Rocket® COBOL

Created On:  23 April 2012 Problem: An RMNet HTTPS request fails with an SSL certificate verification error. Resolution: The ca-bundle.crt file that ships with RMNet contains PEM format certificates for the Certificate Authorities that are used to verify valid SSL certificates.  This bundle is not guaranteed to be up-to-date, however, and might not contain the Certificate Authority that generated your SSL certificate. You can obtain an updated CA Bundle file from this website:  http://curl.haxx.se/docs/caextract.html Old KB# 35859#AcuCobol#RMNet#COBOL#SSL#RMCOBOL#Certificates

Created On:  30 April 2012 Problem: Is it possible to pass command-line parameters to a Visual COBOL main program using a linkage section item? Resolution: Yes, it is possible to pass command-line parameters to a Visual COBOL native linked .EXE by using the run-time tunable command_line_linkage.Program should receive parameters as follows:linkage section.01 CommandLine.     05 CommandLineLen          pic 9(4) comp.     05 CommandLineParams    pic x(256).procedure division using CommandLine.You must create a text file (called cobconfig.cfg in this example) containing the following line:set command_line_linkage=TRUEand then set the environment variable COBCONFIG to point to the file:SET COBCONFIG=c:\\myapp\\cobconfig.cfgThen when you start the app by passing it parameters on the command-line, e.g. myapp.exe "This is a test"then the length of the command line, 16 in this ca

Created On:  26 April 2012 Problem: Converting a native Net Express Dialog System application to Visual COBOL.Visual COBOL application uses a managed main program which does a platform invoke call to a native Dialog System program using the Dialog System Addpack.The Dialog System screenset contains an ActiveX control which has a control program.The managed program calls the native program fine but when the screenset is being initialized and the control program for the ActiveX control is being executed an error occurs in Create-ActiveX-Instance section on:   invoke wsEventManager "initializeOLE" The error states that OLE has already been initialized using a different threading model.Why is this ocurring? Resolution: When mixing .NET managed and native/ActiveX the customer will need to understand how COM threading models work. .NET uses MTA threads as the default, whereas ActiveX requires STA. When using .NET as the main program this needs to be marke

Created On:  02 April 2012 Problem: Some customer have encountered performance issue when migrating an application from Server Express to Visual COBOL. So, rather than taking seconds to run, in Visual COBOL the same process may take up to 40 seconds. Resolution: The issue was determined to be within the licensing system for which there is a simple workaround until a permanent fix is made.In the directory /var/microfocuslicensing/bin folder there is a file called ces.iniEdit this file by adding the line:  CacheCPULicenses=1 Old KB# 35742

Created On:  13 April 2012 Problem: While trying to execute a program sitting in a Windows server from a client machine through AcuServer, the execution fails showing in the  AcuServer trace file the following error messages: Cannot search (READ/EXECUTE) all parent directories Cannot create files in the directory Error like no such file? errno: 2 Even the user is part of the "Local Admin Group, and the "admin Group" was already on all the locations, also the user added the "Local Account " directly into the security of all the folder that is needed access to and gave him "Full Control". Resolution: This is a frequent problem that checking permissions in a Windows server, users circumvent the permissions of the root directory. Even the user is a local admin with full access to the files and directories, the problem in those cases is that the user who has being mapped in the AcuAccess file is not able to access the files at the top leve

Created On:  10 April 2012 Problem: I am using Visual COBOL for Eclipse R4 Update 2 under Windows and I am trying to create a project that contains COBOL programs that need to be precompiled using Oracle's Pro*COBOL precompiler.  Do you have an example of how to do this? Resolution: The following are the steps necessary to setup a Visual COBOL for Eclipse native COBOL project so that it can interact with the Oracle Pro*COBOL precompiler.There are a few prerequisites to running with this sample.1.  If you are using Oracle's Pro*COBOL then the appropriate Oracle client software including Pro*COBOL has to installed on your computer and must be accessible within the PATH.2. You must be able to connect to the Oracle database using Oracles SQL Developer, etc. from your development computer.3. The sample program assumes that the Oracle Sample database is installed and is accessible from the user account SCOTT/TIGER. Please change the username/password to one that is

Created On:  16 April 2012 Problem: A certain Hotfix for a UNIX based system is needed. How do I obtain and install the Hotfix? Resolution: Step 1 Your supportline representative will provide: Login: ####### Password: ######## Step 2 The Hot Fixes are on the ftp site: ftp.microfocus.com Click the View menu and select Open FTP Site in Windows Explorer. Then right click and select Login As… and supply the login and password. This will go directly to the correct area for the Hotfix requested, based on the id and Password. Step 3 To install the Hotfix: 1. On the target server, log in as root. 2. Create a temporary directory: mkdir tmpdir 3. Download the Hotfix into the temporary directory.The downloaded file should have an extension of “tar.encr”, if it has anything like “tar.tar” please rename it to “tar.encr”. 4. Set the COBDIR environment variable: COBDIR=/location-of-your-cobol-product export COBDIR 5. Give execute permissions to the downloaded package: chmod x pa

Created On:  12 April 2012 Problem: In the Data File Editor (DFED) inside the Net Express IDE you might want to edit a SEQUENTIAL data file in FORMATTED mode.To view a file in FORMATTED mode you need to go through the process of generating the .STR file to record the record layout to be used when editing the file. This is explained in the Net Express manuals. Once this has been done you can then either double-click on the file name or right-click and select 'Edit' in order to view the file. However, you may have completed this process and then attempted to edit the file, as shown in the manuals. But instead of immediately seeing the file in FORMATTED mode it brings up the Data File Editor, which asks for the File Organization and the minimum and maximum record lengths.So even though the .STR file has been generated and stored in the same directory as the data file, why doesn't it automatically display the file in FORMAT

Created On:  13 April 2012 Problem: Reading a large table with Acu4GL in a SQL Server Data Base accessing the records by alternate key, the performance decreases dramatically compared with a VISION file. Resolution: It is a fact that accessing a data base table instead a VISION file, the performance decreases due to VISION files are the native file system handled by Extend runtime with no translations at all. This performance hit increases if the program is accessing the tables using alternate keys; data bases don’t have and don’t know the alternate key’s concept. In Cobol, the two most expensive statements, in terms of performance, are OPEN and START; accessing a VISON file this  impact is not noticeable but it is when we are working with a data base. Using the above COBOL statements extensively in the same program or in the same runtime unit will decrease the performance of the runtime. Said that, there are some guidelines described in Chapter 9 Performance and Trou

Created On:  12 April 2012 Problem: On submitting a JCL, the following error is seen in the log:JCLCM0187I JOB65040 ZLO10DN0 JOB SUBMITTED (JOBNAME=ZLO10DN0,JOBNUM=65040) 14:38:08 JCLCM0172E JOB65040 ZLO10DN0 JOB FAILED - JCL ERROR 14:38:08 JES000050E JCL parsing error: Job: 065040 RC = 8 14:38:08 Processed "/appl/mfocus/wrapper/jcl/copy/ZLO10DN0.JCL"and in the spool o/p  53 //JLO4M    EXEC ZPLNIMS,MBR=IKJEFT1B,COND=(4,LT) **** JCLCM0406E PROCEDURE NOT FOUND **** JCLCM0414E INVALID OR UNKNOWN OR UNEXPECTED OPERAND Similar errors also seen in the console log:JCLCM0187I JOB65088 ZLFG0DNP JOB  SUBMITTED (JOBNAME=ZLFG0DNP,JOBNUM=65088)JCLCM0172E JOB65088 ZLFG0DNP JOB  FAILED  - JCL ERROR 12:49:46JES000050E JCL parsing error: Job: 065088 RC =    8 12:49:46 JCLCM0187I JOB65089 ZLFG0DNP JOB  SUBMITTED (JOBNAME=ZLFG0DNP,JOBNUM=65089)JCLCM0172E JOB65089 ZLFG0DNP JOB  FAILED  - JCL ERROR 13:13:34JES000050E JCL parsing e

Created On:  03 April 2012 Problem: I am using MS SQL Server 2005 and Database Connectors (within MicroFocus' Studio Enterprise Edition 6.0). After creating a solution in Visual Studio 2008, I attempted to connect the Visual Studio solution (DBC.sln) to the SQL database tables through the debugging steps. I received a "File Error: 9T" in the debugging window. How do I resolve this issue? Resolution: For Studio 6.0 SP2 (and later), a 9.0 license for Connector for MSSQL is needed. It needs to live in %ALLUSERSPROFILE%[\\Application Data]\\Micro Focus\\ConnectorForMSSQL 9, and be named acufh.mlc. The “\\Application Data” part is included in the directory name if the version of Windows is less than 600. Another way to look at this is that the acufh.mlc either needs to be in \\ProgramData\\Micro Focus\\ConnectorForMSSQL 9, or in \\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\\Micro Focus\\ConnectorForMSSQL 9, depending on which pathway exists.To obtain the license, a S

Problem: Errors such as "corrupt license database" are occurring, and prior efforts to fix them have failed. Resolution: Here is a thorough and comprehensive way of recovering from "corrupt license database" errors if other efforts have failed, for example if the "lmfdbrecover" or "aslmdbrecover" utilities don't exist or didn't work for some reason.  This requires root credentials.  Also, you must have your licenses available at hand (including, for each license, both the serial number and the license key) because during this process you re-install the licenses. 1. Login with root credentials 2. Change directories (cd) to the directory where the COBOL product is installed.  This is by default /opt/microfocus/cobol, but the person originally installing may have specified any location.  It is possible that more than one COBOL product is installed on a given machine.  If you do not know the location (or the locations) where COBOL is installed, use this com

Created On:  27 March 2012 Problem: The following command line has embedded quotes, and X’91’ Function 35 fails to execute it: CMD /K "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\TestData\\Bin\\TestProg.exe" -i"aData" -o"aData" Resolution: When a command line requires quotes, additional quotes are required as follows: CMD /K ""C:\\Program Files (x86)\\TestData\\Bin\\TestProg.exe" -i"aData" -o"aData"" Incident #2542130 Old KB# 35708

Created On:  28 March 2012 Problem: Is there a way for one program (Program A) to open files, accept input from a screen, then call a second program (Program B) for file processing without Program A closing the files and Program B reopening files? Resolution: Declaring the file FD as external in both programs accomplish the desired task: FD custom-file external. 01 custom-record ....etc This way the file can be opened and closed in ProgramA and read, write, etc. in ProgramB. ProgramB can not open again the file because it will generate an error. Incident #2191524 Old KB# 35719

Created On:  22 March 2012 Problem: Which port does the Micro Focus License Server use when a client requests a  license using the License Administration on their PC? A customer needs to open up the port on their firewall as currently they have access blocked when requesting a new key. Resolution: The default port is 5093.   Old KB# 35676

Created On:  27 March 2012 Problem: While compiling COBOL code with embedded SQL statements with COBSQL, Visual Studio JIT Debugger pops up with a message "Unhandled win32 exception occurred in procob.exe [2432]". The number in the [ ] keeps changing each time the error message is popping up. Resolution: The exception actually occurs when the source code contains hex ‘1A’: 123456   05    DFHERROR  PICTURE X   VALUE  IS  ''.were the above literal or the value between '' is actually hex ‘1A’ In the Net Express editor, the above line will be displayed in two lines as shown below: 123456   05    DFHERROR  PICTURE X   VALUE  IS  ''.Hex '1A' is in fact an end of file mark. In Notepad, this character is displayed as a box, which is commonly used for displaying non-printable characters. This end of file mark is the real cause of the exc

Created On:  28 March 2012 Problem: I'm trying to get an F4-key exception from a Combo Box control it seems that doesn’t work. Any other F1-F9 keys generate an exception, but an F4-key won’t. Is this a limitation? Or what needs to be done to make this happen? Resolution: There is a configuration variable called WIN_F4_DROPS_COMBOBOX This configuration variable applies only to programs running under Windows. Its default value is "1" (on, true, yes), so, combo boxes use the standard Windows handling for the key. Pressing while a combo box is active causes it to drop its drop-down list, and the COBOL program is not notified of an exception. When this variable is set to "0" (off, false, no), pressing with a combo box active causes the COBOL program to get the exception, but the combo box does not drop its drop-down list. Incident #2191737 Old KB# 35720

Created On:  23 March 2012 Problem: AcuConnect fails to start its service. The error popup shows this message on an English Operating System:"AcuConnect - StartService: %1 is not a valid application of Win32."And this on an Italian Operating System:"AcuConnect - StartService: %1 non è un'applicazione di Win32 valida." Resolution: Verify the value of the Registry Key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\services\\AcuConnectIt may be useful to modify the value of the key "ImagePath" from: C:\\Program Files\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl901\\AcuGT\\bin\\acurcl.exe -startserviceto"C:\\Program Files\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl901\\AcuGT\\bin\\acurcl.exe" -startserviceDouble quotes may be useful to avoid any issue with paths which contain spaces. Incident #2543888 Attachments 35683-error.jpg Old KB# 35683

Created On:  26 March 2012 Problem: Installing new product SX5.1 produces the following error message: cobgetmsg: Can not find message file install.lng Resolution: This problem is normally related to the Product File not being binary copied to the UNIX Directory or Untarred incorrectly.  Uninstall SX5.1 and re-copy the Product zip file to the desired directory before untarring/unzipping the Product file. Incident #2547310 Old KB# 35690

Created On:  29 March 2012 Problem: I have developed an ASP.NET Web Site using Visual COBOL running locally on my development computer. I now wish to deploy it under IIS on a production machine on which Visual COBOL is not installed. How do I do this? Resolution: The following are instructions on how to deploy a Visual COBOL ASP.NET web site onto a production server running Windows 7 and IIS 7.This includes web sites that call native .dlls that are using the ACU/RM file handler:Deploying COBOL ASP.NET Web Services and Web Sites developed with Visual COBOL under IISBecause the COBOL 2010 Runtime product does not include the COBOL compiler the following steps must be used when deploying the web site to a Production server.In this example the web site is in folder C:\\testwebsite and the name of the web site is also testwebsite.1. On the target computer, install the COBOL 2010 Runtime product.2. Open the Micro Focus License Manager and install the authorization code for the CO

Created On:  27 March 2012 Problem: Using Visual COBOL in 32-bit native application although problem also occurs in Net Express 5.1. After executing select into with array fields the fields appear to be populated corrected and no error occurs. But on the very next SQL statement a RTS 114 error will occur. Here is a sample which uses the Oracle sample EMP table.  The 114 error occurs on the cursor open after the select into array.       $SET SQL(DBMAN=ODBC)  sourceformat(variable)        WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.        EXEC SQL INCLUDE SQLCA  END-EXEC.        *> -------------------------------------------       *> DECLARE TABLE for EMP       *> -------------------------------------------          EXEC SQL DECLARE EMP TABLE &

Created On:  27 March 2012 Problem: Customer was getting the following error while compilation of below BMS Map code Snippet.  ====================================================         LCLA  &L                                                       *                                                                    &nbs

Created On:  28 March 2012 Problem: In Visual COBOL, is there a way to have a user click on a button in a .NET Windows Form application and have it automatically print the current form to the default printer? Resolution: Windows Forms Screen PrintThis sample program demonstrates how to use the System.Drawing.Printing class to both provide a means of doing a Print Preview via Dialog Box for the current Form and provide a means to print the form to the default printer. The attached program displays two buttons that can be clicked,one to invoke the print preview function and one to print the current form. Incident #2566324 Attachments screenprintvc.zip Old KB# 35713

Created On:  28 March 2012 Problem: Installing just Acuserver 64bit trying to execute the Control Panel it fails with the message “The program can’t start because acme2.dll is missing from your computer”. Resolution: The problem is that the acme2.dll for 64bit is downloaded just when the runtime is installed. The solution is either to install the runtime or copy that dll from the installation media at: DISK1\\Program Files 64\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl910\\AcuGT\\bin. Incident #2561691 Old KB# 35718

Created On:  30 March 2012 Problem: Visual COBOL R4 was installed on a new computer on which older applications developed with Net Express also existed.  Visual COBOL starts OK but when attempting to create a new or open an existing COBOL project the following error is displayed: “Runtime DLL ‘CBLRTSM’ version 1.3, entry point mf_id_dynlink_lib_check not recorded in registry, not found or incompatible with requirements of dynamically bound COBOL program. Dynamic binding of RTS required Any Runtime DLL, at least Version 3.0” What does this mean? Resolution: This particular problem occurs because Visual Studio is trying to load one of its system .DLLs but it is finding and loading a .DLL that was compiled with Net Express 3.0 which was linked for dynamic binding. This is why this particular .DLL is trying to load the COBOL run-time "cblrtsm.dll" for Net Express 3.0.Since the COBOL run-time system "cblrstm.dll" from Visual COBOL is already loaded into