How SDF Panels Are Defined

All SDF status panels, apart from detail status display panels, are defined in the AOFPNLS member of the NetView DSIPARM data set.

Member AOFPNLS can contain either one or both of the following:

  • %INCLUDE statements referencing other NetView DSIPARM members containing definitions of panels. The %INCLUDE statement causes the named panel definition member to be loaded. This is the recommended method, and the method used in the SA z/OS-provided version of AOFPNLS. System symbols are supported for the %INCLUDE statements. This can help reduce both customization work and errors.
  • Panel structure definitions for all SDF panels.

Panel members defined or referenced in AOFPNLS are loaded into system memory, and may be deleted, replaced, or temporarily made resident using the SDFPANEL command.

Panels that are to be dynamically loaded as needed (see Dynamically Loading Tree Structure and Panel Definition Members) must be defined in a NetView DSIPARM member having the same member name as the panel itself.

It is recommended that you include only frequently used panels in AOFPNLS, to conserve system memory. Other panels can be dynamically loaded when needed, either by pressing a SDF function key or by using the SCREEN command.

Note: Dynamic refresh only works with panels that are defined in AOFPNLS.

SDF internally formats and builds detail status display panels from the information in a status descriptor. You do not have to define and format detail status display panels. Status components defined in the panel definitions must also be defined in the corresponding tree structure. However, not all status components defined in the tree structure require a corresponding entry on the SDF status panel. For example, in Figure 1, the APPLIC status component is only a pseudo-entry and may not actually be displayed on any SDF status display panel.

SDF status panels can be customized to reflect any environment. For example, you can define a panel to show the status of all JES subsystems on all processors in a computer operations center. The JES operator can view the panel to determine the status of any JES subsystem in the complex.

For detailed information on defining SDF panels, see Step 2: Defining SDF Panels.