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General Information

Release Notes - PC-DCE 7.1

NEW FEATURES

  • Added support for Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2

    This version supports the following operating systems:

    • Windows 8.1 (32-bit, 64-bit)
    • Windows 8 (32-bit, 64-bit)
    • Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)
    • Windows Vista (32-bit)
    • Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)
    • Windows Server 2012 (64-bit)
    • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
    • Windows Server 2008 (64-bit)

    On x64 bit versions, PC-DCE 7.1 runs under the WOW6432 subsystem.

  • Simplified the installation process by incorporating latest VC2005 redistributables into the kit. One is installed for x86 (32-bit) platforms and 2 for x64 (64-bit) platforms.
  • Added the PC-DCE Service Panel to the program Menu group for easier access to the configuration.

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed messages for expired licenses.
  • Fixed issue with the pe_site file updating on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
  • Fixed issue with incorrect x64 VC2005 redistributables not being used for x64 kit installations.
  • Fixed issue with incorrect PC-DCE version detection for the installation kit.
  • Fixed issue with Windows Application log reporting deprecated protocol when PC-DCE was started. This was caused when PC-DCE was started while priming the Microsoft endpoint map for later RPC connections.
  • Fixed issue with handle leak for the service panel modification.
  • Fixed issue with PC-DCE service always set to automatically restart on reboot when PC-DCE is installed or reinstalled on a system. Now, PC-DCE will not auto start if the configuration is set to not start on boot. This is controlled the AutoStart registry value. This value is configured using the Service Panel configuration options. Now, PC-DCE will on start after a boot if the value is set to true otherwise PC-DCE will need to be manually started by a system administrator.
  • Fixed an issue with the dcecp command "cell show" to properly report the CDS servers in the cell when the RPC protocols are restricted on the system.

KNOWN PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS

  • UDP is not supported on Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 systems due to endpoint restrictions.
  • PC-DCE Environment variables do not show up in the Command Prompt window after installation. A system reboot is required to have the variables loaded so that the command line tools work properly.
  • The DCE Director may not properly contact cell services when checking their service state.
  • For CDS server replica configuration, the directory version defaults to Version 4. For cells that have
    version 3 directory structures, you must check the check the "CDS Directory Version 3.0" in the Options panel before configuring the CDS replica.

Prior Version Release Notes - PC-DCE 7.0 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

NEW FEATURES

  • Support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

    This version runs on Windows 7 (x86, x64) and Windows Server 2008 R2 (x64). On x64 bit versions, PC-DCE 7.0 runs under the WOW64 subsystem.

    This version also runs on Windows Vista (x86) and Windows Server 2008 (x64).

  • New License Files Required

    New license files are required for Version 7.0. Additionally, a terminal server license is required for Windows Server 2008 R2.

  • Visual C++ 2005 redistributable kits are provided for both x86 and x64 systems.

    The x64 redistributables are installed only on the 64-bit systems. The following are the redistributable kits.

    • Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
    • Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable. SP1 fixes some security issues.
    • Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable KB973923 patch.

    This will bring the installed system up to the patch level as of March 21, 2011.

  • cdscp.exe is now moved to the Runtime kit.

    It was previously located in the CDS server kit.

  • Additional inbound firewall rules have been added for DCE daemons and tools.

    Inbound firewall rules:

    • Runtime Kit
      • dced
      • cdsadv
      • dtsd
      • nsid
      • gdad
      • Grade server (from 6.1 kit)
      • Greet server (from 6.1 kit)
    • CDS Server Kit
      • cdsd
    • Security Server Kit
      • secd
      • auditd
      • pwd_strengthd
      • sec_salvage_db
      • sec_create_db (from 6.1 kit)
    • RPC Only Kit
      • Greet Server (from 6.1 kit)

    Note: If you restrict outbound network traffic from the Windows Firewall, then you will need to add outbound rules for the DCE daemons and tools.

  • Improved informational messages during configuration to assist with problem determination.

BUG FIXES

  • Fixed an issue with obtaining credentials for processes that perform repeated logins.
  • Fixed an issue with foreign cells not properly traversed resulting in CDS look-up failures.
  • Fixed an installer problem that created a RPConly menu item under certain conditions.
  • Fixed an issue with CDS lookups not exhausting all of the known clearinghouses before returning a failure message.
  • Fixed an issue where the control panel and/or configuration panel may hang when trying to cancel or close the window.
  • Fixed an issue with client configuration in cells that have the /.:/hosts directory replicated.

KNOWN PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS

  • Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 provide limited support for the UDP transport in the endpoint mapper. As a result, some dcecp and RPC calls may fail to machines running this version. The work around is to limit the DCE RPC transport to only utilize TCP on those machines.
  • For CDS server replica configuration, the directory version defaults to Version 4. For cells that have
    version 3 directory structures, you must check the check the "CDS Directory Version 3.0" in the Options panel before configuring the CDS replica

Prior Version Release Notes - PC-DCE 6.1 for Vista and Windows 2008

NEW FEATURES

  • Support for Windows 2008

    This version supports Windows 2008 and Vista platforms.

  • New License Files Required

    New license files are required for Version 6.1. Additionally, a Terminal Server license is required for Windows 2008.

BUG FIXES

  • Message Catalogs

    Fixed an issue with message catalogs that was causing an error dialog to appear under certain conditions about a missing MSVCR80.DLL file.

KNOWN PROBLEMS

  • UDP Transport

    Windows 2008 and Vista provide limited support for the UDP transport in the endpoint mapper. As a result, some dcecp and RPC calls may fail to machines running this version. The work around is to limit the DCE RPC transport to only utilize TCP on those machines.

Prior Version Release Notes - PC-DCE for Vista V6.0

NEW FEATURES

  • Installation Program
    • The installation program now uses InstallAnywhere for the kit.
    • A new option (Lightweight Kit) is available with the Runtime Client kit. The option will remove certain administration tools and help files from the installation.
      • Full Kit - contains all of the standard PC-DCE Client images and files.
      • Lightweight Kit - contains the Full Kit except for the DCE Director and Visual ACL Editor images and help files. This kit would be used by organizations that limit access of Windows interface tools for end-users.
    • Silent Installation

      The new installer allows creation of an installation response file. The response file is then used to install the kit or kits using a console installaton. This will assist with production deployment of the kit(s).

      First create a response file by bringing up a DOS window, moving to the kit directory, and then invoking the installer with the following command.

      install -r

      Next, complete the installation steps as desired for your environment. When installation completes, the installer will create an installation response file named "installer.properties" in the kit directory.

      When you want to use the response file to perform the installation, place a copy of the installer.properties file into the kit deployment directory along with the install.exe file for the kit. Then install the kit by running the following command:

      install -i silent

  • Adminstration Privilege Required

    Vista User Account Control (UAC) requires that certain operations on the system possess administrator privileges for correct operation. Several PC-DCE images have a built-in requirement for these privileges.

    The following images are affected:

    • Control Panel
      • service_panel.exe
    • Licensing
      • LicenseInst.exe
      • ShowLicense.exe
    • Configuration
      • dce_config.exe
    • Installation
      • Install image
    • Other
      • SysInfo.exe
    • Also, starting and stopping the PC-DCE service

  • Firewall Items

    Firewall rules for DCE servers and clients were added to the installation for DCE images. Separate rules for TCP and UDP allow the end user to further refine the rules if needed.

  • Debug Images

    The debug files are in .pdb format, these have replaced the older .dbg format files.

  • DCE Configuration

    A DCE Custom configuration can now be completed if both the CDS and security server kits are installed and either or both licenses have expired. Prior versions would report several duplicate error dialogs if either license was invalid or missing during the configuration.

REMOVED FEATURES

  • DCE Setup Program Removed

    The dcesetup.exe program has been removed from this release. All DCE configuration must be performed using the PC-DCE configuration program from either the control panel or the menu items.

KNOWN BUGS AND LIMITATIONS

  • Installation Program
    • The installation program does not properly detect previously loaded kits so server kits can be installed without installing the runtime kit. By using the "Custom" option, you will be able to install the desired additional kits.
    • Administrators must must manually restart DCE services after reinstallation.
    • The installation panel is somewhat limited in space so it does not show the complete kit descriptions.
    • The installer does not properly handle a 1072 condition (delete pending) for removing the DCE service. Usually the condition is fixed after the next reboot. If the problem persists after rebooting then the kit should be reinstalled.
  • Service Panel
    • Starting DCE gives the following message in the event log:

      Application ("C:\Program Files\Entegrity\DCE\bin\dce_service.exe") (PID: 2164) is using Windows
      functionality that is not present in this release of Windows. For obtaining an updated version of
      the application, please, contact the application vendor. The technical information that needs to
      be conveyed to the application vendor is this: "An RPC method has been called on a
      connectionless protocol sequence ncadg_ip_udp. Usage and support of this protocol sequence
      has been deprecated for this release of Windows. For information on the deprecation process,
      please, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=36415." User Action Contact the application
      vendor for updated version of the application.

      This log message does not affect operation of PC-DCE.

    • When selecting PC-DCE from the Control Panel, a dialog may appear stating that the PC-DCE service panel is a legacy control panel item.

      This dialog requests the user to allow permission to run the service panel. The user should select "CONTINUE" so that the service panel will execute.

    • On some systems a dialog comes up that reports an error with executing the Service Panel. The work around is to run service_panel.exe from the bin directory where you installed the PC-DCE kit. If you need to configure PC-DCE then you can run the PC-DCE Configuration Panel from the Start Menu.

      If you encounter this problem, please report the error code displayed in the dialog box to the email provided in your contract.

  • Security server (secd)
    • Due to configuration issues, machines that run the security server must either be in the name service or all cell machines must be able to look up the IP address of the server machine with and without the fully qualified IP name.
    • In addition, machines that run the security server should have a fixed IP address. On machines where the IP address is dynamically assigned and the security server is running, PC-DCE will not start if the IP address changes.