Introduction to OS/400-iSeries

Dollar Universe commands on OS/400 respect the standard syntax of the system to enter the parameters;

<COMMAND> + F4

You can also call the corresponding program:

CALL PGM(<PROGRAM>) PARM('ARG1' 'ARG2' 'ARGn')

Quotes must be used to define a parameter that uses the = sign and to preserve the case.

For example:

CALL PGM(UNIVERSE) PARM('-server' '-name' 'CDJ' '-area' X)

CALL PGM(UXLST) PARM(FNC 'fnc=*')

Function Keys

OS/400 uses 24 function keys unlike the 12 keys in other Operating Systems. Function keys ranging from 1 to 12 are accessed by pressing F1 to F12. Function keys ranging from 13 to 24 are accessed by pressing SHIFT+F1 to F12. The following function keys are useful:

• F3: Exit
• F4: Expand the command parameters on the Command Prompt.
• F9: Retrieve the last command executed from the prompt line
• F10: Expand the OS/400 Command Prompt to secondary parameters
• F12: Cancel

Data Architecture

Objects

Nearly every element is treated as an object, from programs to data files.

An object has two main characteristics:

• Attributes (Name, Disk size, Creation date…)
• Data

An object is always linked to a library

Libraries

A *LIB type object. It references system objects and information about them.

Within a library, two objects of the same type cannot have the same name.

As it's also an object, all libraries are linked to the special QSYS library.

Members

Data within a data file is grouped together as members.

I.e.: UANTEUPROC is a member of the TEMPLATE file within the <COMPANY> library

Online Libraries

A program is normally called by specifying the library to which it is linked.

The library of the program may be “online”, i.e. in a search list of libraries. In this case the associated library does not have to be specified.

By default, QGPL and QTEMP are the only online libraries.

You can either put a library online with a command or directly edit the libraries list.

If a program is present with the same name in different libraries, the OS/400 will take the first occurrence found in the online list.

IFS Integrated File System

IFS is a Unix-like file system environment.

Any number of directory levels can be created within it.

QSHELL commands are used on the file system.

Dollar Universe uses both Libraries and Integrated File Systems and write to both during the installation procedure.

OS/400 Command Language

Administration

ENDSBS SUBSYSTEM

Stop a given sub-system.

Stopping the main sub-system leads the OS\400 to stop all child sub-systems. 

STRSBS SUBSYSTEM

Start a given sub-system. A sub-system is the equivalent of a UNIX process.

A sub-system can restart children that were stopped when the sub-system was stopped.

Example:

UNIV61     (Father sub-system)

UNIV61_node_IO_X

UNIV61_node_CDJ_X

WRKDSKSTS

Check the available disk space

WRKENVVAR

Display environment variables. Equivalent of UNIX ’env’

WRKSPLFIL

Work with spool files. Spool files contain the standard output and system logs of the OS/400.

They contain the program execution log, and are useful for debugging or diagnosing the behavior of the Dollar Universe Application Server.

WRKSRVTBLE

Work with TCP/IP allocation table. Display the list of already allocated TCP/IP ports on the OS/400.

Use this command to find out which ports are already in use.

WRKUSRPRF

Work with user profiles. Create (1), Modify (2) or Delete (3) a user. Use this option to duplicate Dollar Universe users in the case you want to add new users, or rename those created by the installation process.

Use F10 to extend the options at prompt screen.

Working with Files and Compiling Programs

CRTCLPGM PGM (‘LIBRARY\PROGRAM’ ‘LIBRARY/SOURCEFILE’…)

Compilation of a program written in OS/400 Control Language

Parameters are:

• Program: Output file as a result of the compilation.
  Library: Output library where the program will be located.
• Source File: Input Control Language file. The file type must be *.SRC.
  Library: Input library where the source file is located.
• Source member: Member of the source file to compile.

CPYF fromfile (LIBRARY/FILE) tofile (LIBRARY2/FILE2) crtfile (*yes) fmtopt (*cvtsrc)

File copy from data to source.

• Source File: Input file.
  Library: Input library where the source file is located.
• Target File: Output copy.
  Library: Output library where the copy will be located.

STRPDM

Edit a member from a Data file

Example: UANTEUPROC is a member of the TEMPLATE file within the <COMPANY> library

DSPFD

Display a data file.

DSPPFM

Display a physical file.

CRTSAVF SAVFFILE

Create a *SAVF file. SAVF is the OS/400 archive file format.

RSTOBJ *All

Restore all objects from a SAVF file. This is the Unix equivalent of an `unzip`.

Working with Libraries

EDTLIBLE LIBRARY

Edit the list of online libraries. This can be viewed as the PATH variable in UNIX. All programs located within an online library do not need to have their library specified when called. As programs with the same name can exist in different libraries, it is important to pay attention to the order of libraries within the list.

WRKLIB

Work with libraries. You can create, modify, delete or display the content of online libraries on the AS/400 server.

DSPLIB LIBRARY

Display the content and attributes of the given library.

CRTLIB LIBRARY

Create a library

ADDLIBLE LIBRARY

Put a library online. Use this command in addition to optional parameters to set its position within the online list. Position can be important as programs can have the same name within different libraries, i.e. two different Dollar Universe companies loaded on the same OS/400 server instance.