F – glossary entries

FACE
File address compute program.
FACE driver (DFAD)
An offline program that is invoked to compute the file address associated with a specific ordinal number and record type, or print all computable file addresses with a specific version of the file address compute (FACE) program table.
FACE table (FCTB)
The main storage resident table used by the z/TPF system to calculate the file address and module, cylinder, head, and record (MCHR) associated with a specific record type and ordinal number for both fixed and pool records.
FACE table generator (FCTBG)
The offline module used to create the file address compute (FACE) program table and other associated macros.
fallback
The E-type loader process of discontinuing the use of newly loaded programs and using the most recently activated version of the programs. See also deactivate function.
FANR field
Forward automatic network routing field.
FARF
File address reference format.
FARW
File address reference word.
FARF3
A device-independent file addressing scheme used by the z/TPF system. FARF3 means file address reference format 3.
FARF4
A device-independent file addressing scheme that utilizes format type indicator (FTI) and universal format type (UFT) combinations allowing up to 1G (230) addresses. FARF4 means file address reference format 4.
FARF5
A device-independent file addressing scheme that uses format type indicator (FTI) and universal format type (UFT) combinations allowing up to 4G (232) addresses. FARF5 means file address reference format 5.
FARF6
A device-independent file addressing scheme that uses format type indicator (FTI) and universal format type (UFT) combinations allowing up to 72 quadrillion (72000000000000000) file addresses. FARF6 means file address reference format 6.
fast write
In 3990 caching control units, a write operation at cache speed that does not require immediate transfer of data to DASD. The data is written directly to cache, or to both cache and nonvolatile storage, and is available for later destaging.
FCT
Frame control table.
FCTB
File address compute (FACE) program table.
FCTBG
File address compute (FACE) program table generator.
FDT
File descriptor table.
fenced I-stream
An active I-stream that is not in use and that has an I-stream number greater than the I-stream cap. See also active I-stream, in-use I-stream, and I-stream cap.
FFS
Fixed file system.
FID field
Format identification field.
file address compute (FACE) program
The system program that converts a fixed record type and ordinal number into a file address that can be used to retrieve the record.
file address reference format (FARF)
The generic term for the z/TPF file address reference format, of which there have been several; for example, FARF3, FARF4, FARF5, and FARF6.
file address reference word (FARW)
An 8-byte field in the entry control block (ECB) that is used to pass a file address reference between application and system programs. Every ECB has 16 FARWs, one for each data level. Additional FARWs are available by using data event control blocks (DECBs). DECBs contain 12-byte FARW fields that hold 8-byte file addresses.
file capture
See capture.
file collector
The data collection program that records tape activity and traffic between programs and the data stored in VFA, main storage, or disk files. This data is recorded on the data collection RTC tape for offline data reduction and analysis.
file descriptor table (FDT)
A control block structure located in main storage in the z/TPF system that contains status information about each file descriptor obtained by opening a file system file.
file offset
The byte position in the file where the next input/output (I/O) operation begins. Each open file description associated with a regular file, block special file, or directory has a file offset.
file owner
The owner of a file as identified by the user ID (UID).
file permission bits
Information about a file that is used, along with other information, to determine if a process has read, write, or search permission to a file. The bits are divided into three parts: owner, group, and other. These bits are contained in the file mode. (POSIX.1)
file position indicator
Synonymous with file offset.
file recoup
See recoup.
file restore
See restore.
file status table (FSTB)
See module file status table (MFST).
finite state machine (FSM)
A component of the TPF/APPC support that controls the sequence of verbs issued for a conversation.
fixed file records
Data records that are permanently assigned to specific functions (record types) and are accessed through the FACE/FACS programs, which use the file address compute (FACE) program table.
fixed file system (FFS)
A processor-unique, subsystem-unique file system that uses fixed file records as its storage mechanism.
fixed keypoint area
The area on each online module containing all the working records required to initialize the system.
fixed record
A variation of fixed file records.
fixed record type
The records associated with a set of data. The symbolic name given to the records associated with a set of data.
fixed storage
Refers to those areas of main storage in which sizes are determined at system generation. (In previous versions of the z/TPF system, this was known as permanent core). Contrast with working storage.
FMMR
Functional management message router.
format identification (FID) field
The field in an SNA path information unit (PIU) that is used to identify the format in which the PIU was encoded.
format type indicator (FTI)
A variable-sized bit field in FARF4, FARF5, and FARF6 address formats. See universal format type (UFT).
format-1 globals
A global area residing below the 2 GB bar. Each directory entry in format-1 globals must have an entry in the global attribute table (GAT) to define the attributes of a single global record.
format-2 global attribute table (FGAT)
The primary control table that is used ot refer to any format-2 global record.
format-2 globals
A generic term referring to any or all of the entities belonging to format-2 global support in dynamically allocated storage that can reside either above or below the 2 GB bar. Format-2 globals are completely independent of format-1 globals.
forward automatic network routing (FANR) field
A list of automatic network routing (ANR) labels that represent the path from one rapid transport protocol (RTP) endpoint to another for an RTP connection.
frame
A 4K (KB) unit of real memory that corresponds to a page. It does not have a format flag and is not a z/TPF block.
frame control table (FCT)
In virtual storage, 128-, 381-, 1055-, and 4095-byte working storage blocks are allocated from a single pool of 4K frames. The frame control table keeps track of which frames are in use, how blocks are allocated in each frame, and which of the blocks in each frame are in use.
fresh load
The part of restart that is activated on the first IPL, after a load of the SNA pilot tape, or upon failure of a nonfresh load. Various SNA tables are reloaded and reinitialized. Contrast with nonfresh load.
front-end processor
A z/TPF attached to the data communications network. The front-end processor routes some or all input messages to other front-end, back-end, or non-z/TPF systems; it may perform some message recovery processing, typically has few DASD, does little input/output (I/O), and maintains short path lengths. In addition, a front-end processor has limited requirements for a database. Contrast with back-end processor.
FSC
Functional support console.
FSM
Finite state machine.
FSTB
See module file status table (MFST).
FTI
Format type indicator.
full load
A software load where every system component is loaded.
fully duplicated file
A database where all fixed and pool records are duplicated across modules. Contrast with selectively duplicated file and nonduplicated file.
functional message
See command.
functional support console (FSC)
CRAS terminals designated to receive messages related to a specific function; sometimes called a functional CRAS console.
function intercept
An instruction in the prolog and in the epilog of a compiled program that facilitates tracing algorithms in the z/TPF system. The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) generates a function intercept when a C or C++ program is compiled using the GCC -mtpf-trace option. The Systems/C and Systems/C++ compilers always generate the TPF-unique prolog and epilog with trace hooks for the function intercept.
function management message router (FMMR)
A system facility used to forward messages to remote z/TPF hosts.