                                                           From: A.Longinotti
                                                           Date: 15 March 2002


             VLT-SW-MAR2002 - RELEASE NOTES FOR INS COMMON SOFTWARE
             ======================================================

These notes take as reference for comparison the last external release (MAR2001).

All existing packages run both on fullCCS and ccsLite.

                                 New packages
                                 ------------

None

                               Existing packages
                               -----------------

XXXX:
        - VLTSW20010320: ICS stand-alone panel added (xxipan).
        - VLTSW20010144: Exposure meter device added.
        - VLTSW20010501: Adam temperature sensors replaced with Esters DC24.
        - VLTSW20010502: Omega CN76000 controller replaced with Omega CN77000.
        - VLTSW20010259: Example of historian tables.
        - VLTSW20010260: More examples in xxi module.
        - VLTSW20010643: Name of flat-field TSFs changed according to VLTSW20010642.
	- VLTSW20010013: Simpler constructor and default SubsystemInterfaces in xxo.
                         manpage explains overloading (back compatible update)	
        - VLTSW20010724: Panel (xxopan) updated to monitor complex status 
	                 (backcompatible update).
	- VLTSW20010691: Function Expend() extended with argument detId 
                         (due to back uncompatible change in boss).
        - Check for error in xxo when data from expotable is retrieved (backcompatible update).

ICB:
        - VLTSW20010320: New ICS stand-alone panel added (icbpan, xxipan).
                         User Manual: VLT-MAN-ESO-17240-2606
        - VLTSW20010071: icbMOT_GRATING2: ORDER keyword support added.
        - VLTSW20010072: icbMOT_POS: Temperature related term added.
        - VLTSW20010287: icbMOT_POS: Instr. specific user unit conversions support added.
        - VLTSW20010144: New device icbMOT_EXPM (exposure meter).
        - VLTSW20010501: New device icbSEN_ESTERS (Esters DC24).
        - VLTSW20010502: New device icbSEN_CN77000 (Omega CN77000).
        - VLTSW20010255: Support to regularly copy ICS WS OLDB attributes into LCU OLDB.
        - VLTSW20010254: Declare individual LCUs not available.
        - VLTSW20010257: Report standard sensors in the logMonitor.
        - VLTSW20010258: Support for statistics on sensor values in ICB WS part.
        - VLTSW20010256: More FITS keywords added to the header.
        - VLTSW20010259: Support for historian tables.
        - VLTSW20010261: Report lamp status in FITS header only if ON.
        - VLTSW20010404: Reply to STATUS command reports also on WS assemblies.
        - VLTSW20010532: Timeout for LCU moving commands set according to INS.CON.MOVETOUT
        - VLTSW20010563: Value of INS.<dev>.LCUID checked against valid range [1..LCUNUM]
        - VLTSW20010653: Value Format in the dictionary used for float numbers in SETUP/STATUS.
        - VLTSW20010674: Timeout set according to INS.CON.MOVETOUT in ic0SelfTest.
        - VLTSW20010680: ic0SelfTest support for UNIX commands and error check.
        - VLTSW20010770: support for fallback init.

BOSS:
        - Super OS (SOS) facility support completed.
          SOS is an OS that coordinates other OS-es.
	- VLTSW20010691: Partial header files handling is updated to include 
                         iss binary table handling for vlti (boss,bossvlti).
	- VLTSW20020051: Send error reply  to wait when exposure failed or
                         aborted. (Number of replies depends on the status.)       
	- VLTSW20010535: STOP looping FIERA/TCCD  when END command is received.
	- VLTSW20010682: Do not FORWARD commands to ignored subsystems. 
	- VLTSW20010724: Complex substate (e.g. OBSERVING|SETUP) database point.
	- VLTSW20010618: Merging more then one ICS headers. 
	- VLTSW20010575: Added optional parameter '-first' to command WAIT.
	- VLTSW20010592: WarningLog during SETUP when includes setup of subsystem 
		         wich is not included in the given mode.
	- VLTSW20010013: New facility: Default startup - 'bossControl'.            
	                 Default implementation for SubsystemInterfaces().
	- VLTSW20010494: Default INS.MODE setting when only one mode is configured.
        - VLTSW20010448: Include TELESCOPE keyword in headers. 
        - VLTSW20010495: Merging headers which contain the same keywords. 
        - VLTSW20010010: Simplified configuration. 
        - VLTSW20010222: Auto exposure table refreshing. 
        - VLTSW20010084: Allow more detectors on the subsystemlist (bug fix).
        - VLTSW20010104: Allow setup while exposure is running.
        - VLTSW20010011: Command ONLINE is updated to carry out additional actions 
                         on certain subsystems.
        - VLTSW20010494: Auto mode setting when there is only one mode. 
        - Repeat last exposure without sending the setup parameters again.
        - Auto invalidate exposure when neccessary.
        - Command WAIT updated to handle 'simultaneous' WAIT commands. 
        - Command FORWARD updated to handle multiple replies.
        - Improved performance of file handling.
	- Exit when FATAL error happens during startup (to inform stoo).
	- Added user overloadable empty functions: 
          OffPostProc(),OnlinePostProc(),StandbyPostProc()	

        Back incomp changes:
	------------
	- Function ExpEnd()  has an additional argument detId (imposed by VLTSW20010691).
	- Argument for configuartion functions -AppConfigure(),Configure(),
	  ConfigureIfSpecPostProc()- has changed from oslxSHORT_FITS to ctooCONFIG.
	  See manpage of bossSERVER and bossINTERFACE for more information(VLTSW20010007).
	- Error reply  is given to command WAIT when exposure is failed (VLTSW20020051).

SLX/OSLX:
	- VLTSW20010751/VLTSW20010753:  Updates for portability (slx,oslx).
	- VLTSW20010495: Added new functions to change category of keywords in fitsheaders 
                         (supports merging of headers with same keywords -oslxFITS_EXT).
	- VLTSW20010618: Indexed keywords lookup in dictionaries are updated
                         to handle all possibilities (misc,slx,oslx).
	- VLTSW20010075: Handling of very small or very large double values (oslxFITS).
	- VLTSW20010722: Prefixed keyword handling (to support SOS).
        - VLTSW20010135/VLTSW20010075: Improved precision handling in oslx classes.
	- VLTSW2000078:  Update of slxResolvePath to handle ../ and ./ inside the path
	                 (slxUtils).
        - VLTSW20010522: Preceeding spaces are not removed in comments, logs 
                         and history in the fits headers. 
        - VLTSW20010283: Added new categories: AOS COU and ISS.
        - VLTSW20010118: New function to return name of dictionary (oslxDICTIONARY).
        - VLTSW20010495: New functions to change category in the header keywords 
                         (oslxFITS_EXT)and to hanlde SOS hierachical setup keywords 
                         (oslxFITS_BASE).
        - VLTSW20010248: New functions to recover from  failed/aborted operations (oslxFITS_EXT).
        - VLTSW20000469,VLTSW20010283,VLTSW20010117, VLTSW20010137: 
                         Bug fixes (oslxSHORT_FITS, oslxFITS, oslxFITS_EXT).
        - VLTSW20010283: slx/oslx manpage update    
   
TPL:    
        - VLTSW20010020: Tool to order FITS keywords on category inside *.tsf files
        - VLTSW20010642: Rule for name of flat-field calibration templates changed
        - VLTSW20010714: support for Technical Instrument Package
        - VLTSW20020036: added option to tplUIF Sleep method to suppress logs

CTOO:
        - SPRs fixed.

STOO:
        - SPRs fixed.

DXF:
        - VLTSW20010324: documentation improved.
        

IST:
        - VLTSW20010247: istDiskMon class improved.
        - VLTSW20010347: documentation improved.

PCO:
        No Changes.

MISC:
       - VLTSW20010618: Added new search mechanism in dictionary hashtables
			to support indexed keyword lookup.The search mechanism 
			in non-dictionary hashtables is unchanged.


                               Obsolete packages
                               -----------------

FHT:
        Not supported any more.

                                   ___oOo___





