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IRIX 6.5.16
IRIX 6.5.15 Feature Stream:[edit]
Filesystems[edit]
New option for XVM show command The -extend option has been added to the XVM show command. Specifying this option will display additional information about physvols, slices, stripes and foreign disks than the show command alone.
New CXFS features[edit]
For IRIX 6.5.16f, CXFS features include the following: Support for multiple operating system (multiOS) clients, such as Solaris nodes and Windows NT nodes. The CXFS GUI and cmgr(1M) command now allow you to specify the operating system for a given node. I/O fencing, which allows a problem node to be isolated from the storage area network (SAN) so that it cannot corrupt data in the shared CXFS filesystem; this is required for Solaris nodes and Windows NT nodes. A Brocade switch is required to support I/O fencing. Support for a two-node CXFS cluster running with FailSafe and an L1 controller on Origin 300 and Origin 3200 systems.
CXFS upgrade: filesystem definitions[edit]
The structure of the CXFS filesystem configuration was changed with the release of IRIX 6.5.13f. Backward compatibility with earlier versions is no longer maintained as of IRIX 6.5.14f, since all nodes in the cluster must be running the same or adjacent releases. If you are upgrading from 6.5.13f to 6.5.14f or later, there is no further impact. If you are upgrading from 6.5.12f or earlier, you must perform a one-time manual conversion of your CXFS filesystem definitions. See the CXFS Software Installation and Administration Guide for more information.
CXFS upgrade: cluster nodes[edit]
For CXFS customers, if you install IRIX 6.5.16f including sysadm_base on a cluster node where the the 6.5.13f or earlier version of CXFS is installed, you will need to upgrade to the 6.5.16f version CXFS (sysadm_cxfs) and install 6.5.16f sysadm_cluster.
System Performance and Tuning[edit]
New joblimitsign kernel tunable parameters group This tunable can be used to specify that specific job limit resource accumulation and enforcement should be ignored by the kernel. New setjusage system call The setjusage system call is used to update resource usage for jobs in the kernel. The system call can only be used to update usage information if the limit accumulation and enforcement for the specified resource is being ignored. This function can be used by sites to implement a site-specific solution for resource accumulation and enforcement. Comprehensive System Accounting (CSA) Change to csa.conf file The ACCT_FS parameter in the /etc/csa.conf file is removed. The MIN_BLKS parameter now determines the minimum number of free 1K blocks needed on the file system on which the /var/adm/acct directory resides. The default is 2000. IRIX 6.5.16 Maintenance and Feature Stream:
Kernel Configuration[edit]
New interrupt thread control interface A new XThread Control Interface (XTCI) is introduced that allows users to control many interrupt thread parameters, including cpu binding. System administrators can use this interface to control kernel thread properties separate from the physical interrupts they service. Performance Monitoring Tools Enhanced rtmond performance for large systems Performance improvements have been made to the rtmond system monitoring daemon. These improvements will be most noticeable on systems with 128 CPUs and larger.
Array Services[edit]
Features added to Array Services Array Services scaling support has increased from a maximum of 8 hosts to 64 hosts. Array Services also provides increased interoperability with job limits.
Graphic Workstations[edit]
Enhanced mouse support Support is added for the mouse with more than three buttons or with wheels. Users with Microsoft Intellimouse or Intellimouse Explorer can use this expanded functionality in many IRIX and Open Source applications.
CPU Management[edit]
New option to mpadmin(1) command An -x[processor] option is added to the mpadmin(1) command that allows you to exclude the specified CPU from performing any work. This functionality is useful in a situation where a CPU may have a suspected hardware error but you do not want to shut down the entire system.
Checkpoint and Restart[edit]
New options to cpr command The cpr -w option allows use of the attribute file located in the current working directory (versus $HOME/.cpr). The -m memory migration option on the cpr command allows you to migrate the checkpointed memory to the location in the system topology where the restart operation is executing; for example, within a specific cpuset or within the global cpuset.
New CONTENTS action keyword for FILE policy of CPR attribute file A CONTENTS action keyword is added for the FILE policy of a CPR attribute file. This causes the system to calculate checksum (currently MD5) on the file at checkpoint. Upon restart, the system detects if the file has been modified between begin-of-file and file-size-at-checkpoint; if the file has been modified in this area, the process is refused restart, otherwise, it seeks to the previous offset and continues.
System Availability[edit]
For FailSafe customers, if you install IRIX 6.5.16, including sysadm_base, on a cluster node where FailSafe 2.1.1 is installed, you will need to upgrade to FailSafe 2.1.2 (sysadm_failsafe2) and install 6.5.16 sysadm_cluster.
Scalability[edit]
New functions in Cpuset library Cpuset library routines, cpusetMove(3x) and cpusetMoveMigrate(3x), can be used to move processes between cpusets and optionally migrate their memory. Using this functionality, existing cpusets can be obseleted to free resources to run a prime job and then easily reconstitute cpusets to continue prior jobs. Because memory used by a process can be migrated to the node associated with the new cpuset, memory locality is improved.
Semaphore Devices[edit]
New systune variable in usopenpollsema(3P) library call The disable_uspollsema_chk systune variable turns off the standard access mode checking on usopenpollsema(3P) (set on the first call to usopenpollsema(3P) via the 'acc' parameter). Some older IRIX applications that were written to work with usopenpollsema(3P) may now require this variable.
Licensing Software[edit]
Upgrading to the FLEXlm 8.1a release from Globetrotter Software, Inc. IRIX 6.5.16 provides support for upgrading license_eoe to the FLEXlm 8.1a release from Globetrotter Software, Inc. The license manager daemon is built in V5 compatibility mode. Support is also provided for upgrading license_dev to include new optional thread-safe FLEXlm 8.1a client side libraries and headers.
Online Documentation[edit]
Planned Online Documentation Tools/Books Upgrade in IRIX 6.5.17 For the IRIX 6.5.17 release, the online documentation tools (InSight) and books will undergo some changes. A more open, standards-based technology will be utilized to create HTML books from industry-standard DocBook XML markup. This same technology will be provided to ISVs and customers. An update process will be supplied to make existing books available in the new format. InfoSearch will become the primary documentation viewing tool and will be modeled after the SGI TechPubs Library (techpubs.sgi.com), which already utilizes the new book format.
Books will also be viewable directly from the filesystem using any available web browser. More detailed information regarding this upgrade will be made available in the IRIX 6.5.17 Welcome web page.