RFC 307

Using network Remote Job Entry

πŸ“… published February 1972, from ietf

Network Working Group RFC 307 ✨

Okay bestie, here's the title block tea 🍡. This is RFC 307, written by E. Harslem at Rand and filed with NIC number 9258 on February 24, 1972 πŸŽ€. It cites 113 and 189. The original doesn't list a category, and it doesn't obsolete or update anything, so there's nothing else to note there 🌸.

USING NETWORK REMOTE JOB ENTRY πŸ¦‹

OVERVIEW πŸ’–

Okay so, as people have mentioned in earlier RFCs and at earlier Network meetings, various groups at Rand have been doing RJE (remote job entry) to remote Network sites, UCBS and UCLA, for over a year πŸ™ˆ. Until recently, all of that work ran from our IBM 360/65, which is a Network using host and not a server. Then our PDP-10 joined the Network as both a user host and a server πŸ’…. We also have a program on the PDP-10 that gives access to the Remote Job Service (RJS) at UCLA ✨. Here's how we normally set it up πŸ‘‡.

                    RAND                                     UCLA
               ________________                        ________________
              |    PDP-10      |                      |     360/91     |
    ______    |                |                      |                |
   |      |   |   __________   |                      |   __________   |
   |File  |   |  | RJS      |  |                      |  |          |  |
   |System|___|__| Access   |__|___/\/\ Network /\____|__|    RJS   |  |
   |      |   |  | Program  |  |       \/     \/      |  |          |  |
   |______|   |  |__________|  |                      |  |__________|  |
              |       |        |                      |                |
              |       |        |                      |                |
              |_______|________|                      |________________|
                      |
                      |
                    User

Here's the flow 🧚. To use RJS, the user makes a job source "deck" in the Rand File system. Then they tell the RJS Access Program (RJSAP) to send that file (the job) to RJS πŸ’œ. (There's a sample session further down, so keep scrolling.) After that, they can check on their job's status through RJSAP, which means through RJS too πŸ‘€. They can also have RJSAP pull their print output into a local file, or send it straight to their console, the line printer, or whatever πŸ–¨οΈ.

Lowkey, a few people at other Network sites got curious about using RJS πŸ₯Ή. The catch is that they're stuck on a minimal Host, or on a host that doesn't provide RJS access 😭. Since the Rand PDP-10 is a Network server, these folks can solve their access problem by logging onto the Rand PDP-10 over Telnet and running RJSAP themselves 🫢. The rest of this RFC walks through the steps for running that program 🌈.

The Rand PDP-10 πŸ–₯️

The Rand PDP-10 runs the Tenex operating system, so you need some understanding of the Tenex Executive first πŸ€“. You can get the necessary documents from the people who made Tenex:

                    Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Inc.
                    50 Moulton Street
                    Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
                    (617) 491-1850

Second, you need an account on the Rand PDP-10 🎟️. You can set one up through:

                    Rod Fredrickson
                    The Rand Corporation
                    1700 Main Street
                    Santa Monica, California 90406
                    (213) 393-0411

UCLA Remote Job Service πŸŽ“

To use the UCLA IBM 360/91 through RJS, you need two things πŸ“:

  1. An account at UCLA
  2. An assigned RJS terminal ID

You can get both from:

                    Bob Braden
                    UCLA
                    Math Sciences Building
                    3531 Boelter Hall
                    Los Angeles, Calif.  90024
                    (213) 825-7518

The RJS Access Program (RJSAP) πŸ’…

A sample session using RJSAP is attached below ✨. You start RJSAP by typing RJS<return> at the Tenex executive πŸš€. Then the program initializes and checks your login information to see whether you're listed in its tables πŸ•΅οΈ. This makes sure you actually have a valid RJS terminal ID. If your ID isn't found, the program stops and shows an appropriate message πŸ’€.

If your ID is found, RJSAP tries to connect to RJS πŸ”Œ. If UCLA is down, you'll see a message saying so, and the program ends 😀. If UCLA is up, RJSAP connects you to RJS and signs on your terminal ID (see RFC 189) 🫧. RJSAP replies with YOU ARE CONNECTED TO RJS. πŸŽ‰

From there, RJS acknowledges your signon and prints system status messages πŸ“£.

The programs (RJSAP and RJS) are now ready for RJE work πŸ”₯. Every command goes to RJSAP first. Here are the commands, listed and explained πŸ‘‘:

  1. Help

If the user types ?, RJSAP echoes the ? and lists the valid commands (see below) πŸ’–.

  1. Message to RJS

If the first character of a command is a /, everything after it up to a return gets sent to RJS on the operator input connection πŸ“¨. See RFC 189 for the syntax and semantics of these commands πŸ“–.

You can cancel an operator input message with the RUB OUT key, or backspace over it with BACKSPACE πŸ™…β€β™€οΈ.

  1. Send a Job

When the user types S, RJSAP echoes SEND SOURCE DECK FROM FILE. Then the user types the name of the file that holds their job, followed by a return. Obviously, the file has to exist already πŸ“. If the file is fine and sends successfully, both RJSAP and RJS print an acknowledgement on the user's terminal (see example below) βœ….

  1. Retrieve Job Output-Printer

The user grabs printed output by typing PR. RJSAP echoes PRINT OUTPUT TO FILE. The user types the name of the file where they want the output πŸ—‚οΈ. That can be a new file, or even a device like the printer or teletype πŸ–¨οΈ. When the print output is fully received, RJSAP prints an acknowledgment (see example) πŸ₯³.

  1. Retrieve Job Output-Punch

This function isn't implemented yet. We're waiting on a decision about how this channel should work between a PDP-10 and a 360 πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ.

  1. Transmission Status

For long transmissions of job input or output, you might want to check how far along it is πŸ“Š. Typing R makes RJSAP echo REPORT ON TRANSMISSIONS--, followed by a record count for the job input and printer output channels πŸ”’.

  1. Termination

If the user types a Q at the start of a command, RJSAP echoes QUIT IN PROGRESS and ends πŸ‘‹. This is the preferred way to end the program, instead of just ^C πŸ™Œ.

NOTE: RJSAP hasn't been used a ton yet, so we expect it to get improved and modified later πŸ› οΈ. That means the last section of this RFC, the explanation of how to use RJSAP, will live in the file <HARSLEM>RJSACCESSPROGRAM.EXPLANATION on the Rand PDP-10 and get updated as needed πŸ“‚.

Sample Session πŸ“Ό

Here's a sample session using RJS from RJSAP on the Rand PDP-10 🎬. All the user inputs are underlined, shown as _text_ ✏️.

TENEX 1.28,RAND EXEC 1.33.1                          Rand Exec Prompt
@_LOGIN_                                        \
(USER) _HARSLEM_                                 \   User Logs In
(PASSWORD)______                                 /
(ACCOUNT #)_1__                                 /
JOB 12 ON TTY10 25-FEB-72 11:12                      System Acknowledges
@_RJS_                                               User Starts RJS
                                                     Access Program

RJS REMOTE ACCESS PROGRAM

HELLO ERIC

YOU ARE CONNECTED TO RJS                          \
NRJ876I NETWORK REMOTE JOB SERVICE READY           \
RJS750I TERMINAL NETRAND HAS SIGNED ONTO RJS        \ RJS Recognizes
RJS652I INFORMATION ALERT -                         / Terminal ID and
RJS250I OS COLDSTARTED 4:30 PM 24 FEB ALL JOBS     /  Prints System
**IN SYS LOST AND MUST BE RESUBMITTED             /   News Messages
RJS650I OS COLDSTARTED 11:07 FEB 25, ALL JOBS LOST MUST RESUBMIT_
_?_
VALID COMMANDS ARE:                                User asks for
SEND A SOURCE FILE                                 Valid Commands
PRINT OUTPUT RETRIEVAL
PUNCH OUTPUT RETRIEVAL
REPORT ON STATUS OF TRANSMISSIONS
PRECEDE RJS OPERATOR COMMANDS WITH A SLASH
QUIT TO TERMINATE THE PROGRAM
_/STATUS JOBS_
RJS804I TERMINAL NETRAND HAS NO JOBS ACTIVE        User Sends Message to
_/STATUS LINES_                                    RJS asking Job Status
RJS800I TERMINAL GSM     ACTIVE ON LINE 1          User asks RJS to
RJS809I PUNCH REROUTE = ENGR                       show Active Users
RJS800I TERMINAL ENGR    ACTIVE ON LINE2
RJS800I TERMINAL CSCSRC  ACTIVE ON LINE7
RJS800I TERMINAL NETRAND ACTIVE ON LINE8
_S_END SOURCE DECK FROM FILE _TESTA.;1_
TESTA.; TRANSMITTED TO RJS                         User Sends Job to RJS
26 CARDS  SENT                                     Both Access
RJS534I JOB MES727DS ACCEPTED BY RJS - 0000027     Program and RJS Ack
**CARDS READ                                       Job Submission
_/STATUS JOBS_
RJS810I TERMINAL NETRAND HAS THE FOLLOWING JOBS IN RJS
RJS812I MES272DS SPL(A) 001                        User Asks Job Status
             \                                     And Sees his job
             /                                     being Spooled.
             \
             /
       (SOMETIME LATER)
             /
             \
_/STATUS JOBS_
RJS810I TERMINAL NETRAND HAS THE FOLLOWING JOBS     User Checks and
**IN RJS
RJS812I MES727DS XEQ   000                          Finds his job ready
             /
             \
        (SOMETIME LATER)
             /
             \
             /
             \
_/STATUS JOBS_                                      User sees job
RJS810I TERMINAL NETRAND HAS THE FOLLOWING JOBS     has been run
**IN RJS
RJS812I MES727DS PPT 060                            Print output ready
_PR_INT OUTPUT TO FILE _LPT_:[CONFIRM]              User asks for output
                                                    directly to printer

_R_EPORT ON TRANSMISSIONS--
 NO SEND IN PROGRESS                                User checks to see
PRINT TO FILE LPT: RECORD COUNT=88                  the print retrieval
LPT:RECEIVED 197 PRINT LINES                        running
_Q_UIT IN PROGRESS                                  User Terminates
BYE, BYE BANANA                                     Access Program

@_LOGOUT_                                           User Logs Out
KILLED JOB 3, USER HARSLEM, ACC 1, TTY 10, AT 2/25/72 1300
  USED 0:0:21 IN 1:12:52

[This RFC was put into machine readable form for entry] [into the online RFC archives by H�l�ne Morin, Viag�nie, 12/99] 🌷

πŸ“¦ where this page comes from