Perl 5.8 for NetWare
July 2002


Table of Contents

    1.0 Installation
       1.1 Testing your Setup
       1.2 Installation of NetWare specific modules
    2.0 Running Perl Scripts
       2.1 Running Perl Scripts from the System Console
    3.0 Documentation
       3.1 Viewable and Downloadable Documentation
       3.2 News Groups
    4.0 Additions and Fixes in this Release
       4.1 Perl 5.8 for NetWare
    5.0 Known Bugs and Issues
       5.1 Complex Scripts
       5.2 Infinite loop
       5.3 Thread and threads Extensions
       5.4 Perl Debugger
       5.5 Fork Method
       5.6 Usage of Perl2UCS module
    6.0 Legal Information
       6.1 Disclaimer, Patents, and Copyright
       6.2 Trademarks


1.0 Installation

    Unzip the p580nwp.zip onto the root of the sys: volume of your NetWare server.
    You may wish to keep a copy of the existing Perl on your server since this
    overwrites them.

    1.1 Testing your Setup

        To test Perl from the command line, enter the following	command:

            perl

        Then, run the sample Perl script, hello.pl, by entering the 
        following command.

            perl hello.pl

    1.2 Installation of NetWare specific modules

        The NetWare specific modules like Perl2UCS, CGI2Perl, DBI and DBD::ODBC
        that can be used with Perl 5.8 binaries delivered to CPAN,
        can be downloaded from:

             http://developer.novell.com/support/sample/tids/ucscgi58/ucscgi58.htm

        Perl 5.8 for CPAN does not support the security features. Therefore,
        it is recomended not to use these binaries along with security enabled
        modules. Doing this may not give the desired output.


2.0 Running Perl Scripts 

    2.1 Running Perl Scripts from the System Console

        To run Perl scripts from the console, place your scripts in
        sys:\perl\scripts directory. Load Perl from the system console.
        You can then run your scripts using the "perl" system console command.
        For example, to run the sample Perl script, hello.pl, the command is:

            perl hello.pl


3.0  Documentation

     3.1 Viewable and Downloadable Documentation

         The PDF version of the documentation is included with the software download.
         This is available at:

             http://developer.novell.com/ndk/Perl5.htm

     3.2 News Groups

         The following news groups are available for discussions:

         Perl For NetWare:
             News server:  developer-forums.novell.com
             Group:        novell.devsup.perl


4.0 Additions and Fixes in this Release

    4.1 Perl 5.8 for NetWare

        This is the first release of Perl 5.8 for NetWare. This is based on
        CPAN version Perl 5.8 and contains all the standard Perl extensions
        (Fcntl, IO, SDBM_File etc.).


5.0 Known Bugs and Issues

    5.1 Complex Scripts

        Complex scripts running from the console might give the message
        "Process did not relinquish control frequently".

    5.2 Infinite loop

        Scripts that contain infinite loop (for example, as created by a while loop)
        can be terminated by ctrl-z and not ctrl-c. When ctrl-z is pressed, it breaks
        the loop and expects any key to be pressed (which will be indicated so on
        the Perl output screen) before the Perl output screen can be exited.

    5.3 Thread and threads Extensions.
    
    	Scripts that use the ' Thread ' and ' threads ' modules may not work as desired.
	    
    5.4 Perl Debugger

        While using the Perl debugger, you will need to press Ctrl-Z after pressing
        Carriage Return to execute the next command in the debugger.

    5.5 Fork Method

        Fork method is not yet implemented on NetWare.

    5.6 Usage of Perl2UCS module

    	If you use the Perl2UCS module within your Perl scripts, you are
    	required to explicitly load the NWSEC nlm on the console.
        Without this you will not get the desired output.


6.0 Legal Information

    6.1	Disclaimer, Patents, and Copyright

        Novell, Inc., makes no representations or warranties with respect to any software,
        and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability,
        title, or fitness for a particular purpose. Distribution of any Novell software
        is forbidden without the express written consent of Novell, Inc.
        Further, Novell reserves the right to discontinue distribution of any Novell software.

        Novell is not responsible for lost profits or revenue, loss of use of the software,
        loss of data, costs of recreating lost data, the cost of any substitute equipment
        or program, or claims by any party other than you.

        Novell strongly recommends a backup be made before any software is installed.
        Technical support for this software may be provided at the discretion of Novell.

        Copyright © 2000-01, 2002 Novell, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    6.2 Trademarks

        Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States
        and other countries.

        Universal Component System, UCS, Novell Script for NetWare and NSN are trademarks
        of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

        Netscape is a registered trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.

        Java is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems in
        the United States and other countries.
