INLAND STEEL'S queueing and routing software April 19, 1988 This software provides the ability to transfer data between processes similar to VMS mailboxes with the addition of a global section file that saves individual messages during a reboot or crash. This software runs on both VMS and RSX11M-plus Systems (the RSX11M-plus software is being distributed to DECUS separately). There is also a routing application (MA_ROUTER) that allows messages to be transmitted over DECnet to a MA_ROUTER on other VAX or PDP-11 systems. The MA_ROUTER allows both multiple message id's (i.e. individual queues) to be connected to a particular MA_ROUTER and also allows connections to many MA_ROUTERS on various systems. The queueing mechanism uses user-written system service routines to read and/or write to the global section file in memory. These routines are located in the SSDISP.EXE image and are installed with privileges on the system. The messages are checkpointed to disk by a detached process (QUEUE_CHKR) that is notified by the application program from calls to the user-written system service routines. If checkpointing to disk is not necessary, QUEUE_CHKR can be rewritten to exit after it creates the global section file in memory. Besides the user-written system service routines (SSDISP), the queue checkpointing process (QUEUE_CHKR), and the routing process (MA_ROUTER), there are various utilities to help manage the "queuer". The MENU utility allows you to test the functioning of all of the various routines and allows the system manager to dynamically add/delete message ids in memory. The Q_UTL utility allows the system manager to create a new global section file, dump an existing global section to a sequential file, and add/delete message ids to the permanent message id database. The QUEMON utility will display messages ids with current queued messages above a prompted threshold. The NRBDMP utility displays the MA_ROUTER's internal control blocks and displays which messages ids and which systems the MA_ROUTER is currently connected to. With the current implementation of the MA_ROUTER, adding/deleting new routes to the routing database is not a dynamic process. However the router does handle the loss of connections to another system and will re-establish connections when the remote MA_ROUTER attempts to reconnect. There are also utlities to build the route database. This saveset is a backup of the development environment for the product. The command procedure "BLDMA_QKIT.COM" in the kit directory will build a backup saveset into a format that can be used by VMSINSTAL.COM. This allows the system manager to "drop" the QUEUEING/ROUTING software onto many different systems on their network. There is a manual located in the document subdirectory. The command procedure MA_Q.COM located in the document subdirectory will create a printable document from the MA_Q.RNO file. There is also an overview diagram that shows the layout of the service and the routers. A single copy will be given to DECUS. If sufficient interest occurs, Earl Lakia (formerly of Inland Steel, now at IPACT Inc.) might give a symposia topic at a future DECUS convention. This software is currently installed on 12 nodes at the Inland Steel Indiana Harbor Works (counting both RSX and VMS systems), and an additional 5 nodes will be added this year. The current release of the "queuer" software is version 2.5. Multiple "queuer"s can be located on the same system but currently only a single MA_ROUTER connected to the primary "queuer" can be supported on each system. Modifications to the MA_ROUTER software could be done to remove this limitation. The "queuer" software has been tested up to VMS 4.7. Neal Schmidt Systems Technology Department Inland Steel Company 3210 Watling St. m.s. 5-000 E. Chicago, IN 46312 Earl Lakia has agreed to help answer questions concerning this software. He can be reached by telephone at (219) 464-7212.