I’ve read your suggestions in past issues about the listfile command. I am running MPE/iX 5.5 Express 4. Jeff Vance wrote the syntax for listfile was :listfile <pattern>,6;seleq=[code=mnemonic]. However, Code is not a choice in my version — FTYPE is, and then I have only a choice of KSAMXL or SPOOL. What’s up?

HP’s Jeff Vance replies:

Well, I sure thought this feature was in 5.5 PowerPatch 3, but maybe not. I asked our Patch coordinator to find out the earliest 5.5 release that contains this enhancement. MPEJXR6 is the internal patch ID for the LISTFILE enhancement that supports CODE= in the selection equation, and the LISTFILE,access feature as well.

I know of several customers who used Patch/iX to install the PowerPatch but did not install any patches that are considered enhancements. By default these enhancement patches are not installed by Patch/iX, and the customer must explicitly choose them.

HP Patch coordinator Michael Dovano adds:

Since this was an enhancement patch, keep in mind that if the customer installed Express 3 or 4 with Patch/iX, the patch might not have made it on his system by default unless he forced it on. This is one of my favorite annoyances regarding Patch/iX: enhancement patches are naturally disqualified if they are coming from a PowerPatch tape (as a result of some design decision that was made sometime back). This trips up a lot of our customers. I’d check to make sure the patch is on his system. If not, he can probably download it from HP ESC, or go back to his PowerPatch tape and force it on.

I’m really tired of typing the whole string MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET during system maintenance chores. Isn’t there any way around this annoyance?

HP’s Lars Appel replies:

Just consider placing the following in your Logon UDC:

SETVAR SysVS “MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET”

Your life can become something like...

I see that Bind and Syslog are now bundled with the HP 3000 in MPE/iX 6.0 — but I don’t even know where to begin to configure and set up to run this stuff.

Joe Geiser replies:

Syslog shouldn’t need configuration at all — it’s plug and play.

Bind (Domain Name Services) needs to have configuration files put together. If you don’t need DNS, then you won’t need BIND, however.

I know that MPEX has a SEARCH facility within its PRINT command, one that will search all files in the specified group/acct (wildcards permitted). But where I am working this month, MPEX is not available. How else can I do this search?

Mark Bixby replies:

Posix can do this for you from SH.HPBIN.SYS:

To search for ‘searchstring’ in all files in a group:

find /ACCOUNT/GROUP -type f | xargs grep searchstring

To search for ‘searchstring’ in all files in an account:

find /ACCOUNT -type f | xargs grep searchstring

If you want a case-insensitive search, use grep -i.

How can I limit the number of sessions a specific user can have?

HP’s Lars Appel replies:

Here’s a suggestion mixing vanilla MPE and Posix features:

:# find jobs and sessions with my logon
:showjob job=!hpuser.!hpaccount;exec > $newpass :
:# count sessions by lines starting #S
:xeq /bin/grep “ -c ‘^#S’ “ < $oldpass > $newpass :
:# and pick up the resulting number
:input count < $oldpass

This will only work if each user has a unique logon. If multiple people share a common MPE logon, an approach based on HPREMIPADDR might be more appropriate, maybe by scanning LISTFILE /!hpacct,8 output.

[Editor’s Note: Vesoft’s MPEX can limit the number of logons a user can have simultaneously. Administrators can exclude MANAGER.whatever so they can get in on an emergency basis. Vesoft’s Security/3000 also provides this functionality.]

Where can I find a program that converts an IMAGE schema to COBOL Working Storage? I’d like to see some sample C code that uses IMAGE databases.

HP’s B T Vikram Kumar replies:

The TurboIMAGE manual has sample C code, that uses IMAGE intrinsics. Please refer to the chapter on Host Language Access.

Can a private volume set be changed to additional system volume members, and then restore the files of the private volume set to the new system volumes?

Michael D. Hensley replies:

Sure!

1. Store all of the files on the User Volume Set

(:STORE @.@.@;;ONVS=USERSET)

2. Dismount the user volume set

(:DISMOUNT USERSET)

3. Use VOLUTIL to SCRATCH each of the discs

(volutil: SCRATCHVOL 3)

4. Use VOLUTIL to NEWVOL each of the discs

(volutil: NEWVOL MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET:MEMBER3 3 100 10)

5. Alter all of the groups that were on the userset to HOMEVS=

(or PURGE all of the groups/accounts)

6. Restore the files to the system volume set

(:RESTORE ;@.@.@;VOLSET=MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET;CREATE)