F

factory
In object-oriented programming, a class that is used to create instances of another class. A factory is used to isolate the creation of objects of a particular class into one place so that new functions can be provided without widespread code changes.
fast service upgrade (FSU)
A service function of VSE/ESA for the installation of a refresh release without regenerating control information such as library control tables.
FBA disk device
See fixed-block architecture (FBA) disk device.
FBO
See file backout table (FBO).
FCT
See file control program.
feature
Part of a product that can be ordered separately.
FEPI
See front end programming interface (FEPI).
FFDC
See first failure data capture (FFDC).
field
(1) The smallest identifiable part of a record.
(2) In a record, a specified area used for a particular category of data. For example, a record about an employee might be subdivided into fields containing the employee's name, address, and salary.
field data format
In BMS, a format that allows you to use application program commands to address predefined fields in a display by name, without knowing their positions. The same fields must appear in all versions of a display, but can be arranged differently in different versions.
field definition macro (DFHMDF)
In BMS, a macro that defines a field within a map defined by the previous DFHMDI macro. The DFHMDF macro specifies initial attributes to be given to fields within a map.
field-level access checking
The RACF facility by which a security administrator can control access to fields or segments in a RACF profile.
field-level sensitivity
The ability of an application program to access data at field level.
FILE
A CICS resource that defines the physical and operational characteristics of a file., (ISO) A set of related records treated as a unit; for example, in stock control, a file could consist of a set of invoices. See also data set.
FILEA
Sample VSAM file provided for use by the CICS sample command-level applications.
file backout table (FBO)
In the restart data set, a summary table that contains an entry for each file for which at least one logged or journaled record was written to the restart data set. It also contains flags for any VSAM files that have suffered backout failures that are still outstanding. Data in this table is available to user-written exit programs.
file control program
The CICS program that controls all CICS file operations. Because the CICS file control program processes only VSAM and BDAM data sets, any sequential data sets must be defined as extrapartition destinations by using the CEDA DEFINE TDQUEUE command.
file control table (FCT)
A CICS table containing the characteristics of the files accessed by file control.
file-owning region (FOR)
See data-owning region (DOR). See also terminal-owning region (TOR), application-owning region (AOR).
file request thread element (FRTE)
An element used by CICS file control to link related requests together as a file thread; to record the existence of READ SET storage to be released at syncpoint and the existence of any other outstanding work that must be completed at syncpoint; to register a task as a user of a file to prevent the file being closed while still in use.
fire status
A Boolean flag indicating whether or not an event has occurred (fired). The fire status of an event can be either FIRED (true) or NOTFIRED (false).
first failure data capture (FFDC)
A facility that provides the ability to capture the data relevant to a CICS exception condition as soon as possible after the condition has been detected.
fixed-block architecture disk device (FBA disk device)
A disk device that stores data in blocks of fixed size. These blocks are addressed by block number relative to the beginning of the file. See also Consistency.
flat browse
A browse of the descendant activities of a specified process, on which each descendant activity can be returned exactly once.
flow
A single transmission of data passing over a link during a conversation.
FME
See function management end (FME).
FMH
See function management header (FMH).
FMH-5
With APPC, the FMH-5 is sent with the begin bracket (BB), which denotes the beginning of a conversation. It contains the information needed to initiate the back-end transaction. See also begin bracket (BB), conditional end bracket (CEB).
FOR
See file-owning region (FOR).
foreground partition
A space in virtual storage in which programs are executed under control of the system. By default, a foreground partition has a higher processing priority than the background partition.
format
The arrangement or layout of data on a data medium, usually a display screen with CICS.
format independence
The ability to send data to a device without having to be concerned with the format in which the data is displayed. The same data may appear in different formats on different devices.
formatted data interface
In FEPI, a collective name for the keystroke and screen-image interfaces.
forward recovery
The process of restoring a backup copy and bringing it up to date by reapplying changes made to the file since the backup was taken. To facilitate forward recovery, CICS records after-images of file and database changes on the system log.
FRACHECK request
With RACF, the issuing of the FRACHECK macro or the RACROUTE macro with REQUEST=FASTAUTH specified. The primary function of a FRACHECK request is to check a user's authorization to a RACF-protected resource or function. A FRACHECK request uses only in-storage profiles for faster performance. See also RACHECK request and authorization checking.
fragmentation
An operating system's process of writing different parts of a file to discontiguous sectors on a computer storage medium when contiguous space that is large enough to contain the entire file is not available. When data is thus fragmented, the time that it takes to access the data may increase because the operating system must search different tracks for information that should be in one location.
front end programming interface (FEPI)
A separately-installable function of CICS Transaction Server that enables communication with non-LU6.2 partners by simulating an LU0 or LU2 device. FEPI allows CICS to communicate with existing applications on LU0 or LU2 systems without change to those applications.
front-end system
The CICS system in which the Front End Programming Interface (FEPI) runs to provide access to applications running on other systems. See also back-end (system).
front-end transaction
In synchronous transaction-to-transaction communication, the transaction that acquires the session to a remote system and initiates a transaction on that system. See also back-end transaction. For more information, see Designing Conversations.
FRTE
See file request thread element (FRTE).
FSU
See fast service upgrade (FSU).
full trace
Option for formatting CICS trace entries. Full trace shows all the data for each trace entry. See also abbreviated trace. See Using traces in problem determination for more information.
function
(1) A specific purpose of an entity, or its characteristic action.
(2) A machine action such as carriage return or line feed.
function management end (FME)
An SNA logical unit response type that CICS terminal control receives from a logical unit.
function management header (FMH)
One or more headers, optionally present in the leading request units (RUs) of an RU chain, that allow one LU to (a) select a transaction program or device at the session partner and control the way in which the end-user data it sends is handled at the destination, (b) change the destination or the characteristics of the data during the session, and (c) transmit between session partners status or user information about the destination (for example, a program or device). Function management headers can be used with LU type 1, 4, and 6.2 protocols.
function shipping
The process, transparent to the application program, by which CICS accesses resources when those resources are actually held on another CICS system. For further information, see Introduction to Function Shipping.
function SYSMOD
An IBM product that can be installed with SMP/E. CICS Transaction Server is packaged as a function SYSMOD on a distribution tape. This contains distribution libraries and JCLIN data which SMP/E uses to create the target libraries.
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