Product updates and release notes Print job recovery after an untidy printer stop Hardened job-execution privilege handling Recovery of undeletable print jobs Terminal-server protocol input hardening Job-data network input hardening Binaries report their release version RPM packages for RHEL 8 & 9 and custom blends Installation hardening for openSUSE / Leap Download portal lists RPM packages Download portal Xi-Batch scheduler responsiveness Motif interface removed from the standard package Legacy line and sun-setting Build-system modernisation Release naming and version numbering Installer updates Licence management system Automated licence server vwrite licence tool DEINSTALL path fix Default path changes for FHS compliance

Product updates and release notes

A running record of changes, fixes and improvements across the Xi-Text and Xi-Batch product line. Most recent first.

Impact key

CriticalSystem-failure risk or high-impact change HighSignificant issue or change to core features MediumFeature limitation or change for some users LowCosmetic or minor functional change InfoDocumentation or detail with no usage impact

HighPrint job recovery after an untidy printer stop

Applies to: Xi-Text 1.25.3 and later

Changes

  • A print job that was held by a printer at the moment the printer stopped abnormally is now re-queued automatically.

Intent and impact

Previously, if a printer stopped untidily part-way through a job, the job could remain attached to that printer indefinitely — it would neither reprint nor delete, even after the printer recovered, and was cleared only by restarting the scheduler. The scheduler now releases and re-queues the held job, so it reprints on the recovered printer (or another) without operator intervention.

CriticalHardened job-execution privilege handling

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.9.0 and later

Changes

  • Per-job execution now fails safe if it cannot switch to the job owner's identity.

Intent and impact

The scheduler runs each job under the identity of the job's owner. A hardening review found that if that change of identity could not be completed, execution previously continued regardless. It now stops immediately and the job does not run, closing a local privilege-escalation condition. Correctly-configured systems see no change in normal operation. Updating to this release is recommended for all Xi-Batch installations.

MediumRecovery of undeletable print jobs

Applies to: Xi-Text 1.25.2 and later

Changes

  • Delete-time reclaim of a job whose printer process ended unexpectedly.

Intent and impact

On busy systems a job could occasionally become impossible to delete after its printer process ended unexpectedly, with a scheduler restart the only remedy. The delete path now reconciles this state and removes the job cleanly.

HighTerminal-server protocol input hardening

Applies to: Xi-Text 1.25.2 and later

Changes

  • The terminal-server protocol decoder now validates encoded field lengths before use.

Intent and impact

The decoder for the terminal-server protocol now rejects malformed length-encoded input that could previously cause excessive memory use or an unbounded processing loop. Well-formed traffic is unaffected.

HighJob-data network input hardening

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.8.0 and later

Changes

  • Job descriptors received over the network are now bounds-checked before they are unpacked.

Intent and impact

The routine that unpacks a job descriptor arriving over the scheduler's network interface now validates the offsets and counts carried in the message, so malformed data can no longer write beyond the intended buffer. Normal job submission is unaffected.

InfoBinaries report their release version

Applies to: Xi-Text 1.25.2 and later, Xi-Batch 1.8.2 and later

Changes

  • Each program now reports its marketing release version alongside the on-disk format version.

Intent and impact

The version string compiled into each program now carries the release number — for example Xi-Text 1.25.3 (format 23.500) — making it straightforward to confirm exactly which build is deployed. The on-disk and on-the-wire format generation is unchanged.

InfoRPM packages for RHEL 8 & 9 and custom blends

Applies to: Xi-Text and Xi-Batch, current releases

Changes

  • RPM packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9 (and compatible clones such as Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux).
  • Custom "blend" builds can now also be delivered as RPMs, with their service paths and runtime directories created correctly on install.

Intent and impact

RPM installation manages file permissions, service registration and clean removal for you, and is recommended on all Red Hat and clone systems. Custom blends — builds tailored to a distributor's paths or a site's requirements — are now packaged the same way. RHEL 10 packages will follow; older versions are available on request.

LowInstallation hardening for openSUSE / Leap

Applies to: Xi-Text and Xi-Batch, current releases

Changes

  • Package installation made robust on openSUSE and SUSE Leap (service group creation and systemd unit location).

Intent and impact

Installation on minimal openSUSE and SUSE Leap images now creates the required service group and places the systemd unit in the correct location, so the service installs and starts cleanly. Red Hat and clone installs are unchanged.

InfoDownload portal lists RPM packages

Applies to: All versions

Changes

  • The download portal now lists RPM packages alongside the binary distributions.

Intent and impact

The software download portal has been updated so that RPMs are listed alongside the binary packages for each product.

InfoDownload portal

Applies to: All versions

Changes

  • Self-service download portal available.

Intent and impact

Xi Software applications are available from our web download portal at https://downloads.xisl.com/. A valid serial number is required; once provided, all related files for the latest build are listed, each with a checksum for validation. An advanced "Blend" filter is available for customers who have requested a customised build.

CriticalXi-Batch scheduler responsiveness

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.1

Changes

  • Scheduler main loop re-engineered.

Intent and impact

On recent Red Hat and compatible Linux platforms the scheduler could become unresponsive under certain conditions — for example when utilities such as btq or spq were run. The root cause was a logic error in the main loop, which has been reconstructed in this release.

MediumMotif interface removed from the standard package

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.1

Changes

  • The Motif graphical interface is no longer included by default.

Intent and impact

Owing to reduced support for Motif on recent platforms, the Motif GUI is no longer included in the standard build. Custom builds including Motif remain available on request.

HighLegacy line and sun-setting

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • The current products are now identified as the "legacy" (V1) line.

Intent and impact

The V1 legacy products are now in a planned sunset and will be supported until 2030; extended support beyond that can be arranged case by case. A replacement V2 line is in development to deliver the product roadmap; it will not be compatible with the V1 products, which have given some forty years of service. Further detail on the replacement products will follow in due course.

InfoBuild-system modernisation

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • Rebuilt and automated build system.
  • Automated test suite introduced.
  • Support for tailored builds ("blends").
  • Xi-Util separated from Xi-Text and Xi-Batch.

Intent and impact

The build system has been rebuilt to make it easier to compile and test new versions across Linux distributions and Unix variants, and to deliver custom distributions ("blends") from the same core code — for example a distributor's custom paths, or compile-time options to meet a platform's security profile. An automated test suite now guards against regressions across target platforms. These changes mainly affect development, but should improve product quality and the customer experience. Note that Xi-Util is now separate and must be installed alongside the product if you require it.

InfoRelease naming and version numbering

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • Versions now use the semantic-versioning (semver) standard, prefixed with "1.".
  • Release naming structure is : CPU-MFR-OSNAME-PRODUCT-BLEND-VERSION
  • The version carries both the code version and a build suffix (identifying a rebuild of the same code).
  • "Blend" identifies a custom variant; "standard" indicates no customisation.
  • The installer displays the full build information.

Intent and impact

Xi-Batch was created in the 1980s, well before Linux. As most users have moved to Linux — with its variation in libraries, versions and profiles — the release naming has been updated to capture the build target precisely and to speed delivery from code change to distribution. Distributed file names now follow the new format, for example:

x86_64-linux-rockylinux9.3-xibatch-standard-1.9.0+.tar.gz
x86_64-linux-rockylinux9.3-xitext-standard-1.25.3+.tar.gz

Each archive unpacks to a folder named PRODUCT-BLEND-VERSION (excluding the build suffix), for example xibatch-standard-1.9.0/.

InfoInstaller updates

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • Updated installer and system messages.

Intent and impact

System messages have been revised for improved readability, with various quality improvements throughout the installer.

LowLicence management system

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • Licence logic and enforcement updated.

Intent and impact

The licence logic has been updated to better handle 64-bit processors and virtualised environments. New installations will need a new key; existing serial numbers remain valid.

LowAutomated licence server

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • Automated licence service re-introduced with security enhancements.

Intent and impact

The automated licence service was withdrawn in 2020 pending a security assessment — not because of any compromise, but to reflect a changed threat landscape that the original system predated. Following the system updates it is available again via vwrite -I.

Lowvwrite licence tool

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

New options for unattended licence renewal:

  • -s [serial number] — specify an existing serial number.
  • -o "[Organisation name]" — quote the name if it contains spaces.
  • -q — non-interactive; succeed or fail with no prompts (requires -s and -o).

Intent and impact

As many systems are now internet-connected, the licence process can be further automated. The new options let the serial number and organisation name be passed on the command line, making vwrite scriptable so a customer can automate renewal. Example:

sudo /usr/local/bin/xb-vwrite -I -q -o "Your Org name" -s 00000000
sudo /usr/local/bin/xt-vwrite -I -q -o "Your Org name" -s 00000000

To protect performance and security, a high frequency of requests will result in the sending network being temporarily blocked.

HighDEINSTALL path fix

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

  • Corrected a path error in the de-installation process.

Intent and impact

The DEINSTALL process could fail to complete following a change to the installation paths. It now operates as expected.

HighDefault path changes for FHS compliance

Applies to: Xi-Batch 1.7.0, Xi-Text 1.24.0

Changes

Installation paths updated to align with the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard.

Xi-Text

  • Spool directory: /var/spool/spd -> /var/spool/xi/spd
  • Sockets directory: /var/spool/spuds -> /var/spool/xi/spuds
  • Printers directory: /var/spool/printers -> /var/spool/xi/printers
  • Internal program files: /var/spool/progs" -> /usr/libexec/xi
  • Help files: /var/spool/progs -> /usr/share/xi

Xi-Batch:

  • Spool directory: /var/spool/batch -> /var/spool/xi/batch
  • Sockets directory: /var/spool/btuds -> /var/spool/xi/btuds
  • Internal program files: /var/spool/progs" -> /usr/libexec/xi
  • Help files: /var/spool/progs -> /usr/share/xi

All other paths are unchanged.

Intent and impact

The original Unix layout evolved decades ago around early hardware limits, leaving ambiguities about where programs should live. The 2015 Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS), and the subsequent usr-merge across most Linux distributions, addressed this. The product paths have moved to align with FHS. Original paths can be retained in your master configuration file; if that is not possible, files from a previous installation must be migrated. Note: DEINSTALL removes your master configuration. If changing file locations is not possible, contact your distributor for a custom build that reuses your existing paths.