Rocket® COBOL

Created On:  29 June 2011 Problem: When using Pro*COBOL with Oracle in Net Express it was possible to pass COBOL arrays as parameters to a stored procedure by using the EXEC SQL EXECUTE ...END-SQL construct. Pro*COBOL is not supported in a managed code environment so how can I still pass arrays as parameters to an Oracle stored procedure when using ADO.NET? Resolution: This is currently not supported directly using embedded EXEC SQL or EXEC ADO statements as these only work with generic ADO classes that are not bound to a particular database vendors product.It is however supported by using the .NET Framework classes along with the Oracle Data Provider class Oracle.DataAccess as shown below.The source for the stored procedure appears after the sample program and it must be run using Oracle PL/SQL or some other tool before the application can be run.The following is source code for a Visual COBOL 2010 managed console project:       $set ilusing"S

Created On:  20 June 2011 Problem: Server Express includes utilities such as Animator, sde, dfed, and mflmadm.  These are full-screen character-mode graphic utilities.  Sometimes they appear garbled or unreadable, and function keys or cursor keys may not work as intended.  These problems can be fixed by setting up the terminal emulation. Resolution: 1) Download the PuTTY terminal emulator from http://www.putty.org.   It's free.  Specifically, download the Windows installer for everything except PuTTYtel and install it on your PC.2) Start PuTTY and configure it as follows:Type the name of your Unix/Linux machine in Host name, and select either Telnet or SSH.  Also type the name of your machine in Saved Sessions, then press Save.Then on the left side under Category: Under Terminal, click Keyboard, then under The Function Keys and Keypad: If you using Linux: click LinuxIf you using AIX, Solaris, HP/UX, and SCO: click SCOClick Window,

Created On:  16 June 2011 Problem: For certain programs, it may be desirable to use the CHAINING phrase as part of the PROCEDURE DIVISION header. While the AcuBench documentation discusses the automatic generation of the USING phrase, there does not appear to be a way to incorporate the CHAINING phrase. Resolution: AcuBench does not have a way to automatically insert the CHAINING phrase into a generated program. This can be worked around with a manual modification and changing one of the settings in AcuBench.The two AcuBench tags below in the .cbl file are removed then the CHAINING phrase is inserted with the parameter desired as shown below.*{Bench}linkpara <---- remove     PROCEDURE DIVISION CHAINING MY-PARAMETER. *{Bench}end      <---- removeBefore regenerating, AcuBench must be configured not to regenerate the tags that were removed. From the Tools menu, select Options, Code Generator, check the Regenerate tagged a

Created On:  08 July 2011 Problem: If you have a Visual Studio Solution which contains managed code projects that call into native code projects you cannot simply step through the managed program into the native program using the debugger.You can step through the managed code but when the call is made into the native program, the native program will run at full speed and control will return to the debugger as soon as it returns from the native program.How is it then possible to debug the called native portion of the application? Resolution: The following instructions are for customers who have Visual Studio Solutions containing managed projects with Console, Winforms, WebForms and WPF front ends that call programs in native projects that are packaged in .dlls. In order to debug the called native code it is necessary to do the following: If you have a native program that you want to debug and it is NOT a web application you can: 1. Modify the start program under the debug ta

Created On:  22 June 2011 Problem: The COBOL application loops continously until an operator terminates the application.  It first connects to a database and reads transactions from a table, then goes into an idle mode wherein the application is just incrementing a counter until it reaches a specific value.   It then connects to an external database and updates an external table, goes back into idle mode, and the whole cycle begins again. During this idle period the CPU usage is very high as measured by Task Manager. The application is just counting and there is no I/O yet the CPU usage spikes during this time. Is there a parameter somewhere that we can change to lower the CPU usage without changing the code? Resolution: If the application is incrementing a counter then it is still utilizing the CPU.  You should instead call the library routine CBL_THREAD_SLEEP or the winapi Sleep function to actually relinquish the time sli

Created On:  01 July 2011 Problem: When running an ACUCOBOL program, can you get the name of the configuration file that was passed to the runtime? Resolution: With ACU, there are a number of ways for the runtime to pick up the configuration file that it will use, so it can be useful to get the name of the configuration file that is being used. The name of the configuration file is stored within the runtime, but is not directly available to the programs in the run unit. As part of the information that is put into the runtime log file, which is generated by the –lex option, is the name of the configuration file together with the options that were used. The line that holds the configuration file name is of the format:                  Configuration file = '' Within a Cobol program it is possible to define a line sequential file and open up the log file to get the name of the configuration file. T

Created On:  29 June 2011 Problem: With Visual COBOL for Visual Studio you can tell what version is installed by clicking on Help-->About Microsoft Visual Studio from the IDE and then clicking on the Visual COBOL product in the list of installed products.Version numbers will show as:Visual COBOL 2010 R4 Version 1.3.00046.So how does one tell what version of the COBOLRuntime 2010 product is installed on a production computer under Windows where Visual Studio 2010 in not installed? Resolution: You can tell what version of the COBOLRuntime 2010 product is installed by using Windows Control Panel-->Add/Remove Programs and clicking on Micro Focus COBOL 2010 Runtime in the list.Then click on the link for: Click here for support information:Version information will appear as 1.n.nnnnn where:1.1.nnnnn = R2 release1.2.nnnnn = R3 release1.3.nnnnn = R4 releaseetc. Old KB# 34208

Created On:  16 June 2011 Problem: After upgrading Visual COBOL for Visual Studio R3 to the R4 release, the following error message is reported when starting Visual Studio 2010: Resolution: This error is caused when both the Visual COBOL for Visual Studio R3 and Visual COBOL for Eclipse R3 products are installed on the same computer and you upgrade the Visual Studio product to the R4 release. This leave the products in an inconsistent state as one is at release level R3 and the other is at release level R4.Uninstall the Visual COBOL for Eclipse R3 product and install the R4 version instead.  This will make the products consistent and the error will no longer appear. Old KB# 34173

Created On:  07 July 2011 Problem: The runtime produces an error when the file exceeds 2 gigabytes in size. Resolution: On UNIX systems that support large files, the USE_LARGE_FILE_API variable allows you to turn on or off file system API support for very large files (greater than 2 gigabytes). Support for large files is enabled when USE_LARGE_FILE_API is set to "1" (on, true, yes).   Some UNIX systems do not support files greater than 2 gigabytes in size. In those situations, setting this variable to the default of "0" (off, false, no) causes the runtime to use the standard 32-bit file system API.   **This runtime configuration variable has no effect on Windows platforms. This can also be set in the UNIX environment:USE_LARGE_FILE_API=1  export USE_LARGE_FILE_APIThe logutil utility supports large (>2GB) transaction log files. The host operating system must allow such large files.   Old KB# 34234#2GB#AcuCobol#LargeFile#Vision

Created On:  30 June 2011 Problem: Trying to install Server Express on Solaris gives an error message as follows:Enter the absolute path to the directory where Server Express should be installed.   Press return to use (/opt/microfocus/cobol)/home/support/products/opt/microfocus/cobol Installation directory /home/support/products/opt/microfocus/cobol does not exist.Do you want to create it? (y/n): y Installing into /home/support/products/opt/microfocus/cobol Do you want to continue? (y/n): yCopying files. This can take several minutes. Please wait....tar: ././@LongLink: typeflag 'L' not recognized, converting to regular filetar: ././@LongLink: typeflag 'L' not recognized, converting to regular filetar: ././@LongLink: typeflag 'L' not recognized, converting to regular filetar: ././@LongLink: typeflag 'L' not recognized, converting to regular filetar: ././@LongLink: typeflag 'L' not recognized, converting to regu

Created On:  24 June 2011 Problem: This article details how to run Micro Focus LMF, ASLMF and ESLMF licensing as a non-root user.  The following instructions assume that the Server Express and Server products are being installed on a clean machine. The instructions do contain some steps to remove files if they are present from a previous installation. Resolution: LMF LicensingStep 1.Install Micro Focus product.  See product install notes that came with product for full details. During the installation you will be taken into the LMF installation.   Text will appear as….This product is protected using the Micro Focus License Management Facility (LMF). Please refer to the Development System Licensing Guide for information relating to the installation of the licensing system and licenses.If you do not have LMF installed or want to upgrade to the latest version, we recommend you install it now.Would you like to install LMF now? (y/n):yEnter the directory name

Created On:  27 June 2011 Problem: Having the runtime installed in a primary machine, like:my-firstmachine:C:\\Program Files\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl900\\AcuGT\\bin.The .NET DLL is sitting in this same folder as well.There is a programs folder in a second machine which is been mapped as Z: drivemy-secondmachine:C:\\objectsChanging to the mapped drive and executing the following command, it works perfectly, creating the object.Z:>"c:\\Program Files\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl900\\AcuGT\\bin\\wrun32" my-program But, doing:Z:>\\\\my-firstmachine\\c\\"Program Files\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl900\\AcuGT\\bin\\wrun32" myprogramIt executes the cobol program but when it trys to create the object it generates an error "There was a problem with one of .NET support libraries.NET assemblies cannot be loaded"This same error happens if the cobol object is copied to the /bin directory, then maping the Acu/bin directory of my-firstmachine from a third one as Y: like: &quo

Created On:  19 May 2011 Problem: Having received your keys for full licenses for Server Express, it appears that they will expire in x days. Resolution: There are two different model types for Server Express and Server for COBOL licenses; model 1 and model 2.  These different model types only really apply to the runtime product, Server for COBOL, but not the compiler product, Server Express.  If you encounter this problem, it is likely that the license keys shipped to you are model 2 type.  In order to resolve the issue, contact your Micro Focus sales representative asking for the model 2 keys to be converted to model 1.  Note that this is a purely commercial issue and cannot be resolved by your SupportLine representative. Incident #2517325 Old KB# 34106

Created On:  06 June 2011 Problem: With runtime 9.0.0, C$PARAMSIZE may cause a Memory Accesso Violation.  The same statement is working correctly under previous version of runtime. Resolution: This issue may be introduced by ECN-4048, deployed in 9.0.0. To disable this ECN and restore the previous behavior, upgrade to 9.0.1 and use one of the following solutions: Add the environment variable ECN_4048 in \\etc\\cblconfi and set it to 0 or FALSECompile the program with the pre-9.0.0 compatibility option (-c81) Incident #2512590 Old KB# 34149

Created On:  02 June 2011 Problem: The Consolidated Tracing Facility (CTF) has been enhanced in Visual COBOL for Visual Studio to work with managed code applications.  How does one set up this tracing in a managed code project? Resolution: If you are using the .NET environment, instead of setting the MFTRACE_CONFIG variable you can configure CTF tracing in an app.config file in the same folder as its associated app.exe file. The configuration statements must be inserted in an section in the as CDATA. For example: mftrace.dest = binfilemftrace.emitter.binfile#location = c:\\logsmftrace.level.mf.rts = infomftrace.comp.mf.rts#pgm = truemftrace.comp.mf.rts#pgmload = truemftrace.comp.mf.rts#syspgm = true <]]> Old KB# 34135

Created On:  13 June 2011 Problem: Unable to compile INT to GNTcob32 -C nolist ./cobopt -uv Program.int* Micro Focus Server Express V5.1.00 Code Generator* Copyright (C) 1984-2009 Micro Focus (IP) Ltd. All rights reserved* Accepted - verbose* 019-C Program checked with non-optimal alignment. Optimal alignment is 8* Generating FG4-250* 013-R Illegal intermediate code (at 0X1757 in seg 0)cob32: error(s) in code generation: Program.intHowever on previous versions of Server Express this does not happen. Resolution: Here the int was created using a very old version of Net Express which was then ftp'd to Server Express 5.1 WebSync5. Once recompiling the int file first with Server Express 5.1 WebSync 5 then the compile command worked producing the gnt file. Old KB# 34150

Created On:  25 May 2011 Problem: After installing just ACUXDBC on 64bit windows, then trying to access ACU vision files via ACUXDBC gives load failure on acuxdbc04.dll. Resolution: If you just install the ACUXDBC product your path will be not updated to point to the location of support files required to run ACUXDBC. The path has to be manually changed to include the 32bit AcuGT\\bin directory. By default, the product will install into the following directory structure:"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Micro Focus\\Acucbl9xx\\AcuGT\\bin"This is the directory that needs to be added to your path. Incident #2507260 Old KB# 34120

Created On:  01 June 2011 Problem: After installing Visual Cobol for Eclipse R4 the JVM project entry on File > New is not visible just after installing the product. Resolution: To fix this open the Eclipse IDE then go to > Window > Reset Perspective. If you have reused an old workspace the perspective settings would not have the new menu items. Old KB# 34134

Created On:  13 June 2011 Problem: Does Web-to-Host support the use of double byte characters like is used in Japanese or other Asian languages for example? Resolution: Web-to-Host features support for double-byte character sets (DBCS) to enable customers with emulation needs in territories where DBCS is the standard. This is supported from Web- to-Host version 6.1 but please note that we only have DBCS support in Web to Host 6.1 Java clients. Old KB# 34148#Web-to-Host#Rumba

Created On:  13 June 2011 Problem: MFXDBC utility fails to add xfd file to syscat.When a command-line like this is executed:mfdbcutil -d "C:\\Program Files\\Micro Focus\\Server 5.1\\systemCatalog" -x "C:\\XFD" -a myfileThis error is generated:Error: A4ParseXFD failed opening file 'myfile' Resolution: Upgrade to the latest releases of MFXDBC:- Server Express 5.1 Wrap Pack 5- Net Express 5.1The new release XDBC 2.0 will be available at the end of June 2011. Incident #2518820 Old KB# 34151

Created On:  11 May 2011 Problem: In troubleshooting Server Express issues that occur in a UNIX/Linux environment, customers are often asked to provide COBOL programs for testing. Those programs are commonly temporarily downloaded from Pivotal and saved onto a support technician's Windows machine before being transported to a Unix or Linux system for testing. Many times, when those files are opened in a Unix or Linux editor (such as vi) on the testing machine, the files are seen to have a Windows Carriage-Return Line-Feed character (^M) appended to the ends of the lines of text. How can these be removed without using UNIX/Linux tools such as sed, vi or vim? Resolution: Do this using a copy of the file in question on the Windows system:(Note: The resolution depends on the Microsoft Visual Studio application being already installed on the technician's Windows machine).- on the Windows machine, in Windows Explorer, right-click on the document - in the menu wh

Created On:  13 June 2011 Problem: After developing a native code application using Visual COBOL for Visual Studio R3 it was deployed to a computer where COBOLRuntime2010 product was installed. A valid license for COBOLRuntime2010 had been installed and shows correctly under MF License Manager.  When running the application on this system an error 245 occurs with the following message:    No Valid Product Licenses Resolution: Licensing for the COBOLRuntime2010 product was changed between R2 and R3 of Visual COBOL for Visual Studio.  If you had installed a license that was generated for R2 initially then it will fail with this error message.  Contact Micro Focus Support and have them generate a new license using product type COBOLRuntime2010 Production.  This will generate the appropriate key for COBOLRuntime2010-Deploy in the license database file. Incident #2522698 Old KB# 34153

Created On:  08 June 2011 Problem: When installing a valid development license key for Server Express the error message "This is an expired temporary license" is received. Resolution: This issue has been known to occur in early versions of Server Express such as 2.0 and 2.2.The resolution:(Note: please be sure to have your valid license keys on-hand before executing any of the following procedures).If there are any lapsed license keys in the development license database un-install those. Next, refresh the license database and try installing the valid license key again. If that does not clear the issue you will need to recreate/reinstall the development license database, following the steps used to recover from a corrupt development license database. For Server Express 2.2 Service Pack 2 onwards, you can use $COBDIR/lmf/lmfdbrecover. For older products you will have to reinstall the license manager in order to recreate the license database. Please refer to the docu

Created On:  14 April 2011 Problem: When the "acurcl -start" command is performed at the Command Prompt on a Windows server, the error "AcuRCL Service Error: 997" is displayed and AcuRCL fails to start. Resolution: This error is encountered when upgrading to a newer version of AcuRCL without removing the prior service.Perform "acurcl -remove" to remove Windows service from memory and then start the new version "acurcl -start". If not using the default port, indicate the port number when removing and starting the service: "acurcl -remove -n portnumber" and "acurcl -start -n portnumber". This error may also indicate an expired evaluation license. Old KB# 33894

Created On:  14 April 2011 Problem: The column is defined as - VARCHAR2(30 BYTE) NOT NULL - with attempts to populate with spaces. Acu4GL appears to be changing the value from spaces to null prior to the update - causing the update to fail. Resolution: Before there was an SQL standard, Oracle made the design decision that empty strings in VARCHAR/ VARCHAR2 columns were NULL and that there was only one sense of NULL (there are relational theorists that would differentiate between data that has never been prompted for, data where the answer exists but is not known by the user, data where there is no answer, etc. all of which constitute some sense of NULL). By the time that the SQL standard came around and agreed that NULL and the empty string were distinct entities, there were already Oracle users that had code that assumed the two were equivalent. So Oracle was basically left with the options of breaking existing code, violating the SQL standard, or introducing some sort of