COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.03+)

Glossary
HP COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs—520347-003
Glossary-29
sequential block buffering
sequential block buffering. An Enscribe feature, enabled by the RESERVE clause of the
FILE-CONTROL paragraph, that speeds the reading of a sequential, relative, indexed,
or queue file by reading a block of records together into a memory buffer.
sequential file. A file that has sequential organization (includes entry-sequenced and
unstructured files).
sequential organization. A permanent logical file structure in which a process identifies a
record by a predecessor-successor relationship established when the same or another
process writes the record to the file.
server. A process that handles database input and output and related logical and
computational operations specified by a requester.
session. The period of time between a command interpreter LOGON command and the
next LOGON or LOGOFF command; certain environmental attributes, such as the
current default system, volume, and subvolume, selected debugger, and saved
ASSIGN and PARAM messages persist until you explicitly change them or issue the
LOGOFF command to end a command interpreter session.
shared code. See position-independent code (PIC).
shared run-time library (SRL). A collection of procedures whose code and data can be
loaded and executed only at a specific assigned virtual memory address (the same
address in all processes). SRLs use direct addressing and do not have run-time
resolution of links to and from the main program and other independent libraries.
Compare to dynamic-link library (DLL).
sign condition. The proposition, for which a process can determine a truth value, that the
algebraic value of a data item or an arithmetic expression is less than, greater than, or
equal to zero.
signal. The method by which an environment notifies a process of an event. Signals are
used to notify a process when an error that is not related to input or output has
occurred. A signal is often an indication of a run-time event that requires immediate
attention. Many such events preclude continuing the interrupted instruction stream.
Signals are generated for TNS/R native Guardian processes. (TNS Guardian
processes receive traps instead.) A SIGILL signal indicates that an instruction cannot
be executed because the instruction or its data are invalid. Compare to trap.