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.autoparagraph
.flags hyphenate
.blank 3
.center;Beware file for DECmail/MS
.require "msver.rno"
.header level 2 Summary
	DECmail/MS is a pro=duct which pro=vides TOPS-10 and TOPS-20
users with a sophisticated and flexible elec=tronic messaging
ca=pa=bility (such ca=pa=bil=ities are fre=quently called "elec=tronic
mail").  DECmail/MS is the generic name for a soft=ware package which
in=cludes the pro=gram MS along with some ancillary modules which
to=gether pro=vide a com=pre=hen=sive multinode mail service (and, in
the future, will pro=vide gate=ways to other elec=tronic mail
systems).
	This docu=ment de=scribes all bugs in this release of
DECmail/MS that were known at release time, and de=scribes all patches
to other prod=ucts required for DECmail/MS to operate properly.  It
also de=scribes any unusual con=di=tions or unwarranted as=sump=tions
that users and system ad=min=is=tra=tors should be aware of.  This
docu=ment should be read com=pletely BEFORE in=stal=ling DECmail/MS.
.page
.header level 1 Undocumented feature
	A useful feature was overlooked and thus not documented in the
user manual for DECmail/MS.  This feature is the use of the commercial
at-sign character to pro=vide com=mand input from files.
	At any point in an MS com=mand, the user may supply the
remainder of the com=mand from a file by typing an at-sign followed by
the file=spec of the file.  For in=stance, if the file
MAILING-LIST.CMD con=tains the fol=lowing list:
.literal

Campbell, Tucker, Stevens at KL2263

.end literal
the user may insert this list in an ad=dress field in the fol=lowing
manner:
.literal

MS>send
To: @MAILING-LIST.TXT

.end literal
	The at-sign/file=spec combination need not be the only thing
on the com=mand line, but it must be the last thing.  For example:
.literal

MS>send
To: Sengupta, Trotter, Purretta, @MAILING-LIST.TXT

but NOT

MS>send
To: @MAILING-LIST.TXT, Sengupta, Trotter, Purretta

.end literal
.header level 1 Required patches
.header level 2 Required patches to TOPS10
.header level 3 Patch to TRMOP code
	A bug in the TOPS10 terminal service causes an annoying glitch
when dis=playing mes=sages on VT100s, if the SET TEXT-SCROLL-REGION
com=mand has been given.  The observed bug is that only part of the
screen will be filled, and then the monitor will stop typing and ring
the terminal bell, waiting for the user to type ctrl-Q.  This happens
because the .TOPCT TRMOP. can=not be used to set the current page
counter.  To fix this bug, you need to turn on the 4000,,0 bit in
word TOPTB1+24.  Thus:
.literal

.R FDDT
File: /M/P

TOPTB1+24/	30000,,653321	34000,,653321
^Z

.end literal
The number in the right half shown here (653321) is used as an example
only and will be dif=ferent on your system.  This patch is required
only for TOPS10 ver=sions 7.01 and 7.01A;  later monitors have this
fix.
.header level 3 Patch to COMDEV for PRINT com=mand (7.01 and 7.01A only)
	The PRINT com=mand in MS causes the named mes=sages to be
printed on the line printer.  This is done by simply opening device
LL: (or LPT:, if that fails) and copying the mes=sages to it,
presuming that by de=fault the line printer is spooled.  For line
printers attached to DN87, DN87S, or DN20 front=ends, or to DN82 or
DN200 remote stations, this works fine.  How=ever, if the physical
printer denoted by LL: or LPT: is attached in=stead to the RSX-20F
front end, MS crashes with:
.blank
?Illegal data mode for device LPTxxx:  UUO at user PC xxxxxx
.blank
	This occurs because TOPS-10 reports that image mode is legal
for all line printers but those attached to the RSX-20F front end.
The fol=lowing patch fixes this problem.
.test page 12
	In file COMDEV.MAC, change the statement:
.literal

DLPMOD==1_A+1_AL+1_BYTMOD

to:

DLPMOD==1_A+1_AL+1_BYTMOD+1_I

.end literal
	This patch is required only for TOPS-10 ver=sions 7.01 and
7.01A; it is present in all later monitors.
.header level 1 Size re=stric=tions
.header level 2 User community size
	Under TOPS-10, DECmail/MS sup=ports AT MOST 1400 users.  Since
TOPS-10 does not have the concept of a user=name, DECmail/MS must
simulate it.  The table in which it stores pointers to these names is
1400 words long.
	Under TOPS-20, DECmail/MS sup=ports all users of the system.
TOPS-20 cur=rently allows around 4,000 users on an
extended-ad=dres=sing machine (de=pen=ding on average user=name
length).
.header level 2 Message file size
	DECmail/MS keeps the en=tire current mes=sage file in core
during a ses=sion.  Because it does not run in extended sections, only
256K is avail=able for all of MS's buffers, code, tables, and the
mes=sage file.  This re=stricts the mes=sage file size to around 250
pages (1000 blocks).  This is true for both TOPS-10 and TOPS-20.
.header level 1 New mailer required for address lists
	The new ad=dress-list feature does not work when sending mail
via the old local mailer, MAILER.  This means that, for TOPS-20
systems which do not run MAILEX (the new local mailer) or XMAILR (the
Stanford/MIT inter=net=work mailer), ad=dress lists will not work in
mail which is entirely local.  What is meant by "not working" is that
DECmail/MS will accept the ad=dress lists, and send mail to the
correct recipients, but due to deficiencies in MAILER the received
mail will show only the recipients' names, and not the name of the
ad=dress list.  If there are any net=work ad=dresses in the "To" or
"cc" list, though, the ad=dress list names will be shown, since the
net=work mailers pre=serve ad=dress lists.
	The new mailer, MAILEX, is in=cluded on the DECmail/MS
dis=tri=bu=tion tape, so if you follow the in=stal=lation instructions
this will not be an issue.  Note that you must con=tinue to run the
old mailer, MAILER, as well as MAILEX.
.page
.header level 1 Known bugs and deficiencies
.header level 2 Nonexistent UFD's (TOPS10 only)
	DECmail/MS will not create UFD's.  Under TOPS10, when a user
logs out, any empty UFD's are deleted.  Since DECmail/MS will not
create UFD's, these users will be unable to receive mail.
	The simplest way around this is to create an empty file in
each UFD that is expected to receive mail.  Protect this file <777> to
pre=vent inadvertent deletion by the user.  The existence of this file
will pre=vent the deletion of the UFD on logout.
.header level 2 GLXLIB bugs
	DECmail/MS uses a runtime library called GLXLIB which is part
of the GALAXY subsystem.  This library pro=vides many commonly-needed
functions in an oper=ating-system-in=de=pen=dent manner, thus greatly
simplifying the task of writing ap=pli=ca=tions which will run under
both TOPS-10 and TOPS-20.
	Un=for=tu=nately, GLXLIB has some bugs which affect DECmail/MS
users.  These bugs are documented below.
.header level 3 Message file size limitations (GLXMEM)
	There is a bug in GLXMEM which makes exceeding the maximum
mes=sage file size par=tic=u=larly painful.  When a file grows
dan=ger=ously large, MS will begin warning the user, when=ever it
starts up, that the file is too large and should be pruned.  When this
happens the user can use the MOVE or DELETE commands to reduce the
size of the file.  If the file exceeds the maximum possible size,
though, the memory manager dies with an ASE (Ad=dres=sing Space
Ex=hausted) stopcode.  Since this requires quite a large file,
how=ever (some 250 disk pages (TOPS-20) or 1000 blocks (TOPS-10)), MS
would have gotten quite slow about reading the file already.  This is
your best in=di=cation that it is time to reduce the size of the file.
Most users find it con=venient to periodically move old mes=sages to
an archive file.  This is more for speed's sake than to avoid the file
size limit, which in fact very few users ever reach.  A file of more
than 300 pages will make MS so slow that the user will be motivated to
prune it, long before the absolute maximum size is reached.
.Header Level 3 Core limit considerations (GLXMEM, TOPS-10 only)
.break
	Compared to many other TOPS-10 utilities, MS is a large
pro=gram.  It typically requires 120 to 150 pages of vir=tual memory.
Because of a bug in GLXMEM, if a user with an insufficient vir=tual
memory limit tries to run MS, MS will just go into an in=finite loop.
MS users should thus be given a vir=tual limit of at least 150 pages
and a physical limit of at least 90 pages.
.header level 2 Command scanner bugs (GLXSCN, TOPS-10 only)
	Ordinarily enough of a com=mand must be typed to uniquely
iden=tify it before MS will recognize it.  In order to reduce typing
for the most commonly-used commands, though, certain special
abbreviations have been de=fined.  For in=stance, R will be taken to
mean READ, even though REPLY, REPAIR, and RETRIEVE all exist.
	GLXSCN is a module in GLXLIB that simulates the TOPS-20 COMND
JSYS.  It has the fol=lowing bug related to these abbreviations (under
TOPS-10 only):  you can type the abbreviation, and MS will perform the
correct action, but recognitions will not com=plete the name of the
com=mand.  That is, typing R<ESC> will not cause the remainder of the
com=mand name "EAD" to be dis=played.  This bug exists only under TOPS-10.
.header level 2 SHOW VERSION Command (TOPS-20 only)
	The SHOW VERSION command  checks for the  existence of the  file
SYSTEM:DECNET-HOSTS.TXT.  If  found, the  message "#DECnet support"  is
displayed.  The message  is NOT meant  to signify that  the DECnet  mail
daemons have been  installed, but  rather that the  file containing  the
network database is present and available for use by the mail daemons.
.header level 2 GET Command Bug (TOPS-10 only)
	The  GET   command  does   not   correctly  default   the   file
specification; for example, "GET#[10,1234]"  results in an illegal  file
specification error.  The complete file specification must be  supplied.
This bug only exists under TOPS-10.
.blank
[End of MSBWR.MEM]