environment

This is a very important option.

The process configuration defines a list of operations (tasks) executed in sequence. This sequence configures what the process does. But you must also set where and with what data the process works, what JCL skeletons are used, what dataset and systems are used, what JCL statements are supported and so on. For setting this kind of options you must use the environment.You can have general part of the environment, that is valid for all processes and a specific one that is valid only for some process. The general part and the specific part are usually merged together, which produces the final set of environmental options.

The environment is sometimes very large, especially when you have many processes or several clients. In this case it is a good practice to split the environment to more files, for example one per a client, and include them like in the following example:

'environment' => array(
    'client' => array_merge(
        include('hos_env_general.php'),
        include('hos_env_client1.php'),
        include('hos_env_client2.php'),
        include('hos_env_client3.php')
    ),
),

A content of each included file looks like in the sample below (only a part is displayed here, as the setting is too large).

This example is used for generic part of the environment that is valid for all clients, processes, activities and names of environment. This is because of to asterisks used for client, process, activity and name. This way you can predefine default values (typically templates - sometimes they are called skeletons, supported statements, ...). This general part should be placed on the top (therefore hos_env_general.php is the first included file in the sample). Some options can be later overwritten by other included files. There is a rule that the last setting wins. Procman processes the complete environment definition from the top to the bottom. If some option is defined more times then the last one is finally used.

For this reason always follow this simple rule: put the most general setting (with most wildcards) on the top and more restrictive ones (with named clients, processes, activities, ... ) below.

Comments typed in green in the sample explain what is the meaning of the value on the line where they are coded.

• You can type * (it means all clients) or a real client name on the line with '// client name' comment.

• You can type * (it means all processes) or a real process name on the line with '// process name' comment.

• You can type * (it means all activities) or a real activity name on the line with '// activity name' comment.

• You can type * (it means all environment names) or a real environment name on the line with '// environment name' comment.

return array (
    '*' => array (  // client name
        'request' => array (  // process name
            '*' => array (  // activity name
                'activity' => array (
                    '*' => array (
                        'environment' => array (
                            '*' => array (  // environment name
                                'codepage' => '273',
                                'temp_dsn_alloc_site' => 'cy pri=15 sec=30 di=500',
                                'template' => array (
                                    'jck_job_new'         => 'HOSJCHKN',
                                    'jck_job_change'      => 'HOSJCHKC',
                                    'jck_job_editchk1'    => 'HOSJEDIT',
                                    'jck_job_approve'     => 'HOSJEDTA',
                                    'jck_job_reft'        => 'HOSJREFT',
                                    'jck_job_ref'         => 'HOSJREF',
                                    'jck_job_final'       => 'HOSJEDTF',
                                    'jcl_new_gen'         => 'JCLGEN', // for JCL_NEW
                                ),
                                'jcl_result_files' => array (
                                    'JCKSUMO'  => true,
                                    'SYSPRINT' => true,
                                    'JCKDTLO'  => true
                                ),
                                'jcl_supported_statements' => array (
                                    'OUTPUT' => true,
                                    'SET'    => true,
                                    'INCLUDE'=> true
                                ),
                                'jcl_dd_forms' => array (
                                    '_'                         => 'DDI_Other',
                                    'FRM_JCK_DD_DSN_IZ'         => 'DDI_Output',
                                    'FRM_JCK_DD_REPORT_IZ'      => 'DDI_List',
                                    'FRM_JCK_DD_DSNIW_IZ'       => 'DDI_Workdataset',
                                    'FRM_JCK_DD_SYSOUT_IZ'      => 'DDI_Protocol',
                                    'FRM_JCK_DD_SYSIN_IZ'       => 'DDI_Controlcards',
                                    'FRM_JCK_DD_DSNI_IZ'        => 'DDI_Input'
                                ),
                            )
                        )
                    )
                )
            )
        )
    )
);

Of course you easily put the environment directly into hos_config2.php without splitting to more files. Then the option looks like this (also not complete):

'environment' => array (
    'client' => array (
        '*' => array (
            'request' => array (
                '*' => array (
                    'activity' => array (
                        '*' => array (
                            'environment' => array (
                                '*' => array (
                                    'codepage' => "273",
                                    'temp_dsn_alloc_site' => 'cy pri=15 sec=30 di=500',
                                    'template' => array (
                                        'jck_job_new'       => 'HOSJCHKN',
                                        'jck_job_change'    => 'HOSJCHKC',
                                        'jck_job_editchk1'  => 'HOSJEDT',
                                        'jck_job_approve'   => 'HOSJEDTA',
                                        'jck_job_reft'      => 'HOSJREFT',
                                        'jck_job_ref'       => 'HOSJREF',
                                        'jck_job_final'     => 'HOSJEDTF',
                                        'jck_job_fast'      => 'HOSJEDTF',
                                        'jck_proc_new'      => 'HOSPCHKN'
                                    )
                                )
                            )
                        )
                    )
                )
            )
        )
    )
)

A sample with explicitly specified values (no more asterisk is used):

return array (
    'CLIENT1' => array (
        'request' => array (
            'JCL_NEW_GEN_FI' => array (
                'activity' => array (
                    'JCL_NEW_GEN_REQUEST_FI' => array (
                        'environment' => array (
                            '!Test environment 1' => array (
                                'task' => array (
                                    '*' => array (
                                        'source_system' => 'SYSH_ID',
                                        'target_system' => 'SYSH_ID',
                                        'check_system'  => 'SYSH_ID',
                                    ),
                                    't0400' => array (
                                        'source_library' => array (),
                                        'target_library' => array ('!P391D.PETRH.TEMP1'),
                                        'member'         => array ('*'),
                                        'member_mask'    => '.*'
                                    )
                                )
                            )
                        )
                    )
                )
            ),
            'JCL_NEW_GEN_APPROVE_FI' => array (
                'environment' => array (
                )
            )
        )
    )
);

It is clear what client, process and activity are. But what is the environment? Every process contains m_environment module at the beginning. This module scans your environment setting and finds all distinct values used as environment names. In case of our samples only 'Test environment 1' is found. Therefore we have only one environment name. When the module finds only one environment then it uses it automatically. If more environment names are found then the module offers a selection. Once the environment is selected the whole process works with its setting. Therefore you can define more than one environment (which can contain system definitions, templates, ...) and allow the user to choose the one he wants at the beginning of the process. In spite of the fact this idea can be useful in some cases it is not usually configured in real installations. Most often you have only one environment name that is used throughout all your configuration files. Just make sure that once you run some process then the environment name in your configuration is not changed any more.

In the following sub sections all environmental options are described in details.