Document revision date: 30 March 2001

## Guide to OpenVMS File Applications

Begin | Index

Contents (summary)
Preface | Preface
Chapter 1 | Introduction
Chapter 2 | Choosing a File Organization
Chapter 3 | Performance Considerations
Chapter 4 | Creating and Populating Files
Chapter 5 | Locating and Naming Files on Disks
Chapter 6 | Advanced Use of File Specifications
Chapter 7 | File Sharing and Buffering
Chapter 8 | Record Processing
Chapter 9 | Run-Time Options
Chapter 10 | Maintaining Files
Appendix A | Edit/FDL Utility Optimization Algorithms
| Glossary
| Index
| Figures
| Examples
| Tables

## Contents

Preface
Preface | Preface
Chapter 1
1 | Introduction
1.1 | File Concepts
1.2 | Disk Concepts
1.2.1 | Files--11 On-Disk Structure Concepts
1.2.2 | Files--11 Control Files
1.2.2.1 | Index File
1.2.2.2 | Storage Bit Map File
1.2.2.3 | Bad Block File
1.2.2.4 | Master File Directory
1.2.2.5 | Core Image File
1.2.2.6 | Volume Set List File
1.2.2.7 | Continuation File
1.2.2.8 | Backup Log File
1.2.2.9 | Pending Bad Block Log File
1.2.2.10 | Security Profiles File (VAX Only)
1.2.3 | Files--11 On--Disk Structure Level 1 Versus Structure Level 2
1.2.4 | Physical Structures
1.2.5 | CD-ROM Concepts
1.2.5.1 | CD-ROM On-Disc Formats
1.2.5.2 | Volume Structure
1.2.5.3 | Files--11 C/D---ACPs
1.2.5.4 | Using DIGITAL System Identifiers on CD-ROM
1.3 | Magnetic Tape Concepts
1.3.1 | ANSI-Labeled Magnetic Tape
1.3.1.1 | Logical Format of ANSI Magnetic Tape Volumes
1.3.1.2 | RMS Magnetic Tape Ancillary Control Process (MTAACP)
1.3.1.3 | Basic Components of the ANSI Magnetic Tape Format
1.3.1.4 | Volume and File Configurations
1.3.1.5 | Volume Labels
1.3.1.5.1 | VOL1 Label
1.3.1.5.2 | VOL2 Label
1.3.1.6 | Header Labels
1.3.1.6.1 | HDR1 Label
1.3.1.6.2 | HDR2 Label
1.3.1.6.3 | HDR3 Label
1.3.1.6.4 | HDR4 Label
1.3.1.7 | Trailer Labels
1.4 | Using Command Procedures to Perform Routine File and Device Operations
1.5 | Volume Protection
1.6 | RMS (Record Management Services)
1.6.1 | File Definition Language (FDL)
1.6.2 | RMS Data Structures
1.6.3 | Record Management Services
1.7 | RMS Utilities
1.7.1 | The Analyze/RMS_File Utility
1.7.2 | The Convert Utility
1.7.3 | The Convert/Reclaim Utility
1.7.4 | The Create/FDL Utility
1.7.5 | The Edit/FDL Utility
1.8 | Process and System Resources for File Applications
1.8.1 | Memory Requirements
1.8.2 | Process Limits
Chapter 2
2 | Choosing a File Organization
2.1 | Record Concepts
2.1.1 | Record Access Modes
2.1.1.1 | Sequential Access
2.1.1.2 | Random Access by Key Value or Relative Record Number
2.1.1.3 | Random Access by Record File Address
2.1.2 | Record Formats
2.1.2.1 | Fixed-Length Record Format
2.1.2.2 | Variable-Length Record Format
2.1.2.3 | Variable-Length with Fixed-Length Control Field (VFC) Record Format
2.1.2.4 | Stream Record Format
2.2 | File Organization Concepts
2.2.1 | Sequential File Organization
2.2.2 | Relative File Organization
2.2.3 | Indexed File Organization
2.2.3.1 | Sequentially Retrieving Indexed Records
2.2.3.2 | Index Keys
2.2.3.3 | Other Key Characteristics
2.2.3.4 | Specifying Sort Order
2.2.3.5 | Using Collated Keys
2.2.3.6 | Summary of Indexed File Organization
Chapter 3
3 | Performance Considerations
3.1 | Design Considerations
3.1.1 | Speed
3.1.2 | Space
3.1.3 | Shared Access
3.1.4 | Impact on Applications Design
3.2 | Tuning
3.2.1 | File Design Attributes
3.2.1.1 | Initial File Allocation
3.2.1.2 | Contiguity
3.2.1.3 | Extending a File
3.2.1.3.1 | Auto Extend Size Selection
3.2.1.3.2 | Establishing Auto Extend Default Quantities
3.2.1.3.3 | Placement and Contiguity of Extends
3.2.1.4 | Truncating a File
3.2.1.5 | Units of I/O
3.2.1.6 | Multiple Areas for Indexed Files
3.2.1.7 | Bucket Fill Factor for Indexed Files
3.2.2 | Processing Options
3.2.2.1 | Multiple Buffers
3.2.2.2 | Deferred-Write Processing
3.2.2.3 | Global Buffers
3.2.2.4 | Read-Ahead and Write-Behind Processing
3.3 | Tuning a Sequential File
3.3.1 | Block Span Option
3.3.2 | Multiblock Size Option
3.3.3 | Number of Buffers
3.3.4 | Global Buffer Option
3.3.5 | Read-Ahead and Write-Behind Options
3.4 | Tuning a Relative File
3.4.1 | Bucket Size
3.4.2 | Number of Buffers
3.4.3 | Global Buffer Option
3.4.4 | Deferred-Write Option
3.5 | Tuning an Indexed File
3.5.1 | File Structure
3.5.1.1 | Prologs
3.5.1.2 | Primary Index Structure
3.5.1.3 | Alternate Index Structure
3.5.1.4 | Records
3.5.1.5 | Keys
3.5.1.6 | Areas
3.5.2 | Optimizing File Performance
3.5.2.1 | Bucket Size
3.5.2.2 | Fill Factor
3.5.2.3 | Number of Buffers
3.5.2.4 | Global Buffers
3.5.2.5 | Using the Deferred-Write Option
3.6 | Monitoring RMS Performance
3.6.1 | Enabling RMS Statistics
3.6.2 | Using RMS Statistics
3.7 | Processing in an OpenVMS Cluster Environment
3.7.1 | OpenVMS Cluster Shared Access
3.7.1.1 | Locking Considerations
3.7.1.2 | I/O Considerations
3.7.2 | Performance Recommendations

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