Since a CCS connection must exist between every two XCS participants, the preconditions listed in section “Generation of the CCS network” also apply to the XCS network.
The system parameter MCXSPXCS must be set to "Y" or “V” on all the XCS participants. This can be done via the startup parameter service.
In order to participate in an XCS network the name of the network must be specified in the MSCF configuration file in the SET-MSCF-ENVIRONMENT command via the XCS-NAME operand.
The MSCF configuration files of all the XCS participants must agree in the following points:
The definitions made for the XCS-NAME and FAIL-DETECTION-LIMIT operands in the SET-MSCF-ENVIRONMENT command must be the same on all of the processors in the network. We recommend setting the USER-TERM-LIMIT operand to be in agreement on all of the XCS participants.
The possible definitions for the FAIL-DETECTION-LIMIT operand are described in detail on "Global control parameters".The configuration files of all processors in the XCS network must contain a START-MSCF-CONNECTION command for each processor in the XCS network (the operands do not necessarily have to agree for participants).
At least one XCS pubset must be available in the XCS network. Since an XCS pubset is a special shared pubset, the preconditions required of a shared pubset network must also be observed for the XCS network (see section “Generation of the shared pubset network”).
When entering the XCS pubsets in the MRSCAT, XCS-CONFIGURATION=*YES must also be specified in the ADD-MASTER-CATALOG-ENTRY or MODIFY-MASTER-CATALOG-ENTRY command, and ALTERNATE-BACKUP must be set to *BY-SHARER with the SET-PUBSET-ATTRIBUTES command.
The processor that enters the XCS network first determines which pubsets are actually used as XCS pubsets. When another processor enters the XCS network, the only pubsets automatically imported to it as XCS pubsets are those which the first XCS participant defined. Pubsets that are defined as XCS pubsets on other XCS participants but not on the first processor, cannot be accessed until they have been explicitly imported. The pubsets intended for use as XCS pubsets should therefore be the same on all of the processors of an XCS network.