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Managing Cross-System Command Traffic › Creating Linkages

Creating Linkages

You can establish linkages through which commands can be issued to any system. In z/VM, the source of commands is always a virtual machine, such as MAINT or OPERATOR. In z/OS, commands can originate from consoles, program products, or TSO users.

In both z/VM and z/OS, the exact name of the source becomes the name by which the linkage is known in subsequent operations. You can use this name on subsequent LINK commands to change features of the linkage, or even to delete the linkage. For example, if you create a linkage for USER=MAINT, then issue another LINK command in which you specify USER=MAINT, the values specified on the second linkage will affect the operation of the original USER=MAINT linkage you created.

The LINK command and its parameters are discussed in the Statement and Command Reference Guide.

Use the following procedure to create a shared, dedicated, or exclusive linkage:

  1. Use the ADD parameter to indicate that you are creating a linkage. If you specify ADD on a LINK command and the linkage already exists, it will be modified.
  2. Select USER, CONSOLE, EXTCON, TSOUSER, PRODUCT, SOURCE, or ALL to enable a command source to issue cross-system commands. If you are issuing the LINK command on z/VM, only SOURCE is a valid option.
  3. Use the SYSID parameter to restrict the target systems to which a command source can issue cross-system commands. Specify a single system ID, a list of system IDs, or one of the values in this chapter.
  4. Use the AUTHORITY parameter to dictate the cross-system command authority level assigned to the command source. If the command source is an active MCS console, the default cross-system command authority level is equal to the authority level that is currently assigned to the console by its SYS1.PARMLIB definition. If a console has MASTER authority, the default is to allow it to have MASTER authority for cross-system commands as well.
  5. Use the TGTCONS or POOL parameters to define the type of linkage associated with the command source. These parameters have no effect if the cross-system commands are being sent to a z/VM system.