From: G.Filippi
                                                        Date: 30 Mar 1999


          VLT COMMON SOFTWARE "FEB 99" - OVERVIEW
          =======================================

VLTSW FEB99 release is intented to provide:

 - Year-2000 compatibility
 - full PowerPC and 68k support
 - CCSLite bug fixes
 - OCT98 bug fixes and new features as required by UT1 telescope 
   and instruments commissioning

and it is intended to be the baseline for 99 operation of UT1.

With respect to OCT98, there are minor changes in the OS and products
baseline (see below). 

FEB99 release has been tested in Garching on the VLT Control Model
(more on the VCM can be found on 
http://www.eso.org/projects/vlt/sw-dev/control-model/index.html)
and then installed during the month of February 99 
at the ESO VLT Observatory located in Cerro Paranal (Chile)
on the following systems:

 - VLT Unit telescope 1
 - VLT Unit telescope 2
 - FORS, ISAAC,  VLT Test Camera "A",  VLT Test Camera "B"
 - VLT Astronomical Site Monitor


Supported Platforms
--------------------

               O.S.        TORNADO       RTAP
   CCS      HP-UX 10.20     1.0.1         6.7
   CCS      Sun    5.4      1.0.1         6.6

   CCSlite  HP-UX 10.20     1.0.1          
   CCSlite  Sun    5.5.1    1.0.1         

   NOCCS    HP-UX 10.20         
   NOCCS    Sun    5.5.1        


  - HP-UX 10.20 has been patched for Y2K compatibility, at the
    level available in Dec98.

  - Sun    5.4  has NOT been patched for Y2K compatibility 

  - Sun    5.5.1 has been patched for Y2K compatibility, at the
    level available in Dec98.

  - GNU tools are the same as OCT98

  - TcltTk tools are the same as for OCT98 + the Sybase interface

  - MIDAS is 98NOV patch level 8


Distribution
------------

The release distribution is limited to internal ESO sites.

According to project needs, distribution to external sites
can be provided on request.

External projects using:
 - PPC LCUs     and/or 
 - CCSlite      and/or 
 - starting now 

are encouraged to use FEB99.

                           ___oOo___