Re: MRP Generation - workstation members.

The simplest way around the below problem with workstation members becoming
duplicated when BPCS uses them, is to work with BPCS, not against it. Limit
your device names to 8 characters via using Client Access or Express to name
your TCP/IP sessions, rather than allowing the system to pick a random 10
character ID. Disallow  greenscreen Telnet or Passthru sessions where the
workstation ID becomes random again. Truncation resulting in duplicate
workstation ids occurs when BPCS adds a 'Q' to the front of the device name
(and it is over 9 long already) to make a workstation data area or file
member name. Thus if you had device QPADEV0001 and QPADEV0002 on the AS/400,
in BPCS both show up as workstation member or workstation data area
QQPADEV000.

This limitation is documented in many places in BPCS and in several rejected
BMRs requesting this be changed to allow 10 character workstation IDs (some
of the BMRs rejected were input by yours truly). Not my idea to architect it
this way - this was inherited from back in time immemorial, and now it seems
stupid, yes. But that is the way it works for now, and there is a way around
it with naming your devices to work with BPCS limitations.

New versions of BPCS do not use workstation members, as multi-membered files
are not known to Unix databases and 6.x runs on Unix or AS/400. Instead,
work files are used, but are often basing record keys on workstation ID.

Thanks

Genyphyr Novak
SSA

-----Original Message-----
From: Zieske@nexgensoftware.com <Zieske@nexgensoftware.com>
To: BPCS-L@midrange.com <BPCS-L@midrange.com>
Date: Monday, July 24, 2000 11:43 AM
Subject: Re: MRP Generation.


>
>But of course there is the gotcha. With the proliferation of PC based
>terminal emulators, and the BPCS habit of using truncated work station
>names to build work file members, the possibility exists of two jobs
>stepping on each others work files. (This is normally prevented in BPCS
>during the normal on-line submission of jobs, but I am assuming you are
>setting up some kind of batch submission process) Easy to prevent, but mass
>confusion if it happens.
>
>
>Harmon Zieske
>Nexgen Consulting help line.
>

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