diff --git a/doc/html/RM_H5.html b/doc/html/RM_H5.html
index f651183f29..03b75c278d 100644
--- a/doc/html/RM_H5.html
+++ b/doc/html/RM_H5.html
@@ -290,21 +290,72 @@ facilitate moving easily between them.
unsigned relnum
)
H5check_version
verifies that the arguments match the
- version numbers compiled into the library. This function is intended
- to be called by the user to verify that the version of the header files
- compiled into the application matches the version of the HDF5 library
- being used.
+ H5check_version
verifies that the arguments provided
+ with the function call match the version numbers compiled into
+ the library.
+
+ H5check_version
serves two slightly differing purposes.
+
+ First, the function is intended to be called by the user to verify
+ that the version of the header files compiled into an application
+ matches the version of the HDF5 library being used.
+ One may look at the H5check
definition in the file
+ H5public.h
as an example.
Due to the risks of data corruption or segmentation faults,
H5check_version
causes the application to abort if the
version numbers do not match.
-
- If the version numbers of the library do not match
- the version numbers in the header files being checked, the library calls the
+ The abort is achieved by means of a call to the
standard C function abort()
.
+
+ Note that H5check_version
verifies only the
+ major and minor version numbers and the release number;
+ it does not verify the sub-release value as that should be
+ an empty string for any official release.
+ This means that any two incompatible library versions must
+ have different {major,minor,release} numbers. (Notice the
+ reverse is not necessarily true.)
+
+ Secondarily, H5check_version
verifies that the
+ library version identifiers H5_VERS_MAJOR
,
+ H5_VERS_MINOR
, H5_VERS_RELEASE
,
+ H5_VERS_SUBRELEASE
, and H5_VERS_INFO
+ are consistent.
+ This is designed to catch source code inconsistencies,
+ but does not generate the fatal error as in the first stage
+ because this inconsistency does not cause errors in the data files.
+ If this check reveals inconsistencies, the library issues a warning
+ but the function does not fail.
+
majnum
@@ -369,10 +420,10 @@ H5
HDF Help Desk