Working With System Image Definitions › Define a Resource to a System Image › Define the Activation Details

Define the Activation Details

Some resource definitions let you specify the following activation details:

• How to activate the resource
• What to do if the activation is successful
• What to do if the activation is not successful

If you want to perform preactivation processing, you can specify it on the State Change Exits panel.

To define the activation details for the resource

1. Press F8 (Forward) from the General Description panel.

   The Activation Details panel appears.

   The A (activate) command uses the information on this panel.

   Note: For information about how to use the A command, see the User Guide.

2. Specify the information required for starting the resource. For an example, see a template distributed with the product.
   • If the starting method is simple, specify a system command, time-out and status change information, and the expected completion message.

     You can extend the message definition.

   • If the starting method requires more than one command or requires the processing of multiple messages, use a process. You can create and maintain processes on the Process List panel, which is accessible through the /RADMIN.P panel path.

     Note: You can use the $NCL process to execute an NCL procedure.

     If you use a process, your process must set the return code to one of the following values, to notify the region to set the correct actual state of the resource:

     • 0 notifies the region to set the actual state to ACTIVE, indicating that the process is successful.
     • 12 notifies the region to do nothing. For example, the process might have set the state already by using the SETSTATE macro on behalf of the region.

       Use this method only if the set state is acceptable to the ACTIVE desired state. The acceptable states are ACTIVE, DEGRADED, and STARTING. If the result of the process is unacceptable, set the return code to, for example, 8 to indicate that the process failed to achieve the desired state.

     • 99 notifies the region to proceed the same way as if a system command has been issued (that is, wait for the expected completion message and possibly perform time-out processing).
     • Other return codes indicate that the process is unsuccessful.

       If time-out processing is specified, the region performs the processing immediately. The region does not wait for the period specified in the Timeout After field.

       If time-out processing is not specified, the region does not change the actual state. The region can proceed no further with the automated starting of the resource. The automation status is set to FAILED, and the logical state is forced to INERROR.

   Note: If you provide no command or process for starting the resource, the region cannot start the resource when required. Instead of trying to start the resource, the region places the resource in the MANUAL operation mode. The exception is when the resource has a type of LOGICAL.