diff --git a/externalLinks b/externalLinks
index 50afaee..482c563 100755
--- a/externalLinks
+++ b/externalLinks
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 
 version () {
     echo '$Author: zimoch $' >&2
-    echo '$Date: 2013/02/26 16:47:58 $' >&2
-    echo '$Revision: 1.10 $' >&2
+    echo '$Date: 2013/02/27 17:49:25 $' >&2
+    echo '$Revision: 1.11 $' >&2
     echo '$Source: /cvs/G/EPICS/App/scripts/externalLinks,v $' >&2
     exit 1
 }
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ INSTBASE=${INSTBASE%/}
 INSTBASE=${INSTBASE#/import}
 case "${INSTBASE}" in
     ( /work|/prod|/devl ) EPICS=3.13.10 ;;
-    ( * ) EPICS=3.14.8 ;;
+    ( * ) EPICS=3.14.12 ;;
 esac
 
 while true
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ do
         ( -r | ?(-)-require ) REQUIRE=1 ;;
         ( -w | ?(-)-where ) WHERE=1 ;;
         ( ?(-)-3.13 ) EPICS=3.13.10 ;;
-        ( ?(-)-3.14 ) EPICS=3.14.8 ;;
+        ( ?(-)-3.14 ) EPICS=3.14.12 ;;
+        ( ?(-)-3.* ) EPICS=${1##*-} ;;
         ( -- | - ) shift; break ;;
         ( -* ) echo "unknown option $1 ignored" >&2 ;;
         ( * ) break ;;
@@ -139,7 +140,10 @@ function expandFile () {
      echo "FILENAME $subs"
      dbLoadTemplate $subs
   done
-} | awk -v where=$WHERE -v require=$REQUIRE -v debug=$DEBUG '
+} | awk -v where=$WHERE -v require=$REQUIRE -v debug=$DEBUG -v epics=$EPICS '
+    BEGIN {
+        epics3_14ver=gensub(/^3\.14\./,"",1,epics)+0
+    }
     /FILENAME/ {
         filename = $2
         line = 0
@@ -343,12 +347,16 @@ function expandFile () {
             }
         }
         if (length(record)>maxNameLen) {
-            printf("record name \"%s\" %d chars too long (max %d)\n",
-                record, length(record)-maxNameLen, maxNameLen) > "/dev/stderr"
+            printf("record name \"%s\" %d chars too long (max %d)\nmaybe this works with a higher EPICS version (this is %s)\n",
+                record, length(record)-maxNameLen, maxNameLen, epics) > "/dev/stderr"
         }
         soft = 1
     }
     /alias\(".*\",".*\")/ {
+        if (epics3_14ver < 11) {
+            printf ("%s requires EPICS version >= 3.14.11 (this is %s)\n",
+                $0, epics);
+        }
         match($0,/\("(.*)","(.*)"/,a)
         record = a[1]
         aliasname = a[2]
@@ -397,7 +405,7 @@ function expandFile () {
         } else if (islink[rtype,field]) {
             if (value != "" && \
                 ((field != "INP" && field != "OUT") || soft)) {
-                reference[value] = filename ": "record "." field
+                reference[gensub(/ .*/,"",1,value)] = filename ": "record "." field
             }
             if (field == "INP" || field == "OUT") {
                 iolink[record] = field