System Startup, Configuration, and Shutdown Reference Manual (32650-90907)

Glossary
help facility
Glossary
239
extent A group of one or more contiguous sectors on
a volume used to allocate permanent disk space.
Extents can be variable length; any number of
extents can exist for a given file.
file A group of related records that represents ASCII
text (text files) or binary data (such as executable
code). Every file must have a file name so the user
can access the file’s contents.
file code A four-digit integer that identifies the
special function of a file. Users can assign a file code
between 0 and 1023 to a file they create to classify it
according to its purpose.
file equation A method of equating a file name to a
device or another file. The FILE command is used to
establish the relationship of the file to the device.
Generally used to direct the input to or output from
a program, job, or session to a particular device by
referring to the device class, such as TAPE or LP.
file identifier A number associating a name with a
file system object. The file identifier is given to users
to access objects via the file system.
file name A string of up to eight alphanumeric
characters, the first of which must be an alphabetic
character. The file name is assigned when the file is
created or first saved.
file number An integer value assigned by the
FOPEN intrinsic that is used to refer to a file in a user
program. File numbers zero through seven are
reserved for the operating system.
file space The number of sectors of disk space that
a user, group, or account is using. It is determined by
executing the REPORT command.
foreign disk A non-system domain disk that MPE
V/E does not recognize as a private volume or serial
disk. Foreign disks are non shareable devices, and
can be formatted either sequentially or for direct
record access. Foreign disks, such as private volumes
and serial disks, do not have entries in the system
volume table.
formal file designator An alias file name that is
used either programmatically or in a file equation to
refer to a file. The formal file designator is not the
file name found in the system file directory.
free space map A map of allocated and available
disk sectors on the volume set.
fully qualified file name A complete file
description that includes the file name, the group to
which the file belongs, and the account to which the
group belongs. The fully qualified file name of the
LETTER file in the PUB group of the SYS account is
expressed as LETTER.PUB.SYS.
function keys Special keys on the terminal
keyboard that are labelled sequentially, F1, F2, F3,
and so on, and that correspond to the windows that
appear at the bottom of the terminal screen.
Function keys perform various activities.
Fundamental Operating Software (FOS) The
programs, utilities, and subsystems supplied on the
master installation tape (MIT) for MPE.
group Part of an account that is used to organize
the account’s files. All files must be assigned to a
group. Each group must have a unique name within
an account. Groups are the smallest entity for which
use of system resources is reported. A PUB group is
designated for each account when it is created.
Additional groups are created within the account, as
needed, by the account manager.
group-level security The file access modes, and
the types of users to whom they are available, as
specified by the account manager when the group is
created. File access modes assigned to a group are
limited to those types permitted to the account.
group librarian capability (GL capability) A
capability assigned by the account manager to a user
within an account. A group librarian is allowed
special file access modes for the maintenance of
certain files within the user’s home group.
hard reset A method of resetting the computer or a
terminal. A hard reset erases all information in
memory.
hardware All the physical components of the
computer, including the CPU cabinet, tape drives,
disk drives, terminals, and other peripherals.
help facility An online utility providing
information on all commands. Information can be
accessed by topic areas and tasks.