HP 3000 Manuals

Getting Started as an MPE/iX Programmer Programmer's Guide

Accounting Structure Overview 

For programming on the 900 Series HP 3000, it is important that you
understand the accounting structure.  Its major components are:

   *   Accounts
   *   Users
   *   Groups
   *   Files

The accounting structure on the HP 3000 family of computers is designed
for business and industrial purposes.  The ability to account for system
use on a department level is a fundamental element in business
accounting.  HP 3000 systems record on an account basis the amount of CPU
time, elapsed time (connect time), and disc space used.  An HP 3000
computer must have a system account named SYS. This is used to store the
information necessary to running the operating system.  You can add more
accounts for other purposes.

A user name identifies a valid user for an account.  A group is a
partition in an account for storing files that are logically related.

Logon and Logoff 

If you are not familiar with the HP 3000 accounting structure, you can
still log on and off the system for simple use while you are learning
about the accounting structure.  Simple instructions for logging on the
system are provided in To log off the system, simply enter the MPE/iX
command :BYE.

Account 

An account on the 900 Series HP 3000 provides a billable entity for
accounting purposes.  Accounts can be added to or removed from a system,
as needed.  A system always has a SYS account, containing operating
system software, subsystem software, and system data.  A SUPPORT account
contains troubleshooting information useful for providing information for
proper system support.  The SYS and SUPPORT accounts are part of the
system when it is delivered.  On an account basis, the system can limit:

   *   Amount of CPU time
   *   Elapsed connect time
   *   Disc space used

An account name can be from one to eight alphanumeric characters long,
starting with an alphabetic character.  Following is an example of a
logon for user John in the account PROG.

     :HELLO JOHN.PROG 

As a security provision, you can assign an account password to an
account.  When an account has a password, MPE/iX prompts you to enter it
after you enter the :HELLO command.  When you enter a password in
response to this prompt, it is not echoed on the screen as you type it.

As a short cut, you can enter the account password in the :HELLO command
instead of waiting for MPE/iX to prompt you for it.  To do this, type the
account password after the account name, separated by a slash (/).  When
you enter a password in this way, as part of the log on line, it is
echoed on the screen as you type it and may reduce system security
because it is visible.  For example, if the account PROG has an account
password of XYZ you can either wait for the password prompt or log on by
entering:

     :HELLO JOHN.PROG/XYZ 

Figure 1-6  shows an example of the types of accounts a company might
have on a system.


          Figure 1-6.  Accounts Example 

User 

Each account can have many users.  A valid user name is required to log
onto an account.  At least one user must be designated for an account in
order to log onto it.  The SYS account automatically comes with the user
name MANAGER. User names can be added to or removed from an account, as
needed.  An example of a logon for a user MARY in the FINANCE account
follows:

     :HELLO MARY.FINANCE 

As a security provision, you can assign a user password to a user.  When
a user has a password, MPE/iX prompts you to enter it after you enter the
:HELLO command and the account password, if one exists.  When you enter a
password in response to this prompt, it is not echoed on the screen as
you type it.

As a short cut, you can enter the user password in the :HELLO command
instead of waiting for MPE/iX to prompt you for it.  To do this, type the
user password after the user name, separated by a slash (/).  When you
enter a password in this way, as part of the log on line, it is echoed on
the screen as you type it and may reduce system security because it is
visible.  For example, if the user JOHN has a user password of BDATA you
can either wait for the password prompt or log on as follows:

     :HELLO JOHN/BDATA.PROG/XYZ 

Figure 1-7  shows an example of several users on an account.


          Figure 1-7.  User Example 

Group 

A group in an account allows you to store sets of files that have
something in common.  You can think of a group as a file folder holding
any files you wish to keep together.  Groups partition sets of files in
an account.  You can execute the MPE/iX command :REPORT to see a list of
all groups in the logged on account.

When an account is created, it automatically has a group named PUB.
Groups can be added to or removed from an account, as needed.  As a
convenience, a user can be set up to have a home group.  If you have a
home group, you need not specify the group when you log on.  Otherwise,
you must specify the group at log on, or you will be logged onto the PUB
group, by default.

Following is an example of a logon to the group PROJ1:

     :HELLO JOHN.PROG,PROJ1 

As a security provision, you can assign a user password to a group.  When
a group has a password, MPE/iX prompts you to enter it after you enter
the :HELLO command and the account and user passwords, if they exist.
When you enter a password in response to this prompt, it is not echoed on
the screen as you type it.

As a short cut, you can enter the group password in the :HELLO command
instead of waiting for MPE/iX to prompt you for it.  To do this, type the
group password after the group name, separated by a slash (/).  When you
enter a password in this way, as part of the log on line, it is echoed on
the screen as you type it and may reduce system security because it is
visible.  For example, if the PROJ1 group shown above has a group
password of MINE you can either wait for the password prompt or log on by
entering the password as part of your logon:

     :HELLO JOHN.PROG,PROJ1/MINE 

The following figure shows an example of several groups and several users
on an account.


          Figure 1-8.  Groups Example 

File Specifications 

You must use a standard file reference format to refer to a file.  If you
are logged into the account and group where the file resides, only the
file name and lockword (if it has one) are required.  A lockword is an
optional, additional security provision that the MPE/iX File System
provides for individual files.  file level.  If a file has a lockword,
you must specify the file name and lockword to refer to the file, using
the following format:

      filename/lockword 

where filename is a valid file name (refer to Chapter 7) and lockword is
the lockword associated with the file.  For example, you can refer to a
file named STATUS with the lockword MY by specifying:

           STATUS/MY

Referring to a File in a Different Group.   

To refer to a file in a different group in the account you are logged
onto, use the following standard file reference format:

      filename/lockword.groupname 

where groupname is the name of the group where the file resides.  For
example, you can refer to the file described in the example above,
residing in a group named SEPT, by specifying:

           STATUS/MY.SEPT

Referring to a File in a Different Account.   

To refer to a file in a different account than the one you are logged
onto, use the following standard file reference format:

filename/lockword.groupname.accountname 

where accountname is the name of the account where the file resides.  For
example, you can refer to the file described in the example above,
residing in an account named MANU, by specifying:

          STATUS/MY.SEPT.MANU

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation