Conference iosg::all-in-1_v30

Hi,

I don't know how "supported" or advisable this is, but I always find it easiest
inspect and/or debug housekeeping jobs and other batch jobs by running them
interactively rather than in batch mode.
Obviously for something like Create User you need to set up a profile record
first; an easy way to do this would be to do the Create User as normal, but
with the batch queue paused.  Then look at the queue to work out the job
parameters, and away you go...

Scott

An easy way to achieve this might be to edit the LOGIN.COM of the VMS account
(ALLIN1 or whatever) where the batch jobs will run. Just include a line like:

$ALLIN1:==ALLIN1/NOCUSTOM

I haven't tried this, but it ought to work.

D.

I've always found this annoying as well, but in a slightly different context.

If you are trying to debug a problem on a customer's system that involves a 
batch job (typically a housekeeping procedure) then in order to turn tracing
on you have to 'customize' the appropriate script/command file and make that
customization live. That alone is not a risk, just a pain.

Once you have found (or think you have found) the cause of the problem then
to test a solution you have to modify the appropriate script/command file and
then make it live!! This is not only a pain but carries a risk (even if only
a minor one) of breaking the customer's production system.

Unfortunately this type of work is often done on slow and noisy dial-in
lines and the chances of running a housekeeping procedure interactivly to
completion without getting aborted by line noise can often be very low.

It would be nice to be able to pass some form of parameter to the housekeeping
procedure to

 - Run custom/nocustom
 - Pick up the submittors trace settings and use them
 - Pick up objects in the development directories

While there may be some ways to achieve some of this, there are heavy 
restrictions on what you can do on a customer's production system which often
rule out some of the more creative approaches.

Well thats my 2 cents worth,

Terry

    I seem to recall that some of the HK jobs actually turned on verify
    based on the setting of some symbol or logical. Assuming I haven't
    imagined this, a simple chnage to the MANGER's LOGIN.COM could turn
    this on.
    
    Assuming I have imagined it, then it could be customised in, and left
    on the system afterwards with no (or little) risk.
    
    On /NOCUSTOM, I've always understood that it only removed the SITE form
    libraries and CM TXL from the search list. Aren't the OA$LIB etc. SITE
    directories still searched because OA$LIB is defined as a system
    logical search list?
    
    Graham

    
    /NOCUSTOM will also split up OALIB (which refers to OA$LIB, which
    refers to...). Only the Base logicals OA$LIB_SHARE: and
    OA$LIB_<language>: are defines. You can see this in the
    OA$FILE_SEARCH_ORDER after starting ALL-IN-1 with /NOCUSTOM:
    
    	$ ALLIN1/NOCUSTOM/......
    	<GET OA$FILE_SEARCH_ORDER
    	EXIT
    
    Ciao,
    
    	Simon

    When /NOCUSTOM is used all that we can do is to bypass any IMPLICIT
    references to elements (eg DO X instead of DO <ddcu:>X). This also
    means that anything called outside of ALL-IN-1 will be called
    explicitly.
    
    Therefore anything that is called explicitly will still look at the
    explicit reference. In a lot of cases command procedures are referenced
    explicitly using OA$LIB - especially when they are called outside of
    ALL-IN-1.
    
    What I would do therefore for debugging practices is to redefine OA$LIB
    so that it does not contain the OA$SITE logicals.
    
    Kevin

    I suspect there may be quite a lot of explicit "@OA@LIB:mumble.COM, DO
    OA$LIB:mumble.SCP references in the base product too.
    
    When defining an alternate OA$LIB, unless it's /SYSTEM, make sure it's
    defined /EXEC or ALL-IN-1 won't turn on its privs.
    
    Graham