ENHANCED DATA CENTER
OPERATIONS
Standards Enforcement: Jol provides the means for consistent enforcement of standards and for the level of enforcement required. User supplied routines can be incorporated into the Jol processor when it is generated. Jol makes available to these routines all the job control information pertinent to a particular job. These routines can examine this information and override any element if necessary.
Communication Ability: Jol provides the facility to communicate with the Operator and User and to place messages on the system log of the job. This communication may be in the form of a simple instruction or may request a specific reply.
Easy Overriding: Any Jol definition can be overridden. To override the job, program, data set, and symbolic definitions, another definition is simply coded before the existing definition. The first definition is given preference. In some cases no modification of the Jol text may be required at all.
Similarly, generic changes resulting from alterations in the specifications of a public or shared program may optionally be accomplished by changing a catalog text in the Jol 'INCLUDE' library or by changing a macro prototype in the Jol 'MACRO' library.
Using Backup Computers: The global changes necessary when processing is transferred to a back-up machine with a different hardware configuration can be performed automatically by the Jol processor.
An efficient production environment is vital to the smooth operation of a data center. Jol provides the following powerful features to achieve this end.
On-line Data Entry For Job Submission: Jol enables the Users to create 'PANELS' or pre-formatted screens to allow data to be input to Jol. Effective use of this feature can insulate the User from most of the tiresome details of entering information pertinent to a job(s), and at the same time, provide an efficient low overhead method of doing so. Facilities are provided to display text; display text and allow replies to be entered; and to display text with default replies.
Calendar Facility: Jol has an in-built calendar which can be used to select jobs or parts of jobs on particular days, dates, months, or years.
Error Detection And Job Validation: Jol applies a comprehensive set of validation checks to all jobs. In addition to the normal syntax checks which are applied to each Jol statement, the internal consistency of the complete job procedure is examined. If inconsistencies are detected, then Jol either corrects the procedure or does not submit the job for execution.
The validation procedures used by Jol are oriented toward the total job rather than toward individual steps. This eliminates the situation in which machine time used in earlier job steps is wasted due to a control language error in a later step.
The comprehensive validation and error detection procedures of Jol are supported by clear and informative diagnostic messages. This ensures that if errors do occur, then corrective action can be taken quickly with minimal effort.
Rerun/Restart Facility: Jol, by using symbolic variables, provides simple instructions to allow total flexibility in organizing restarts. This facility allows the job to commence execution at a point other than the beginning of a job. Additionally, execution of a job can be stopped at any point other than at the end of a job.