Revelation Releases Universal Driver 4.6

Despite a couple of premature announcements on the release of the Universal Driver 4.6 recently, I am now pleased to formally announce that the latest version of the popular Universal Driver is now available and, yes, I do have both full installation and upgrade files available.

The new version features a brand new installer and support for large key sizes and large records has also been greatly enhanced. There are an increasing number of occasions where more intelligence is being built into record keys and parts of the system sometimes handle the keys correctly and in other parts it treats them as a bug and this results in false errors being reported. This issue is addressed in this release.

However, this new version will not support unlimited length record keys. Record keys can now be a maximum of 512 characters long. Any keys that exceed this limit will now be ‘illegal’ and applications will be unable to either read or write them. The server event log will report Linear Hash Error 1016 for this condition. Since this will make the records unreadable, they will be treated as though there is a ‘group format error’ (GFE) in any table that contains them. For this reason, the Database Manager tools in OpenInsight 9.1 have been updated to report the errors (LH Verify) and the ‘Fix’ option has been enhanced to copy them to a new table called DUMP_FIX_SAVE.

Furthermore, there is a more critical fix to address the issue where the Fix GFE option on the current ‘Verify LH’ menu silently considers any records with keys greater than 50 characters long to be GFE’s. Anyone running the ‘Fix GFE’ option will lose any records that have keys longer than 50 characters. As a result of this issue, an RDK containing a FIX_LH routine is being included with the UD 4.6 release. This updated routine will remove the ’50-character-throwaway’ functionality and replaces it with the new ‘512-character-save’ functionality.

In addition to all of the above, the Universal Driver 4.6 now provides backwards compatibility with all previous versions of Linear Hash files, something that was lost from the Universal Driver 3.0 onwards. Plus, the client driver’s (not the service) internal file handle management has been enhanced for improved handling of open tables and the Universal Driver can now manage over 300 open and active tables from a single client – although the reasonable design of such an application would not be recommended.

The Universal Driver 4.6 is fully supported on the following servers: Windows 2000 SP1 and later, both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 2003 SP1 and above and 32-bit Windows 2008. Please note that Novell and Linux servers are not supported at the present time. As with the earlier Universal Drivers, Windows 95/98 workstations are not supported, leaving Windows NT, 2000, XP and Vista Business or Ultimate as deployment options. The Universal Driver 4.6 currently supports ARev 3.12 and OpenInsight version 4.1 or later – 16-bit OpenInsight is not supported.

If you are a client in the EMEA region and you have previously purchased a license for the Universal Driver 4.0 or 4.5, then you are entitled to a free of charge upgrade – drop me a email with your UD serial number and I’ll gladly forward the upgrade files to you by return of email. The files are pretty large though, so a boxed version is available - shipping charges will apply in such cases.

This is an especially good release that addresses several long standing issues that have only just come to Revelation’s attention as deployed systems become larger and larger. I would therefore urge anyone running an ARev or 32-bit OpenInsight system on a Windows server and using an older Revelation Network product, to seriously consider this a necessary upgrade.

Long Record Keys and the UD4.6

Back in June of last year, I wrote a blog posting about the release of the Universal Driver 4.6. Within that announcement, was a note about a change in the way that long record keys were to be handled. However, some more information has come to my attention and this posting is therefore to provide that extra information.

We were recently approached by a client who had upgraded to the Universal Driver 4.6 and who subsequently ran a long key check against their database. This check reported a number of long keys, but a subsequent attempt to remove them from the system using the removal utility failed. As an example, the error message received when trying to delete the bad records was “Unable to delete “M*15607”, FS100, M*15607”. And the actual key was M*15607 15608 15607 15608 etc…. It exceeded 552 characters.

The reason for this failure is down to the removal utility being run under the UD4.6 is bound by the imposed maximum key length. The Linear Hash Service will also have been generating application event logs on the server’s event log when it attempts to read or delete a long key.

As per the installation guide for the Universal Drive 4.6, the system should have been checked for long record keys ‘prior’ to the installation of the Universal Driver 4.6. The installation of the utility is covered in its own installation guide (Network Driver Update for Large Keys) which is included, along with the file, within the Universal Driver installation zip file.

However, if this step is missed out and it is run after the installation of the Universal Driver and it results in long record keys being found, the following steps can be followed to correct the issue:

1) Ensure that everyone is logged out of the system (all OpenInsight applications).
2) Locate and rename the REVPARAM file/s to something other than REVPARAM.
3) Change the chosen driver back to the 4.5 driver using netdrv.exe, or the previously used driver if you are coming up from an older one.
4) Start the application/s and run the utility to report and remove all of the long keys.
5) Change the chosen diver back to the 4.6 driver using netdrv.exe.
6) Rename your name changed REVPARAM file/s back to REVPARAM.

These steps should allow you to access the application through a single user maintenance mode without using the 4.6 service. The utility can be installed into OpenInsight version 7.x and 8.x systems and it is included in OpenInsight from version 9.1.

Upgrading to OpenInsight 9.2

Following a hugely successful RUG and road trip around the UK last week (more on the RUG coming soon) and the release of OpenInsight 9.2, we have had a number of support requests from people new to OpenInsight for installation keys. This posting is therefore to remind everyone of the process to obtain the upgrade files and the authorisation key.

The first pre-requisite is that you have a current OpenInsight WORKS subscription. Please contact me if this is not the case. You then need to ascertain which version of OpenInsight you are running at the present time. If it is an older 7.x or 8.x version then you will need to cross-grade your runtime or Developer Class licenses, please contact me for more details about the cross-grade procedure.

Assuming you are simply upgrading your OpenInsight development system (W serial number) you will need to either obtain one of the single hit upgrades that are unofficially available (there is not currently one to jump from 7.x or 8.x to 9.2, but I will blog one if and when it is made available), or the appropriate upgrades from your current version to 9.2. The readme files identify which upgrades can be jumped, however I personally usually apply each in turn. Alternatively, there is a 9.2 full install in the WORKS area and this can be used for a single clean installation by those of you who wish to backup and restore your application/s into a fresh installation of OpenInsight.

Please note that the WORKS area includes both a 9.2 Full Install and also a 9.2 upgrade, so please be careful to download the right file.

Please also note that upgrades prior to 8.0.3 can be installed without an installation authorisation key, but upgrades from 8.0.3 require keys. The good news though is that you only need one key for the whole upgrade process.

OK, so the actual process:

1) Log into www.revelation.com with your unique username and password.

2) Locate the ‘WORKS Subscribers’ button on the left navigation bar and use it to enter the private WORKS area.

3) Next locate and click on the ‘Works Downloads’ link in the navigation panel and then choose ‘View All by date Posted’. This works fine for us at the present time, as the two upgrades appear at the top of this list. Otherwise you could select to display all by version.

4) Click on the full installation or upgrade page link to go to the license page.

5) Read and then accept the license to move on to the actual download page.

6) Review this page, but move straight to the OI92Install.exe icon at the bottom of the upgrade page and download the file, saving it to you local machine. Please also be sure to download and study the Installation Guide and Readme Guide as there is information in there about closing services, etc. before running the installation and installing the client files as part of the installation.

7) Move back to the top of the download page and locate the hyperlink to the ‘OpenInsight 9.2 Full Install / Upgrade Request Form. This launches the form that you will use to request your installation key.

8) Complete this form, being sure to complete all of the red labelled prompts, including your correct email address, serial number and a site name (reference to this license). If this is your development license (W serialised engine) then just enter Development License.

9) If you have already uploaded your OEngine.dll file DO NOT upload it again, just hit the save button and your request will be processed automatically and you will receive you code by email within a few minutes.

If you have not previously uploaded your OEngine.dll file for the system being upgraded, please locate your OEngine.dll file from within your OpenInsight folder and upload that now. This will invoke a manual registration process and you should receive your installation key within 24 hours (subject to the US office opening hours).

10) You then simply need to install the upgrade/s or full installation using the authorisation key where prompted.

Although the above ten steps sounds complicated on paper, it is actually very straight forward and (with the exception of the actual download time) the process of obtaining the upgrades and installation key should not take more than a few minutes.

However, please do not hesitate to contact your designated Revelation office should you require any assistance throughout this process.

Should you use the UD 4.7?

Earlier this week Revelation released OpenInsight version 9.2.1 and as part of that the Universal Driver 4.7 was released in both standalone and bundled configurations. But what does this mean for people running older Revelation Network Products or none at all?

Let’s begin with those of you not running a network product at all on your multi-user ARev or OpenInsight systems.

Multi-user applications written in OpenInsight versions prior to 9.0 or ARev 3.12 require the Universal Driver. It protects your data against corruption, increases speed performance and reduces downtime.  More details about the benefits of the Universal Driver can be found here.

If your application is based on OpenInsight 9 then there is no need to purchase the Universal Driver. The Universal Driver NUL (Network User License) is already included with OpenInsight 9 and later. The Universal Driver NUL edition is compatible with all existing database files but it is only forward compatible with the OpenInsight 9 development environment. For mixed environments with OpenInsight 9 and any prior Revelation Software development tool, the for-purchase Universal Driver is required since it is compatible with all supported versions of the Revelation Software development tool.

If you are an existing Universal Driver (UD) user then you should also take advantage of the new Universal Driver 4.7. Below is a list of what has changed since these older versions:

Using the UD 3.0 -

• Versions of the Universal Driver after 3.0 are compatible with all previous versions of Linear Hash files.

Using the UD 4.5 –

• NSIS replaces Install Shield as the installer.
• Support for unlimited-length record keys removed (click here for more details).
• FIX_LH routine has been enhanced. The "Fix GFEs" option on the Verify LH menu silently considers any records with keys greater than 50 characters long to be GFEs and data can be lost when running Fix GFEs. This enhanced routine removes the "50-character-throwaway" functionality and replaces it with the "552-character-save" functionality.

Using the UD 4.6 –

• The UD Manager (see note below) is now compatible with 64bit systems.
• The ability to select and unlock multiple records from the Universal Driver Manager is now available. Previous versions allowed only one record to be selected during each unlock.
• Server side install program now recognizes Arev 3.12 as a valid installation location.

Also included with the Universal Driver 4.7 is a console application (the UD Manager) that allows you to manage record locks without having to stop the Linear Hash Service, as well as view the active connections to your applications.

Some of the other great features of the Universal Driver include:

• Only one REVPARAM file no matter how many different subdirectories you have with .LK and .OV files.
• Support for files larger than 4 gigabytes.
• Support for large frame sizes up to 100K.
• You can 'hide' your .LK and .OV from your users.
• The LHVerify facility is integrated onto the server side, allowing much faster performance.
• Registry settings and REVPARAM file created automatically.

For those of you running the Universal Driver 4.x, the cost of the upgrade is FREE, although shipping and handling charges apply. If you are running an older version, please contact your local Revelation office and they will be pleased to provide you with local pricing to upgrade your current network product to the 4.7 version.

So in answer to the posting's title - Yes, I think that the benefits afforded by the UD 4.7 means that everyone should be using the Universal Driver 4.7 wherever possible.

9.x Quickdex and Rightdex patch

Revelation have recently announced the release of a patch to OpenInsight 9.0 and 9.1 to correct errors with Quickdexes and Rightdexes whereby duplicate keys are returned. If you're in the WORKS program you can get the update here.

However, if you are not a WORKS member please contact your local Revelation representative for further details about obtaining this patch.

Configuring OpenInsight 9.0 for 64 bit Vista

In order to run OpenInsight version 9.x on 64-bit versions of Vista, some additional configuration of the default OpenInsight needs to be addressed. These changes should be made only following a successful installation of OpenInsight. The guidelines assume that you have a fresh installation of 64-bit Vista (not one of the Home editions) and also a fresh installation of OpenInsight version 9.0 or later. Depending on your chosen User Account Control settings in Vista, these may not all apply to you.

• 32-Bit Java RuntimeWebOI and CTO both require a Java run time to run. For compatibility reasons, you should download and install the latest 32-bit which is available from JRE (Java Runtime Environment).
  
• Alternative Registry LocationAs well as the operating system’s usual 64-bit registry entries, 64-bit Vista also maintains a separate list of 32-bit registry keys for the purposes of maintaining compatibility with 32-bit applications. As far as OpenInsight is concerned, these 32-bit registry settings are maintained under the ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\RevSoft’ registry branch and all registry changes for OpenInsight should be completed under this branch.
  
  The registry settings for SYSPROG are:
  
  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\RevSoft\OECGI2]
  "UserName"="SYSPROG"
  "UserPassword"="SYSPROG"
  "ApplicationName"="SYSPROG"
  "ServerURL"="localhost"
  "ServerPort"="8088"
  "ProcedureName"="RUN_OECGI_REQUEST"
  "EngineName"=""
  
  The registry is not an area that should be played with lightly and for this reason Revelation have created an updated registry file to assist in the configuration of OECGI2. The file can be downloaded from the main Revelation web site at http://www.revelation.com/knowledge.nsf/07dbcbabb6b3e379852566f50064cf25/88e6dbc0988dec9385257566007831c5/$FILE/oecgi2%20vista64.reg. This file should be used in place of the OECGI2.reg that ships with OpenInsight 9.0.

Please also be sure to review and follow the OpenInsight 9.0 Workstation Installation Notes that now apply to the installation of OpenInsight on all versions of Windows.

OpenInsight 9.1 Upgrade now available!

I am pleased to announce the release of OpenInsight version 9.1 and which is now available from the WORKS area on www.revelation.com. This is the latest version of Revelation Software’s flagship product and it takes the usual leaps forward in enhancements.

I will cover some of the main enhancements in another blog posting over the next couple of days, but those of you who have been eagerly waiting for the release need wait no longer.

Please note that this upgrade can only be applied to OpenInsight version 9.0 and you will need one of the new 5x5 authorisation keys from Revelation before you can install the upgrade. This can be requested using the OpenInsight 9.1 Upgrade Request Form in the download area.

Remember, if you have previously received an authorization code when you upgraded to a prior version of OpenInsight, you do not need to re-upload your Oengine.dll. However, if you have never applied for an authorization code, you will be required to upload the Oengine.dll for the site you are upgrading. You will automatically receive an email with the authorization code after the Request has been sent.

Did you know - Knowledge Base

Hopefully this will simply serve as a reminder, but just in case you’d forgotten (or never got round to taking a look) the Knowledge Base section http://www.revelation.com/ is just one of several valuable developer resources that Revelation makes available to its worldwide community of developers.

The knowledge base is updated regularly with insightful articles on the use and behaviour of Revelation’s products and it’s worth making a monthly to-do task to check it for new information.

Some recent postings are:

• Monitoring the Universal Driver With Windows Performance Monitor
• Index behaviour and keys with system delimiters
• How to Install UD 4.6 on Windows Server When OI Is Not Present
• OpenInsight and .NET

OpenInsight 9.1 - Where do I start??

Yesterday I said to watch the blog for further details with regard to the new functionality in version 9.1, then later I downloaded and reviewed the 9.1 readme and wow, there is much ,much more than I had anticipated. This posting is therefore very much a touch of the highlights and I suggest that you review the full readme for full details – email me if you are not a WORKS subscriber and would like a copy of the readme to review.

One of the main new features to immediately become apparent is the enhanced support for the .NET framework. This new release includes two key methodologies for integrating OpenInsight with .NET and they include NetOI and RevDotNet. The NetOI .NET assembly enables developers to code entirely in Visual Studio and to develop a Windows application that utilises OpenInsight as its data source. RevDotNet is a set of API calls made from within OpenInsight to a .NET control. In addition, Revelation have provided a DOTNET EXPLORER window that enables developers to crack open and explore a .NET control.

In addition, The Basic+ commands for working with .Net assemblies have been modified. These include STARTDOTNET, SET_PROPERTY.NET, GET_PROPERTY.NET, GET_INFO.NET, EVENTS.NET, SEND_MESSAGE.NET, CREATE_CLASS.NET, FREE_CLASS.NET, CREATEINTERNALOBJECT.NET, and PARSEDOTNET.

The new release also includes the ability to send a fax from within OpenInsight using the standard Windows Fax Server that is now included in Windows XP, Vista and Server 2003 and Server 2008. In addition, RTI_CDOMAIL enables an email to be sent from within OpenInsight using an authenticated login and or SSL.

RTI_TASK_SCHEDULER has been introduced in this release, providing an OpenInsight front end to the Windows control panel scheduled tasks. Along with the Engine Server, this can then be used with the new RTI_INDEXER_CONFIG routine to schedule indexing. OERUN.exe also uses the RTI_TASK_SCEDULER and it is intended for this to be run from the Windows task scheduler, but it can just as easily be called from a batch file as required.

The RTI_CreateGUID routine enables a GUID to be generated without using locking and provide developers with a nice way to obtain unique keys and other unique identifiers.

For those of you who need to validate passwords, credit cards or Social Security Numbers without storing those details, RTI_MD5 has been created.

At the last UK RUG, Mike spoke about support for JSON within OpenInsight and this release sees a new routine called RTI_JSON which allows your to generate JSON formatted data. This is especially useful for anyone involved with custom web programming using AJAX techniques. Revelation have included an example (RTI_RSS) that shows how RSS feeds can be read in JSON format.

Another feature of the RUG was the Code Templates and these too find there way into the new release. As many OpenInsight teams grow and organisations looks for consistency within their programs, this new feature enables code templates to be created and saved for future use. These can be used for countless purposes, but one of the main ones will be to prompt developers for consistent opening comments that include a description of what the program does, who initially authored the code and on what date and details of any subsequent modifications. These code templates are stored in the System Editor ++ and a handful of examples templates are included with the 9.1 release.

Many of the new features in 9.1 have been lead by OpenInsight developers through your feedback, comments, suggestions, etc. Many of you have requested an ability to obtain a network user’s name and this is now facilitated trough the use of RTI_GETNETWORKUSERNAME.

I could continue for sometime yet as just about every part of OpenInsight has seen some change, turning what was expected to be a small patch release into another major release. For example, the maximum number of controls on a form has been more than doubled to 2048, ARev32 features eight notable enhancements as a result of a growing number of ARev conversions, WebOI sees a handful of changes and CTO includes the ability to create macros for use with the CTO Child and Standalone forms.

However, I’ll finish up with yet another couple of customer driven enhancements;

The first is the ComboBox Populator which has been enhanced to support a SORTBY tag. This now enables data in a ComboBox to be sorted as ascending left or right and descending left or right. Also, additional ‘literal items’ can be added to the list and they will appear at the top of the dropdown.

I am frequently asked for assistance with modernising the look of the user interface. Revelation have provided two such features in version 9.1. The first of which is the ability to add icons and text separators in your application’s menus – both the main menu and also the context menu and the two menu designers have been modified accordingly to make the process of adding icons and text separators as simple as possible.

Secondly, a new set of FOCUSCELL properties have been added. I’ll leave you to review the readme and OpenInsight help system for complete details, but to summarise, these new properties enable developers to take far more control over a specific EditTable cell. For instance a specific font can now be set for a cell, as can specific colours be set for the foreground and background colour of the cell that has focus. In addition, the border of the cell can be manipulated to change its line style and thickness. A new page and tab in the Database Manager have been added to the Environment Settings window and these allow the developer to set default behaviours for the application’s forms background gradient colours, EditTable FocusCell settings and Graphical Menu settings.

I personally think that this, along with version 9.0, is an awesome release and I’d like to express my thanks and admiration to everyone involved with the development of the 9.x releases. Roll on version 9.2!