AS/400 or iSeries or System i Overview

Session 3

Contents

Revision Integrated File System Libraries Objects Security System Values Backup Questions Answers Lab Session

Integrated File System

What the integrated file system is

The integrated file system is a part of the i5/OS operating system

that supports stream input/output and storage management similar to personal computer and UNIX operating systems, while providing

an integrating structure over all information stored on your system.

Contd.. Integrated File System

The integrated file system comprises 11 file systems, each with their own set of logical structures and rules for interacting with information in storage. The key features of the integrated file system are as follows: Support for storing information in stream files that can contain long continuous strings of data. These strings of data might be, for example, the text of a document or the picture elements in a picture. The stream file support is designed for efficient use in client/server applications. A hierarchical directory structure that allows objects to be organized like fruit on the branches of a tree. You can access an object by specifying the path through the directory to the object. A common interface that enables users and applications to access not only the stream files but also database files, documents, and other objects that are stored on your system.

A common view of stream files that are stored locally on your system, Integrated xSeries Server for iSeries, or a remote Windows NT
server. Stream files can also be stored remotely on a local area network (LAN) server, a Novell NetWare server, another remote System i product, or a Network File System (NFS) server.

Figure 1. A structure over all information stored in the i5/OS operating system

Libraries

On the i5/OS operating system, objects are grouped in special objects called libraries. Objects are found using libraries. To access an object in a library, you must be authorized to the library and to the object. If you specify a library name in the same parameter as the object name, the object name is called a qualified name. When a library is created you can specify into which user Auxiliary storage pool (ASP) the library should be created. A library can be created into a basic user ASP or an Independent ASP. All objects created into the library

are created into the same ASP as the library.

If you are entering a command in which you must specify a qualified name, for example, the object name could be: DISTLIB/ORD040C The order entry program ORD040C is in the library DISTLIB. If you are using prompting during command entry and you are prompted for a qualified name, you receive prompts for both the object name and the library name. On most commands, you can specify a particular library name, specify *CURLIB (the current library for the job), or use a library list. Library lists are described in the following section.

Objects
On most other platforms everything is a file. On the AS/400 everything is an object. This seems to be the same as object-oriented programming, but with the AS/400 it's different. The similarity is that when storage is allocated for something, that something is of a specific type, and only a specific set of programs are allowed to act upon that object. The number of object Types is huge and a small subset of them are available to users. The human readable form of the object type is always a three to six character mnemonic preceded by an asterisk. What follows is a short list of the most commonly used objects and their mnemonics: *LIB: Library (where everything below, except directories and stream files, is stored; libraries cannot exist within other libraries) *PGM: Program (for compiled languages: CL, RPG-IV, C, C++, COBOL, etc. and there are no interface restrictions between the languages). *MODULE: Module (linkable into a program from a compiled language above and here too there are no restrictions on linkability between languages). The number of object Types is huge and a small subset of them are available to users. The human readable form of the object type is always a three to six character mnemonic preceded by an asterisk. What follows is a short list of the most commonly used objects and their mnemonics: *LIB: Library (where everything below, except directories and stream files, is stored; libraries cannot exist within other libraries) *PGM: Program (for compiled languages: CL, RPG-IV, C, C++, COBOL, etc. and there are no interface restrictions between the

languages).
*MODULE: Module (linkable into a program from a compiled language above and here too there are no restrictions on linkability between languages). *SRVPGM: Service program (dynamic set of one or more modules, akin to a DLL file in Microsoft Windows). *BNDDIR: Binding directory (holds a list of modules and service programs and is used when creating programs). *CMD: Command (an object used for calling programs that allows users to prompt for their parameters; can be created with the Command Definition language). See AS/400 Control Language for more information.
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Contd.. Objects

*MENU: Menu (accessed with the GO command). *FILE: File (for both devices, data, and program source; described with DDS; data files can also be created with SQL).

*DTAARA: Data area (small bits of storage used to store tiny items of data for fast access).
*DIR: Directory (part of the Integrated File System that is equivalent to Unix and Microsoft Windows hierarchical file systems). *STMF: Stream file (traditional file that would be familiar to most Unix and Microsoft Windows users and only stored in directories) *JRN & *JRNRCV: Journal and journal receiver (used to journal changes to files, data areas, and stream files). *USRPRF: User profile (allows users to sign-on to the system). *JOBD: Job description (used when submitting/starting jobs).

*SBSD: Subsystem description (used when starting subsystems; this is the place where user jobs run).
*JOBQ: Job queue (used to queue up batch jobs to run in a subsystem). *LIND: Line description (communications line: Ethernet, token ring, etc). *CTLD: Controller description (communications controller for lines, workstations, etc.). *DEVD: Device description (communications device for lines, workstations, printers tape drives, etc.) *DTAQ: Data queue (used to queue up data entries for fast retrieval by other jobs).

*MSGQ: Message queue (used to send message to users, can also be used like a data queue).
*OUTQ: Output queue (used to queue up output to a printer).

Security System Values

System security is an integrated function of the AS/400 system. It is Implemented at the instruction level and controls all AS/400 software functions. Users are identified and authenticated by a single security mechanism, at the system level, for all

functions and environments available on an AS/400, including program development and execution, data base applications,
office applications, and so forth. All objects on an AS/400 system are under security control, including libraries and files, display stations, operator console functions, programs, menus, and so on.

System Values

The first topic describes the system values that control security on your system. The security system values are broken into four main groups:
General system values Other system values related to security System values that control passwords System values that control auditing

Questions - Answers

Thank You

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