under the subheadings, the heading for the subheading(s) will not display. For example: Health Sciences Medical MEDLINE Psychological PsycLIT will not display the "Health Sciences" heading. As a workaround, you might specify the following instead: Health Sciences - Medical MEDLINE Health Sciences - Psychological PsycLIT (8285) Session Timeout May Not Always Work ----------------------------------- * Session timeout may not consistently disconnect a WebAdmin connection that has been inactive for the time specified. If the session timeout is set to the default of 30 minutes, the timeout is consistent. (8845) Admin Password is Reset with Upgrade ------------------------------------ * If you changed the admin password in v2.x, when you upgrade to v4.05, the admin password goes back to the default "admin". (8906) Databases May Not Line Up with Headings --------------------------------------- * When you Show Connections using listconn, database codes may not line up correctly under the "Databases in use" heading. (8405) Path for Package Base Installation ---------------------------------- * When you enter the path to the package base directory, be sure to specify the actual directory not the symbolically linked directory. (9071) ERL Installation Ignores Memory Size ------------------------------------ * The ERL installation analyzes your system's swap space and calculates 4MB per user, e.g., 64MB of swap space will accommodate 16 simultaneous users. You should allocate more swap space to get a higher number of simultaneous users on the server up to the physical limit of RAM based on 2MB RAM per user. (7639) Mounting and Unmounting Databases --------------------------------- * When mounting databases installed as CDROM, the ERL server software will prompt the administrator to place the database (CDROM or DVD) in the first available drive. If you are mounting a DVD disc, the software may prompt you to place the DVD in a CDROM Drive. This situation can be avoided by making the first available drive be a DVD drive. You may also place the DVD in the appropriate drive and then use "auto" mount option to mount the disc. (8389) * Before unmounting databases be sure that no clients are connected to the databases. (8140) Viewing Structured Database List --------------------------------- * If you updated the /sproot/cfiles/dbmenu.cfg file, to see the new structured database list, from /sproot/bin as the ERL user run: ./commands/readmenu (8575) Retrieval Client Problems When Used with ERL Server v4.05 --------------------------------------------------------- * When displaying Default and Hits fields or CITN and Hits fields, Hits fields display out of order. (8058) Verify Database Integrity Doesn't Work for Magnetic Links --------------------------------------------------------- * If you install a database as a magnetic link, Verify Database Integrity doesn't accurately report problems with the database. (8077) Verify Database Integrity Doesn't Fix Bad Files ----------------------------------------------- * If you magnetically install a database and then delete or rename a file in the \nodes directory, when you verify database integrity (#5 on the Install Menu), it reports the missing file but does not offer a way to correct it. (8564) License Manager Expiration Date Format -------------------------------------- * License Manager asks for an expiration date in the format dd/mmm/yyyy. Be sure to enter the four-digit year. (8688) Installation of holdings ------------------------ * When transferring holdings files from a machine where they were generated on to a machine where they will be used, the files should always be transferred as binary except when transferring the LHM file from NT to UNIX which should be transferred as ASCII. Note that this rule is different from ERL v2.x. In addition, the HCU generated files are not compatible with the SPLHA files. If both types of holdings are required on a server then they should be placed in separate user specific directories under /sproot/cfiles. It is important that if HCU files are in a user specific directory that SPLHA files are not placed in /sproot/cfiles, otherwise a client connection loss will occur. (9375) Guest Admin set when Database Admin set --------------------------------------- * When Erladmin is used to grant a user Database Admin authorization the Guest Admin authorization is also granted. If the Database Admin authorization is subsequently revoked it is necessary to also revoke the Guest Admin authorization. (9333) Login Not Required does not work -------------------------------- * Setting loginrequired = 0 in /sproot/bin/erlsrvr.cfg denies access to clients. (9355) Allow Password Modification off has no effect --------------------------------------------- * Setting Allow Password Modification off for a user account still causes the client to prompt and accept a new password. Setting an expiration date for the user account will prevent the user from gaining access to the server. The administration may then reset the password and enable the account. (9339) Licenses with blank site names cannot be entered manually --------------------------------------------------------- * If a license contains a blank site name it cannot be entered manually, it must be entered as a file. (9343) Problem with opendir system --------------------------- * There is a problem with the opendir system call used by ERL on Solaris 2.6, when using opendir on an NFS mounted filesystem exported from NT. (9737) Problem using WebAdmin to change the database menu -------------------------------------------------- * If you have edited your dbmenu.cfg file manually in the past, you may have problems saving the file when you edit it in WebAdmin. The solution is to start with a new dbmenu.cfg file that has not been edited manually: 1. Make a clean copy of dbmenu.cfg by copying /sproot/cfiles/dbmenu.eg to /sproot/cfiles/dbmenu.cfg 2. In WebAdmin, create 1 new heading with WebAdmin. 3. Remove all the redundant default headers that are by default in dbmenu.eg. 4. Continue to build the dbmenu.cfg file as you wish. WebAdmin sometimes displays data in the wrong columns ----------------------------------------------------- * There have been occasions where administrators have run many consecutive reports in WebAdmin, and the reports appear formatted incorrectly. We believe this is not a problem with normal WebAdmin usage. (10019) Incorrect address logging following WebAdmin relogin ---------------------------------------------------- * When WebAdmin is included in statistics logging, the client IP address is logged on the first login. Subsequent logins in the same session log the gateway IP address.(10151) EC_BADKEY error --------------- * If a WebAdmin user attempts to connect to the server before any databases have been installed, the dbserver reports an EC_BADKEY error (9323) "unknown" connections left behind --------------------------------- * We are aware of a problem that can occur with multiple servers. If you have two or more ERL servers listed in the erlclnt.cfg file, logging on to one of the servers from a client can create an "unknown" connection on the other server. That connection remains until the user logs out. However, if the server times the user out, the connection remains until the server is restarted. (9903) Using ERL menu when the server is not running --------------------------------------------- * We are aware that it is now possible to access the dbserver menu after you have chosen option 11 (exit), merely by entering ./dbserver. (That is, without first restarting dbserver). However, we recommend you always start the server (by running ../scripts/start_server) before starting the server interface (./dbserver) (10184) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6. Contacting SilverPlatter Technical Support =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you need further assistance with the ERL 4.05 software, please send an e-mail to support@silverplatter.com or contact one of SilverPlatter's regional offices: UNITED STATES: SilverPlatter Information, Inc. 100 River Ridge Drive Norwood, MA 02062 Tel: 800-343-0064 781-769-2599 Fax: 781-769-8763 ---------------------------------- LONDON: SilverPlatter Information Ltd Merlin House, 20 Belmont Terrace, Chiswick, London W4 5UG England Tel: +44 (0) 181 585 6400 Fax: +44 (0) 181 585 6640 ---------------------------------- AMSTERDAM: SilverPlatter Information BV Nieuwe Herengracht 49 1011 RN Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0)20-625 96 50 Fax: +31 (0)20-623 74 08 ---------------------------------- BERLIN: SilverPlatter Information GmbH Guentzelstrasse 63 D-10717 Berlin Germany Tel: +49 (0)30-857799-0 Fax: +49 (0)30-857799-99 ---------------------------------- =-=-=-=