Rocket® COBOL

Problem: These two(2) characters appear because specified a 'CODE' clause in the RD (Report Descriptor).  allowing multiple reports to be included within a single report file The two(2) report 'code' characters are included in the final report output, at the beginning of each line Is there a way to have Report Writer NOT include the report CODE at the beginning of each report line? Resolution: When the CODE clause is specified, literal-1 is automatically placed in the first two character positions of each report writer logical record. Following example of using code clause and  how to remove the two characters- select my-file assign to "a.pnt". file section. fd my-file report report-1 report-2. report section. rd report-1 code "R1". 1 my-detail type detail column 1 line plus 1 pic x(10) source "abcd". rd report-2 code "R2". 1 my-detail-2 type detail column 1

Problem: Which version of Server Express will be comatible with RedHat Enterprise 5.0?   Resolution: Later in 2007 Server Express 5.1 should support this version of RedHat. Old KB# 2171

Problem: Does Micro Focus support Clear Case for version management? Resolution: Currently the only way it is supported is via the Net Express IDE. However it is anticipated this to be supported in the future with the eclipse support for Windows and UNIX Old KB# 2175

Problem: When an error occurs in an application  program, the routine idenified by cbl_error_proc should be executed. Testing reveals that the error procedure is executed when running the application, but not when the application is animated. When the application is animated errors are displayed on the animator screen, and the error procedure is not being executed. Resolution: Animating an Error Procedure       ----------------------------       It is not possible to animate through an error procedure, that is,       code called by CBL_ERROR_PROC. When an error occurs, animator gains control and displays a message, before normal RTS closedown occurs.  It is in RTS closedown that error and exit procs are executed. Hence, error and exit procs are not animatable. Old KB# 2129

Problem: When executing or debugging an OpenESQL application, the following error is returned: OpenESQL Error: You must execute your application using the threaded COBOL run-time. Resolution: The ODBC driver manager is typically linked with the threaded C run-time. On some flavors of UNIX, such as HP/UX PA-RISC and HP/UX Itanium, if you attempt to execute an application with the non-threaded run-time, which attempts to load a module requiring the threaded run-time, you will receive an Operating System loader error. OpenESQL applications on UNIX should be built and executed for use with the threaded COBOL run-time, for example : cob -t myapp.cbl cobrun_t myapp or, to debug the application : anim_t myapp Old KB# 2191

Problem: When installing Micro Focus Sever Express you are asked whether you want the default working mode to be either 32 or 64 bit.   Whichever you select the working mode default is set appropriately. Resolution: You can change the working mode (COBMODE) on a temporary basis or if you have root permission you can change the default working mode. To change the default working mode temporarily you can set the COBMODE environment variable:       export  COBMODE={32/64} Once you have logged out the default working mode will revert back. Note:  You can set COBMODE in your .profile If you have root permission you can change the system default working mode by running the following command:     cobmode -s {32/64} Old KB# 2205

Problem: There is known defect where in some cases the results of a COMPUTE statement may be incorrect when executing in machine native code on Intel x86 platforms. Resolution: This error can be avoided by using the -g flag when compiling the machine native code executable. The error is introduced by a incorrect assumption in the code optimization routine used by the compiler. The -g flag alters the optimization routines used by the compiler so that the error is avoided. A permanent correction for this error will be released in a Fixpack for Server Express V4.0 SP3. Old KB# 2157

Problem: A demonstration of using the Consolidated Trace Facility (CTF) on UNIX The Consolidated Trace Facility (CTF) is described in the Server Express documentation, in the "Reference" section, in a book named "Consolidated Tracing Facility". To augment the explanation, this is a demonstration, including working code, a configuration file, and a driving shell script. Resolution: Attached to this article is a file named "ctf-demo.tar".  Download this to a UNIX machine, un-tar into a working directory, then run the driving shell script "do.sh".   All the code in this example works, so you can use it as a model to customize your own debugging approach.  The demonstration program "pi.cbl" from $COBDIR/demo/debug is used as an example program.  The shell script named "do.sh" shows how to set the required environment variable MFTRACE_CONFIG. Event codes in the trace output can be cry

Problem: When is the best time to commit a fixpack? If 2 fixpacks are installed, can the first be committed after 2nd is installed? Resolution: Fixpack administration can be entered by logging-on a root and entering: sh $COBDIR/bin/mfadminfp This will present you with the following screen: Pack Administration 1) Uninstall a Pack 2) Commit a Pack q) quit COBDIR is set to /home/products/SX50GA Select option (1,2,q): 1 When uninstalling a fixpack you can only install the last installed (uncommited) fixpack.  However if you have several installed, uncommitted fixpacks you could run the uninstall several times to take-out many fixpacks. When committing a fixpack, all earlier fixpacks are also committed, however it is possible to commit an earlier fixpack after installing a later one.  Example screen:             Commit a Pack The following Packs are currently i

Problem: What are the benefits of moving a 32 bit application to 64 bits? Is it possible to run a 32 bit application on an Operating System with a 64 bit architecture? Do I need an additional license if I run my application in 64 bit mode? Resolution: What are the benefits of moving a 32 bit application to 64 bits? It depends on the application. If the application takes advantage of the 64 bit address space because it handles big amounts of information, then it will run better and faster. Otherwise, "normal" applications that don't take advantage of the bigger address space would run even slower. The other reason why users need to migrate to 64 bits is that a part of their application, i.e. the data base manager, needs to be 64 bits. Then the whole application needs to be 64 bits as you can not mix 32 bits and 64 bits parts within the same application. Is it possible to run a 32 bit application on an Operating System with a 64 bit arc

Problem: Under Object Cobol Developer Suite, using chatr to examine an executable, the following occurs:   cob -x pd.cbl   chatr pd     pd:          shared executable          shared library dynamic path search:              SHLIB_PATH     disabled  second              embedded path  disabled  first  Not Defined Under Server Express the following occurs:   cob -x pd.cbl   chatr pd     pd:          shared executable          shared library dynamic path search:         &nb

Problem: Release 4.0: Which changes needed running Server Express 4.0 on SuSE / Novell Enterprise Server 10 i386 (32bit)? Resolution: $COBDIR/etc/cobopt: from set GCC_LIB=/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i586-suse-linux/3.3.3 to set GCC_LIB=/usr/lib/gcc/i586-suse-linux/4.1.2 Old KB# 2127

Problem: When linking big cobol object files on RHEL 4.5, the linker ld prints an error like: ld: /tmp/cob5HrVpd/ldtab.o: Can't relax br at 0x42 in section '.fini'. Please use brl or indirect branch. ld: can't relax section: Bad value Resolution: There is a patch to help overcome that particular error. http://www.gelato.unsw.edu.au/archives/linux-ia64/0004/0141.html After updating binutils from version 2.15 to version 2.17, the problem disappeared. This is a bug in the version included in RHEL 4.5. Old KB# 2190

Problem: An entry has been added to the exgfh.cfg entry to resolve a particular problem but the parameter is not being picked up. Resolution: The entry in the extfh.cfg file was incorrect. The extfh.cfg file entry was: SET EXPANDTAB=OFF Changed this to: EXPANDTAB=OFF "SET" is not valid for this parameter. See the File Handling reference manual for correct syntax for the External File Handler configuration file options. Old KB# 2093#AcuCobol#ServerExpress#netexpress#COBOL#RMCOBOL

Problem: Release 5.0: What has to be changed on SLES 10 i386? Resolution: After installation you need to change  $COBDIR/etc/cobopt from set GCC_LIB=/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i586-suse-linux/3.3.3 to set GCC_LIB=/usr/lib/gcc/i586-suse-linux/4.1.2 Old KB# 2125

Problem: Can IDXFORMAT"8" files be variable length? Resolution: The following program demonstrates that it is generally possible to create an IDX8 file having variable length records: 000001$set idxformat"8" 000002  select file1 assign to "file1" 000003  organization indexed 000004  access dynamic 000005  record key file1-key1. 000006 000007  fd file1 000008   record contains 30 to 50 characters 000009   recording mode v. 000010  01 file1-rec1. 000011          05 file1-key1 pic x(10). 000012          05 file1-data pic x(20). 000013  01 file1-rec2. 000014          05 file1-key2 pic x(10). 000015          05 file1-data pic x(40). 000016 000017 &nbsp

Problem: How can COBOL access the system time?  How can I write a program that will display a clock showing the system time, in real time, for the purpose of checking the system time's accuracy? Resolution: Following is a complete COBOL program (not a fragment).  It will compile as written: 000001 01 time-ws pic 9(08) value zeroes. 000002 01 filler redefines time-ws. 000003 05 ws-hours pic 99. 000004 05 ws-minutes pic 99. 000005 05 ws-seconds pic 99. 000006 05 ws-hundredths pic 99. 000007  01 count-ws pic 9(8) value 0. 000008 000009 procedure division. 000010 loop-top. 000011  accept time-ws from time 000012  display ws-hours   at 0303 000013          ":"        at 0305 000014          ws-minutes at 0306 000015   &nbsp

Problem: I see that the file $COBDIR/docs/env.txt shows the versions of Java that are supported for my version of Server Express.  These are all "Sun" versions of Java.  I would like to use IBM Java version 2.1.4.  Can I still use this with Server Express? Resolution: Strictly speaking, the versions of Java listed in $COBDIR/docs/env.txt are the only ones supported.  But this does not mean it is impossible to use other versions of Java.  Java versions from other vendors such as IBM are often "rebadged" Sun versions (derived from the same code base and maintaining the same version numbering).  These are sometimes functionally compatible with the Sun versions. What Micro Focus means by "supported" is that, for customers with active maintenance, Micro Focus Supportline will always be willing to talk on the phone and answer technical questions and provide assistance, but if a b

Problem: When linking a application under Server Express which has been precompiled with the Sybase precompiler, cobpre, the following error was returned: ld: fatal: libcobrts.a: open failed: No such file or directory This did not occur with Object COBOL Developer Suite. Resolution: The makefile being used was written to work with Object COBOL Developer Suite (OCDS). Under Server Express, a number of the modules, including the COBOL run-time, have been repackaged. Whereas under OCDS, the COBOL runtime was shipped as libcobrts.a, under Server Express, it is provided as a shared object. After updating the makefile to remove the hardcoded reference to the archive, the application linked cleanly. Old KB# 2144

Problem: Porting application from HPUX 11/23 PA-RISC to HPUX 11/23 Itanium. Compile cobol module with cob, using ld to link linker produces the warning: ld: (Warning) Unsatisfied symbol "_mFldhandle" in file xxx.o This cobol module is one several modules compiled to .obj for inclusion in a shared liabrary. The shared library is built, but at runtime the above Unsatisfied symbol "_mFldhandle" is not being resolved. SHLIB_PATHs, and LD_LIBRARY_PATH  are set which /cobol/lib shared lib to use with the -l flag on the ld command to resolve this symbol Resolution: When linking Cobol you must use cob. . IBM, HP and other take the same approach with C . You must use the C tool to link C applications. _mFldhandle is not defined in any library in $COBDIR/lib. This symbol is created by cob, locally to each shared object, as part of the link process. It is used as part of cancel processing, and shared object load/unload

Problem: Used rebuild infile, outfile but still having problems. Resolution: What the above command does is use the index tree to recover the file and will only recover records for which there is an index entry. The correct/recommended Rebuild command to use to recover a corrupt file is:   Rebuild infile, outfile -d -e which will recover all valid records. The -d option tells Rebuild to ignore the index tree and scan for all valid data records that will be included in the outfile. The -e option indicates to Rebuild to continue to process the input file when an illegal duplicate record is encountered.  All illegal duplicates are discarded from the outfile and are directed to a file with the base name of the infile with the extension .err. Old KB# 2173#AcuCobol#RMCOBOL#netexpress#COBOL#ServerExpress

Problem: Sample attached is just a demonstration which applies recommendations of KB 19691 Customer has questions on using large XML files with Net Express http://supportline.microfocus.com/mf_kb_display.asp?kbnumber=19691 What does this sample show? =========================== It just shows the chapter 3) of the KB 19691 ... 3. You can use the CBL_OPEN_FILE and CBL_READ_FILE byte stream routines to read the data directly from the XML document in managable blocks of 100KB or more. You can then use INSPECT and STRING statements to parse the data read to find the first <childdocn> start tag and the last </childdocn> end tag in the data buffer and then extract this information into another buffer such as XML-BUFFER PIC X(100000). In the SELECT statement for your XML enabled file you can have ASSIGN TO ADDRESS OF XML-BUFFER. Then when you open the file you can do a READ NEXT through each of the <childdocn> elements in the XML-BUFFER until

Problem: When running a COBOL program with working storage defined as: 30* test structure with mixed case. 31* 32 01 XML-str. 33 05 XML-nbr-comp pic 9(03) value 111. 34 05 XML-nbr-fund pic 9(05) value 22222. 35 05 XML-nbr-acct pic 9(15) value 333333333333333. The procedure division XML code OPEN OUTPUT OUTFILE. 46 XML GENERATE WS-XML-BUFFER 47 FROM XML-str 48 COUNT IN WS-XML-CNT 50 WRITE OUTFILE-REC FROM WS-XML-BUFFER The problem is that the output tags are all uppercase, rather than mixed case <XML-STR><XML-NBR-COMP>111</XML-NBR-COMP><XML-NBR-FUND>22222</XML-NBR-FUND><XML-NBR-ACCT>333333333333333</XML-NBR-ACCT></XML-STR> The problem is that their web service programs are looking for mixed case. Resolution: If you are using the directive DIALECT(ENTCOBOL) then it should work okay. However you are using

Problem: A copy of the Readme file is attached to this article. Resolution: Attachments: Server Express v5 WS03 Suse_x86_64.zip Old KB# 2196

Problem: How to set the record delimiter on UNIX like it is on Windows so that it behaves the same when displaying CRLF. Resolution: LSRECDELIM can be used to set the record delimiter on UNIX to CRLF as it is on a PC. Old KB# 2192