Mastering IBM i: The Complete Resource for Today's IBM i System

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About Mastering IBM I: The Complete Resource For Today's

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Mastering IBM i By Jim Buck, Jerry Fottral MC PressCopyright © 2011 Jim Buck and Jerry Fottral All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-58347-356-6 Contents Title Page, Copyright Page, Dedication, Acknowledgments, Introduction, CHAPTER 1 - Communicating with the System, CHAPTER 2 - Using CL, CHAPTER 3 - Objects, CHAPTER 4 - Handling Spooled Files, CHAPTER 5 - Describing a Database File, CHAPTER 6 - Creating and Using an Externally Described Database File, CHAPTER 7 - Introduction to Query, CHAPTER 8 - Using Logical Files, CHAPTER 9 - Additional Database Facilities, CHAPTER 10 - Using IBM i Navigator, CHAPTER 11 - Using Remote System Explorer, CHAPTER 12 - Using Screen Designer and Report Designer, CHAPTER 13 - Introduction to SQL, CHAPTER 14 - Using IBM i Access for Web, CHAPTER 15 - Introduction to DB2 Web Query for i, CHAPTER 16 - Getting Started with CL Programming, CHAPTER 1 Communicating with the System Overview The IBM i operating system (OS) is one of the most sophisticated on the market today. To a new user, the apparent complexity may seem like a huge jigsaw puzzle waiting to be solved. What we hope to provide with this first chapter is simply a place to start collecting critical pieces of the puzzle. This chapter provides initial exposure to several topics necessary for a basic understanding of how to communicate with the IBM i OS using the different types of screens and menus. The chapter also introduces concepts related to system organization and a few basic work management ideas (e.g., how jobs enter, run in, and leave the system). As in any other technical field, you will need to master a number of terms and concepts to be successful using the OS. Although the IBM i OS will provide comprehensive help as you learn, you are strongly encouraged to ask questions of your instructor or mentor. Objectives Students will be able to • Sign on to the IBM i OS system, properly entering a user profile and password • Explain the difference between system and subsystem • Describe the two most common types of jobs • List several attributes of a user profile • List several features of the IBM i OS • Explain the function of IBM i Control Language (CL) and enter a CL command on a command line using proper syntax • Explain the purpose of system values and how to check them • Describe four types of displays, their use, and their components • Explain the relationship between CL commands and IBM i OS menu paths The System The IBM i OS is a complex and rich set of programs that not only controls traditional functions such as data access, storage, and task management but also incorporates features that normally would require separate software components on other systems — features such as communications support, database management, security, and interactive support. A new system running IBM i OS comes with a standard basic configuration, which includes predefined system settings for work management functions that allow interactive and batch jobs to run without need for a customized installation. Later, subsystems can be created and system resources allocated to optimize workload distribution and throughput according to the special needs of a particular business. IBM i is a multiuser, multitasking OS (a system on which two or more people can perform two or more tasks concurrently) optimized for the efficient execution of business applications. The basic unit of work is a job. The term job refers generally to a unit of work that includes all programs, files, and instructions necessary to perform that work. Examples of a job would be an interactive user session for updating a customer master file, or a program compilation running unobtrusively in the background. The older IBM AS/400 systems used terminals and hardwired (twinaxial, or "twinax") connections to access the system. Today, most users connect to the system using 5250 emulators or Web interfaces. In this book, we present a num