How z/OS Debugger uses full-screen mode using a dedicated terminal

The following steps describe how a user would start a debugging session for a batch job using full-screen mode using a dedicated terminal. Study these steps to understand how z/OS® Debugger uses full-screen mode using a dedicated terminal and to understand why you need to do the configuration steps described in Enabling full-screen mode using a dedicated terminal.

  1. Start two terminal emulator sessions. Connect the second session to a terminal LU that can handle a full-screen mode using a dedicated terminal.
  2. On the first terminal emulator session, log on to TSO.
  3. Note the LU name (LU_name) to which the second terminal emulator session is connected.
  4. Make following changes to the PARM string in the batch job that starts your debugging session:
    • Specify the TEST runtime option in the following format: 
      TEST(,,,MFI%LU_name:*)
      LU_name is the LU name you noted in step 3.
      If your site requires that you specify the VTAM® network identifier (NETID), specify the TEST runtime option in the following format: 
      TEST(,,,MFI%NETID.LU_name:*)
      NETID identifies the network in which the second terminal emulator resides. For example, in the string NETA.LU001, NETA is the NETID.
  5. Submit the batch job. z/OS Debugger completes the following tasks:
    1. z/OS Debugger allocates a VTAM ACB (EQAMVnnn) for its end of a VTAM session.
    2. z/OS Debugger uses VTAM to initiate a session with the terminal LU to which the second terminal emulator is connected.
    3. A VTAM session is then conducted between z/OS Debugger and the terminal LU.

      The user does not log on to any host application through the second terminal emulator. z/OS Debugger initiates the connection between itself and that second terminal LU.

  6. On the second terminal emulator, the emulator displays a full-screen mode debugging session. Interact with it in the same way you would with any other full-screen mode debugging session.

This technique requires you to define and configure a number of items in the z/OS Communications Server. Section Enabling full-screen mode using a dedicated terminal describes these definitions and configuration.