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.