Now that it is possible to send files over the Internet to Northwest Regional Data Center
(NWRDC), some users may wish to change from their current method of file transmission to Internet
FTP. Internet (or TCP/IP) FTP is a completely different program from the Netview FTP that can
be used over the IBM/SNA portion of FIRN's network. Like Netview FTP, though, Internet FTP
transmits full 1,020-byte records. Thus, those institutions using the RJE method of data transmission
may wish to switch and use Internet FTP to exchange files with NWRDC. By doing so, RJE users
would no longer have to use program SRTS05 to convert 1,020-byte records into 80-byte records
or use SRTS06 to reconstruct the 1,020-byte records from the 80-byte records transmitted.
Using Internet FTP to post requests or responses to the System is a two-step process. First,
you transmit the file of requests or responses to NWRDC using Internet FTP. Then, again using
Internet FTP, you submit the file of JCL commands that actually posts your requests or responses
to the System. There may also be a third step if you need to retrieve a file of rejected records from
NWRDC (print reports will still be routed according to your existing /*ROUTE PRINT statements).
Using Internet FTP to retrieve requests or responses from the System is also a two-step
process. This time you first submit the file of JCL commands that retrieves your request or response
files from your FASTER mailbox. Then you use Internet FTP to transmit these files from NWRDC
to your local site. Again, print reports will continue to be routed according to the /*ROUTE PRINT
statements contained in your JCL.
The files of JCL you currently use to exchange records with the System will have to be
modified if you are going to use the Internet FTP method of file transmission. Actually, the JCL you
would be using is identical to the JCL used by those institutions currently using NWRDC to house
their student records. Chapter 5 tells you how to regenerate your JCL in this fashion. In the
alternative, you could simply edit your existing JCL, removing the data transmission steps that
Internet FTP will now perform.
The rest of this chapter will show you how to use Internet FTP to exchange records with
NWRDC. It will also discuss the ways in which an RJE-FASTER user would need to modify their
JCL, and how they would use Internet FTP to submit this JCL to the System. For those institutions
that also wish to use Internet FTP to retrieve their edit report files (instead of using the existing
/*ROUTE PRINT statements), instructions on how to do this will also be provided. In modifying
your JCL, feel free to consult with your FASTER contact person in FIRN's Applications
Programming Group (if you've forgotten who this person is, call FIRN's main number
[SUNCOM/277-0911 or 850/487-0911] and ask to speak to someone in the Applications
Programming Group).
A. Using Internet FTP to Send Files to NWRDC
To send a file of FASTER records to NWRDC using Internet FTP, you first have to have the
file you want to send on the same computing system as your copy of Internet FTP. This computing
system must, of course, be connected to the Internet. When you are ready to send a file of FASTER
records (transmission of JCL streams is handled differently, as will be shown, below), you first bring
up your copy of Internet FTP and use it to log in to NWRDC using your regular FASTER userid and
password. Use either of the following host names or Internet addresses to connect to NWRDC:
Host Name Internet Address
NWRDC.FSU.EDU 199.44.72.2
NWALT.FSU.EDU 128.186.217.2
Before using the Internet FTP put command to transmit the file to NWRDC, though, you must first
initialize your data transmission environment.
1. If a file with the same name as the one you want to send to NWRDC already exists at
NWRDC, you must delete that file. If your version of Internet FTP does not have this
capability, you will have to submit a set of JCL to do so (your contact person in the FIRN
Applications Programming Group will assist you in setting this up).
2. You must now define the characteristics of the file you are going to send to NWRDC. You
do this by issuing the following Internet FTP quote commands (using the quote command
tells Internet FTP to ignore the parameters to the right of the word "quote" and pass them
directly to the copy of Internet FTP running at NWRDC):
a. QUOTE SITE LRECL=1020
b. QUOTE SITE BLOCKSIZE=27540
c. QUOTE SITE CYLINDERS
d. QUOTE SITE PRIMARY=5
e. QUOTE SITE SECONDARY=1
f. QUOTE SITE STORCLASS=SCFNSTD
This tells NWRDC to allocate space for a file of fixed-length records 1,020 bytes in length,
with a block size of 27,540 bytes per block. Space is to be allocated in terms of cylinders,
with a primary quantity of 5 cylinders and a secondary quantity of 1 cylinder. The final
quote command tells NWRDC to store this file on FIRN's disk packs under NWRDC's
Storage Management System. Note that, while all the above commands are shown in upper
case, lower case characters also can be used.
3. Once you've issued the last of your quote commands, you then use your Internet FTP to put
your file onto NWRDC. With some copies of FTP, you use an actual put command. Others
let you use a mouse to click on a Copy command box. Use the method provided by your
copy of Internet FTP.
In general, the put command has the following format:
put local-file-name remote-file-name
For example, to send a local file on your system named TEST.XXX to a file at NWRDC
named FN.DX01.RESPONSE.ONTO.SYSTEM, you would issue the following put
command:
put TEST.XXX 'FN.DX01.RESPONSE.ONTO.SYSTEM'
Note that a single space separates the two file names, and that the name of the NWRDC file
is enclosed in quotes. Always enclose NWRDC file names in quotes (if you don't, NWRDC
will automatically prefix your file name with your userid).
4. You may name your local copies of FASTER files according to your local operating
procedures. The NWRDC names of the files you send to NWRDC, however, should be
named as follows:
Type of File Transmitted File Naming Convention
Request Records DSNPRFX.REQUESTS.ONTO.SYSTEM
Response Records DSNPRFX.RESPONSE.ONTO.SYSTEM
Where DSNPRFX is: FN.DX01 - FN.DX76 for public school districts,
FN.DX01 - FN.CX28 for state community colleges,
and: FN.UX01 - FN.UX10 for state universities,
all based on your FASTER userid. For example, Alachua School District (FASTER userid
FNDX01 would have a DSNPRFX of: FN.DX01; thus, the name of the file of request
records they would put to NWRDC would be:
FN.DX01.REQUESTS.ONTO.SYSTEM
Note that, actually, only the DSNPRFX in the above naming convention is absolutely
mandatory. If you wish to modify your existing JCL and have used different names for the
request/response files used as input to programs SRTS01/SRTS03, you may use those names
instead.
5. The quote commands in step 2, above, establishes a primary quantity of 5 cylinders and a
secondary quantity of 1 cylinder. This reserves up to 20 cylinders of space for the file
transmitted, and not one single byte more than 20 cylinders--IBM systems are
unforgiving when it comes to space calculations. In these computations, maximum
reserved space is equal to your primary allocation plus fifteen (15) times your secondary
allocation. In the above example, then, maximum space equals 5 cylinders plus 15 times 1
cylinder, which is 5 plus 15, or 20 cylinders.
In quote command "c," in step 2, above, you could have replaced the word "CYLINDERS"
with the work "TRACKS." This would result in a different total space calculation, since
there are 15 tracks on a single cylinder. Changing your space allocation from cylinders to
tracks reduces your allocation by a factor of 15.
How much space you need to reserve depends on the size of the file you are sending. Using
the above record length (1,020) and blocking factor (27,540), exactly fifty-four (54) 1,020-byte FASTER records will fit on a single track (which means that 810 records will fit on a
single cylinder). Use this information in setting the parameters in your quote statements.
For example, if you had 800 transcripts to send, and each transcript had an average of 75
FASTER records (of 1,020 bytes, each), you would need space for a total of 60,000 FASTER
records (that is, 800 x 75). Given that 810 FASTER records fit on a single cylinder, you
would need to reserve space for a total allocation of 75 cylinders (60,000 divided by 810, and
rounded up). A primary allocation of 60 cylinders and a secondary allocation of 1 cylinder
will produce a total allocation of 75 cylinders (that is, 60 + (1 * 15), or 60 +15).
Note that the above example leaves no room for error. You would have to be certain that you
had exactly 60,000 FASTER records in your file. If you aren't exactly certain of the size of
your file, leave yourself some room by increasing your secondary allocation. Thus, in the
above example, if I thought that my file contained about 60,000 FASTER records, I could
use a primary allocation of 60 cylinders with a secondary allocation of 2 cylinders. This
would give me an extra 15 cylinders of "wiggle room," a leeway of 12,000 FASTER records
(20%). When making space calculations, take these factors into consideration.
6. Another note on the quote commands in step 2, above: with your copy of FTP, you might
be able to combine these 6 commands into a single command. In doing so, you would
probably want to make use of the following command abbreviations:
Command Name Abbreviation Command Name Abbreviation
LRECL LR PRIMARY PRI
BLOCKSIZE BLK SECONDARY SEC
CYLINDERS CY STORCLASS STOR
TRACKS TR
Using these abbreviations and combining the 6 commands in step 2, above, yields the
following quote command:
quote site lr=1020 blk=27540 cy pri=5 sec=1 stor=scfnstd
Each parameter is separated from the next parameter by a single space (no spaces separate
parameters and parameter values; for example, the string "lr=1020" contains no spaces,
neither before nor after the equal sign).
Note also that, with your copy of Internet FTP, you may not have to enter the word
"QUOTE." In the interactive copy of Internet FTP that FIRN uses, there is simply a sub-menu item that says: "Send Quoted Command to Remote..." Clicking on this selection
brings up a box entitled: "Quoted Command." Into this box, I would type the above quote
command, leaving out the word "quote."
Even with a batch version of Internet FTP, you may also be able to issue the SITE command
without preceding it with the word QUOTE. Experiment with your version of Internet FTP
to see which procedure is best for you.
B. Modifying the JCL to Post Records to the System
For institutions currently using the RJE method of posting records to the System, the biggest
change in switching to the Internet FTP method (and the biggest benefit) is that there is no longer
a need to convert 1,020-byte records into 80-byte records before sending them to NWRDC. Thus,
there is no need to run programs SRTS05 or SRTS06, and these can be dropped from the JCL used
to post the records.
Appendix O contains examples of the JCL used to post records to the System using the RJE
method of file transfer. To modify this JCL to use the Internet FTP method of file transfer, the
following changes would have to be made:
1. In the JCL to post requests to the System (pages O-2 through O-4):
a. Delete all lines starting with the line beginning with the ++JC.5++/*ROUTE
PUNCH statement on page O-2 and continuing through the line beginning with
//INPUT on page O-3.
b. On page O-4, delete all the remaining lines in this JCL stream, starting with the line
beginning //STEPRJE. Note that deleting these last lines means that the file
containing those records that failed to pass all System edits
(DSNPRFX.REQUESTS.ONTO.SYSERRS) remains at NWRDC and is not
transmitted back to your institution. To get this file, you will have to log back in to
NWRDC and use Internet FTP's get command to retrieve this file.
2. In the JCL to post responses to the System (pages O-5 through O-7):
a. Delete all lines starting with the line beginning with the ++JC.5++/*ROUTE
PUNCH statement on page O-5 and continuing through the line beginning with
//INPUT on page O-6.
b. On page O-7, delete all the remaining lines in this JCL stream, starting with the line
beginning //STEPRJE. Note that deleting these last lines means that the file
containing those records that failed to pass all System edits
(DSNPRFX.RESPONSE.ONTO.SYSERRS) remains at NWRDC and is not
transmitted back to your institution. To get this file, you will have to log back in to
NWRDC and use Internet FTP's get command to retrieve this file.
C. Submitting the JCL to Post Records to the System
Now that you have your modified JCL streams, you are ready to use Internet FTP to submit
a JCL stream to NWRDC to execute and post the records in the file you sent to NWRDC in section
A, above. Submitting JCL to NWRDC using Internet FTP follows the same pattern as sending files
to NWRDC:
1. Bring up your copy of Internet FTP and use it to log in to NWRDC using your regular
FASTER userid and password.
2. Using FTP, issue the following "Quote" command:
quote site filetype=jes
3. Immediately after issuing this quote command, send your file of JCL statements to NWRDC
to a "file" whose name is "jes." This results in the submission of your JCL to the NWRDC
job queue. For example, the following put command submits your local requests-posting
JCL file ("reqpost.jcl") for execution at NWRDC:
put reqpost.jcl jes
Note that jes does not have to be surrounded by quotes in this put command.
Thus, to post a file of request records to the System, you would follow the procedure in
section A, above, to put your file of request records to NWRDC. Then you would use the procedure
just outlined to submit the JCL to NWRDC to post these records to the System. Upon receiving the
edit report routed back to your printer (via the /*ROUTE PRINT statement in your JCL), you would
know whether or not you needed to use Internet FTP to get a file of error records back from
NWRDC. You would follow the same procedure to post a file of response records to the System.
D. Modifying the JCL to Extract Records from the System
Just as with posting records to the System, using Internet FTP eliminates the need to run
programs SRTS05 and SRTS06 when you are extracting records from the System (for example,
when you empty your FASTER mailbox). The job steps that perform these functions, then, have to
be deleted from your JCL streams. Appendix O contains examples of the JCL used to post records
to the System using the RJE method of file transfer. To modify this JCL to use the Internet FTP
method of file transfer, the following changes would have to be made:
1. In the JCL to extract requests from the System (pages O-8 through O-10):
a. Delete the single line beginning with the ++JC.5++/*ROUTE PUNCH statement on
page O-8 (since the PUNCH queue will no longer be used).
b. Delete all lines on page O-9, starting with the line that begins //STEPRJE and
continue deleting through the line that begins //OUTPUT.
2. In the JCL to extract responses from the System (pages O-11 through O-15):
a. Delete the single line beginning with the ++JC.5++/*ROUTE PUNCH statement on
page O-11 (since the PUNCH queue will no longer be used).
b. Delete all lines on page O-12, starting with the line that begins //STEPRJE and
continue deleting through the line that begins //OUTPUT, on page O-13.
E. Submitting the JCL to Extract Records from the System
You submit JCL to extract records in the same way that you submitted the JCL to post
records (see section C, above). Once these jobs run, and you get back the job output, you can then
use Internet FTP to get the files created by these jobs back from NWRDC. The general format for
the Internet FTP get command is:
get remote-file local-file
A single space separates the get command from the remote file name, and a single space separates
the remote file name from the local file name. The names of the remote files created by these JCL
streams (unless you've altered them from the defaults generated by the System) are:
Type of Records Extracted File Naming Convention
Request Records DSNPRFX.REQUESTS.ALLFROM.MAILBOX
Response Records DSNPRFX.RESPONSE.ALLFROM.MAILBOX
Thus, if Alachua School District (NWRDC userid FNDX01) wanted to retrieve its file of request
records and create a local file named "todays.rqs," the following get command would be used:
get 'FN.DX01.REQUESTS.ALLFROM.MAILBOX' todays.rqs
F. Modifying the JCL to Run the Aging and Other Reports
There are four other JCL streams in Appendix O:
Pages Purpose
O-16 &O-17 Produce Outgoing Aging Report and File
O-18 &O-19 Produce Incoming Aging Report and File
O-20 &O-21 Produce Participant Status Report and File
O-22 &O-23 Produce Contact List Report and File
To modify each of these JCL streams for use with Internet FTP, delete the final step in each JCL
stream. Each of these steps starts on the second page of the JCL stream and runs from the line
beginning //STEPRJE through the end of the JCL stream. Each, that is, except the Participant Status
JCL stream, where you start deleting at the line that begins: //RJE31. In each of these JCL streams,
you can also delete the line that begins: ++JC.5++/*ROUTE PUNCH.
To produce these reports and files, submit the JCL streams to NWRDC as shown in the
previous sections. When you receive your reports, you can then use Internet FTP to get the
following files:
File Name
Outgoing Aging File DSNPRFX.OUTGOING.AGING.RECORDS
Incoming Aging File DSNPRFX.INCOMING.AGING.RECORDS
Participant Status File DSNPRFX.PARTSTAT.FILE.RECORDS
Contact List File DSNPRFX.CNTCLIST.FILE.RECORDS
G. Using Internet FTP to Retrieve Printer Reports
In this system, printer reports are routed to users based on /*ROUTE PRINT statements in
the JCL. These route statements also work with a printer that has its own Internet address. If you
want to route a printer report to an Internet printer, however, you must first contact the systems staff
at NWRDC and have them assign your printer an LU name (which is derived from your printer's
Internet address). Once they've put this LU name and Internet address in their tables you can route
printouts to that printer as you would to any existing NWRDC remote printer.
You can also use Internet FTP to retrieve printouts from NWRDC. First, though, you must
modify your JCL to have the printer report go to a file (NWRDC dataset) rather than to the print
queue. For example, suppose that (in JCL to post requests to the System) you wanted to save the
edit report to a file that you later intend to download from NWRDC using Internet FTP. This file
appears in the JCL (see Appendix O) on page O-4 on the line that reads as follows:
//EDITRPT DD SYSOUT=A
The SYSOUT=A parameter in this statement routes the edit report to the print queue. To save this
edit report to a file named DSNPRFX.REQUESTS.EDIT.REPORT, you could replace the above
line with the following lines:
//EDITRPT DD DSN=DSNPRFX.REQUESTS.EDIT.REPORT,
// DISP=(NEW,CATLG),UNIT=SYSDA,STORCLAS=SCFNSTD,
// DCB=(RECFM=FB,LRECL=133,BLKSIZE=27930,DSORG=PS),
// SPACE=(CYL,(1,1),RLSE)
Upon completion of this job, you could then download file DSNPRFX.REQUESTS.EDIT.REPORT
to your own site using Internet FTP. Note that this is a file of 133-byte records, with the first byte
being a standard IBM printer carriage control character. Note, also, that the maximum amount of
SPACE provided for the above file is 16 cylinders. At the above blocksize (BLKSIZE), 6,300 lines
can be stored on a single cylinder, which means that the above file definition can hold up to 100,800
lines (roughly, a box of paper). That's probably as big a report as you would ever want to print!
H. Automated Processing Using Internet FTP
The processes outlined in the preceding sections of this chapter involve a lot of manual
intervention. This is especially true when retrieving records from FASTER mailboxes. A job is
submitted to NWRDC, the user waits to receive a printer report and, upon receipt, uses Internet FTP
to get a file of records from NWRDC. If your institution commonly uses fully automated
procedures, this methodology will not fit well in your current operational scheme. It is, though,
possible to automate this entire process.
If your local machine is has an Internet connection, you can do each of the above processes
as single job streams. For example, to post a file of request records, you could submit JCL to
NWRDC to:
1. Run NWRDC's copy of Internet FTP to log in to your local computer and get a file of your
requests directly from your computer.
2. Upon the successful completion of step 1, the JCL then would run program SRTS01, posting
your requests to the System and creating files FN.CX05.EDIT.REPORT and
FN.CX05.REQUESTS.ONTO.SYSERRS.
3. Based on condition codes, the JCL would then use Internet FTP to put both of the files
created in step B onto your local server (if edit errors were detected), or put only the edit
report to your local server (if no errors were detected).
In this way, you would have a lot less manual intervention. NWRDC also has a job
scheduling package that would allow for any of the above jobs to be run on a scheduled basis.
Manual intervention could be kept to a minimum.
You must, though, be confident in your local userid/password procedure and other "firewall"
software to automate processing in this way. The crux of the matter is that you are allowing a
remote computer to a) log in to your system, b) retrieve a data file, and c) create data files on your
system. If you have such confidence in your own security system, you may wish to automate the
entire FASTER file exchange process using Internet FTP. If you want to do this, please contact your
FASTER contact in FIRN's Applications Programming Group for assistance in building the new
JCL streams.
I. Data Encryption
Another method of building confidence in Internet transmissions is the use of data
encryption. NWRDC has acquired the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) data encryption/decryption
software package for MVS systems. If you are able to acquire software for your computing system
that can also encrypt/decrypt files using the PGP algorithm we can help you set up the process of
sending encrypted data to and from FASTER. Again, contact your FASTER contact in FIRN's
Applications Programming Group when you are ready to do so.