C* 7.2.1 Release Notes

Part I: Overview



1: INTRODUCTION
****************

Version 7.2.1 is a maintenance release of the CM-5 C* compiler.  It
provides fixes for several reported bugs.  It also provides a new
command-line option, "+lcpr", which supports the linkage of C* executables
for the checkpoint/restart utility of CMost 7.4.

These release notes replace all previous C* release notes.



2: HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
**************************************



2.1  HARDWARE REQUIRED
----------------------

Version 7.2.1 runs on the CM-5, CM-5E, and CM-500 Connection Machine
systems, with our without vector units, and on Sun-4 workstations.



2.2  SOFTWARE REQUIRED
----------------------

Version 7.2.1 requires CMOST Version 7.3 or higher.

Printing or displaying 64-bit integers in Prism requires Prism Version
2.2 or later. Otherwise, you can debug C* 7.2.1 programs using Prism
2.0.

Version 7.2.1 includes a copy of the "dpas" vector assembler that supports
the "-q" command-line option; this option instructs dpas to suppress default
warnings--for example, when assembling an instruction that performs a
vector load with zero register stride.  Version 7.2.1 emits such code when
the -vu and -O options are used.  If the dpas assembler included with
Version 7.2.1 is not used, users will observe "noise" warnings when those
options are used on the "cs" command-line.  In the course of a normal
installation, the Version 7.2.1 dpas executable is installed in the C*
directory tree, and no other applications should ordinarily use the Version
7.2.1 dpas executable.


3: PORTING INFORMATION
***********************

Object files compiled under Version 7.2 of the compiler can be linked with
object files from Version 7.2.1.  Object files compiled under previous
releases of the compiler cannot.


4: DOCUMENTATION FOR THIS RELEASE
**********************************

Documentation for Version 7.2.1, in addition to these release notes,
consists of the following documents:

  o  CM-5 C* Programming Guide, Version 7.2

  o  CM-5 C* User's Guide, Version 7.2

  o  Getting Started in C*, May 1993


Sample programs are available in /usr/cstar-7.2.1/examples/cs by
default. If they aren't there, check with your system administrator
for their location at your site.



5: ERRORS, FEEDBACK, AND ASSISTANCE
************************************



5.1  BUG UPDATE FILE
--------------------

To learn about restrictions in this release, see the on-line bug-
update file, which by default is in /usr/doc/cstar-7.2.1.bugupdate. If
this file doesn't exist on your system, check with your system
administrator.



5.2  REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK
-------------------------

Users are encouraged to communicate with Thinking Machines as fully as
possible. Please report any errors you find in the software (or
documentation) and suggest ways to improve it.