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

Glossary
priority request
Glossary
243
non-shareable device capability (ND
capability) A capability assigned to accounts and
users allowing account members to own
non-shareable devices such as unspooled tape drives
and line printers, serial disks, private volumes (on
MPE V/E), and foreign disks.
nonsystem volumes Volumes that are member
volumes of a volume set. They do not need to be
mounted for the operating system to run.
operating system The software that allows the
computer to operate. It consists of programs such as
basic file and I/O manipulators. All subsystems run
upon the operating system.
operator command Commands executed only at
the system console by the system operator. Operator
commands can be distributed to specific users at the
operator’s discretion with the ALLOW, ASSOCIATE,
and JOBSECURITY commands.
OPERATOR.SYS The user and account that MPE
automatically logs on to at the console when the
system is started. OPERATOR.SYS may or may not be
assigned special capabilities. Unlike the system
supervisor (who is assigned OP capability), or the
system manager (who is assigned SM capability),
there is no mnemonic that entitles the operator to
execute a special subset of commands. The operator’s
power and responsibilities derive solely from control
of the system console and any capabilities assigned
to it by the account manager of the SYS account.
optional parameter A parameter that is not
required when entering a command or calling an
intrinsic. In reference manuals, optional parameters
are surrounded by square brackets ([]).
outfence A number in the range of 1 (lowest
priority) to 14 (highest priority), used to control
access to the system printer. If a job does not have an
input priority higher than the system outfence
(default 7), it will not print.
output Data transferred from internal to secondary
(external) storage in a computer. Also, the process of
transferring information from the computer to a
peripheral device.
output priority A number in the range of 1 (lowest
priority) to 13 (highest priority) assigned to an
output spool file either by the system (a default
value) or by a user. It is used to determine the order
in which files will be printed.
parameter A value in a list of values that is passed
to a procedure. The parameter is used in calculations
or operations in the procedure.
path The course within a computer that a message
takes, typically through software protocol handlers.
peripheral A hardware device attached to and
controlled by a computer, such as a terminal, tape
drive, disk drive, or printer.
permanent file A disk file with an entry in the
system directory. To delete the file, it must be erased
from the system with the PURGE command or with
certain invocations of the FCLOSE intrinsic.
permanent space Disk space reserved for use by
permanent structures such as files, the label table,
or the free space map.
port An outlet from the computer used to connect
the computer to peripheral devices. A cable runs
between the outlet and the device.
positional parameters One or more terms
appearing in a specific order on the command line
that modify the intent or effect of the command. If a
positional parameter is omitted, the user must
supply a comma in its place.
power down To turn the system power off.
power up To turn the system power on.
preventive maintenance (PM) The regular
housecleaning chores performed to keep the system
from suffering performance degradation and to
prevent problems from developing on the system.
primary boot path The path used to boot the
system from disk-resident software.
priority request The use of the optional parameter
;HIPRI in the HELLO and JOB commands. This
capability, granted to system supervisors and system
managers, allows a job to be dispatched or a session
to be initiated, overriding the current jobfence or
execution limit.