ECO NUMBER:     ALPLIBR07_062
             PRODUCT:        OpenVMS Alpha OPERATING SYSTEM 6.2
             UPDATE PRODUCT: OpenVMS Alpha OPERATING SYSTEM 6.2




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1  KIT NAME:

     ALPLIBR07_062


2  KITS SUPERSEDED BY THIS KIT:

     None.


3  KIT DEPENDENCIES:

     3.1  The  following  remedial  kit(s)  must  be  installed   BEFORE
          installation of this, or any required kit:

     ALPY2K02_062


     3.2  In order to receive all the corrections listed  in  this  kit,
          the following remedial kits should also be installed:

     None.


4  KIT DESCRIPTION:

     4.1  Version(s) of OpenVMS to which this kit may be applied:

     OpenVMS Alpha V6.2, V6.2-1H1, V6.2-1H2, V6.2-1H3


     4.2  Files patched or replaced:


      o  [SYSLIB]LIBRTL.EXE (new image)



5  PROBLEMS ADDRESSED IN ALPLIBR07_062 KIT


      o  If the input string was truncated the wrong length was returned
         in    the    resultant-length   field   from   LIB$GET_FOREIGN.
         LIB$GET_FOREIGN was returning the original length of the string
         instead of the truncated length.

      o  The LIB$FIND_IMAGE_SYMBOL  was  enhanced  in  OpenVMS  V7.1  to
         permit  a  caller to look up a symbol containing both upper and
         lower  case  characters.   Previously,  all  symbols  would  be
         converted to upper case before lookup.

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         A new flag was added to the flags parameter to signify  that  a
         symbol should be used "as is" and not converted to uppercase.

         The problem became more of a concern because languages, such as
         C, C++ and Java are becoming increasingly more case sensitive.

      o  LIB$VM_MALLOC (used by C RTL routine "malloc")  obtains  memory
         using  $EXPREG.   In  the  case  where  $EXPREG fails to return
         enough memory to  satisfy  a  given  request,  such  "leftover"
         memory  is  placed on a LIB$VM_MALLOC free list.  This tends to
         occur when a process has reached all its virtual address  space
         limit,  or  for  some  reason  asks  for an exceptionally large
         memory allocation.  The problem is that this "leftover"  memory
         is  probably  the  last  memory  available  to the process, and
         interferes with any "last      ditch" attempts to recover.

         Another scenario is where a task can be performed  in  2  ways,
         one of which involves using a large amount of memory.  This can
         result in LIB$VM_MALLOC grabbing  a  large  amount  of  virtual
         memory and putting it on its free list.



6  KIT INSTALLATION RATING:

     The following kit  installation  rating,  based  upon  current  CLD
     information,  is  provided  to  serve as a guide to which customers
     should apply this remedial kit.  (Reference attached Disclaimer  of
     Warranty and Limitation of Liability Statement)

     INSTALLATION RATING:

       INSTALL_3 : To  be  installed  by  customers  experiencing  the  problems
           corrected.



7  INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

     Install this kit with the VMSINSTAL utility  by  logging  into  the
     SYSTEM account, and typing the following at the DCL prompt:

         @SYS$UPDATE:VMSINSTAL ALPLIBR07_062 [location of the saveset]

     The saveset location may be a tape drive, or a disk directory  that
     contains the kit saveset.

     The images in this kit will not take effect  until  the  system  is
     rebooted.

     If you have other nodes in your VMS  cluster,  they  must  also  be
     rebooted  in  order  to make use of the new image(s).  If it is not
     possible or convenient to reboot the entire cluster at this time, a
     rolling re-boot may be performed.

     During installation you may see the following message:

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                                                        24 August 1998


        %INSTALL-E-NODELSHRADR, unable to delete image with shareable
        address data
        -INSTALL-I-PLSREBOOT, please reboot to install a new version
        of this image

     This is not a cause for concern. It simply means that LIBRTL.EXE was
     installed as a resident image, which is the standard configuration
     for OpenVMS Alpha V7.1 systems. The new image will not take e
     ffect
     until the system is rebooted.

     Copyright  (c)  Digital  Equipment  Corporation,  1998  All  Rights
     Reserved.   Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of
     the United States.

     The software contained on this media is proprietary to and embodies
     the  confidential  technology  of  Digital  Equipment  Corporation.
     Possession, use, or dissemination of  the  software  and  media  is
     authorized  only  pursuant  to a valid written license from Digital
     Equipment Corporation.

     DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

     THIS PATCH IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF  ANY  KIND.   ALL
     EXPRESS  OR  IMPLIED  CONDITIONS,  REPRESENTATIONS  AND WARRANTIES,
     INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED  WARRANTY  OF  MERCHANTABILITY,  FITNESS  FOR
     PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT, ARE HEREBY EXCLUDED TO THE
     EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.  IN NO EVENT  WILL  DIGITAL  BE
     LIABLE  FOR  ANY  LOST REVENUE OR PROFIT, OR FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT,
     CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, HOWEVER  CAUSED  AND
     REGARDLESS  OF  THE  THEORY OF LIABILITY, WITH RESPECT TO ANY PATCH
     MADE AVAILABLE HERE OR TO THE USE OF SUCH PATCH.