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diff --git a/doc/rev1.ms b/doc/rev1.ms new file mode 100644 index 00000000..3a50c276 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/rev1.ms @@ -0,0 +1,305 @@ +.TL +Summary of Revisions in Version 1.2 of IRAF +.AU +Doug Tody +IRAF Group +. + +1. Scope of Revisions + +2. CL Modifications + 2.1. Process Cache + 2.2. Background Jobs + 2.3. I/O Redirection + 2.4. OS Escapes + 2.5. Timing Tasks + 2.6. Package Loading and Logout + 2.7. The Null File, Standard Streams + 2.8. CL Main + +3. C Runtime Library + 3.1. Purpose + 3.2. Procedure Naming Convention + 3.3. Include Files + 3.4. UNIX Emulation + 3.5. System Calls + +4. Program Interface + 4.1. Process Control Facilities + 4.2. Environment Facilities + 4.3. Error Recovery + 4.4. File I/O Modifications + 4.5. Formatted I/O Modifications + 4.6. Bit and Byte Primitives + 4.7. Vector Operators + +5. Kernel Modifications + +6. Math Library + 6.1. Curve fitting package + 6.2. Surface fitting package + 6.3. Image interpolation package + 6.4. Slatec + 6.5. ACM Algorithms + +7. Applications Packages + 7.1 Dataio + 7.1.1. rdumpf + 7.2.2. rrcopy + 7.2.3. ridsfile + 7.2.4. ridsout + 7.2.5. ridsmtn + 7.1. Images + 7.2. Imred + 7.2.1. Echelle + 7.2.2. Cryomap + 7.2.3. Generic + 7.3. Onedspec + 7.4. Twodspec + 7.4.1. Multispec + 7.4.2. Longslit + + + + + +1. CL Modifications + + A new version of the system has been released on all three 4.2 BSD UNIX +vaxes at NOAO. The system has undergone major revisions, primarily to +remove UNIX dependencies in preparation for the port to VMS. A number +of enhancements have also been made in the process. Those modifications +or extensions of most interest to the user are summarized below. + +1.1 Process Cache: + + The process cache is the key to good interactive response. While the +operation of the process cache is completely automated and need not be +understood, the sophisticated user can obtain improved interactive response +by tuning the cache. + + prcache show what is in the cache + prcache task [,task] lock a task in the cache + flprcache flush cache (except locked tasks) + flprcache task [,task] unlock a task and remove from cache + +Where "task" is the name of a logical task, e.g. "directory". +When task A is present (locked) in the cache all tasks present in +the same physical process as task A are also cached (locked). +If one locks too many processes in the cache deadlock will occur. +Flushing a task from the cache initializes the process and may +fix certain classes of bugs. + +The process cache is no longer flushed when the current directory +is changed, when the environment changes (except when a +redefinition is uncovered by a bye), or when a task aborts. + + +1.2 Background Jobs: + + Background jobs are submitted by appending & to the command line, +as has always been the case. There is a limit on the number of +bkg jobs that can be running at any one time (currently 4). + + cmd & run command "cmd" in the background + jobs show status of background jobs + service service a query from the last bkg job + submitted + service N service a query from job N + kill N [,M,...] kill job number N + +A bkg job needing service (waiting for parameter input) will +timeout and abort after a set period of time (currently 3 hours). + + +1.3 I/O Redirection: + + Is now compatible with the cshell, e.g., >& to redirect both the +standard output and the standard error output, ditto |& and >>&. +The standard error output of an OS escape issued from a script +task or subprocess is now redirected properly, hence output from +XC and MAKE may be spooled. + + +1.4 OS Escapes: + + !command Now sends "command" to the shell defined by the UNIX + environment variable SHELL or to /bin/sh if SHELL is + not found. The cshell user can therefore now issue + + ! cmd >& spool & + + from within the CL. + + !!command Always sends the command to the Bourne shell (/bin/sh). + + +1.5 Timing Tasks + + The cpu and clock time consumed by a compiled task may now be +measured by prefixing the task name with a $, e.g.: + + set | $sort | $match tty | $count + +The times given are measured by the IRAF Main and hence do not +include the overhead of process initiation if it occurs. This +feature is currently only available for external compiled tasks. +It is not currently available for script tasks, intrinsic +functions, or builtin tasks. + + +1.6 Package Loading and Logout + + The original package loading protocol has returned without the +drawbacks of the original. When you type the name of a package +the package will become the "current package" (first package +searched when looking for a task), the prompt will change to +reflect the new current package, and a "bye" will be necessary +to return to the package. It is no longer necessary to issue +a whole series of "bye" commands to log out of the CL, just +type "logout". + + packages name the packages currently loaded + ?? print menus for all loaded packages + ?sys print menu for (e.g.) package 'sys' + +A package is "loaded" by typing its name, making the tasks +therein known to the CL. Any number of packages may be +simultaneously loaded and referenced without continually +changing the "current package". + +Programmers: use the new "clbye" in package script tasks in +place of "cl" if the "cl" is the last command in the file, +i.e., if there is no epilogue. This saves a file descriptor. +The function of "clbye" is otherwise completely identical to +that of "cl". + + +1.7 The Null File, Standard Streams + + IRAF now has a null file, known as "dev$null". This is useful +for discarding the output of commands. The null file may be +referenced anywhere an IRAF filename may be used. The special +files "STDIN", "STDOUT", and "STDERR" are also quite useful. +These reference the standard i/o streams of the task in which +they are found but may be used wherever an ordinary filename +would be used, including in compiled programs. + + + +System Software +.PP +A great deal of work was done on the core system software of IRAF (the virtual +operating system) to make concurrent operation of a single IRAF system on +UNIX, VMS, and other operating systems a reality. It is not possible to +report on this in any detail without getting technical, hence a detailed +summary of the work is given as an appendix. +.PP +The highest level system software modifications involved changes in the +\fBsystem\fR package to reflect minor changes in file i/o caused by +implementation of the new kernel, and major changes to the command language (CL) +to remove UNIX dependencies. The latter conversion involved the design and +implementation of a runtime C language library which includes a complete +emulation of the UNIX/C standard i/o package in terms of IRAF i/o, as well +as a C language callable interface to the IRAF virtual operating system. +.PP +Major modifications and extensions to the file i/o interface (FIO) were +required to make use of the new kernel and to support new software which +will be developed this fall. Most notably a machine independent, table driven +filename mapping capability was implemented to provide a consistent file naming +syntax on both UNIX and VMS. +.PP +Process control facilities were added to the virtual operating system and +included in the C library for use by the CL. A portable environment table +facility was implemented which is fully integrated with the file i/o and +process control faciltities, as well as interfaced to the C library. +Some real progress was made on interfacing the NCAR GKS graphics software +to IRAF, leading to production of sample plots on the graphics terminal +(via an intermediate metacode file) by the end of the quarter. Most of the +research and preliminary design required for the IRAF database facilities +was carried out during the quarter. +.PP +Additional system software projects not required for the VMS port but desirable +for the fall pre-release of IRAF included modification of the \fBhelp\fR +facilities to permit precompilation of the help database, greatly improving the +interactive response, modifications to the TTY interface to permit +precompilation of terminal device tables, also as an efficiency enhancement, +and miscellaneous modifications and extensions to the programmer level +interfaces since we will soon have more people using the system and it will +therefore be that much harder to modify. + +Virtual Operating System +.PP +Much work was done on the IRAF virtual operating system (kernel and i/o +packages) during this quarter to make routine concurrent operation of +a single IRAF system on UNIX, VMS, and other operating systems a reality. +Achieving this required not only implementation of equivalent kernels for +UNIX and VMS but also removal of the remaining UNIX dependencies from +the UNIX based IRAF development system. +.NH 4 +UNIX and VMS Kernels +.PP +The 4.1BSD UNIX IRAF kernel was completed during the last quarter. The VMS +kernel, built according to the same specifications as the (revised) UNIX +kernel, was received from STScI in mid-September. +.NH 4 +File I/O (FIO) +.PP +A general machine independent, table driven filename mapping capability was +added to FIO to permit use of IRAF virtual filenames on a range of systems. +Achieving this was essential because filenames and directory references +are used extensively in source files in the system (and if they are machine +dependent the code is not portable). Filename mapping will also help give +us a consistent user interface on all systems. Implementation of filename +mapping was complicated by the lack of file locking on some of our target +systems. +.PP +In addition to modifying FIO to use the new kernel, the following capabilities +were added to FIO for the October release of the system: +.RS +.IP \(bu +Raw i/o to terminals. Required for highly interactive programs (e.g. the +simple editor) and for cursor readback from the graphics terminal. +.IP \(bu +Recursive pushback. Required for macro expansion in CL2 and the new SPP +compiler, and by the C runtime library LIBC (the C runtime library is +discussed below). +.IP \(bu +Temporary redirection of a open stream to a disk file. Required to implement +i/o redirection in the IRAF Main, providing more efficient pipes between tasks. +.IP \(bu +Automatic deletion of subfiles when the main file is deleted. This permits +use of the standard file delete command to delete imagefiles and database +files as well as ordinary files. +.IP \(bu +Limited support for multiple file versions as in VMS. +.IP \(bu +Addition of a driver for the "null file" device. +.RE +.NH 4 +Process Control +.PP +Formerly, since only the command language (CL) required process control, all +process control was provided by accessing the UNIX system calls directly. +This saved us some time early in the project, but the VMS port required that +the virtual OS be expanded to include process control facilities. +The high level IRAF process control facilities for both connected and +detached processes have been defined, implemented, and tested. +Included are mechanisms for passing the environment list and current working +directory to a subprocess when it is spawned, record oriented binary +interprocess communication facilities, automatic subprocess shutdown +during error recovery, and multiplexing of the i/o streams of both parent +and child processes (i.e., access by the child to a terminal opened by the +parent process). +.NH 4 +Environment Facilities +.PP +The UNIX environment (logical name) facilities have been replaced in IRAF +by a similar capability implemented entirely above the system interface +(i.e., it is portable). In addition to being portable, the new facilities +are superior to those provided by UNIX since the environment name table is +hashed (access is more efficient), entries may be deleted, the table is +automatically passed to a child process at process creation time, and updating +of the table in a child process is supported without respawning the process. +.NH 4 + |