Open System Services Programmer's Guide

Document Organization
This guide contains the following sections and appendixes:
• Chapter 1: Overview of the OSS Programming Environment (page 26) introduces the OSS
and Guardian file systems and process types, discusses how to select source and target
environments, describes how to call OSS functions and Guardian procedures and functions
in OSS programs, and indicates the programming tools available.
• Chapter 2: Managing Files (page 53) describes how to use the OSS file system, including
manipulating OSS regular files and Guardian disk files, and nowait I/O.
• Chapter 3: Managing Processes (page 105) describes process management, including managing
OSS and Guardian processes, using the HP extension functions, getting information about
processes, and modifying the process environment.
• Chapter 4: Managing Memory (page 162) describes how the concept of memory management
differs among the UNIX, Guardian, and OSS environments.
• Chapter 5: Managing Time (page 166) describes time management, including querying the
system clock, querying process times, and limiting processor usage.
• Chapter 6: Interprocess Communication (page 174) describes the mechanisms processes can
use to communicate with one another within the same processor, between processors, and
between nodes in a HP NonStop network.
• Chapter 7: Managing I/O (page 207) describes how to manage OSS tape, terminal, and
printer I/O.
• Chapter 8: Using Logging Mechanisms (page 236) describes how to log information in the
OSS environment.
• Chapter 9: Using Subsystems From OSS (page 245) mentions any special considerations or
limitations in using HP subsystems from OSS application programs.
• Chapter 10: Managing OSS Security (page 249) lists and provides a short description of the
OSS security features.
• Chapter 11: 64-Bit Support in OSS and Guardian (page 285) describes the 64-bit support for
OSS and Guardian, beginning with the H06.24 and J06.13 RVUs.
• Chapter 12: Using the Standard POSIX Threads Library (page 313) describes the Standard
POSIX Threads product available for C and C++ in the OSS environment.
• Chapter 13: Using the POSIX User Thread (PUT) Model Library (page 380) describes the
Standard POSIX Threads product available for C and C++ in the OSS environment.
• Appendix A: Documented OSS Functions (page 438) lists all OSS functions in the current release
and gives information such as where they are documented.
• Appendix B: API Interoperability in TNS Processes (page 477) describes the interoperability
between the OSS and Guardian APIs in TNS processes.
• Appendix C: API Interoperability in Native Processes (page 500) describes the interoperability
between the OSS and Guardian APIs in native processes.
In some cases, you will need to consult the Guardian Programmer’s Guide while writing OSS
application programs. The organization of this guide is very similar to the organization of the
Guardian Programmer’s Guide, so that you can easily make the transition from one programmer’s
guide to the other.
Notation Conventions
General Syntax Notation
This list summarizes the notation conventions for syntax presentation in this manual.
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