Sablime® v6.1 Update 3
Release notes
April 2007
Contents
Enhancements...........................................................1
Fixed Bugs .................................................................3
Technical Notes........................................................4
Incompatible Change...............................................5
Acquiring Sablime v6.1 Update 3 ..........................5
Support for Earlier Releases...................................5
Documentation......................................................... 5
Feedback / Helpdesk .............................................. 6
Mailing List / Sablog................................................ 6
Supported Platforms ............................................... 6
Pricing and Licensing .............................................. 7
Enhancements
Support for Web-only users
With this change, Sablime users no longer need to have an
account on the UNIX* / Linux* host in order to use Web
Sablime. This greatly simplifies Sablime administration, since
the Sablime administrator no longer needs to involve the
System administrator in order to manage Sablime access. The
Sablime administrator simply creates a PTS record for the user
and assigns them an initial Web password. The users then have
full access to the Web Sablime capabilities.
Note: If you are upgrading from
an earlier version of Sablime,
you may wish to review the
Release Notes for the intervening
releases in order to understand
the impact on your existing
system. This document
describes only those changes
that are part of the upgrade
from v6.1u2 to v6.1u3.
Not only does this simplify day-to-day user administration, it simplifies Web Sablime
installation, eliminating the need for someone with “root” permissions to become involved.
See the Technical Notes for more information.
For obvious reasons, Sablime users still need to have an account on the host if they wish to log
into the host and run Sablime commands in Console or Command-Line mode [MR: sab060092].
Allow Administrator to act as any user
The database owner can now use the “-as_user <PTS>” option to any command in Console or
Command-Line mode, to cause the command to be executed as if by the named user [MR:
sab060092].
Unedput by assigned user
Sablime has always required that only the person who created the most recent change to a file
could unedput the change. If that person wasn’t available, then the MR would need to be reassigned to a group that contained that person, and then some other group member could
perform the unedput. Sablime now allows the current assignee of an MR – even if it is an
individual who did not make the change - to unedput changes made by that MR [MR:
sab060092].
Set email “From” address to PTS ID email address
Email generated by user commands now contains the user’s email address from their PTS
record as the “From” address, rather than the outmoded use of the user ID and machine name
[MR: sab060077].
Add option to make commands recognize internal keywords
All commands now accept the command-line option “-internal_keywords” or “-intkey”. This
causes the command to use the original “internal” keyword names for all fields, rather than
any locally customized keywords (the “external” keywords). This helps users to write scripts
that are portable from product-to-product. “<command> -intkey –help” can now be used
to discover the full, original, keyword set [MR: sab060045].
Make license manager tolerant of “white-space” issues
Occasionally, email programs mangle the Sablime license key file by changing line-ending
characters, joining lines, indenting things, etc. The license checking software now ignores
such issues [MR: sab060085].
Add –version argument to commands
Sablime commands now accept a “-version” or “-ver” argument, which cause them to report
their release version information (including build date). All other arguments are ignored when
“-version” or “-ver” is used [MR: sab060095].
Automatically put 1 into the Popup selections field
If a Sablime administrator uses the ftd command to change a field type from “1” to “2” (from a
text field to a menu), the command now automatically changes the “Popup Selections” field to
“1”. This avoids the common mistake of defining a menu without allowing any items to be
selected from it [MR: sab010085].
Allow accept and unaccept to handle greater number of MRs
Changed the accept and unaccept commands on the Web and on the host command-line
(prompt=n) interface so that users can specify an unlimited number of MRs [MR: sab040204].
Getversion to ignore MRs in not-yet-assigned states
If an MR build list is created based on some criteria such as a “Target Release”, it might
contain MRs that are not assigned to anyone (i.e. “accepted”, or “nochanged”). This change
causes getversion to ignore these MRs (with a warning to the output file) rather than failing
[MR: sab040256; HD040237].
Next operation of "Unassign"
Changed the Web assign command so that if it is being used to un-assign an MR, then the
contents of the “Next Operation” menu are changed to be appropriate for “accepted” state
MRs [MR: sab050098].
Web addsrc error on Linux/Mozilla
Added a workaround for a Mozilla on Linux “bug” where it tries to execute a downloaded
applet before the applet is finished downloading [MR: sab060062]
Add sample audit script and crontable entry for running audits
The Sablime bin directory now contains a script “run_audits” and a crontable entry
“audit_crontable” to help users set up nightly audits [MR: sab060075].
Update sablime.conf to compensate for http.conf tightening
Some changes in the newer Apache default settings force us to modify settings in sablime.conf
to permit appropriate access to the Sablime directories [MR: sab060101].
Fixed Bugs
Initial MR list for web (un)reserve should only contain eligible MRs.
The selection list for MRs in the Web reserve and unreserved commands is now filtered to
contain only MRs that are not only assigned to the current user, but which also have existing
checkouts [MR: sab040190].
Web create and fcreate choke on double quotes in group member comments
Corrected a condition where some commands emitted incorrect JavaScript (i.e. bad pages)
when there were double-quote characters in the comment portion of a group used to populate
a menu on the page [MRs: sab060100; HD060201].
Web commands have problems when one generic name is sub-set of another
Fixed several web commands which produced failures or improper displays when a generic
name was part of another generic name (e.g. v2.1 and v2.1.1) [MR: sab020067, sab060086].
Web study won't accept already-under-study MRs
Changed the study command so that the MR menu now includes MRs that are already under
study. This allows the assignee or other parameters to be changed [MR: sab040105].
Enable configuring Web Sablime without SCCS at all
Fixed the installation process and software so that users who use only SBCS do not have to
specify a location for SCCS [MR: sab040234; HD040218].
"View Changes" fails when checkout exists
Fixed a condition where the View Changes function on the “Files” tab of an MR Details page
does not show the changes from an MR when another MR has the file checked out (and the two
MRs have the same parent delta) [MR: sab060043]. Also removed the “View Changes” option
from the menu when an MR has not yet edput any changes [MR: sab060089].
“View Changes” unavailable for closed MRs
Fixed the MR Details page for closed MRs so that they also include the “View Changes” and
similar entries on the “Files” tab [MR: sab060090].
Generic field on Web depend should be single selection field
Changed the “Generic” field on the Web depend page so that it permits only one generic
selection (since that is all command itself handles) [MR: sab060050].
Web command problems with hidden fields
Fixed a number of Web commands (accept, edput, fcreate, spawnmr, submit) so that they do
not fail when certain fields that were delivered as visible and hideable have been customized
to be hidden [MR: sab060067].
Web edput mishandles file named “0” (zero)
Fixed the web edput command so that it no longer trips over a file named simply “0” [MR:
sab060073].
Empty add, del fields in MR browser
Fixed a bug where the “Lines Added”, “Lines Deleted”, “Net Size”, and “Absolute Size” fields
of the MR browser were coming up empty [MR: sab060081; HD060147].
Source command cannot move file to physical directory
Fixed a bug that caused the source command to refuse to move a file to the directory where its
“s.” file exists. This would happen if a file was moved in some (but not all) generics to another
directory, and then an attempt was made to put it back [MR: sab060084; HD060161].
Source sends garbled email when no change made
Fixed a condition where the source command would send garbled email if the command were
executed but no field values were changed. The command now sends no email in such a case
[MR: sab060093].
Buffer overflow in email handling code
Fixed a bug in the email handling code where a long email list caused a buffer overflow while
writing to a log file, and caused the command to return a failure code even though it
successfully completed all of its actions [MR: sab060097; HD060002]. Also added protection
from overflow to other log message buffers [MR: sab060102]
Custom reports needs to recognize keywords USER and GENERIC
Fixed the Custom Reports feature so that USER and GENERIC keywords are recognized and
substituted-for on the “file” type reports as well as on the “mrbrowser” type [MR: sab060105].
Technical Notes
Web-only accounts
In previous releases of Sablime, the identity of the user running a command was determined by
the user’s account ID on the host. This was particularly true of the SCCS and SBCS utilities that
manage the physical changes to the source files. Thus, in order for the system to know that
user “joe” modified a file, user “joe” had to have an account on the system.
SBCS is Sablime’s own software, so it was simple to fix that. SCCS – even though Bell
Laboratories developed it originally – is now distributed by the system vendor, and we do not
have access to the original code.
With this release, Sablime now distributes a modified version of SBCS and a clone of SCCS
called CSSC. CSSC is open-source, so we also distribute the CSSC source and our modifications
to it. CSSC is not part of Sablime, and is being used as an external utility. These versions are
capable of recognizing the user’s Web ID and using that instead of the user’s system account
ID.
Note that the system now expects to find these utilities in a sub-directory of Sablime’s bin,
rather than simply picking them up from the environment’s PATH.
Web Sablime upgrades and Web Sablime security
Earlier versions of Sablime’s web interface made use of a setuid-root executable to cause the
actions of web users to be executed on the host under the user’s actual ID.
Sablime included a Web Sablime Security Guide intended to reassure the System Administrator
that this setuid-root utility was reasonable and that it had plenty of built-in protections against
abuse.
New Web Sablime installations do not require the presence of a setuid-root executable.
Actions initiated through the web interface are executed under the ID of the Web Server.
The sablime_install installation script that comes with the Update 3 package will upgrade your
Web Sablime instance from any version v6.0u1 or later, usually removing the dependence on
the setuid-root executable. However, if your setup is such that its “root_install” directory is
not at $sabLCB/web/root_install, the script will retain the setuid-root executable for the new
setup (but will only use it for letting users change their web Sablime password).
If you want to be assured of removing the reliance on the setuid-root executable, you can
follow the Web Sablime Installation and Upgrade instructions to re-install Web Sablime.
For versions earlier than v6.0u1 (including the initial v6.0 release and all versions prior to
v6.0), you will need to run “wsab_install” to re-install Web Sablime. The Web Sablime
Installation and Upgrade guide provides instructions.
Incompatible Change
As of the previous update (v6.1u2), Sablime will not work with the Microsoft version of
Java built in to Internet Explorer. You can continue to use the built-in Java with other
*
applications (for now - see below), but to run Sablime you must have the Sun Java
Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on your client, and it must be enabled in your
browser.
Note that the Microsoft version of Java is obsolete. Microsoft no longer builds it in to
Internet Explorer, and installing Windows XP, Service Pack 2, or certain Internet
Explorer Service Packs on other Windows platforms, disables or removes it.
Acquiring Sablime v6.1 Update 3
Instructions for downloading and installing Sablime v6.1, Update 3 are available on the
Sablime web site. The Sablime v6.1u3 Installation Guide is for first time installers of
Sablime, while the Sablime v6.1u3 Upgrade Guide is for Sablime users upgrading to
v6.1u3 from an earlier version.
You can upgrade from Sablime v5.0 or later directly to v6.1u3. Your existing license
file will continue to work.
Support for Earlier Releases
Support is provided for the current and previous major releases of Sablime. With the
release of v6.1, that means that v6.1 and v6.0 (all updates) are supported. Sablime
v5.2, released nearly 6 years ago and last updated in 2001, is unsupported.
Documentation
Sablime v6.1u3 includes an updated Usage Guide. The Usage Guide is intended to be a
focused and user centered document for all phases of Sablime usage.
The Usage Guide is available on the web site along with these other “Guides”:
Sablime v6.1u3 Installation Guide
Sablime v6.1u3 Upgrade Guide
Sablime v6.1u3 Getting Started Guide
Sablime v6.1u3 Web Installation and Upgrade Guide
Sablime v6.1u3 Visual Studio Plug-in Guide
Sablime v6.1u3 Eclipse* Plug-in Guide
Sablime v6.1u3 Console Reference Guide
The web site is also the home of Sablog – the Sablime blog, containing links to the
most up-to-date information, as well as links to the Known Issues, FAQ, and Helpdesk
Workaround pages.
The three traditional Sablime documentation manuals are still available there for
reference. These are the User's Guide, the Administrator's Guide, and the User's
Reference Manual. These have not been updated since the original release of v6.1,
and information in them might be superseded by the other listed documentation.
Feedback / Helpdesk
The Sablime team welcomes feedback. Please contact us at [email protected]. This is also the email address of Sablime’s helpdesk.
Mailing List / Sablog
If you are not already a member of the Sablime Announcements mailing list, you can
subscribe by sending email to [email protected], with “subscribe sablime-announce
<your_name>” in the body of the email.
To unsubscribe include “signoff sablime-announce” as the email body.
You can also get up-to-date news and information about Sablime, including updated
Known Issues, FAQ, and Helpdesk Workarounds by accessing Sablog, the Sablime blog:
HTTP: http://www.bell-labs.com/project/sablime/sablog.html
RSS: http://www.bell-labs.com/project/sablime/sablog.xml
Supported Platforms
Sablime v6.1u3 runs on the many common UNIX platforms, and on Linux. Web clients
can be those machines or on Windows* platforms. If you want to use a Windows OS
machine as the Sablime host, you can use Sablime for Windows (sfw1.1).
Note that using Sablime from a browser on a Windows platform requires the use of the
Sun Microsystems Java JRE.
The Visual Studio plug-in and the Eclipse plug-in supplied with the v6.1 release will
work with either a v6.1 Sablime host or an sfw1.1 host.
Architecture
hppa10
sparc5
OS &
Version
ilinux
Web Sablime Clients
Browser Minimum Versions(2)
Java JRE
Internet Minimum Version
Netscape* Firefox*
Mozilla*
Explorer
HP-UX 10.20
N/A
HP-UX 10.30(1)
SolarisError!
Bookmark not
defined. 5.5.1
Solaris 5.6 –
5.10
hppa11
rs6k
rs6k_5
Sablime
Host
Binaries?
HP-UX 11.x
AIX4.3
AIX5.1
Red Hat* 7.2
Red Hat 7.3
Red Hat 8.0
Red Hat 9.0
Windows NT*
Yes
N/A
7.0
1.5
1.0.2
1.2
Windows 95
Windows 98
No(4)
6.0(3)
Windows 2000
Windows XP
OS Releases displayed in boldface are the build platform for that architecture
1) HP-UX 10.30 NIS+ systems relying on the nsswitch.conf facility to determine the Name Service are not supported.
2) Netscape/Firefox/Mozilla browsers are tested on sparc5, ilinux and Windows. The browsers may be available for
other platforms in binary or source form and should work with Sablime. Other standards conformant browsers are
known to be usable also.
3) Note that IE 5.0 and above should work, but our testing is limited to 6.0 and newer.
4) See Sablime For Windows (SFW 1.1) for a Windows hosted version of Sablime.
Pricing and Licensing
i
General licensing information is available on the Sablime web site. Price quotes are
available from the Customer Care team at [email protected]
* UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.
* Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
* Java and Solaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc. in the U.S. and other
countries.
* Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and
other countries.
*
Mozilla and Firefox are registered trademarks of the Mozilla Foundation.
* Red Hat is a registered trademark of Red Hat Software Inc.
* Windows, Windows NT, and Visual Studio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and other countries.
i
Sablime is a registered trademark of Alcatel-Lucent. Contents copyright © 2007 Alcatel-Lucent.
Permission to photocopy in support of a licensed installation of Sablime is hereby granted.