If you decide to set up a console cluster, you might want to follow
the procedures outlined in the following detailed example. You need
not follow the example exactly as it is given. Depending on your
needs and the characteristics of your consoles, choose your own values
for area sizes and numbers, PFK definitions, commands, and so forth.
This example describes how to set up and use a console cluster
that consists of four consoles. The example assumes that:
- Each of the devices is a 3270-type device with a screen that holds
43 lines. Also, the device has 24 PFKs.
- All devices in the cluster come online during the IPL process.
They come online with the characteristics that you define in CONSOLxx
member. The PFKs on the consoles are defined at IPL with the definitions
you establish in the PFK table you assign to the console.
- The console names and device numbers of the consoles used in this
example are as follows (the mode each console is in when you finish
setting up the cluster is also shown):
You should put the four devices in the cluster on different control
units, if possible, to make recovery easier if a control unit fails.
Many of the statements you define in the CONSOLxx member serve
to divide the message traffic among the consoles and set up the message
roll rate for each screen. When you complete the procedure described
on the following pages:
- CONSD, the status display console, will receive the output from
the DISPLAY command.
- CON1, the full-capability console with master
authority, will receive the messages that the console operator must act
on. The console will be in roll-deletable mode. (In roll-deletable
mode, outstanding action messages are not automatically removed from
the screen.)
- MESSAGE, a message stream console, will receive the messages that
operators at other consoles must act on. The console will be in wrap
mode.
- INFO, another message stream console, will receive all the information
messages in the system. The console will be in roll mode. (In roll
mode, a specified number of flagged messages roll off the screen after
a specified time interval.)
The procedure for setting up a console cluster involves coding
the statements in CONSOLxx and placing PFK definitions in a PFK table
in the PFKTABxx Parmlib member. See Summary of contents of CONSOLxx for the cluster for
a summary of the coded CONSOLE statements used in this example. See Defining PFKs for CON1 for a summary of the PFK table definitions
for the console CON1.
Operators can use commands to change these values; however, in
this example, only the SYS1.PARMLIB definitions are shown.
Setting up a console cluster requires several steps. This example
describes:
- How to define routing codes for the consoles
- How to define the operating modes and message levels for the consoles
- How to set up display areas
- How to set message roll rates and message deletion specifications
for the consoles
- How to direct command responses to specific consoles
- How to set up a periodic display of outstanding requests for JES2
or JES3
- How to define program function keys (PFKs)