Docs: notes on DBM library changeovers

[exim.git] / doc / doc-txt / dbm.discuss.txt

diff --git a/doc/doc-txt/dbm.discuss.txt b/doc/doc-txt/dbm.discuss.txt
index e82987b5ff9665eba3eedd4980f26caf175adb91..4f3622d690b694261ea574f1d2278fb7a8fd38cf 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/doc-txt/dbm.discuss.txt
+++ b/doc/doc-txt/dbm.discuss.txt
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ some time, and various releases 2.x began to appear towards the end of 1997. In
 November 1999, version 3.0 was released, and the ending of support for 2.7.7,
 the last 2.x release, was announced for November 2000. (Support for 1.85 has
 already ceased.) There were further 3.x releases, but by the end of 2001, the
-current release was 4.0.14.
+current release was 4.0.14.  In 2022 it was 5.3.28 on Linux (the then-owner
+has developed it further but Exim does not support anything after 5.x).
 
 There are major differences in implementation and interface between the DB 1.x
 and 2.x/3.x/4.x releases, and they are best considered as two independent dbm
@@ -152,12 +153,13 @@ Berkeley DB 1.8x
 1.85 was the most widespread DB 1.x release; there is also a 1.86 bug-fix
 release, but the belief is that the bugs it fixes will not affect Exim.
 However, maintenance for 1.x releases has been phased out.
+Exim no loger supports these releases for current builds.
 
 This dbm library can be called by Exim in one of two ways: via the ndbm
 compatibility interface, or via its own native interface. There are two
 advantages to doing the latter: (1) you don't run the risk of Exim's seeing the
 "wrong" version of the ndbm.h header, as described above, and (2) the
-performace is better. It is therefore recommended that you set USE_DB=yes in an
+performance is better. It is therefore recommended that you set USE_DB=yes in an
 appropriate Local/Makefile-xxx file. (If you are compiling for just one OS, it
 can go in Local/Makefile itself.)
 
@@ -205,6 +207,8 @@ the file name handed to it.
 DB 2.x does not do any automatic locking of its own; it does have a set of
 functions for various forms of locking, but Exim does not use them.
 
+Exim no longer supports these releases for current builds.
+
 
 Berkeley DB 3.x
 ---------------
@@ -223,9 +227,23 @@ files in other formats that are created by other programs.
 Berkeley DB 4.x
 ---------------
 
-The 4.x series is a developement of the 2.x and 3.x series, and the above
+The 4.x series is a development of the 2.x and 3.x series, and the above
 comments apply.
 
+Berkeley DB 5.x
+---------------
+
+The 5.x versions seem to be current in several Linux disributions
+as of writing (2024). Exim uses them under the assumption that the
+API is the same as the version 4.1 library.
+
+Berkeley DB 6+
+---------------
+
+These versions exist, but documentation does not seem to be available.
+Exim does not support them.
+
+
 
 tdb
 ---
@@ -318,3 +336,5 @@ exists, just in case. Proceed as follows:
 
 Philip Hazel
 Last update: June 2002
+
+(+undates July 2024, jgh)