ICL 1900 Series George 3 Operating System Commands

RETRIEVE (RV)

Function

Enables a file to be retrieved from a dump tape autonomously.

Format

  1. RETRIEVE file description1, file description2, ....file descriptionn
    Each parameter must uniquely specify the name of a file

  2. RETRIEVE file description1(JOBNOnumber1), ....file descriptionn(JOBNOnumbern)
    number1,number2 are the job numbers for which each file is to be retrieved.

Forbidden contexts

NONE (Format 1)
NO USER and not HLSEXT privilege (Format 2)

Execution

If the file is not already on-line, it will brought on-line by a dump tape activity running independently of the user's job. No trap checking or checking on the file being user-frozen is performed.

Error messages will be produced for command errors, such as an incorrectly formatted name, that can be detected immediately. If the file is already on-line, the following message will be sent in the COMMENT category:-

    z IS ALREADY ONLINE

where z is of the form :username.general local name

If several files are already on-line, then message is as follows:-

FILES ALREADY ONLINE:- z1,z2, z3,...

If the user is at a MOP terminal, the final status of the file (that is, whether or not it has been successfully retrieved) will be indicated to him by one of the following messages:-

    z IS NOW ONLINE

    z IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE

    z IS PERMANENTLY LOST

    z DOES NOT EXIST

If the files are not on-line the user will not be able to determine the final status of the file except by attempting to open it (by ASSIGN or LOAD commands, etc.) or by issuing another RETRIEVE or CANCEL RETRIEVE command. Appropriate error messages concerning the status of the file will then be produced.

When a job is set waiting for an implicit retrieve (for instance, when a LOAD command is issued for a file which is not on-line) the following message, indication that retrieval has been started, is sent to the monitoring file:-

    z IS BEING RETRIEVED

If the user is at a MOP terminal and does not wish to wait, he can break in and continue to issue commands, such as QUIT; the file will still be retrieved.

The RETRIEVE command may be used in macros to initiate retrieval of files that will be needed during execution of the macro but may not be on-line when it is entered.

Use of the RETRIEVE command will cause the files not to be throw off-line for a fixed period (normally 150 minutes) from when the command was issued. This period does not include time when the system is not running.

In format 2, which is intended for use only by a high level scheduler program, the files are retrieved on behalf of the job whose number is specified by the JOBNO qualifier. The only check on the job number is that it is a valid numerical expression. Thus an HLS can issue retrieves with various dummy job numbers for files required by successive phases of a job. All the retrieves can be issued at the start of a job, but each phase need only be held up until the retrieves required for that phase are complete.

Examples

RETRIEVE MYFILE
RETRIEVE :LIB.PROGRAM XEKB,:LIB.SUBGROUPS-CP
RETRIEVE :USERI.BERT(JOBNO37)

CANCEL RETRIEVE

Function

Cancels a previously issued RETRIEVE command, or an implicit retrieve.

Format

CANCEL RETRIEVE file description

Forbidden contexts

None, but the command must be issued in the same context as the command that started the retrieval. In addition, if the context is USER, the command must be issued from the same job as the command that started the retrieval; however, in NO USER context retrieval may be cancelled from any source.

Execution

If the retrieval was initiated by a RETRIEVE command it can be terminated by a CANCEL command unless the file is now on-line.

If the retrieval was implicit (for instance, due to a LOAD command) break-in causes it to become autonomous and again a CANCEL command can be used to terminate this retrieval.

Error Messages

If no retrieval initiated from this job for this file is outstanding when a CANCEL command is issued, one of the following messages is output:

z IS ALREADY ONLINE
z IS NOT ONLINE