09/01/77 COBOL Message Control System

The COBOL Message Control System provides support for the
COBOL Communications Module as described in the ANSI COBOL
X3.23-1974 Standard. In addition, the PURGE verb, as
described in the CODYSYL Journal of Devolopment, is
also supported.

Command interfaces are provided for terminal input and output,
administration of the CMCS environment, and for application
message processing.


Usage, terminal processing:

For entering/receiving messages into/from the CMCS environment
as an interactive terminal. Command establishes the proper
environment and then enters request mode.

Syntax:

   cobol_mcs cmcs_dir -terminal (-term) {station_name}


Terminal Requests:

.,   prints "cmcs" and station_name
execute (e), calls the current command processor with the given command line.
quit (q),   returns from cobol_mcs command to command level.
accept_message_count (amc) tree_path,
   prints count of msgs available in the subtree.
activate (a) {station_name {path_name}}
   process messages sent to station_name as they are placed
   in a message queue. Messages may be displayed on the user
   terminal or placed in the specified file.
deactivate (d)
   terminate the effect of a previously issued activate command.
disable_input (di) tree_path, disables input queues in subtree.
disable_input_terminal (dit) station_name,
   disables the station for terminal input.
disable_output (do) dest1 {dest2 ... destn},
   disables stations for terminal output.
enable_xxx (exxx), opposite from disable requests.
purge (p) arg, where arg is s, r, or all,
   purges input msgs, output msgs, or both.
receive (r) delim tree_path,
   prints any message or message segment found in the subtree.
send (s) delim station_name1 {station_name2 ... station_namen},
   builds an input message and copies to input queue(s).


Usage, administrative processing:

To administer the CMCS environment for a given CMCS application
directory.

Syntax:

   cobol_mcs_admin cmcs_dir


Administrator requests:

., same as above.
execute (e), same as above.
quit (q), same as above.
set_cmcs_password (scpsw), sets the global password for a given
   CMCS directory.
change_cmcs_password  (ccpsw), changes the password only if the old
   password request is answered correctly.
create_cmcs_queues (ccq), creates the queues and control segments needed
   for the CMCS runtime environment. Uses cmcs_tree_control.control.


Usage, message processing:

To establish the process as a COBOL MCS message processor.
Normally run under a daemon (operator initiated) process.
No requests are allowed once the process enters message processing mode.
It will return to command level only on control of CMCS administrator.

Syntax:

   cobol_mcs cmcs_dir -message_processor (-mp) station_name




Notes:

The -message_processor control argument is intended for use only by processes
created to perform COBOL application program message processing.
The cmcs_dir is the directory pathname for the desired application system;
it can be -working_dir (-wd) or a relative pathname.
The delim is either esi (1), emi (2), or egi (3), as appropriate.


Documentation:

The COBOL language interfaces are described in the COBOL
Reference Manual, AS44. The COBOL MCS user and administrator
interfaces are described in the COBOL User's Guide, AS43.


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Historical Background

This edition of the Multics software materials and documentation is provided and donated
to Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Group BULL including BULL HN Information Systems Inc. 
as a contribution to computer science knowledge.  
This donation is made also to give evidence of the common contributions of Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Bell Laboratories, General Electric, Honeywell Information Systems Inc., Honeywell BULL Inc., Groupe BULL
and BULL HN Information Systems Inc. to the development of this operating system. 
Multics development was initiated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Project MAC (1963-1970),
renamed the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence in the mid 1970s, under the leadership
of Professor Fernando Jose Corbato. Users consider that Multics provided the best software architecture 
for managing computer hardware properly and for executing programs. Many subsequent operating systems 
incorporated Multics principles.
Multics was distributed in 1975 to 2000 by Group Bull in Europe , and in the U.S. by Bull HN Information Systems Inc., 
as successor in interest by change in name only to Honeywell Bull Inc. and Honeywell Information Systems Inc. .

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Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute these programs and their documentation for any purpose and without
fee is hereby granted,provided that the below copyright notice and historical background appear in all copies
and that both the copyright notice and historical background and this permission notice appear in supporting
documentation, and that the names of MIT, HIS, BULL or BULL HN not be used in advertising or publicity pertaining
to distribution of the programs without specific prior written permission.
    Copyright 1972 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Honeywell Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by BULL HN Information Systems Inc.
    Copyright 2006 by Bull SAS
    All Rights Reserved