Operating Systems Supported by XCOM
XCOM is a suite of communications programs that allows files to be sent to and received from other computers. As such, the usefulness of these programs relies not only on there being a version available that runs on the operating system used by your local computer. There also needs to be an equivalent version available that runs on the operating system used by the remote computer with which you wish to communicate. This is true of all communications packages.
XCOM has an advantage over most of the competing communications suites because versions are available that will run on the vast majority of operating systems used by computers today.
Each operating system has its own naming conventions for files held on that system. When sending and receiving files where the remote system uses a different operating system from that you are running locally, it is necessary that the references to the files on the remote system be specified in a way appropriate to that operating system. The way that the remote file definition is specified in an existing XCOM transmission can also give an indication of which operating system is being run on the remote system (this is not always true as several different operating systems use similar naming standards).
There are versions of XCOM available to run on all of the following operating systems. Each entry is followed by a template for the file naming convention that XCOM uses for the local and remote file specifications for that operating system. (optional parts of the specification are surrounded by brackets[]);
- Mainframe
- MVS
[level1.level2.level3...level7].level8[(membername)]
Membername is only specified when referring to a member of a partitioned dataset. At least one level must be specified. Level names are up to eight characters long and contain alphanumerics and national characters ($, #, @, +, -, :, _). Level names must not start with a number and all alpha characters should be uppercase. The maximum length of a filename is 44 characters including periods.
- VM
filename.filetype
The two parts can be a maximum of eight characters in length. They can consist of letters, numbers, and/or national characters ($, #, @, +, -, :, _). In general, lowercase letters are not allowed. For minidisk specifications:CP OWNER is taken from the volume field, if present. Otherwise, the userid field is used. CP address is taken from the unit specification. The default is 191.
- VSE
file-id,V[,catalog-id] for VSAM files
file-id,S,[unit],[location],[size],[override] for sequential disk files
file-id,T,[unit],[unit],[unit],[override] for tape files
file-id,M,prim#recs, sec#recs,catalog-id for VSAM managed sequential files
file-id identifies the name of the file in the VSAM catalog, VTOC, or tape manager catalog.
- Tandem
\<system>.<volume>.<subvolume>.<filename>
A tandem system consists of multiple systems each identified by a name up to seven characters. Each system has several disk volumes which are divided into subvolumes in the same way that other operating systems divide disks into several directories.
- MVS
- Mid-Range
- AS/400
libraryname/filename(membername)
Filename may contain periods. membername is optional, if omitted it defaults to filename.
- IBM 4680/4690
d:\[directory name]\..\filename.[ext]
d can be either a drive letter or a logical device (eg. ADX_UPGM). Directory names can be up to eight characters plus they can have an optional three character extension (just like a file).
- OpenVMS
device[directory]filename.type;version
Device indicates a disk drive name. If the device is not specified, the default provided in the SYSUAF (as defined on the DEC system) for that user is used. Range: 1 to 15 characters. CA-XCOM accepts angle brackets (< >) in OpenVMS filenames, which are converted to square brackets on the DEC computer. The OpenVMS operating system can keep multiple versions of a file each time that file is saved. It is normal to omit this number to indicate that you want the most recent version of a file, the highest version number.
- Stratus/System 88
#top_directory>group_directory>home_directory>filename.suffix
top_directory is a physical disk(s) (up to 32 characters). group_directory is a group of user home directories (also up to 32 characters). home_directory is the user's home directory within the group (again up to 32 characters). A filename can have multiple suffixes each starting with a period.
- UNIX
/directory/subdirectory/.../filename
Use up to 256 characters for the entire path of the file. There are no restrictions on size for the individual parts of the path.
- AS/400
- PC
- Novell NetWare
[server\]volume:directory\subdirectory\...\filename or
\\server name\printer queue name
CA-XCOM for NetWare LAN does not support library transfers to Novell NetWare systems.
- OS/2
d:\[directory name]\[..]\filename
Directory name is one or more optional directories. Up to 254 characters, including an optional extension (like a file) can be specified for directory. If you do not specify a directory, the default (current) directory is used. Filename can be up to 254 characters with separate components of the name with periods. Executables use an extension of .EXE or .CMD
- PC-DOS and Windows
d:\[directory name]\..\filename.[ext]
Directory names for DOS can be up to eight characters with an optional three character extension (like a file). Windows does not support extensions on directory names. If a directory is not specified then the current directory will be used. Executables use an extension of .EXE, .COM, or .BAT.
- Windows NT
d:[\][directory name\..\]filename[.ext] or
\\server name\share name\directory\filename
Directory names can have an extension (just like a file). The length allowed for the various portions of the name are dependent on the file system used. FAT, NTFS, and HPFS are all supported.
- Novell NetWare
Note: I believe I have listed all of the operating systems within the correct grouping (mainframe, mid-range, or PC). Some operating systems (eg. unix) will run on computers across the full range and so I have placed it in the grouping where it is most commonly run. If you believe that I have made a mistake in this grouping, please let me know.
