Solicited messages

Solicited messages are those messages that are normally issued in response to an operator command from the system console or from a program operator application (POA).

From the system console
If a message is solicited from the system console, it is routed to the system console. A message may be sent to the primary program operator (PPO) for one of the following reasons:
- The message is percolated.
- PPOLOG=YES was specified as a start option or by the MODIFY PPOLOG command.
If a message is percolated and PPOLOG=YES, the message is sent to the PPO twice.

For additional information on message percolation and a list of percolated messages, see Message rerouting and percolation.

For a description of the PPOLOG start option, see the z/OS Communications Server: SNA Resource Definition Reference . For a description of the MODIFY PPOLOG command, see z/OS Communications Server: SNA Operation .
From a program operator application (POA)
If a message is solicited from a POA, it is first routed to the POA. The POA can be a primary program operator (PPO) or a secondary program operator (SPO). If the POA is no longer available and the message requires a reply, the message is redirected to the system console. Messages that do not require a reply are converted to unsolicited messages. For additional information, see Message rerouting and percolation.

If the original message was solicited from an SPO and is percolated, it is also sent to the PPO. If it cannot be sent to the PPO and has not already been redirected to the system console, it is sent to the system console.

In addition to the normal messages that are solicited as the immediate result of a VTAM® operator command, other messages are also considered by VTAM to be solicited:

When resources are activated at VTAM startup, subsequent messages associated with those resources (other than those directly resulting from another VTAM operator command) will be considered to be solicited and will be returned to the system console or started task where the VTAM START command was issued. This is because VTAM internally saves the console ID of the system console or started task in the control block representing each resource, to be used in later messages. This is also true of resources activated by a VTAM operator command from a POA or system console. These resources can be:
- Exit routines started at VTAM initialization.
- Resources started at VTAM initialization via the configuration list.
- Resources activated by a VTAM operator command from a POA or system console.
An example is the case of an exit routine activated as a result of VTAM initialization. The IST984I indicating that the user exit is active will return to the system console or started task where the VTAM START command is issued. If the user exit routine goes inactive for some reason, an IST985I message indicating that the user exit failed will also return to the same location, even if VTAM had been started hours or days before the inactivation. The message, from the VTAM perspective, is solicited, not unsolicited.
Message IST020I VTAM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE is a special case. It is always sent to the master console as a solicited message.