My suggestion for using the SHARE code as prefix goes back to the 1980s when IBM made a similar recommendation for the (then new) mainframe networking function (MSNF?) that provided for world-wide peer-to-peer connections. The idea was to establish a naming convention that, if everyone followed it, would keep all the disparate critters in their own cages. SHARE members have always been guaranteed a unique two- or three-character installation code. Non-members of course are on their own. As non-members so often are. ;-)
As for the practicality of living with only five 'meaningful' characters in an eight-character name, we have since the 90s maintained a stable of over 60 installation defined system symbols. Amazing how much significance you can pack into one character if you plan carefully. These symbols needless to say are not 'self-documenting'. ;-) An expanded name is certainly welcome, but one poster pointed out, conversion is more or less painful. . . . J.O.Skip Robinson Southern California Edison Company Electric Dragon Team Paddler SHARE MVS Program Co-Manager 323-715-0595 Mobile [email protected] > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Peter Relson > Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2016 06:28 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Bulk] Re: Manipulating system symbols > > As with a huge number of things, the best thing for any "owner" is to use a 3- > character prefix that they own. This is necessary for avoiding conflicts, > whether in part names, messages, name/token names, data space names, > ENQ qnames/rnames, etc. > > I'm not sure how a customer's Share installation code fits into that scheme. > We probably all have heard of the general situation that IBM "owns" names > beginning A through I and SYS. There are some exceptions (mostly due to > "grandfathering"). > > Going forward, any future IBM-created system symbol(s) would begin with SYS > (at least as long as I'm involved), unless (perhaps) the symbol is created > conditionally under control of some (non-default) customer-specified option. > > For example, if we ever make the LPAR name into a system symbol, it won't be > &LPARNAME. > > Peter Relson > z/OS Core Technology Design ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
