Parameters for Facilities › ECF Parameters › ECFCHAR Parameter

ECFCHAR Parameter

The ECFCHAR parameter defines the one- to three-character string that the operator uses to prefix commands that are to be sent to the ECF from a console. For example, if the value of the ECFCHAR parameter were ECF, the following commands issued at an MCS console would be routed to the ECF:

ECFLOGON USER01/PASSWORD
ECFLOGOFF

Note: When logging on to the ECF, the LOGON keyword must immediately follow the ECF command prefix (that is, the value of ECFCHAR). Intervening blanks are not allowed.

For information about how CA OPS/MVS defines ECFCHAR to the z/OS Command Prefix Facility (CPF), see the Administration Guide. For general rules for defining CPF strings, see Characters That Can Be Used in z/OS Commands in the chapter “Using This Reference.”

Note: CA OPS/MVS automatically defines the command prefix to the CPF during product initialization and attempts to delete the prefix from the CPF during termination. If some other subsystem is already using this prefix, then the prefix is not defined to the CPF and the following message is issued during product initialization:

OPS0100W CPF DEFINE OF ECFCHAR FAILED, RC=X'00000008', REASON CODE=X'00000008'

Reason codes of X'0000000C' and X'00000010' are also indicators of this type of problem since the prefix specified may be either a subset or superset of a prefix that is already defined.

If you change the value of ECFCHAR while CA OPS/MVS is active, then the CPF prefixes are not updated and the following messages are issued during product termination. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not modify ECFCHAR after product initialization.

Note: In a future release, ECFCHAR may change so that it can be set only during product initialization.

OPS0100W CPF DELETE OF ECFCHAR FAILED, RC=X'00000008', REASON CODE=X'00000004'

Important! The ECFCHAR parameter can only contain characters from the table shown in Characters That Can Be Used In z/OS Commands in the chapter “Using This Reference.”

Default value

The question mark (?)

Other possible values

Any unique, 1- to 3-character string

Specify a value other than the default if you already use the question mark for some other purpose, or to allow the operator to talk to a test version of ECF.

Set or modify this parameter...

Anytime

Important! We strongly recommend that you do not modify ECFCHAR after product initialization.

Example: ECFCHAR

This function sets the ECF command prefix to ECF.

OPSPRM('SET','ECFCHAR','ECF')