| Greetings!
Specificaly check out note 3619.* - I hassled with BNU / Bookreader for
several days with another customer until I got it figured out. In a nutshell,
Bookreader is "retired" and all operating systems are moving to BNU. BNU it-
self doesn't know how to read any type of "manual" (i.e. Bookreader, HyperText,
etc.) but is does invoke the appropriate "viewer" on your behalf. Most LP
docs and all OS docs are still in Bookreader format, so BNU invokes Bookreader
on your behalf *but* it can invoke Netscape (for HTML format manuals) or lots
of other "viewers" specific to a particular document format. BNU isn't perfect,
it can deal with ODL CD-ROM's on InfoServers *but* can't deal with CD-ROM's via
DECnet mounted on other systems. BNU will invoke lots of different viewers
depending on document format, but can't deal with complete Files-11 ODS-2
filespecs or logical names (and hence search lists).
BNU itself is a product on the Alpha (and VAX) ODL CD-ROM's that you need to
install. There is a "readme" file on disk1 (of diskn) with the BNU stuff you
need to get going. Part of the "installation" checks (and installs if needed)
the latest version of BNU itself. The rest of the "installation" sets up the
environment to actually read shelves/books on the ODL CD-ROM's (even including
"MOUNT'ing" the ODL CD-ROM's for you). It even loads a "BOOKBROWSER" PAK if
needed.
BNU uses ".ODL" files which are analogous to the old-style ".DECW$BOOKSHELF"
files and ".BKB" files which are analogous to the old-style ".DECW$BOOK" files.
BNU can *NOT* digest ".DECW$BOOKSHELF" files! I'd suggest the customer use and
install BNU (I actually kind of like it now despite my early misgivings), *but*
if the customer wants to continue using Bookreader directly, there is a saveset
available with a bunch of ".BKS" files (shelf files which Bookreader can digest)
that ties all the individual manuals (".BKB" files) together on the March '97
Alpha ODL.
This quarter is kind of a mess for folks because while the March '97 VAX ODL
CD-ROM's shipped with this saveset, the March '97 Alpha ODL CD-ROM's did not.
To top things off, the actual OpenVMS Operating System doc set (lives on the
same CD as the "kit" files you install for OpenVMS) are still just the old-style
Bookreader files so while you can fire up Bookreader directly to read OS manuals
you normally use BNU as a wrapper for the Bookreader viewer to read LP manuals,
(ain't consistency wunnerful?). Next quarter, both the VAX *and* Alpha ODL
will ship with the saveset so those customers who choose to use Bookreader
directly can do so (but that doesn't do us any good until June). The drawback
is that more and more LP groups (and the OS group) are all moving to BNU as fast
as they can, so continued dependancy on using Bookreader directly is going to
catch up with customers sooner or later.
For now, I'd suggest the customer install Netscape (per the "readme" file -
look for disk1:[README]ODL_USER_GUIDE.TXT). I installed Netscape off the
"Internet Products Suite" CD-ROM. Then, using the March '97 Alpha ODL CD-ROM's,
I invoked disk1:[SETUP]SETUP.COM to "install" BNU itself. FWIW, "SETUP.COM"
calls "BNU_SETUP.COM" if needed because a) BNU has never been installed or b)
BNU itself is out of rev). Then "SETUP.COM" actually sets up the environment
for the ODL CD's themselves. BTW, when you're prompted for the two devices
your ODL CD's live on, just take the default and let it error out. Most systems
don't have two CD drives, so you can't supply a device name for both of the ODL
CD-ROM's concurrently.
Upon trying to access a shelf/book on the March '97 Alpha ODL CD-ROM's, BNU
will invoke Bookreader (most likely) or Netscape (only a few layered products
have doc sets in HTML format to date). If you open up a shelf or book on disk2
(and you still have disk1 MOUNT'ed), BNU will give you an error and you simply
DISMOUNT disk1 and MOUNT disk2 and try again. This is nice since most systems
don't have two CD drives attached but toggling back and forth isn't a big deal.
Besides, most of the stuff a stateside developer is likely to use is on disk1
anyway, the only stuff I know is on disk2 is the Japanese documentation and
"Database and Transaction Processing" products. All the other "sub-set" shelves
(and books) live on disk1.
Once BNU is setup, life begins with cd_dev:[000000]LIBRARY.ODL (which is
analogous to the old-style Bookreader "LIBRARY.DECW$BOOKSHELF" file). Both
are fairly small lists of other "sub-set" shelves (like "Programming Tools",
"Office Applications", etc.). Unfortunately, when using Bookreader directly
(outside of BNU), Bookreader doesn't know how to deal with ".ODL" files so it
can't digest that LIBRARY.ODL to get started.
Interestingly enough, Bookreader does know how to deal with the individual
".BKB" files, but of course trying to select a "CrypticFilenameForABook.BKB"
file is pretty hard to guess at. This is why I'd suggest the customer install
Netscape and install/setup BNU (it navigates the "shelves") and it will invoke
Bookreader (if indicated) to get to a specific manual just fine. I mailed the
customer a "cover letter" that included a FAQ from the HYLNDR::CDROM conference
(note 429.13) that you may want to pass along - it clears up much confusion.
Having said that, my customer just didn't want to deal with using Bookreader
directly to get to the OS docs and using Bookreader via BNU to get to the LP
docs, so I mailed him a saveset you may want to pass along to your customer.
That saveset I mailed to the customer has a bunch of ".BKS" files which
Bookreader knows how to digest. From there the hierarchy of all those ".BKS"
files in that saveset isn't too hard to figure out. It works like this:
- LIBRARY.BKS (this should expand to...)
- sub-setsub-set.BKS (note the sub-set abbreviation is repeated..)
(Ex: (PROGTOOLPROGTOOL.BKS)
- sub-setproductproduct.BKS (note the product abbreviation is repeated..)
(Ex: PROGTOOLFORTRN90FORTRN90.BKS)
- crpyticbookname.BKB (these "filenames" have no rhyme or reason...)
(Ex: D37AAA34.BKB)
Of course all of the above filespecs are transparent to the user firing up
Bookreader directly, since all they do is point "DECW$BOOK" to a filespec on
the system disk that gets created when you "install" that saveset (read the
release notes!) and then "MC DECW$BOOKREADER" and they are all set viewing
the shelves they "installed" which in turn get to the books on the ODL CD-ROM's.
Let me know if you want to pass along that saveset (I still have the compressed,
self-extracting, uuencoded message I sent to that other customer), cheers...
Tony Swierkowski
Digital Equipment Corporation
Software Partner Engineering
Palo Alto, California
(415) 617-3601
"[email protected]"
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