Distributed Name Service (DNS) Management Programming Manual

Glossary
Glossary–2 46958 Tandem Computers Incorporated
Attribute token. A parameter or response token that represents one or more
characteristics of an object.
Buffer. A sequence of memory locations used for temporary storage of data. For
instance, data to be sent in an interprocess message is encoded in a buffer from which
it is copied by the file system. The data is delivered to a buffer addressable by the
recipient. See also Message buffer and SPI buffer.
Built in. A primitive function or variable in TACL. Names of built ins always begin
with a pound sign (#).
Canonical form. The fully qualified form of a name or value. In the context of SPI, the
canonical form of an error-token value consists of a five-word subsystem ID and an
error number. An error-token value not in canonical form (for example, one that does
not include a subsystem ID) is implicitly qualified by additional information (such as
the subsystem ID in the SPI message header).
Client. A requester. As an example, a client of DNS may be either the DNSCOM
interactive interface or a management application.
Close message. A message requesting that a process be closed. If multiple users can
open the process, the message terminates the session between the process and the user
who sent the close message. (Some subsystems require a close message to terminate
not the session, but some phase of session establishment.)
Command. A demand for action by or information from a subsystem, or the operation
demanded by an operator or application. A command is typically conveyed as an
interprocess message from an application to a subsystem.
Command number. A number that represents a particular command to a subsystem.
Each subsystem or management process with a token-oriented programmatic interface
can have its own set of command numbers, which are represented in DDL by
constants and in programs by TAL literals or defines, COBOL85 level-01 variables, or
TACL text variables. The command number is a header token in commands and
responses.
Compatibility. The ability of two or more elements in a system to work together
correctly. See also Version compatibility.
Composite name. The name selected by the user for a composite object.
Composite object. An object that has different aspects controlled by different
subsystems. A user defines composite objects to DNS. As an example, a particular
ATM might be defined as being composed of a Pathway terminal, a SNAX logical unit,
and a SNAXHLS (high-level support) thread.
Composite type. An object type identifying a list of attributes required for the definition
of a composite object. For example, an object-type ATM might require as attributes a
Pathway name, a SNAX name, and an high-level support name. A user defines
composite object types to DNS.