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What Is an Intrinsic?

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The term intrinsic refers to any external system or subsystem. However, under MPE/iX this term has a more specific meaning. To qualify as a true Hewlett-Packard documented and user-callable intrinsic, it must meet the following criteria:

  • An intrinsic is a Hewlett-Packard supported external interface to an operating system or subsystem service.

  • An intrinsic performs type and bounds checks on parameter values before it uses them, thus protecting the operating system and the user from one another.

  • An intrinsic is documented in a Hewlett-Packard manual.

  • If an intrinsic is enhanced, its interface, capabilities, and feature set remain backward compatible.

  • A process may call an intrinsic from any Hewlett-Packard supported programming language.

  • An intrinsic differs from other system library procedures

Hewlett-Packard subsystems and applications can also provide interfaces that meet the definition of an intrinsic. Refer to the MPE/iX Documentation Guide for further information.

NOTE: You can define routines for access as if they were intrinsics and place them in new or existing intrinsic files and libraries.



Chapter 1 Introduction

What Is an Intrinsic Mechanism?