Control Program Facility: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Operating system of the IBM System/38}}

{{Incomplete|article|reason=more details are needed|date=November 2017}}

{{Infobox OS

[[Control Program Facility]] (CPF) was the [[operating system]] for the [[IBM System/38]]. CPF is not related to [[IBM System/34, 36 System Support Program|SSP]].

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| working state = Discontinued

| source model = Closed Source

| released = {{Start date and age|1978}}

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| latest release version = Release 8

| latest release date = {{Start date and age|1986|11|14|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?appname=skmwww&htmlfid=897%2FENUS286-462&infotype=AN&subtype=CA|date=1986-10-07|title=IBM SYSTEM/38 CONTROL PROGRAM FACILITY RELEASE 8 AVAILABLE WITH ENHANCEMENTS|publisher=IBM|access-date=2021-04-07}}</ref>

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| programmed in = [[PL/I|PL/MI]]<ref name="inside-as400">{{cite book|title=Inside the AS/400, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5DoPAAAACAAJ|isbn=978-1882419661|author=Frank G. Soltis|year=1997|publisher=Duke Press}}</ref>

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| update model = <!-- APT, Windows Update, etc. -->

| package manager = <!-- dpkg, rpm, Windows installer, etc. -->

| supported platforms = [[IBM System/38]]

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| ui = [[Command-line interface]]

| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]]

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| succeeded by = [[OS/400]]

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'''Control Program Facility''' ('''CPF''') is the [[operating system]] of the [[IBM System/38]].<ref>{{cite book | url = http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system38/IBM_System_38_Technical_Developments_Dec1978.pdf | title = IBM System/38 Technical Developments | publisher = IBM Product Design and Development, General Systems Division | orig-year = 1978 | year = 1980 | isbn = 0-933186-03-7 | id = G580-0237-1}}</ref> CPF represented an independendent line of development at [[IBM Rochester]], and was unrelated to the earlier and more widely used [[System Support Program]] operating system. CPF evolved into the [[OS/400]] operating system, which was originally known as '''XPF''' (Extended CPF).<ref name="inside-as400" />

==Overview==

A database management system was integrated with the operating system.

While CPF is considered to be the operating system of the System/38, much of the hardware and resource management of the platform is implemented in the System/38's [[System/38#Microcode|Horizontal and Vertical Microcode]].<ref name="inside-as400" /><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.computer.org/csdl/magazine/co/1981/09/01667517/13rRUwciPii|title=Design of a Small Business Data Processing System|first=Frank|last=Soltis|journal=[[IEEE Computer]]|date=September 1981|volume=14|pages=77–93|doi=10.1109/C-M.1981.220610|s2cid=398484|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The System/38's advanced operating system lives on with IBM's [[AS/400]]. Realising the importance of the thousands of lines of 'legacy code' (programs) written, 'AS' stands for 'Application System'. Great efforts were made by IBM to enable programs originally written for the [[System/34]] and [[IBM System/36|/36]] to be moved to the AS/400.

==Description of the libraries==

* QGPL- – general purpose library

* QSYS- – system library

* QSPL- – spooling library.

* QTEMP- – temporary library

* QSRV- – system service library

* QRECOVERY- – system recovery library

==Data storage==

In most computers prior to the System/38, and most modern ones, data stored on disk was stored in separate logical [[Computer file|files]]. When data was added to a file it was written in the sector dedicated to this, or if the sector was full, on a new sector somewhere else.

The System/38 adopted the [[single-level store]] architecture, where main storage and disk storage are organized as one, from the abandoned [[IBM Future Systems project]] (FS).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.cs.clemson.edu/~mark/fs.html|title=IBM Future System (FS) - 1970s|author=Mark Smotherman|accessdate=October 11, 2017}}</ref> Every piece of data was stored separately and could be put anywhere on the system. There was no such thing as a physically contiguous file on disk, and the operating system managed the storage and recall of all data elements.

==Capability-based addressing==

CPF was an example of a commercially available [[capability-based operating system]]. System/38 was one of the few commercial{{Citation needed| date=July 2007}} computers with [[capability-based addressing]].<ref>{{cite (Thebook earlier| [[Plessey]]chapter-url [[Plessey= Systemhttp://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/levy/capabook/Chapter8.pdf 250|250]] wastitle one= ofCapability-Based theComputer fewSystems other| computerschapter with= capabilityThe architectureIBM everSystem/38 sold| commerciallyfirst = Henry M.) | last = Levy | publisher = Digital Press | year = 1984 | isbn = 0-932376-22-3}}</ref> Capability-based addressing was removed in the follow-on [[ASOS/400]] andoperating [[iSeries]] modelssystem.<ref name = "Soltis2001">{{cite book | first1 = Frank G. | last1 = Soltis | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ypJmzqt7JdUC | title = Fortress Rochester: The Inside Story of the IBM ISeries | page = 119 | publisher = 29th Street Press | date = July 2001 | isbn = 978-1-58304-083-6}}.</ref> [[Capability-based operating system]] refers to an operating system that uses [[capability-based security]].

==Distributed data management==

In 1986, System/38 announced support for [[Distributed Data Management Architecture]] (DDM). Such a [[Middleware (distributed applications)|middleware]] in the context of a distributed system is the software layer that lies between the operating system and applications. Distributed Data Management Architecture defines an environment for sharing data. This enables System/38 programs to create, manage, and access record-oriented files on remote System/36, System/38, and IBM mainframe systems running CICS. It also allows programs on remote System/36 and System/38 computers to create, manage, and access files of a System/38.

==Programming languages==

Languages supported on the System/38 included [[RPG III]], [[COBOL]], [[BASIC]], and [[PL/I]]. CPF also implements the [[Control Language]] for System/38.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system38/SC21-7731-5_System_38_Control_Language_Reference_Manual_to_pg_4-708_198209.pdf|title=IBM System/38 Control Language Reference Manual|date=1982-09-10|publisher=IBM|access-date=2021-03-24}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist}}

<references/>

==External links==

*[http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system38/GC21-7729-0_System_38_Control_Program_Facility_Concepts_Manual_Oct78.pdf Control Program Facility Concepts Manual] (PDF file)

*[http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/system38/SC21-7730-0_System_38_Control_Program_Facility_Programmers_Guide_Jan79.pdf Control Program Facility Programmer's Guide] (PDF file)

[[Category:IBM operating systems]]

{{IBM operating systems}}

[[Category:IBM operating systems]]

[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1978]]