VMS Software / Documentation / SORT V2.0 Patch Kit for VSI OpenVMS x86-64

SORT V2.0 Patch Kit for VSI OpenVMS x86-64

Release Notes

Publication Date: June 2025

Operating Systems:
VSI OpenVMS x86-64 V9.2-2
VSI OpenVMS x86-64 V9.2-3
Kit Name:
VMS923X_SORT-V0200

1. Kit Name

VMS923X_SORT-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.

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

  • VSI OpenVMS x86-64 V9.2-2
  • VSI OpenVMS x86-64 V9.2-3

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 Kits Superseded by This Kit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

There is no VMS923X_SORT-V0100 kit.

This kit is named V2.0 to allow a common patch version level across all VSI OpenVMS versions which have equivalent functionality and defect repair for the SORT utility.

4. Kit Dependencies

  • If installing on V9.2-2: VMS922X_UPDATE-V0200
  • If installing on V9.2-3: none

5. Problems Addressed in This Kit

5.1. SORT enhancements, bug fixes, and performance improvements

5.1.1. Problem Description

The SORT V2 ECO kits are being released with equivalent functionality for all VSI OpenVMS architectures. The kits provide enhancements and bug fixes for SORT (both SORTSHR and HYPERSORT), and a significant potential performance improvement for HYPERSORT.

For a complete description of the changes, refer to the additional release notes in:

  • SYS$HELP:VSI_OPENVMS_SORT_V2_RELEASE_NOTES.TXT
  • SYS$HELP:VSI_OPENVMS_SORT_V2_RELEASE_NOTES.PDF

5.1.2. Images and/or Files Affected

  • [SYSEXE]SORTMERGE.EXE
  • [SYSLIB]SORTSHR.EXE
  • [SYSLIB]HYPERSORT.EXE

5.1.3. VSI Case Identifier

  • Jiras BO-1499,UT-298,UT-321,UT-322,UT-325
  • Netsuite NS6060,NS7155

5.1.4. Release Version of VSI OpenVMS That Will Contain This Change

Next VSI OpenVMS x86-64 release after V9.2-3.

6. Problems Addressed From Previous Kits

None.

7. Images or Files Replaced

[SYSEXE]SORTMERGE.EXE

Image name:

"SORTMERGE"

Image file identification:

"V100000"

Image build identification:

"XGRV-K6N-000021"

Link identification:

"Linker I02-97"

Link Date/Time:

28-MAR-2025 22:42:41.56

Image Checksum (MD5):

9B500988CD56AAB07C3D44FF8CAE5F7F

[SYSLIB]SORTSHR.EXE

Image name:

"SORTSHR"

Image file identification:

"V08-013"

Image build identification:

"XGRV-K6N-000021"

Link identification:

"Linker I02-97"

Link Date/Time:

28-MAR-2025 22:42:12.67

Image Checksum (MD5):

F3BF8D31B200F0717E1ECE577D4F5BBB

[SYSLIB]HYPERSORT.EXE

Image name:

"HYPERSORT"

Image file identification:

"V08-008"

Image build identification:

"XGRV-K6N-000021"

Link identification:

"Linker I02-97"

Link Date/Time:

28-MAR-2025 22:42:19.57

Image Checksum (MD5):

381F774C493FC026EC97C09E6A28060A

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 are supplied (in MD5 format) 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.

Info-ZIP's freeware ZIP and UNZIP tools are provided for use on this VSI OpenVMS version. Your site may have already set up symbols for these tools or other equivalent ZIP tools. If not, use the following command to define a symbol to run the UNZIP image:

$ UNZIP == "$SYS$SYSDEVICE:[VMS$COMMON.SYSHLP.UNSUPPORTED.UNZIP]UNZIP"

Then invoke UNZIP to unpack the kit using the command:

$ UNZIP VMS923X_SORT-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.

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 VMS923X_SORT [/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. Documentation for SORT V2 functionality

Additional documentation for SORT V2 functionality included in this kit is copied to the system disk during kit installation. This documentation is provided both in text format (.TXT) for immediate reference and convenience of using the OpenVMS SEARCH command, and in PDF format for more legible output and convenience for formatted printing from a browser:

SYS$HELP:VSI_OPENVMS_SORT_V2_RELEASE_NOTES.TXT
SYS$HELP:VSI_OPENVMS_SORT_V2_RELEASE_NOTES.PDF

The release notes for this kit and the above files containing additional documentation may be extracted from the PCSI kit before kit installation for reference and planning purposes. The PCSI kit files are present after extraction from the ZIP archive as described above in Section 8.1, “Compressed File”.

To extract the VSI_OPENVMS_SORT_V2_RELEASE_NOTES.TXT file and the standard kit release notes, use the command:

$ PRODUCT EXTRACT RELEASE_NOTES VMS923X_SORT /VERSION=2.00

To extract the PDF format additional documentation, use the command:

$ PRODUCT EXTRACT FILE VMS923X_SORT /VERSION=V2.0 /SELECT=*.PDF

Either of these commands will create a local copy of the desired file(s) in the current default directory.

An update for the HELP SORT online help that corresponds to these changes will be contained in a future patch update kit.

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 2025 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

X86VMS-VMS923X_SORT-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 VMS923X_SORT/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