Permanent files are created with the aid of the access methods SAM, ISAM, UPAM, FASTPAM, DIV and BTAM. They reside on external volumes Work files are retained after termination of the job in which they are created and cataloged until the user explicitly deletes them by means of the DELETE-FILE command. Their file names and attributes are defined by the user. By specifying certain file attributes in the catalog entry, the user may permit other users to access these files.
Remote file access (RFA) is also possible (see the “RFA” manual [6 (Related publications)]). Permanent files can be stored on public volumes, private volumes (private disks or tapes) or on Net-Storage. If they are on public volumes (pubsets), they are subject to public-space control by the system.
Permanent files are maintained in the catalog under a “path name” which consists of the catalog ID (“catid”), the user ID (“userid”) and the fully qualified file name assigned by the user (see section "Path name").