1. GemConnect 2.5.2 Release Notes

GemConnect version 2.5.2 is a new release of the GemConnect product. This release includes a new feature and changes in the interface to query for GemConnect version information..

These release notes provide changes between the previous version of GemConnect, version 2.5.1, and version 2.5.2. If you are upgrading from a version prior to 2.5.1, please review the release notes for each intermediate release to see the full set of changes.

Note that v2.5 contained significant changes, including in changes in the library name format and how the Oracle libraries are specified.

The Installation Guide has not been updated for this release. To install GemConnect v2.5.2, follow the instructions in the GemConnect Installation Guide for v2.5.1.

Platforms for Version 2.5.2

GemConnect version 2.5.2 is supported with GemStone/S 64-bit versions 3.6.x and 3.7.x versions through 3.7.4, on the following platforms:

Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
Red Hat-compatible Linux ES 7.9, 8.10, and 9.5, on x86.
GemStone testing is done on a mixture of Red Hat, CentOS, and Rocky installations; these are all considered equally certified platforms.

Changes in this release

Option to return NUMBER columns as ScaledDecimal

Columns with type NUMBER return values as integers, if the fractional part is zero. Due to the way Oracle returns data, very large and very small values (with more than 53 bits of precision) lose precision when converted to integers.

Now, you can specify the connection to have NUMBER values always return a SmallScaledDecimal or a ScaledDecimal. The following methods have been added:

GsOracleConnection >> numberAsScaledDecimal: aBoolean
If aBoolean == true, values in columns of type NUMBER will always be returned as a SmallScaledDecimal or a ScaledDecimal. If false (the default, as in previous releases), values will be returned as Integers, Floats or ScaledDecimals depending on the specific values.

GsOracleConnection >> numberAsScaledDecimal
Answer a Boolean indicating if values in columns of type NUMBER will always be returned as a SmallScaledDecimal or a ScaledDecimal.

Updated interface for GemConnect version information

GsOracleConnection class >> gcImageBranch
Returns the version of Oracle used to build GemConnect image.

GsOracleConnection class >> gcImageBuildDate
Returns a String which is the date GemConnect image was built.

GsOracleConnection class >> gcImageGemStoneVersion
Returns a String which GemStone version used to build GemConnect image.

GsOracleConnection class >> gcImageSha
Returns the git sha used to build GemConnect.

GsOracleConnection class >> gcImageVersion
Returns concise GemConnect image version string.

GsOracleConnection class >> gcOracleVersion
Returns the version of Oracle used to build GemConnect image.

GsOracleConnection class >> libraryMatchesImage
Answer true if the GemConnect image version matches the GemConnect shared library version or false otherwise.

GsOracleConnection class >> libraryPatchInfo
Returns an information String for the patch level of the GemConnect shared library.

GsOracleConnection class >> libraryPatchLevel
Returns an integer representing the patch level of the GemConnect shared library.

GsOracleConnection class >> librarySha
Returns the git SHA of the library.

GsOracleConnection class >> libraryVersion
Returns a string representing the version of the GemConnect shared library.

GsOracleConnection class >> libraryVersionArray
Returns an Array of version information regarding the GemConnect shared library:

1: Version (String)

2: Patch level (SmallInteger)

3: Build kind (Official or private) (String)

4: Build timestamp (String)

5: Build type (slow or fast) (String)

6: git SHA (String)

7: git branch name (String)

8: Oracle version.

Existing methods that are replaced and pre-deprecated

The following methods are legacy; and the equivalent new methods should be used instead. They may be considered deprecated although they are not yet officially deprecated.

GsOracleConnection >> gcVersion is replaced by:
GsOracleConnection >> gcImageVersion

GsOracleConnection >> patchInfo is replaced by:
GsOracleConnection >> libraryPatchInfo

GsOracleConnection >> patchLevel is replaced by:
GsOracleConnection >> libraryPatchLevel

GsOracleConnection >> version is replaced by:
GsOracleConnection >> libraryVersion