PATCH: Solaris 2.5 and Tapes

[Patrick P. Murphy]

Many of you who have upgraded to SunOS 5.5 (Solaris 2.5) have run into the
same problem we encountered within NRAO recently.  Basically, tape writing
under this revision of the OS with 15JAN96 and earlier versions simply
does not work.  Symptoms may include errors with the "BEGW" or begin write
phase of the writing, or with the ending EOF-mark writing.

Fortunately, the fix is simple: install a new version of ZTPOP2.C in the
$APLSOL area, recompile it, relink AIPS, FITTP, FITLD, and any other tasks
you might use for tape manipulation.  Details as usual are available on
the AIPS web pages (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/aips/) and via anonymous ftp to
aips.nrao.edu, directory /pub/aips/15JAN96, file README.15JAN96.  I
believe this patch will work for older versions of AIPS (e.g. 15JUL95 and
possibly 15JAN95) but CAVEAT EMPTOR!  I have only tested the change on
SunOS 5.4 and 5.5 (for exabytes, dats and 9-tracks) for 15JAN96.

To those of you who notified me of the problem (and there were quite a
few), thank you!  A special thanks must go to Martin Shepherd of Caltech
who pinpointed the source of the problem.

				- Pat
-- 
  \|/  ____  \|/   Pat Murphy  <pmurphy at nrao.edu>  <pmurphy at goof.com>   INFP
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      \_U__/       "I don't believe in the no-win scenario" -- James T. Kirk