HP-UX 11i Version 2 December 2005 Release Notes

Introduction to HP-UX 11i Version 2
HP-UX 11i v2 Compatibility
Chapter 2
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Binary Compatibility Across Hardware Platforms
HP maintains application binary compatibility across all hardware platforms of the
same family which are supported by the same version of HP-UX. In other words, binary
compatibility across the members of a hardware family (such as PA-RISC) is provided if
the following conditions apply:
• The hardware platforms are members of the same family (that is, they are all
PA-RISC-based or they are all Itanium-based).
• The application software is run on the same or a later version of HP-UX. (Binaries
are not necessarily backward-compatible; that is, a software application may not run
properly on an earlier version of HP-UX.)
• The application software has used only externally documented and supported
software interfaces (that is, it does not use undocumented interfaces).
• The application software has no dependencies on specific types of hardware (for
example, specific mass storage devices or specific I/O or networking adapters).
HP has an excellent record of introducing new processors that provide complete software
binary compatibility with previous processors, thus protecting customer and partner
investments and allowing support for new processors with a minimum of risk and
investment. HP has always recognized that software binary compatibility with new
processors is an important partner and customer requirement.
PA-8800 Binary Compatibility
Applications and software developed for systems with the PA-8X00 processors will run
correctly without modification on PA-8800 modules. These new processors differ from
previous ones in the use of a dual-core module that replaces a single PA-8700 processor,
thus doubling the number of processors that each server can support and improving
price/performance. PA-8800 modules are seen by HP-UX as two separate processors and
are supported by HP-UX 11i v2 September 2004 and later release.
Compatibility Issues or Exceptions in HP-UX 11i v2 December
2005
Compatibility issues or exceptions have been noted for the following products or features
that have been updated in December 2005. For details, see the indicated pages.
For documentation of compatibility issues or exceptions in previous updates to HP-UX
11i v2, see the previous editions of the HP-UX 11i v2 Release Notes, available at
http://docs.hp.com/en/oshpux11iv2.html. The HP-UX 11i v2 September 2004
Release Notes, in particular, lists compatibility exceptions from HP-UX 11i v1 to HP-UX
11i v2.
NOTE Before updating your system with any individual patches, patch bundles, or products
released from September 2004 forward, you must consult the current Read Before
Installing or Updating to HP-UX 11i Version 2 and the HP-UX 11i Version 2 Installation
and Update Guide. Both are available at http://docs.hp.com/en/oshpux11iv2.html.