Accounting Structure Overview

• Accounts

• Users

• Groups

• Files

Logon and Logoff

If you are not familiar with the HP 3000 accounting structure, you can still log on and off the system for simple use while you are learning about the accounting structure. Simple instructions for logging on the system are provided in To log off the system, simply enter the MPE/iX command :BYE.

Account

An account on the 900 Series HP 3000 provides a billable entity for accounting purposes. Accounts can be added to or removed from a system, as needed. A system always has a SYS account, containing operating system software, subsystem software, and system data. A SUPPORT account contains troubleshooting information useful for providing information for proper system support. The SYS and SUPPORT accounts are part of the system when it is delivered. On an account basis, the system can limit:

An account name can be from one to eight alphanumeric characters long, starting with an alphabetic character. Following is an example of a logon for user John in the account PROG.

   :HELLO JOHN.PROG

As a security provision, you can assign an account password to an account. When an account has a password, MPE/iX prompts you to enter it after you enter the :HELLO command. When you enter a password in response to this prompt, it is not echoed on the screen as you type it.

As a short cut, you can enter the account password in the :HELLO command instead of waiting for MPE/iX to prompt you for it. To do this, type the account password after the account name, separated by a slash (/). When you enter a password in this way, as part of the log on line, it is echoed on the screen as you type it and may reduce system security because it is visible. For example, if the account PROG has an account password of XYZ you can either wait for the password prompt or log on by entering:

   :HELLO JOHN.PROG/XYZ

Figure 1-6 “Accounts Example” shows an example of the types of accounts a company might have on a system.

Figure 1-6 Accounts Example

User

Each account can have many users. A valid user name is required to log onto an account. At least one user must be designated for an account in order to log onto it. The SYS account automatically comes with the user name MANAGER. User names can be added to or removed from an account, as needed. An example of a logon for a user MARY in the FINANCE account follows:

   :HELLO MARY.FINANCE

As a security provision, you can assign a user password to a user. When a user has a password, MPE/iX prompts you to enter it after you enter the :HELLO command and the account password, if one exists. When you enter a password in response to this prompt, it is not echoed on the screen as you type it.

As a short cut, you can enter the user password in the :HELLO command instead of waiting for MPE/iX to prompt you for it. To do this, type the user password after the user name, separated by a slash (/). When you enter a password in this way, as part of the log on line, it is echoed on the screen as you type it and may reduce system security because it is visible. For example, if the user JOHN has a user password of BDATA you can either wait for the password prompt or log on as follows:

   :HELLO JOHN/BDATA.PROG/XYZ

Figure 1-7 “User Example” shows an example of several users on an account.

Figure 1-7 User Example

Group

A group in an account allows you to store sets of files that have something in common. You can think of a group as a file folder holding any files you wish to keep together. Groups partition sets of files in an account. You can execute the MPE/iX command :REPORT to see a list of all groups in the logged on account.

When an account is created, it automatically has a group named PUB. Groups can be added to or removed from an account, as needed. As a convenience, a user can be set up to have a home group. If you have a home group, you need not specify the group when you log on. Otherwise, you must specify the group at log on, or you will be logged onto the PUB group, by default.

Following is an example of a logon to the group PROJ1:

   :HELLO JOHN.PROG,PROJ1

As a security provision, you can assign a user password to a group. When a group has a password, MPE/iX prompts you to enter it after you enter the :HELLO command and the account and user passwords, if they exist. When you enter a password in response to this prompt, it is not echoed on the screen as you type it.

As a short cut, you can enter the group password in the :HELLO command instead of waiting for MPE/iX to prompt you for it. To do this, type the group password after the group name, separated by a slash (/). When you enter a password in this way, as part of the log on line, it is echoed on the screen as you type it and may reduce system security because it is visible. For example, if the PROJ1 group shown above has a group password of MINE you can either wait for the password prompt or log on by entering the password as part of your logon:

   :HELLO JOHN.PROG,PROJ1/MINE

The following figure shows an example of several groups and several users on an account.

Figure 1-8 Groups Example

File Specifications

You must use a standard file reference format to refer to a file. If you are logged into the account and group where the file resides, only the file name and lockword (if it has one) are required. A lockword is an optional, additional security provision that the MPE/iX File System provides for individual files. file level. If a file has a lockword, you must specify the file name and lockword to refer to the file, using the following format:

where filename is a valid file name (refer to Chapter 7) and lockword is the lockword associated with the file. For example, you can refer to a file named STATUS with the lockword MY by specifying:

      STATUS/MY

      STATUS/MY.SEPT

     STATUS/MY.SEPT.MANU