Conference noted::hackers

    How about OpenVMS Alpha image files?  Are the same methods
    (DIFFERENCES and CHECKSUM) supposed to work?  A customer
    says that he sees differences scattered throughout the
    Alpha images that are linked against two different GSMATCH
    versions of a shareable image.  I haven't been able to
    check this out on my own, though.  He wants to use this as
    his method of determining whether he needs to relink any
    application images after installing the ALPLIBR patch
    intended to fix the "10,000 days after 1970" (May 19, 1997)
    problem.
    
    Thanks for any advice,
    Bob Sampson

.6>    Alpha images that are linked against two different GSMATCH
.6>    versions of a shareable image.  I haven't been able to
    [...]
.6>    his method of determining whether he needs to relink any
.6>    application images after installing the ALPLIBR patch
    
    Non Sequitur?  (Or is the Customer talking about his o_w_n shareable
    images built on routines from STARLET.OLB??)
    
    
.6>    How about OpenVMS Alpha image files?  Are the same methods
.6>    (DIFFERENCES and CHECKSUM) supposed to work?  A customer
    
    Don't know.
    
    
.6>    says that he sees differences scattered throughout the
    
    Linkage PSECT contents, most likely..
    
    John.

   A 10Kday issue over here?  Ugh.  There's a large discussion going on
   over in VMSNOTES 238.*.  (I'd prefer to keep all the 10Kday issues
   together, as we're trying to address all these issues together.)

   There's an investigative procedure being developed here in OpenVMS,
   and it explicitly covers how to evaluate ones code and ones image(s)
   for the problem.  I'd expect to post it (or a pointer) over in 238.*.

   If the customer can see LIBRTL in the image(s) and does not have
   a "private" LIBRTL, then the customer will pick up the ECO fixes
   automatically.

   If the customer cannot see the LIBRTL in the image(s) and if the
   customer did not link the image(s) against STARLET.OLB, then
   there is likely no 10Kday problem.  (One has to go out of one's
   way with LINKER qualifiers to LINK against STARLET.OLB and not
   against the shareable images such as LIBRTL.)

   If the customer did link against STARLET.OLB, then the only way
   to tell if there is a problem is to look at the source code, or
   search through the image(s) looking for the footprint of the three
   object modules that could have been retrieved from STARLET.OLB.
   (Or to relink, which will pick up the fixed object modules.)

   Both you and the customer will want to read through the Q&A -- this
   will help the customer understand the problem -- and then start to
   look at local programming practices, and at the necessity of the ECO.

	Well, we've actually been living and breathing the Q & A.
Basically, the customer doesn't want to look closely at his build
procedures or link maps.  He wants to semi-automate the search
for code changes in the executable images of his applications.
He wants to detect only "meaningful" differences between two
builds of a single OpenVMS Alpha image, one before installing
the 10K ECO, and one after.  Only if a "meaningful" difference
is found, does he want to investigate further how that particular
application image is built (probably with /NOSYSSHR).

	This is not specifically a 10K issue; I just wanted you
to know what this customer is trying to do, in case it has already
been done.

	Thanks,
	Bob Sampson