Command Procedures for Manipulating Tape Data Files: A Set of Procedures Developed for Use With the COMNET ALPHA Time-Sharing System

摘要

The problem addressed by this report is the lack of simple terminal commands to manipulate tape data files at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Washington Computer Center. This work was performed to enable relatively inexperienced programmers or scientists to maintain large infrequently used data sets on magnetic tape. The report documents a set of terminal command language procedures which greatly simplify the maintenance of data files on magnetic tape. The command procedures are invoked by entering a single work at the computer terminal. The computer queries are the user for specific information and then submits a job to accomplish the actual data transfer. Ancillary procedures are included to facilitate the housekeeping requirements of tape management. The storage of large infrequently-used data sets on magnetic tape saves ADP funds and frees system resources for other applications. Such savings lessen capital investment requirements as the Agency's ADP needs expand. Disk storage charges have been cut by 50% by the use of these procedures.