MAREN must be installed and configured on all systems which are intended for a MAREN network. The following MAREN components must be started:
MAREN subsystem
MARENCP control program
automatic free tape allocation facility MARENUCP
Further MAREN components can be started on the systems involved:
MARENADM administrator programs
MAREN user program
MARENLM utility routine
Setting up and managing a MAREN network
The MAREN administrator uses the MARENADM statement MODIFY-GLOBAL-PARAMETERS to define the global MAREN parameters of a MAREN network. They are displayed using SHOW-GLOBAL-PARAMETERS.
The MAREN administrator sets up a MAREN network by adding the systems intended for the MAREN network using the MARENADM statement ADD-HOST. When domains are used the system is assigned to a domain. The system-specific parameters of a system specified in the statement are adopted. They can be modified later using the MODIFY-MAREN-PARAMETERS statement.
When domains are used, a system must be added to the MAREN network before MARENCP can be started on this system. Without domains a system can also be added implicitly to the network by MARENCP being started on the system. The system-specific MAREN parameters are generated for the new system. They can be modified later using the MODIFY-MAREN-PARAMETERS statement.
The SHOW-MAREN-STATUS statement provides an overview of the current status of MAREN, and also of all systems connected in the MAREN network.
REMOVE-HOST enables the MAREN administrator to remove systems from the MAREN network.
Communication in the MAREN network
Particular runtime parameters influence the way in which MAREN works. The administrator makes modifications to the runtime parameters on his/her system and enters them in the MAREN catalog. When the MAREN components of the other systems access the MAREN catalog, they take over the modified parameters (see the section “Effectiveness of modifications to parameters” (Configuration on the local system)).
Whether and when these changes of status take effect on the other systems in the MAREN network depends on the status of the MAREN administrator system’s communication connections with the other systems in the MAREN network. If the MSCF network is not fully configured, status changes will only become effective on the “connected” systems.
In addition to modifying parameters, the MAREN administrator can also use some MARENADM statements to cause a change of status, for example closing or opening the files in the MAREN catalog, or switching the logging file.
The MAREN administrator uses the HOST-NAME operand of the following MARENADM statements to define whether a change of status is to apply on his/her system or (also) on other systems in the MAREN network:
| MARENADM statement | Meaning |
| CHANGE-LOGGING-FILE | Switches the logging file on one or more systems |
| CLOSE-MAREN-FILES | Closes and locks the files in the MAREN catalog for one or more systems |
| OPEN-MAREN-FILES | Opens and unlocks the files in the MAREN catalog for one or more systems |
| SHOW-MAREN-STATUS | Displays the current MAREN status of a ll systems in the MAREN network |
| STOP-CONTROL-PROGRAM | Terminates the control tasks on one or more systems |
Basic procedure for cross-system administration tasks in MAREN
The administrator uses the HOST-NAME operand of the MARENADM statements mentioned above to specify that these are also to be effective for systems other than his/her own. The administrator can specify one particular host or all systems. (When domains are used, the DA is restricted to the systems of his/her own domain.)
MARENADM sends a message to all systems which the administrator has specified and waits for a reply.
On the systems specified, the message is evaluated and the relevant activities are initiated.
After the activities have been completed, their execution is reported to MARENADM on the requesting system. With some statements the feedback information only consists of an acknowledgment. With others, data is also transferred which is processed further by MARENADM.