Standard SPANEX Features

The following is a list of SPANEX features, not necessarily in any order of importance.

• Automatic Suite/Job/Step Restart Facility

• Automatic Job Scheduling and Networking (Dependent Job Control)

• Automatic Calendar processing, to control job selection based on date or "day-type"

• Job Scheduling and Network Operations from Batch, Time-Sharing terminal, MCS operator console or dedicated SPANEX terminal

• support of different techniques for the input of jobs to the system - techniques may vary between Job Networks

• great flexibility in defining variable combinations of jobs required for each execution of an application system

• temporary or one-off changes can be made to production JCL without affecting production JCL libraries

• full-screen real-time display of Job Network status

• full-screen display of jobs selected by Calendar processing for and date in the future or past

• run-time statistics for individual jobs and for application systems

• user-modifiable 3270 Program Function Key support and online HELP data

• wallchart produced showing job inter-relationships

• HALT and PROCEED commands allow Job Network execution to be interrupted at any point, and resumed when required

• up to eight arbitrary external events which may be defined for each job, to control scheduling according to any user-chosen factors

• ability to "catalogue" frequently-used sets of SPANEX commands and invoke with a single command

• Password protection of sensitive Network control commands

• many optional exit routines to permit Network execution to be monitored or modified and to provide Network security

• all abnormal conditions automatically notified to the operator

• operator acknowledgement of failures can be ensured

• user program exception processing specified by parameter

• multiple criteria for determining the successful or unsuccessful completion of application and utility programs

• batch environment provided for user programs under TSO

• minimal JCL changes or parameter requirements

• extends user EXEC statement "PARM" field to 255 bytes (by use of optional extra DD statement)

• all actions fully documented via optional "Message Log"

• Global Log for a Job Network enables recording of all significant events in the execution of a Job suite with searching by SPANEX command

• "TASKLIB" facility allows TSO "Dynamic STEPLIB"

• "SPANLIB" facility allows easy testing of new SPANEX versions

• secure authorization control for selected programs, batch or TSO

• secure non-swapability control for MVS without PPT updates

• optional MCS console display for information messages

• MCS console for SPANEX messages selectable via Route Code specification

• optional STOP and MODIFY command processing by SPANEX

• optional operator authorization of jobstep execution

• operator can CANCEL with DUMP, even if no Dump DD statement

• "Span Product" facility enhances other Span products and provides facilities for user programs

• aids for testing of TSO Command Processors

• "NOTIFY" option informs TSO users of batch job results (and status of Job Network)

• low overhead - CPU time used printed on "Message LOG" dataset using Span Software's SPSMFINF product (MVS only)

• full paging and EXCP statistics from SPSMFINF (MVS only)

• optional installation exit routine allows tailoring

• macros provided to aid user program development