The Rocket EDX team is excited to announce the upcoming E-Invoicing feature. We are also sharing a newsletter where you can find more details about this new feature.

• We’ve enhanced MVIS Admin API Swagger documentation  to ensure that the content and formatting of the  Swagger documentation is accurate and compliant with the OpenAPI 3.0 specification.  
  • We’ve deprecated Rocket APIs that don’t adhere to the OpenAPI 3.0 specification .
• We’ve removed obfuscation of MVIS code  so you can easily diagnose runtime issues utilizing third-party tracing tools, such as Dynatrace, without being encumbered by obfuscated class and method names.  This should also eliminate your frustration with obfuscated names of classes and methods in the Admin API Swagger documentation.  Please note, we’ve kept MVIS’s password encryption code to hinder casual observation if decompiled. 
• We’ve adjusted the keepalive process so  it no longer echos data in the UniRPC connection, simplifying the process and ensuring you don’t end up with a needlessly large log file over time.
• We’ve certified MVIS 2.1.1 on Linux 9
• This release also resolves 79 defects for improved quality throughout the product.

SB/XA 6.6.1 is now available and includes a lot of smaller enhancements that add up to big improvements, especially if you have an IT group that requires software to work with or include current releases of other technology. For example, SB/XA 6.6.1 includes extensive upgrades to the Xceed DataGrid and the Xceed Toolkit, as well as upgrades to the .NET Framework. These upgrades empower SB/XA to work seamlessly with the latest version of the tools you rely on.

·        Xceed DataGrid v7.2 (from v5.3)

·        Xceed Toolkit v4.8 (from v4.5.1)

Both upgrades provide you with a decade or more of incremental performance and stability improvements. And SB/XA 6.6.1 is using versions of the Xceed DataGrid and Xceed Toolkit that are covered by Xceed support.

We’ve upgraded the .NET Framework to v4.8 (from 4.5). This highly compatible upgrade includes improvements made to the Framework over the last decade.  

Finally, SB/XA 6.6.1 includes a roll up of all the hot fixes we’ve made since SB/XA 6.5.7 release, including:

o   SB/XA password encryption upgrade for OpenSSL 3.0​ (helps with security & compliance)

o   Improved Rich Client exception handling​ covering TableViewScrollViewer; System.OutOfMemoryException, XUI Mouse Click Moves Partial Focus to MV Fields in pre-run questions; resolved navigation through a CIADE grid freezing the screen and more.

o   Improved SBClient form handling in extended desktop for better stability (resolving Main GUI window positioning, placement of dialogue box, and main window presenting on one monitor instead of stretching to multiple monitors, for example).

To learn more, please see the release notes here.

Rocket MultiValue maintains a standard Product Lifecycle policy. To see the lifecycle for your version of SB/XA, review the lifecycle dates and statuses on the Product Availability Matrix (PAM).

We are delighted to announce a new Wizard for installing Zowe sever components is available to download as a Tech Preview at www.zowe.org/download.

The Zowe Server Install Wizard (formerly known as ZEN) is a program you install on your PC (Windows/mac/linux)
It is an alternative to the existing Zowe installation processes, designed to make installation quick and intuitive.

Hello users of our z/OS open-source ports, I am pleased to announce the release of Rocket Open AppDev for Z v2.0.9. 

This release includes the ports of the new tools, Bison, Flex and Libidn2, and version currency updates for cURL, Git, Less, Nano, PHP, IBM Python, Sudo, and Vim, as well as an extensive list of security fixes and other fixes for many other ports. 

For customers on a support contract, these latest builds are already available via conda or SMP/E.  For users not on a support contract, these builds will be made available on our public conda channel server on January 15th, 2025. 

Version currency updates: 

• Curl 8.8.0 
• Git 2.45.1  
• Less 661 
• Nano 8.0 
• PHP 8.3.8 
• Python 3.12.1 New version of IBM python released 
• Pytest 8.1.1 

 
New supported tool:

• Bison 3.8.2
• Flex 2.6.4
• Libidn2 2.3.7 

 
CVEs published against earlier versions and resolved by V2.0.9:

• Git CVE-2024-32002, CVE-2024-32004, CVE-2024-32020, CVE-2024-32021, CVE-2024-32465 fixes
• Less CVE-2024-32487 fix
• OpenSSL CVE-2024-4603, CVE-2024-4741, CVE-2024-5535 fixes
• PHP CVE-2024-1874, CVE-2024-2756, CVE-2024-2757, CVE-2024-3096, CVE-2022-31629, CVE-2024-2408, CVE-2024-4577, CVE-2024-5458, CVE-2024-5585 fixes 

Fixes/CVEs in dependencies:

• Cert-bundle 2024.07.05 Certificate bundle update Ncurses 6.5.20240504 New version release (includes CVE-2023-45918, CVE-2023-50495 fixes)
• Pluggy-1.4.0 New version release (pytest dependency) 

Rocket MultiValue Integration Server (MVIS) 2.1.0, available today, is a major release with significant new features and enhancements.

To learn more about MVIS 2.1, please plan to join us on September 4^th, for a product launch webinar.

MVIS 2.1 Features and Highlights

Power Modernization via the OpenAPI Standard

• OpenAPI 3.0 Support. OpenAPI 3.0 is the first major release since 2015, when Swagger was adopted as an open standard and transitioned to the OpenAPI Initiative. The 3.0 spec includes numerous changes including a simplified structure for increased reusability. You can find additional details in this blog post https://swagger.io/blog/news/whats-new-in-openapi-3-0/
• Enhanced Integration with OpenAPI. In MVIS 1.3, we introduced the notion of Vanity URLs that provide limited support for top-down scenarios. Support for top-down APIs assumes an API developer uses the OpenAPI standard to define an API with full control of the API endpoints as well as a rich typing system based on JSON Schema. In MVIS 2.1, we're replacing the proprietary Vanity URL specification format with an OpenAPI integration that relies on the built-in extensibility of the standard to support vendor specific extension tags. In v2.1, developers can link (bind) MV resources (files, subroutines and programs) to API endpoints using MVIS specific extensions to OpenAPI. The integration also opens the door to leverage third-party tools such as API gateways, API hubs, API testing tools, source control systems and more.
• Modularity and self-containment. A common modernization requirement we've heard from customers is support for more modular development in the MV platform as well as the ability to integrate with third party software. Today MV systems need to use APIs to integrate and work with offerings such as Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow and other API first business applications. MVIS 2.1 allows API developers to modularize and modernize MV code by promoting the concept of an API as an MV microservice. An API microservice relies on three basic concepts:
  1. An API definition expressed as an OpenAPI document along with MVIS extensions.
  2. An MV schema or dictionary that defines the MV data exposed by the API.
  3. The MV business logic that provides the implementation to access the MV data.

Observability (Monitoring & Tracing)

• OpenTelemetry Integration. OpenTelemetry (also known as OTel) is a vendor neutral open-source observability framework for instrumenting, collecting, and exporting telemetry data such as traces, metrics and logs. You can read more about OTel at https://opentelemetry.io/. MVIS 2.1 provides out-of-the-box integration with OTel that produces traces and metrics that can be consumed by any observability tool compatible with OTel.
• Third party support. OTel is supported by more than 40 observability vendors including Datadog, Dynatrace, Grafana Labs, Red Hat, Fluentd and many more.
• Cloud and Distributed Telemetry Support. Cloud systems, typically distributed and networked, demand observability solutions that aggregate telemetry data across a network of components. With the support for OTel, MVIS can now be monitored as part of a larger ecosystem that includes other application components.

Integration of MVConnect (for Rocket® UniVerse and Rocket® UniData)

• Top-down Support. With the integration of MVConnect in MVIS, developers can now expose BASIC programs that support RESTful endpoints as part of an OpenAPI definition.
• OAuth Support. With MVIS, MVConnect developers can benefit from the built-in support for OAuth to integrate with identity providers to secure access to API endpoints.
• OTel Support. Another benefit of the integration is the support of observability requirements through OTel.
• Future releases of MVIS will expand the integration to include Rocket® D3 and Rocket® jBASE and make MVConnect a built-in component of MVIS.

Additional Details

• Product documentation – https://docs.rocketsoftware.com/bundle?cluster=true&labelkey=mvis_2.0.0&rpp=10&sort.field=last_uploaded&sort.value=desc
• Release notes – https://docs.rocketsoftware.com/bundle/mvis_rn_21/page/xvi1674580166191.html
• Technical specifications – https://rbc.rocketsoftware.com/downloads/TechSpecs/MVIS%202.1.0%20Tech%20Specs.pdf

MVIS 2.1.0 Product Lifecycle Dates

• 2 Jul 2024 GA
• 2 Jul 2027 EOM
• 2 Jul 2028 EOS
• 2 Jul 2029 EOLS

The Rocket^® MV team is pleased to announce the release of Rocket UniVerse 14.1.1 on June 26th, 2024.

 Rocket UniVerse 14.1.1 builds upon functionality implemented in version 11.4.1 and 12.2.1, making it the upgrade and modernization path for all customers on all prior versions.

UniVerse 14 ensures business continuity and helps you manage your replication environment effectively with key HA/DR features.

• Replication is faster and more flexible with Field-Level Updates, since the entire record is no longer transmitted during updates, only the individual field that was modified is replicated - significantly improving performance!
• Facilitate Replication recovery with the uv_repadmin skip option which allows you to skip an incomplete transaction that has caused replication to stop processing. By using the skip option, administrators keep Replication processing and avoid log build-up and the eventual reset and refresh of Replication due to a stalled group.
• Facilitate Replication recovery with the enhanced uvreptool. When Replication has stopped processing due to the current flags word value, the uvreptool now gives you the option to change the current value of the flags word for a replication LSN, so you can attempt to resume processing.
• Test your upgraded system with ease. You can now test UniVerse 14.1.1 on a subscribing server while maintaining an older version of UniVerse on your production server since UniVerse 14.1.1 allows subscribers to receive logs from older protocol levels. Check out the Replication protocol level topic in the U2 Data Replication User Guide for more information.
• Stop and restart the uvrepmanager process using a script included with UniVerse 14.1.1 without having to stop and restart UniVerse if uvrepmanager becomes unresponsive.
• Significantly enhance performance by utilizing the Replication Intelligent Queue Manager. The Intelligent Queue Manager allows a subscribing system to recognize multiple updates in the queue for the same record, providing performance benefits. 
• The new Field Level Replication BASIC function, FieldWrite, and the enhanced WRITEV function allow you to write multiple attributes in a single command.

UniVerse 14.1.1 security upgrades and enhancements keep your applications and business safe and compliant.

Enhanced security features, with OpenSSL v3.0 UniVerse supports a wide array of protocol levels. OpenSSL 3.0 includes a major architectural change from OpenSSL 1.1 for more information, please refer to the Release Notes and Security Features.

UniVerse 14.1.1 helps you modernize your environment.

Python 3.11, part of UniVerse 14.1.1, includes the Python OpenSSL extension, meaning it no longer depends on UniVerse's built-in OpenSSL version. Like other third-party libraries, the Python OpenSSL extension relies on the OpenSSL version provided by the operating system.

Plus, take advantage of Python module and Python path file preservation when you upgrade to UniVerse 14.1.1!

• UniVerse 14.1.1 automatically preserves Python modules that have been installed into previous versions using pip.
• If you’ve modified or added python path files to the python folder these are now automatically copied during a UniVerse 14.1.1 upgrade.

UniVerse 14.1.1 Architecture Enhancements

In UniVerse 14.1.1 we are introducing the system recovery framework to ensure the graceful handling of processes in the event they terminate within critical code.

UniVerse 14.1.1 does not include the two-process mode we introduced in version 12 and will only have RFS OFF mode. In the next release, UniVerse 14.2.1, we will provide two modes for RFS with the option to set it to ON or OFF.

UniVerse 14.1.1 contains numerous enhancements and bug fixes designed to optimize your MV experience.

• During installation, you’ll notice a default uvconfig file in uvhome allowing you to compare your current parameters with the latest default settings.
• You can now truncate active UniVerse log files with the trunclog command, which allows you to reduce the size of the current log files by appending the existing information to the log files in the saved_logs directory.
• We’ve enhanced the installation process to help you diagnose any license related issues you may encounter during the installation process.

For information on all the enhancements and bug fixes included in UniVerse 14.1.1, please see the Release Notes.

Upgrade now to Rocket® UniVerse 14.1.1 Our team is eager to assist you with any questions or support you may need during the upgrade process. If you are currently on maintenance, you can download Rocket UniVerse 14.1.1 on Rocket Business Connect (RBC). If you do not have an active maintenance contract, please contact our sales team to get started!

 Want to learn more? UniVerse 14.1.1 documentation is now available online.

 Rocket MultiValue maintains a standard Product Lifecycle policy. To view the lifecycle for your version of UniVerse and related tools, review the lifecycle dates and statuses on the Product Availability Matrix (PAM).

 For more information on future UniVerse releases and to collaborate with fellow UniVerse users, please visit the Rocket U2 | UniVerse & UniData forum.

Help us celebrate Uniface's 40th birthday while you learn what's new and get some training!

The Rocket Software team is pleased to announce that a new version of Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Web and Desktop Edition) is now available.

Rocket^® Terminal Emulator provides secure access to IBM Z^®, IBM^® i, and VT applications. The Web Edition is a browser-based emulation for any PC, tablet, or mobile device, whereas the Desktop Edition provides cost-efficient access to terminal-based applications from the desktop. Rocket^® Terminal Emulation also runs within the Zowe^® framework.

Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Web Edition)

The new version 10.2.2 of Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Web Edition) provides usability, printing and security improvements that are based on input we got from our customers. Here are some of these enhancements:

·        Nested scripting support – a script can now call another script without any limitation in nesting the scripts. This enables to create a toolset of scripts that can be reused.

·        Improved session list – for opening a new session the list of sessions can be viewed in the existing condensed view on the left side or can be shown using the new view covering the complete browser window. This allows to see more sessions and is providing a function to filter the list for customers that have a high number of sessions.

·        Direct printing – from the printer session there is an option to print directly to the default printer, no need to create a PDF and use the print functionality of the Browser. This feature is currently available on user devices running on Linux and will be available for Windows soon.

·        Print multiple screens – multiple screen copies can be collected and saved in a single PDF or printed in one step.

Several additional enhancements based on customers’ feedback around user experience, security and administration can be reviewed in detail, together with the resolved issues in the Rocket TE Web Edition V10.2.2 release notes (rocketsoftware.com).

Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Desktop Edition)

In the new version 10.2.2 of Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Desktop Edition) we focused on improving the end user experience like:

·        Save open sessions and layout – all open sessions can be saved together with the layout like tab groups. This enables users to load their customization when they start the Terminal Emulator and get the same view as they need it.

·        Offline documentation access – some Terminal Emulator environments are highly secured and do not have Internet access. We are providing the end user help information now as Windows Help Files to enable offline access.

Additional enhancements and the resolved issues can be found in the Rocket TE Desktop Edition V10.2.2 release notes (rocketsoftware.com).

Detailed release notes can be found in the Rocket Terminal Emulator Desktop and Web Edition V10.2.2 release notes (rocketsoftware.com), and adjusted guides can be found for Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Web Edition) in the Library (rocketsoftware.com) and for Rocket^® Terminal Emulator (Desktop Edition) in the Library (rocketsoftware.com).

May 20th, 2024

Rocket DevOps core for IBM i v10.x (plus LMi 8.6 or earlier versions).

For IBM i OS V7R4, recommending customers install IBM PTF SJ00177 for licensed program 5770SS1.

Issue seen:
SQL0904 error (resource limit type 14 exceeded) during run of host promote jobs (ACMSPROMOT, AFFPROMOTE) after upgrading the OS to V7R4.

SQL0904 Diagnostic 30 03/21/24 08:21:40.589453 QSQDSCPT QSYS *STMT QSQDSCPT QSYS *STMT
From module . . . . . . . . : QSQALCDS
From procedure . . . . . . : CLEANUP
Statement . . . . . . . . . : 7287
To module . . . . . . . . . : QSQALCDS
To procedure . . . . . . . : CLEANUP
Statement . . . . . . . . . : 7287
Message . . . . : Resource limit exceeded.
Cause . . . . . : Resource limit type 14 exceeded with reason code 542. Type 14 indicates
that the maximum amount of descriptor space has been allocated.

Customers running one of these Platforms (WS2008 and WS2012) will NOT be able to download the License file from our EMS system automatically. The Cloud Plugin (SCP) will work, but does NOT download anything. 

The SCP.log file will state communication error: [D]Error in communication: 12175

This because the Security on the EMS system, that supplies the license file,  does NOT allow this communication to happen anymore.

Initially, this change happened on April 1, 2024 and will lead to customers to have a License Expiration date of May 12, 2024.

On our request,  we have installed a Temporary file on the EMS that will allow communication again UNTIL the end of July 2024.

Meaning that Customers will be able to download through the SCP until end of July and will get their last downloaded license to expire at the end of August 2024.

Customers will need to UPGRADE their Operating System to Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 or use a supported Linux / Unix version for their RMS service.

The Rocket MV team is pleased to announce the release of Rocket UniData 8.3.2 and Rocket MultiValue Performance Experience (MVX: Performance) 1.10 on April 25th, 2024.

UniData 8.3.2 is the first UniData release certified with the Rocket MultiValue Performance Experience (MVX: Performance) 1.10, which is available for our customers on maintenance. MVX: Performance monitors the performance of your UniData server and provides DBAs or developers with a better way to track down issues. It determines the root cause of issues, including the server, the operating system, the hardware, or a combination. DBAs can easily receive alerts when over 40 performance monitoring events occur, so constant monitoring is not required.  In addition, UniData 8.3.2 and MVX: Performance 1.10 provide you with an enhanced replication experience, bolstering High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) capabilities.

UniData 8.3.2 extends the security features introduced in UniData 8.3.1, which included:

• Enhancements and bug fixes that help you manage your replication environment more effectively — important for High Availability/Disaster Recovery.
• Security upgrades and enhancements to help keep your applications and business safe and compliant. By upgrading to OpenSSL v3.0, UniData 8.3.1+ supports a wide array of protocol levels. OpenSSL 3.0 includes a major architectural change from OpenSSL 1.1 and brings with it enhanced security features.
• The version of Python we include in 8.3.1+, Python 3.11, includes the Python OpenSSL extension, meaning it no longer depends on UniData’s built-in OpenSSL version. Like other third-party libraries, the Python OpenSSL extension now relies on the OpenSSL version provided by the operating system.

Regarding HA/DR, MVX: Performance 1.10 provides a replication monitoring feature which greatly improves the display from XAdmin by providing:

• a statistical summary display of multiple distributions
• identification of LSNs causing subscribing group(s) to stop processing
• trend information on pacing
• time behind
• time to catch up
• replication events and notifications
• replication responsive charts with historical data showing concurrency trends and estimated time to catch up

Want to learn more? UniData 8.3.2 and MVX: Performance 1.10 documentation is available online. The documentation is HTML, so please try the new AI features! Remember to add a question mark at the end of your search question. If you’d like a demo of MVX: Performance, please email Mary Schulz at mschulz@rocketsoftware.com.

Upgrade now! Our team is eager to assist you with any questions or support you may need during the upgrade process. If you are currently on maintenance, you can order and download your Rocket products from Rocket Business Connect  (RBC | Rocket Software). If you do not have an active maintenance contract, please contact our sales team to get started!

Rocket MultiValue maintains a standard Product Lifecycle policy. To view the lifecycle for your version of UniData and related tools, review the lifecycle dates and statuses on the Product Availability Matrix (PAM).