Category Archives: New software releases

Announcements of new software packages and updates.

ArcaOS 5.0.6 updates for 2020-11-14

Dynamic Icons Two packages included in ArcaOS 5.0.6 have been updated, and are now available as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software. Specifically, these are:

Archive Tool 1.04.0 (updated from 1.03.03)
DVD Tools 1.08.0 (updated from 1.07.01)

These packages include minor fixes and enhancements over their previous versions, and while recommended, are not considered critical updates. Each package displays a changelog during installation to make it easy to see what’s new.

These are eCo Software applications which utilize the eCo Software Runtime libraries. Updating these runtime packages is recommended for the best user experience. (These packages have been updated since the release of ArcaOS 5.0.6.)

More updates are on the way to the Support & Maintenance subscription channel as we continue our work on the next release of ArcaOS. Watch for more announcements right here.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet moved up to ArcaOS, this is a great reason to do so now. If you’ve already made the switch, but haven’t renewed renewed your support subscription, this is also a good time. Not sure what’s coming next? Have a look at our product roadmap pages.

eCo Software Runtime packages updated

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the availability of updated eCo Software Runtime packages, downloadable from our downloadables page.

The eCo Software Runtime packages provide support libraries for several components of ArcaOS and eCS, as well as eCo Software applications. The Base, Net, and Win packages have been updated as of 2020-10-16. The Win update enhances directory tree sorting in the File Open Container (FOC) used by default in ArcaOS, while some of the other updates address issues in Zippy and Archive Tool, as well as other applications which utilize these libraries.

The eCo Software Runtime Toolkit has also been updated with this release.

These packages are provided by Arca Noae as a convenience to our customers, clients, and the community at large. Arca Noae does not produce these packages, and the software is provided “as is” without any warranty of any kind. Support for the eCo Software Runtime is provided by eCo Software, in their support forum.

ACPI Driver Package version 3.23.15 released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our ACPI Driver Package for ArcaOS, OS/2, and eComStation version 3.23.15.

This release contains the following changes:

Adds 3 new workaround options to help with problematic BIOS.
Adds a workaround to accommodate unusual back-to-back timer queries.
Updated to the latest ACPICA.

Please see the ACPI Driver ReadMe for details about this update.

This is considered a critical maintenance update that is recommended for everyone.

If you have ArcaOS, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

If you have an Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, this driver package is available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of your Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription. Please log into your account in order to access your software.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet purchased a software subscription, this is a great reason to do so now. It may also be a good time to consider moving up to ArcaOS.

Panorama Video Driver Package version 1.17 released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of our Panorama Video Driver Package for OS/2 and eComStation version 1.17.

This is a maintenance release containing some minor changes that fixes an extremely rare regression in the Custom Resolution module, and adds a power management module. This update is recommended for everyone, but it is not critical, so it can be installed at your convenience. It should not change the way existing installations operate.

More information about the Panorama Package may be found in the Panorama wiki.

New driver packages released

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of updates for ACPI, JFS, FAT32, and Panorama to match what is in the recently released ArcaOS v5.0.6.

If you updated to ArcaOS 5.0.6 you already have these updates. These updates are recommended for everyone.

ACPI

The power manager in the daemon was enhanced to better handle multiple CPUs.
ACPICA was updated to the current version.

JFS

The boot loader has a fix that prevents an IPE if the boot volume has empty directories that are read before the IFS is loaded.

FAT32

Improved cache performance and stability.
Better conformity with standards when formatting media.
Improved messages for errors and utilities, including cache control.
Improved disk check handling for mismatched FATs.

Panorama

The Custom Resolution module was enhanced to better handle some types of Intel BIOS if patching is necessary.

For more information, please read the ReadMe for the specific package.

if you have problems with any of these drivers, please read the wiki first. If your problem cannot be resolved with the information in the wiki or the ReadMe, then the problem should be reported in the ticketing system.

If you have ArcaOS, these driver packages are available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software.

If you have an Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription, these driver packages are available for download from the Arca Noae website as part of your Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription. Please log into your account in order to access your software.

ArcaOS 5.0.6 now available

Arca Noae is pleased to announce the general availability of ArcaOS 5.0.6, the sixth maintenance release of ArcaOS 5.0 (Blue Lion).

ArcaOS 5.0.6 includes refreshed content and fixes since 5.0.5 was released. If you have experienced difficulty installing previous releases of ArcaOS on your hardware, 5.0.6 may address your issue(s). If installing from USB stick, the image may be created using any major operating system at hand (Windows, Linux, MacOS, and of course, OS/2, eComStation, and ArcaOS). Once built, the USB stick can be inserted into any USB port in the target system to boot into the ArcaOS installer/updater.

For a complete list of updates in this release, see the ArcaOS wiki. Be sure to review the README.TXT, as well, as this contains critical information to ensure that you get up and running fast, and includes tips for getting things adjusted right away.

This update is included with your valid ArcaOS Support & Maintenance subscription at no additional charge. To download your fresh ISO, simply visit your customer portal page, select the Orders & Subscriptions link on the navigation panel to the left, then click on the order for your ArcaOS license. Once there, click the download link to request a fresh ISO, and wait for your notification email.

If your ArcaOS Support & Maintenance subscription has already expired, and you missed your window of opportunity to renew at regular rates, you may still renew at less than the cost of a new ArcaOS license.

USB driver package version 12.07 released

USB Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 12.07 of our USB stack.

This release has improvements to device enumeration that will fix some problems with devices getting missed during boot. It also fixes another defect in EHCI isochronous handling and has some other cosmetic updates.

As usual, this release is update only. It will only update an existing installation. It will not install USB support and it will not break existing XHCI support if you have it. More information about the USB drivers can be found in the wiki.

If you have problems with any of the drivers in this release, please read the Troubleshooting Guide in the wiki first. If your problem cannot be resolved with the Troubleshooting Guide, then the problem should be reported in the ticketing system.

ArcaOS 5.0.5 updates for 2020-06-26

Dynamic Icons One package included in ArcaOS 5.0.5 has been updated or refreshed today, and is now available as part of the Support & Maintenance subscription for your ArcaOS product. Please log into your account and see your ArcaOS order details page to access your software. Specifically, this is:

Network Adapters and Protocol Services (NAPS) 1.1.7 (refreshed)

The NAPS package shipped with ArcaOS 5.0.5 did not update the installed version properly. Fresh 5.0.5 installations did receive the correct binary, however. Minor updates to the online help have also been added in this packaging refresh. We recommend downloading and installing this package on all ArcaOS systems (new installs, updated systems, and those not-yet-updated) to set the package version correctly in the WarpIN database.

NAPS is a replacement for IBM’s MPTS utility to add, remove, and configure LAN adapters and networking protocols. NAPS is open source, licensed under GPLv3, with full source code available (see the NAPS wiki for more information).

Packages listed on the order details page as UPDATED are new or refreshed since the latest ArcaOS ISO release.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems and haven’t yet moved up to ArcaOS, this is a great reason to do so now. If you’ve already made the switch, but haven’t renewed your support subscription, this is also a good time. Not sure what’s coming next? Have a look at our product roadmap pages.

USB XHCI driver preview available (v12.06)

USB Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of a preview release of our new xHCI driver. xHCI controllers are designed to support USB1, USB2, and USB3 devices.

This release is a preview release that has some limitations. The xHCI driver in this release is exactly the same xHCI driver that is included in ArcaOS 5.0.5 and has the same limitations regardless if you got it by installing ArcaOS or by installing this package.

The xHCI preview is only available for ArcaOS customers. The full GA release (coming soon) will be available to ArcaOS Support & Maintenance subscription holders for free, and to eCS and OS2 users for a small fee.
The xHCI preview is intended to be a one time only release. We don’t expect to release any updates to the preview. If there are updates to the rest of the USB stack before the full GA release of the xHCI driver, those updates will not contain the xHCI driver and may render the preview inoperative.
The xHCI preview requires that the version 12.06 USB stack be installed first.
The xHCI preview has no support. Please do not open tickets to report problems with the preview.
The xHCI preview has limited functionality. The limitations only apply to devices connected to an xHCI controller. If you have a system that has OHCI, UHCI, and/or EHCI controllers in addition to xHCI controllers, devices connected to these other controllers are not affected by the preview and will have full functionality as before.
- Isochronous transfer support is not implemented in the xHCI driver yet. This means that any kind of streaming media such as audio and video won’t work when plugged into an xHCI connected port.
- Problems have been reported with a small number of xHCI controllers. Depending on the specific xHCI controller(s) you have, your experience using the preview may vary.
Make sure your system is fully up-to-date. Specifically, you should be using the latest Arca Noae 14.201 kernel, the latest ACPI PSD, and not using the /VW switch for the PSD.

Unlike the USB stack package, the xHCI preview package is not “update only”. The installer in the xHCI preview can and will install the xHCI driver on your system, but only if you are running ArcaOS and only if you have detectable xHCI controllers in your system. If you are not running ArcaOS the xHCI driver package will notify you and will not run.

More information about the USB drivers can be found in the USB wiki. Information about the xHCI preview can also be found on the Troubleshooting Guide, and may be updated as more information becomes available.

This driver package is not available for download from the Arca Noae OS/2 & eCS Drivers and Software Subscription.

If you are still running OS/2 and/or eComStation systems this may be a good time to consider moving up to ArcaOS.

USB driver package version 12.06 released

USB Arca Noae is pleased to announce the immediate availability of release 12.06 of our USB stack.

This release has a minor fix that affects certain USBCALLS applications. Version 12.06 is the same version as in the recently released ArcaOS 5.0.5 so if you install or update to ArcaOS 5.0.5 you already have these drivers. As usual, this release is update only. It will only update an existing installation. It will not install USB support and will not install new drivers. More information about the USB drivers can be found in the wiki.