On IBM AIX. Using ISAM-A, OPEN ISAMP'INDEXED eithout the 'wait'record'. Perform a GET'LOCKED again without the 'wait'record'. Leave the record locked on this job. Do the same on another job. I would expect the 'fstat' variable to be 'not available' (ISAM'NA) value on second job. Instead I receive an AlphaBasic error 23, 'protection violation'.

What's up with this? Confused?

Sounds like an AIX-specific bug, caused by it returning an unexpected system errno value. I just checked A-Shell/Windows and A-Shell/Linux (both 5.1) and each returns FSTAT = -2 (ISAM_NA), as expected.

I'll take a look at the AIX implementation tonight and post a fix shortly.

OK, problem resolved in A-Shell/AIX 5.0.999.9, which you can get from the Update Center, or from http://www.microsabio.net/dist/50rel/bin-aix/ash-5.0.999.9-aix-upd.tar.Z
The latest 5.0 notes are at http://www.microsabio.net/dist/50rel/ashdevnotes50.txt

As I suspected, the issue was a difference in the underlying system locking call fcntl() - under Linux it returns EAGAIN on a locking conflict, and under AIX it returns EACCES. I'm not sure when the problem was introduced, but it probably happened during the last general ISAM-A update several months ago.

I'll try to get the 5.1 version updated shortly. (There's a complication with 5.1 in that some other recent patches have not been finalized. If that's hanging you up, let me know and I'll make you a special interim version.)

Thanks for the fast fix.

We're using 5.0 and not 5.1

I'll download 5.0.999.9-aix today.

I'm told that for security none of our AIX boxes can see the internet, so I can't use the Update Center. So I download the BIN or the UPD files through windows and then move them across our intranet (192.xxx.xxx.xxx)

Jack, you're the best. Thanks so much. I was worried about the 1.2 million $ project I have pledged to perform over the next year blowing up in my face. I am dependent on D-Isam (ISAM-A) being the tool.