VMS Software / Documentation / ACMESRV V2.0 ECO Kit for VSI OpenVMS IA-64

ACMESRV V2.0 ECO Kit for VSI OpenVMS IA-64

Release Notes

Publication Date: May 2026

Operating Systems:
VSI OpenVMS IA-64 Version 8.4-2L1
VSI OpenVMS IA-64 Version 8.4-2L3
Kit Name:
VMS842L3I_ACMESRV-V0200

1. Kit Name

VMS842L3I_ACMESRV-V0200

2. Kit Description

2.1. Installation Rating

INSTALL_1: To be installed by all customers.

This installation rating serves as a guide to which customers should apply this remedial kit.

Reference the Disclaimer of Warranty and Limitation of Liability Statement.

2.2. Reboot Requirement

No reboot is necessary after installation of this kit.

However, there are additional steps that must be performed to use the images provided by this kit on all nodes of a VMSCluster using a common system disk. Refer to Special Installation Instructions for required post-installation actions.

2.3. Version(s) of VSI OpenVMS to Which This Kit May Be Applied

  • VSI OpenVMS IA-64 Version 8.4-2L1
  • VSI OpenVMS IA-64 Version 8.4-2L3

The images and files in this kit apply to any of these VSI OpenVMS versions. Because patch kits are removed by PCSI during upgrades to newer OpenVMS versions, the kit will need to be reinstalled if an upgrade is done from an older listed version to any newer listed version.

3. Kits Superseded by This Kit

None

Note

While this kit does contain the previous content for V8.4-2L1 from the VMS842L1I_ACMESRV-V0100 ECO kit, that kit is still relevant and current for use on V8.4-1H1 or V8.4-2.

4. Kit Dependencies

VMS842L1I_UPDATE-V0100 (if installing on V8.4-2L1)

All new ECO kits for VSI OpenVMS IA-64 V8.4-2L1 require the VMS842L1I_UPDATE-V0100 kit.

None (if installing on V8.4-2L3)

5. Problems Addressed in This Kit

5.1. Enhanced Debug Tracing For The ACME Server

Problem Description

For debugging purposes, the ACME server has tracing code which can be enabled when needed. This tracing has been modified to set the trace flag for the following control mode phases:

  • -AGENT_INITIALIZE
  • -AGENT_STARTUP
  • -AGENT_SHUTDOWN
  • -AGENT_STANDBY

Images and/or Files Affected

[SYSEXE]ACME_SERVER.EXE

VSI Case Identifier

  • Jira BO-1737

Release Version of VSI OpenVMS That Will Contain This Change

Next VSI OpenVMS IA-64 release after V8.4-2L3

5.2. Output From $ SHOW SERVER ACME May Contain Null Characters

Problem Description

Output from $ SHOW SERVER ACME can contain null characters as part of the node name string. With the correction in this ECO kit, the null characters are correctly replaced with spaces.

Images and/or Files Affected

[SYSEXE]ACME_SERVER.EXE

VSI Case Identifier

  • Jira BO-881, BO-2182
  • Netsuite NS3354

Release Version of VSI OpenVMS That Will Contain This Change

Next VSI OpenVMS IA-64 release after V8.4-2L3

6. Problems Addressed From Previous Kits

6.1. ACME_SERVER May Stop Processing Login Requests

Problem Description

Under rare circumstances, an authentication request handled by the ACME_SERVER may be stalled for a significant period. Should all the worker threads become stalled in this manner, the ACME_SERVER will stop processing login requests.

The ACME_SERVER has been modified to allocate additional resources, scan for stalled requests more frequently, and reduce the maximum time a request can remain stalled before it is terminated.

The combination of these changes assures that any single stuck request cannot block additional login attempts and that the ACME_SERVER will recover promptly from such conditions.

Images and/or Files Affected

[SYSEXE]ACME_SERVER.EXE

Quix and/or Bugzilla cases reporting this problem

VSI Bugzilla 3022

Release Version of OpenVMS that will contain this change

VSI OpenVMS IA-64 V8.4-2L3

7. Images or Files Replaced

[SYSEXE]ACME_SERVER.EXE
Image nameACME_SERVER
Image file identificationX-46
Image build identificationXFWL-C6E-000197
Link identificationLinker I02-37
Link Date/Time4-APR-2026 00:56:07.60
Image Checksum (MD5)08537E53C3F58026EFFEE0AA782E9F68

Note

VMS Software, Inc. will only distribute kits in signed form. There is no need for most customers to compare file checksums for security or kit integrity reasons.

However, some sites may require such checking even when using signed kits. The image or file checksums (in MD5 format) are supplied to provide comparisons to the extracted final kit files. To find a file checksum, use:

$ CHECKSUM/ALGORITHM=MD5 filename
$ SHOW SYMBOL CHECKSUM$CHECKSUM

Note

Because a file or image may be replaced by multiple ECO kits over time, a PCSI generation number is used to ensure that the latest version of the file or image is preserved on your system during PRODUCT INSTALL of an ECO kit. Should a particular kit installation discover a newer version of a file or image in place on the system disk, the following message will be displayed:

%PCSI-I-RETAIN, file filename will not be replaced because file from kit has lower generation number

This is a normal occurrence depending on the order of kit installation. The correct version of the file or image will remain on the system after the current kit installation. The %PCSI-I-RETAIN message is informational only and does not indicate a problem.

8. Installation Instructions

8.1. Compressed File

This kit is provided for download within a ZIP archive container file.

The kit files may be extracted on any system with UNZIP and copied to your OpenVMS system, or extracted on your OpenVMS system directly.

Assuming you have created an UNZIP symbol to invoke the UNZIP image, you can invoke UNZIP to unpack the kit on OpenVMS using the command:

$ UNZIP VMS842L3I_ACMESRV-V0200

This will extract the installable PCSI product kit file and its associated signed manifest (_VNC file), used for kit validation during PRODUCT commands.

VSI strongly recommends always using the manifest to validate the kit content during any PRODUCT commands. This will occur automatically if the files are both contained in the same directory.

UNZIP Tool Availability

Most customers likely have already installed a set of ZIP and UNZIP tools on their VSI OpenVMS systems. Should you need these tools, a set of the Info-ZIP freeware ZIP and UNZIP tools for VSI OpenVMS is available for download on the web at this address: https://vmssoftware.com/community/freeware/.

8.2. Installation Command

Install this kit with the POLYCENTER Software Installation Utility by logging into the SYSTEM account and typing the following command at the DCL prompt:

$ PRODUCT INSTALL VMS842L3I_ACMESRV [/SOURCE=location_of_kit]

The kit location may be a tape drive, CD/DVD, or a disk directory that contains the kit. The /SOURCE qualifier is not needed if the PRODUCT INSTALL command is executed from the same directory as the kit location.

This kit requires the use of /RECOVERY_MODE and /SAVE_RECOVERY_DATA and will automatically set them; they do not need to be present on the command line.

The release notes for any kit may be extracted prior to kit installation using the PRODUCT EXTRACT RELEASE_NOTES command.

User-selectable options for installation behavior and scripting are available in this kit, refer to Appendix A, "User-Selectable Control Options and Scripting Considerations" for further details.

Additional help on installing PCSI kits can be found by typing HELP PRODUCT INSTALL at the system prompt.

8.3. Special Installation Instructions

While this kit does not require a system reboot, the ACME_SERVER process must be restarted after the ECO kit is installed.

To restart the ACME_SERVER, use the command:

$ SET SERVER ACME_SERVER /RESTART

In a VMScluster with a shared system disk, this command should also be performed on each node sharing the system disk with the installation system.

Note that authentication requests currently in progress when the ACME_SERVER is restarted could fail, and any requests occurring while the server is restarting could be rejected. Therefore, care should be taken when choosing the time for such a restart.

Similarly, the ACME_SERVER should be restarted if this ECO kit is removed after using PRODUCT UNDO PATCH.

9. Copyright

VMS SOFTWARE, INC. CONFIDENTIAL. This software is confidential proprietary software licensed by VMS Software, Inc., and is not authorized to be used, duplicated, or disclosed to anyone without the prior written permission of VMS Software, Inc.

Copyright 2026 VMS Software, Inc.

10. 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 VMS Software, Inc. 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.

11. Patch ID

I64VMS-VMS842L3I_ACMESRV-V0200--4

Note

The terms "ECO kit" and "patch kit" may be used interchangeably in this document. This also applies for other VSI OpenVMS documentation when describing PCSI kits that provide remedial updates to a particular product.

A. User-Selectable Control Options and Scripting Considerations

A.1. Controlling Kit Behavior for Introductory Questions

This kit provides user-selectable control options for kit dialogue interaction and automated scripting capability as described here in this appendix.

The general form of a VSI OpenVMS ECO kit, when using PRODUCT INSTALL, consists of three initial questions regarding these topics:

  1. System disk backup: A reminder that VSI recommends backing up the system disk before installing updates, followed by a Do you want to continue? YES/NO question, default is YES.

  2. Reboot requirement: A summary of whether the kit being installed requires a system reboot, followed by a Do you want to continue? YES/NO question, default is YES.

  3. Archival of updated files: A description of saving an "_OLD" copy of each image or file updated by the kit, followed by a Do you want to save "_OLD" copies of replaced files? YES/NO question, default is NO.

Other questions may be asked later, depending on the target disk or system environment or other kit-specific requirements.

Note

An initial Do you want to continue? question may be asked directly by the PCSI utility during any PRODUCT command—this has nothing to do with the kit being used. To avoid that question, you must supply sufficient detail to uniquely identify the product you wish to use and specify /OPTIONS=NOCONFIRM on the PRODUCT command.

Control options are available to customize the dialogue for the initial three kit questions. The controls are logical names, which may be defined in the process logical name table with a value of YES or NO.

To modify the behavior of a VSI OpenVMS ECO kit regarding the initial questions, define one or more of the following logical names before issuing the PRODUCT INSTALL command.

  • To skip one or more of the questions, define the corresponding logical name shown here to YES:

    SKIP$BACKUPSkips system backup awareness question.
    SKIP$REBOOTSkips system reboot awareness question.
    SKIP$ARCHIVE_OLDSkips question about saving "_OLD" files. This will take the default, which is NO.
    SKIP$INTROSkips all three of the above questions.

  • To specifically override the default for saving "_OLD" files, define this logical name to YES or NO:

    VSIKIT$ARCHIVE_OLDSets an answer for saving "_OLD" files behavior. This will skip the archive "_OLD" files question regardless of the above SKIP$* logical names.

  • Two additional logical names may be defined as YES to modify the amount of explanatory text displayed for each question:

    VSIKIT$VERBOSEShows all explanatory text for questions.
    VSIKIT$BRIEFSkips some general details in the explanations.

    The default if neither name is defined is VERBOSE. If both names are defined to YES, VERBOSE overrides BRIEF. The BRIEF form is displayed for any questions that are skipped.

For example, to skip all three questions but save an archive "_OLD" copy of each replaced file:

$ DEFINE VSIKIT$ARCHIVE_OLD YES
$ DEFINE SKIP$INTRO YES
$ PRODUCT INSTALL kitname

A.2. Standard Behavior for YES/NO Questions Asked During Kit Installation

Any YES/NO questions asked during kit installation now follow these rules:

  1. Ctrl/Y issued while a question is being asked will force the current PRODUCT operation to terminate. This is completely safe to do while the initial three questions are being asked during PRODUCT INSTALL as no changes have yet been made to the target disk.

  2. Some questions may ignore Ctrl/Y and ask for a specific answer (for example, if aborting the current operation may have side effects for the system). Additionally, note the following:

    • PCSI may trap Ctrl/Y directly for some PRODUCT operations.

    • Ctrl/Y may be disabled during some sensitive kit processing.

  3. The default YES/NO answer is automatically chosen if a kit is installed from a batch job, unless explicitly overridden by a logical name that provides the particular value, such as VSIKIT$ARCHIVE_OLD.

A.3. Installing a Kit From a Batch Job

To install a kit from a batch job, you will need to fully qualify the kit name so PCSI will have enough information to select the kit without asking for confirmation. For example, to install this kit:

$ PRODUCT INSTALL VMS842L3I_ACMESRV/VERSION=V2.0/OPTIONS=NOCONFIRM
If the kit is located in a directory other than the current default directory, you will also need to add the qualifier:
/SOURCE=location_of_the_kit

For a batch job, any YES/NO question will automatically select the default answer. Use the control logical names explained above to modify the behavior if necessary. For the system disk backup and reboot questions, the batch behavior is identical to the default. For the save "_OLD" files question, define the VSIKIT$ARCHIVE_OLD logical name to YES if you want to save copies of the files, since the batch default is NO.

A.4. Deprecated Logical Names From HPE ECO Kits

The three names listed below were used by older VSI OpenVMS ECO kits for compatibility with HPE ECO kit behavior. These old names continue to function, but VSI encourages you to modify any scripts you may have to use the new names shown instead:

Old NameNew Name
NO_ASK$BACKUPSKIP$BACKUP
NO_ASK$REBOOTSKIP$REBOOT
ARCHIVE_OLDVSIKIT$ARCHIVE_OLD