Problem with RCS v4 on Ultrix, SunOS

[Rick Grubin]

The following describes the problem.  The machines in question are
DECstations running Ultrix 3.0 and Sun-3/60 and Sun-4/260 running SunOS
4.0 and 4.0.3.

The problem is with the latest version of RCS (version 4).  It seems that
RCS writes out the RCS file (source-filename,v) in different formats on
different machines.  This causes problems because we NFS mount disk
partitions from Suns to DECstations and vice-versa, and are unable to
share RCS-archived files across the machines.

The particular problem we are having involves DECstation 3100s and
Sun-(3/4)s.  The rlog command that displays the information in the RCS
file points up the difference.  I have done the following to (sort of)
verify the problem exists: generated an RCS file on a Sun and copied it to
the DECstation, where it generates the error described below.  Generating
an RCS file on the DECstation and copying it to the Sun, and then using it
(with rlog, for example) works.

Below is an example showing the difference.  Note that the original source
files are the same.

Results of an rlog command on a DECstation :

storm> rlog abc.c

RCS file:        abc.c,v;   Working file:    abc.c
head:            1.1
locks:           grubin: 1.1;  strict
access list:
symbolic names:
comment leader:  " * "
total revisions: 1;    selected revisions: 1
description:
Test file to show RCS problem on a DECstation
----------------------------
revision 1.1        locked by: grubin;
date: 89/11/30 16:08:37;  author: grubin;  state: Exp;
Initial revision
=============================================================================


Results of an rlog command on a Sun:

hail> rlog abc.c

RCS file:        abc.c,v;   Working file:    abc.c
head:            1.1
branch:
locks:           grubin: 1.1;  strict
access list:
symbolic names:
comment leader:  " * "
total revisions: 1;    selected revisions: 1
description:
Test file to show RCS problem on a Sun
----------------------------
revision 1.1        locked by: grubin;
date: 89/11/30 16:38:31;  author: grubin;  state: Exp;
Initial revision
=============================================================================


NOTE that the difference is the *3rd* line of the rlog output: on the Sun,
there is a line there that specifies the current branch of revision.  On
the DECstation, this line is not there.  This difference causes the
following error to be generated on execution of commands such as co, ci,
etc. :

    (command-name) error, line 2: Missing access list

RCS on both the DECstations and the Suns was built the same way (ie. no
changes to source, difference in the Makefile was in setting the BIN
directory value).  Has anyone else seen this problem, did we do something
stupid and wrong (a good possibility)?  Any help is appreciated.  Thanks.
The source file follows this.

This is the original source file:

/*
 * $Id: abc.c,v 1.1 89/11/30 16:38:31 grubin Exp Locker: grubin $
 *
 * $Log:        abc.c,v $
 * Revision 1.1  89/11/30  16:38:31  grubin
 * Initial revision
 *
 * Revision 1.1  89/11/30  16:08:37  grubin
 * Initial revision
 *
 */

static char RCSid[] = "$Id: abc.c,v 1.1 89/11/30 16:38:31 grubin Exp Locker: grubin $";

# include       <stdio.h>

main()
{
        int     i = 5;

        (void) printf(Value of i is %d\n", i);
}

Rick Grubin, Nat'l Center for Atmospheric Research
grubin at ncar.ucar.edu  ...!ncar!grubin