NET/MASTER Network Control Language (NCL) Reference Manual

1 Introduction to NCL
106126 Tandem Computers Incorporated 1–1
The NonStop NET/MASTER Network Control Language (NCL) is a structured, high-
level language supplied with NonStop NET/MASTER Management Services (MS) and
integrated with other NonStop NET/MASTER MS services.
This section introduces NCL. It explains where NCL fits in with major NonStop
NET/MASTER MS services and describes some of the operations available through
NCL.
NCL and Major
NonStop NET/MASTER
MS Services
The major NonStop NET/MASTER MS services are listed in order of their importance
in relation to NCL:
Operator Control Services (OCS)
Edit Services
User ID Management Services (UMS)
Inter-NET/MASTER MS Connection (INMC)
Remote Operator Control (ROC)
Inter-System Routing (ISR)
OCS and Edit Services are the two main NonStop NET/MASTER MS services used for
the development of NCL procedures and panel description files.
Note In this manual, NCL procedures and NCL processes are referred to frequently. An NCL procedure is a
sequence of NCL statements in a disk file. An NCL process is an NCL procedure that is executing.
Operator Control Services
(OCS)
OCS is the NonStop NET/MASTER MS service that provides the central point of
operational control of your local Tandem system, your local NonStop NET/MASTER
MS system, and remote systems. OCS provides a command input line to enter
NonStop NET/MASTER MS commands. This includes NonStop NET/MASTER MS
commands to work with NCL.
OCS is the major location in NonStop NET/MASTER MS from which you can enter
NonStop NET/MASTER MS commands to execute NCL procedures. NonStop
NET/MASTER MS commands allow you to display information about the NCL
processes and to use this information to control execution.
Using NonStop NET/MASTER MS commands, you can list an NCL procedure and
display it in the OCS message display area. Using NonStop NET/MASTER MS
commands, you can perform a trial compilation on an NCL process and debug it.
Of the many types of NCL procedures that you can write, you may find it useful to
write one that is automatically executed when you choose OCS from the NonStop
NET/MASTER MS primary menu. You can use such an NCL procedure to
automatically tailor your OCS profile, define function keys, establish local equate
commands, automatically log on to remote systems, and so on.
For more information on OCS, refer to the NonStop NET/MASTER MS Operator’s Guide.