Evaluating_Support_Status

   As part of testing OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.2 (and later),
   OpenVMS application developers should evaluate and test all
   existing applications to determine their current level of support
   for Extended File Specifications and whether that level is
   appropriate.

   Most unmodified OpenVMS applications fall into the default
   support category. Specifically, these applications use the
   traditional NAM block rather than the new NAML block when making
   RMS calls. Applications that use high-level language calls
   to perform file operations will also fit into this category
   unless the language run-time libraries have been modified to
   full support. In most cases, you will not need to modify these
   applications for them to function successfully under Extended
   File Specifications. However, you can choose to upgrade these
   applications to full support, if necessary.

   However, any applications that are coded to undocumented
   interfaces, or include any of the following may fall into one
   of the no support categories:

   1. Use of the QIO interface to specify file names. Developers
      should examine all layered products and applications and
      evaluate any file name interaction between the RMS and the
      XQP interfaces. The format for extended file names varies for
      each interface. As a result, valid file names could differ
      between interfaces. (No extended file name support)

                                     NOTE

         All XQP applications that receive file names from the XQP
         and encounter extended file names on a ODS-5 disk will
         see pseudonames returned in place of Unicode (UCS-2) or
         ISO Latin-1 names that are not ODS-2 compliant. This may
         cause applications to act in an unpredictable manner.

   2. Assumptions about the syntax of file specifications, such as
      the placement of delimiters and legal characters. (No extended
      file name support)

   3. Assumptions about the case of file specifications. Mixed
      and lowercase file specifications will not be converted to
      uppercase, which could affect string matching operations. (No
      extended file name support)

   4. Dependence on the traditional directory depth (fewer than 8
      levels). (No extended file name support)

   5. Internal knowledge of the file system, which includes
      knowledge of the contents of a directory and how file header
      data is structured on a disk. (No ODS-5 support)

   You can choose either to modify these applications to support
   Extended File Specifications or not to use them under Extended
   File Specifications.