From: B.Gilli
                                                           Date: 25 Sep 1998


             VLT-SW-OCT98 - RELEASE NOTES FOR CCS
             ====================================



ccs:
---     - New function ccsWaitForProcStat & utility ccsWaitForProc: SPR 
970103
          Waits for a process to be in a given "state" :
	       EXIT, REACHABLE, ANSWERING.
	- Global properties for ccs classes moved within the class definition.
	- ccsExit now exhausts the message queue, returning an error reply to 
		any command, and discarding all other message types.
	

alrm:
----
	- Global properties for alrm classes moved within the class definition.
	- A new Rtap color scheme file, provided in the alarm module should
	  replace the default Rtap file in /etc${RTAPROOT}

tims:
---- 
        - Functions timsTimeToString & timsStringToTime are becoming
          obsolescent. Their are respectively replaced by timsTimeToIsoString
	  and timsIsoStringToTime, providing more standard formats, and 
	  eliminating possible problems with year 2000. The old functions
	  are not delivered under CCS_LITE.

Logging System:
---------------

Misc.
	- New installation procedure for the logVLTBackup (less parameters)
	 backup procedure.
	- Added inteface to the operational logs archive : logs are archived
	 into a relational database for later analysis.
	- logManager : is able to load run-time a FITS dictionary through the
	 command LOADICT <absolute file path>

Programmatic Interface
	- New routine logStringParRecord ro log operational logs described 
	by strings.
	- The name of the host/lcu is the dafault value for the FITS mask.
logMonitor
	- Possibility to INSPECT the last n-th lines of a log file
	
Error System:
------------
Misc.
	- Script errShowStack searches optionally the stack within the
	 n-th last lines of the log file : this is specified by an
	 additional parameter.
Programmatic Interface
	- New routine errInStack checks if the stack contains a given error
	 and returns a vltLOGICAL values according to the result.
	 This is a simplified version of errIsReason.
samp:
----
	- modified to always config tables when start pressed. 
	- sampling time hard-coded to 1 s on WS.
	- WS environment is always the local one. The field env used only for
	  LCUs.

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