Quick Navigation

Northern Illinois University

Information Technology Services

Using FTP to Access MVS and Unix

Accessing Other Systems on the Network

The personal computers in the student computer labs are connected on a communications network and have access to general access file servers, to the Computer Science student file server, and to printers. In addition to the file servers, other systems are available through the network. MVS jobs can be submitted to and retrieved from the MVS using MVSBATCH and FTP. The Computer Science Sun SPARC 1000 provides interactive Unix sessions through Telnet and interactive file transfer through FTP. MVS is automatically available to students in courses whose assignments use these systems. Unix is available to all Computer Science students; consult your instructor on how to activate your access. The electronic post offices are available to any students who have activated for electronic mail.

The servers, the Unix systems, and the MVS system are independent systems and require different log on procedures and potentially different passwords for access.

Connecting to Unix or MVS with FTP

  1. Select the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the Windows 95 desktop to display a menu.
  2. Select "General Applications" to display another menu.
  3. Select "Communications" to display yet another menu.
  4. Select "FTP" to start the file transfer application. You will see several messages and finally a "Remote User Name:" prompt.
  5. Type your AccountID. A "Remote Password:" prompt is displayed.
    • If you mistype your AccountID, you will see several error messages and finally an "ftp>" prompt.
    • Type user to get another "Remote User Name" prompt.
  6. Type your password. Your password is not displayed when you type it. A "ftp>" prompt is displayed.
    • If you mistype your password, you will see several error messages and finally an "ftp>" prompt.
    • Type user to get another "Remote User Name" prompt.

You now have an open connection with the FTP server. Please note that your connection to the MVS FTP server is automatically closed if it is inactive for more than 5 minutes.

  1. Type help to list the commands available in FTP.
  2. Type help commandname to list a description of a particular command.
  3. At this point, you can do your work as described below.
  4. Type quit at the "ftp>" prompt to close your session when you have completed your work with the MVS FTP server and to return to the LAN WorkPlace window.

Submitting Jobs to MVS

  1. Create your source file with your editor and add the JCL statements listed in other documentation or by your instructor.
  2. Place MSGCLASS=U on the JOB card in your source file, otherwise the job will not be held in the JES queue.
  3. Open a connection with the MVS FTP server if one is not already available.
  4. Type quote site filetype=jes to alert MVS to place incoming files into the JES queue.
  5. Type lls or ldir to list the files on your local system (the system where you started FTP).
  6. Type lcd directoryname to change the current directory on your local system if you need to.
  7. Type put a:filename to submit your job from the diskette in the personal computer A: drive. A message indicating the number of bytes transmitted and how long it took is displayed when the file is received.

Displaying MVS Job Status

  1. Open a connection with the MVS FTP server if one is not already available.
  2. Type quote site filetype=jes, if you have not already done so, to alert MVS to examine files in the JES queue.
  3. Type dir to display the status of all your jobs with all the spool files a job has associated with it.
    ftp>dir
    200 Port request OK.
    125 List started OK.
    Z951234A JOB00001 INPUT
    Z951234A JOB00002 HELD
    Z951234A JOB00003 ACTIVE
    Z951234A JOB00004 OUTPUT 3 spool Files
    250 List completed sucessfully
    ftp>

The strings that follow your AccountID in this list are your JOBIDs.

Retrieving Job Output from MVS

  1. Open a connection with the MVS FTP server if one is not already available.
  2. Type quote site filetype=jes, if you have not already done so, to alert MVS to take files from the JES queue.
  3. Type get JOBID.X a: to download all the spool files associated with a job into a file on your diskette. A new filename can be added after the "a:" if you would like the file to appear with a different filename on your diskette. The filename is optional, but without a drive letter (A:), the files are put in volatile swap space (S:).
    get JOB00004.X a: retrieves all spool files from JOB00004 and puts them all in a file named JOB00004 on your diskette
    get JOB00004.X a:prog1.out retrieves all spool files from JOB00004 and puts them all in a file named progl.out on your diskette

A message indicating the number of bytes transmitted and how long it took is displayed when the file is received.

Deleting a Job on MVS

  1. Open a connection with the MVS FTP server if one is not already available.
  2. Type quote site filetype=jes, if you have not already done so, to alert MVS to delete spool files from the JES queue.
  3. Type delete JOBID to delete a job.

Transferring Files between a Lab Computer and Unix or MVS

Files can be transferred between an NIU host and a personal computer in the labs in either direction by running FTP on the personal computer.

  1. Open a connection with the MVS FTP server if one is not already available.
  2. For MVS, type quote site filetype=file, if you have not already done so, to alert MVS (not Unix) to place incoming files on disk.
  3. Type put a:filename to send a file from your diskette to Unix or MVS. A new filename can be added to the end of this command if you would like the file to appear with a different filename in Unix or MVS. A message indicating the number of bytes transmitted and how long it took is displayed when the file is received.
  4. Type ls or dir to list the files under your current directory on Unix or under MVS.
  5. Type cd directoryname to change the current directory in Unix.
  6. Type lls a: or ldir a: to list the files on the diskette in the personal computer A: drive.
  7. Type lcd directoryname to change the current local directory on your personal computer.
  8. Type get filename a: to retrieve a file from your current directory on Unix or from MVS to the diskette in the personal computer A: drive. A new filename can be added after the "a:" if you would like the file to appear with a different filename on your diskette. A message indicating the number of bytes transmitted and how long it took is displayed when the file is received.

Accessing Unix from a Lab Computer

You establish a connection to a Unix system from the labs by running the Telnet communication program on a personal computer. Telnet on the personal computer emulates a terminal by passing most typed characters through to Unix over the network. The Telnet application is available from within Windows. To run Telnet and access a Unix system from Windows:

  1. Select the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the Windows 95 desktop to display a menu.
  2. Select "General Applications" to display another menu.
  3. Select "Communications" to display yet another menu.
  4. Select "Telnet" to start the network terminal application. Unix is available once you see the "login:" prompt.
  5. Type your AccountID. Unix displays the "Password:" prompt.
  6. Type your password. Your password is not displayed when you type it. When you have correctly typed the AccountID and password associated with your AccountID, a shell prompt is displayed.
    • If you mistype the AccountID or password associated with your AccountID on Unix, the "login:" prompt is redisplayed.
    • Repeat the procedure in this section beginning with Step 4.
    • If this is your first time accessing Unix or if you want to change your password, see "Changing Your Password on Unix".
  7. Proceed to use Unix as instructed. Additional instructions are available from your instructor and from texts on Unix.

Exiting Unix from a Lab Computer

  1. Type logout at the Unix shell prompt. The Windows Program Manager is displayed.

Changing Your Password on Unix

If at any time you wish to change your password on the Unix system, perform the following steps:

  1. Type passwd at the Unix shell prompt. The system requests that you authenticate yourself again before it will accept a new password.

    passwd: Changing password for z951234
    Enter login(NIS+) password:
  2. Type your current password. Your password is not displayed when you type it. The following message is displayed:

    New password:
  3. Type your new password. Your password is not displayed when you type it. The following message is displayed for verification:
    Re-enter new password:
  4. Type your new password again. Your password is not displayed when you type it.
    When the two entries match, your password on Unix is changed, following message is displayed, and the shell prompt is redisplayed
    NIS+ password information changed for z951234
    NIS+ credential information changed for z951234
  5. When the two entries do not match, the following message is displayed:
    • They don't match; try again.
      New password:
    • Repeat the procedure in this section beginning with Step 2. If you want to quit at this point, hold down the Ctrl key and press d.