The CI is used by everyone on the system. Entering CI commands is the primary method of communication between the user and the operating system. Every logon invokes the CI.
General users access the operating system through logon and logoff commands. A user obtains file information and runs subsystems through CI commands. The general user's view of the CI is described in the self-paced tutorial Using the 900 Series HP 3000: Fundamental Skills (32650-60037).
System administrators and operators rely on the CI in many of their duties. System startups, shutdowns, and updates are driven by CI commands to the operating system. Daily maintenance of files, accounts, groups, and users' capabilities are accomplished with CI commands. The CI commands used most often in operational and administrative tasks are described in the
Performing System Management Tasks
(32650-90004) and the
Performing System Operations Tasks
(32650-90137).
Programmers access the CI to compile, link, and run application programs. They can access system information and routines through the CI and the intrinsic mechanism. The CI also offers a programming environment that accesses system-specific information more efficiently than most application languages. This manual concentrates on the CI features that apply to programmers.
