Release Information for Natural Version 8.3.4

This document covers the following topics:

New Features

Parameters

The following new Natural profile parameter is provided in this version:

Profile Parameter Description
ETIO Determines whether or not implicit END TRANSACTION statements are to be issued upon terminal I/Os.

Changes and Enhancements

RNCONST Parameter

For compatibility with the mainframe, the RENCONST parameter has been renamed to RNCONST.

INPUT Statement and IM Parameter

Forms mode as specified by the parameter IM=F is now supported. See Using the INPUT Statement in Batch Mode in the Statements documentation.

For compatibility with existing applications, the default for the IM (input mode) parameter on UNIX has been to be changed to D (delimiter mode). Previously, the default was F (forms mode).

*TIMESTMP System Variable

To ensure that the *TIMESTMP value is unique on multiprocessor machines, the CPU ID is now written to an area of the *TIMESTMP system variable which was previously unused. Restriction for AIX platforms: For technical reasons, the CPU ID cannot be determined and can thus not be written to the *TIMESTMP system variable.

Configuration Utility

The new profile parameter ETIO (ET upon Terminal I/O) is now available in the General Parameters category of the Database Management parameter group. See General Parameters in the Configuration Utility documentation.

Natural Web I/O Interface Client

The Natural Web I/O Interface client is now delivered in the Version 1.3.16.

The environment variable NWO_PF_MSG_LINES_NATIVE_FORMAT can now be used to show the PF key prompting lines and the message line as normal output text, as in the native UNIX environment. See Environment Variables in the Natural Web I/O Interface documentation.

Natural RPC (Remote Procedure Call)

Natural RPC (Remote Procedure Call) is available as a separate subcomponent of Natural. It has its own version number. This measure takes into account that Natural RPC is a cross-platform component and makes it possible to provide new Natural RPC versions independent of new Natural versions for the various platforms supported.

With Natural Version 8.3.4, an enhanced Natural RPC Version 8.3.4 is delivered that replaces the existing Natural RPC Version 6.3.4.9.

Highest EntireX API Version Now Used

The highest API version of the EntireX ACI that Natural RPC, the EntireX Broker stub and the EntireX Broker support is now determined automatically. As a result, the ACIVERS profile parameter has become obsolete and is ignored. ACIVERS is described in the Parameter Reference.

Natural RPC-Specific Application Programming Interfaces

New API

The following Natural RPC-specific application programming interface (API) has been added in the SYSEXT system library:

API Task
USR4371N On the RPC client side, this API sets the user ID and ETID for Natural RPC servers which were configured with Impersonation = A (automatic logon).
USR8213N Terminate a single Natural RPC server by using the sequence number returned for the required server.
Changed APIs

The following Natural RPC-specific application programming interfaces (APIs) have changed: they do no longer support EntireX Location Transparency.

API Task
RPC-CNTX Maintain RPC context for Natural clients.
USR2071N Support EntireX Security on client side.
USR2073N Ping or terminate an RPC server.
USR2074N Set new password for Natural Security user in RPC context.
USR2075N Terminate EntireX Broker service.

All USR* APIs are contained in the SYSEXT system library, RPC-CNTX is contained in the SYSRPC system library.

SYSRPC Utility

Discontinued Support for Logical Names

The Service Directory Maintenance and the Server Command Execution functions of the SYSRPC utility no longer support logical node and server names previously supplied by EntireX.

See also Discontinued Support for EntireX Location Transparency.

Replace Option for Service Directory Items

The Service Directory Maintenance function now provides the option to search for and replace single or multiple nodes, servers, libraries and/or programs. For more information, see the new REPLACE direct command and corresponding PF key described in Direct Commands and PF Keys in the section Service Directory Maintenance in the SYSRPC Utility documentation.

The replace function can also be executed with the SYSRPC system command. .

SYSRPC System Command

The SYSRPC system command now provides the SM REPLACE option to replace single or multiple items maintained in the service directory of the SYSRPC utility.

Natural Security

The following enhancements are provided with Natural Security Version 8.3.4.

Note:
The sections indicated for more information are contained in the Natural Security documentation, unless otherwise noted.

Utility Profiles -SYSPCI

The SYSPCI utility functions related to the products System Automation Tools, Entire Output Management, Entire Operations and Natural Engineer can now also be controlled via SYPCI utility profiles

Application Programming Interfaces

The application programming interfaces NSCADM, example program PGMADM02, and NSCXR, example program PGMXR006, provide a new subcode “D”: This can be used for the maintenance/retrieval of logon records sorted by date.

Read-Only FSEC System File

If the FSEC system file is read-only (profile parameter FSEC=(dbid,fnr,,,RO) or ROSY=ON), any attempt to invoke a Natural Security maintenance function which would cause an update to the system file will be rejected with error NAT1012.

Removed Features

Discontinued Support for EntireX Location Transparency

EntireX no longer supports Location Transparency. Effective with this Natural version, Natural no longer supports Location Transparency as well. For this reason, SYSRPC utility functions and Natural RPC-specific application programming interfaces have changed as described above.

Notice of Future Changes

Version Number

With the upcoming release in October 2015, Natural for UNIX will have the same version number as NaturalONE. This means, Natural Version 8.3.5 will be skipped and the next version will be 8.3.6.