An automatic accounting system has been constructed for the FR80. This system collects data on the usage of the FR80 and will eventually produce punched card output for subsequent analysis. The products of this analysis will be the generation of an amount for each FR80 user, and also a statistical summary of the user and performance of the FR80.
The major component of the accounting system is the FR80 logging program. This program, called SYSLOG, runs in the FR80 and uses information provided by FR80 jobs and the FR80 operator, together with additional data which it generates internally, to construct LOG RECORDS which are then stored in a special LOG FILE maintained on the FR80 disc.
Periodically, the log file is dumped onto magnetic tape and transferred to the 1906A where it is processed by another program, called LOG ANALYZER which generates the required punched card output.
SYSLOG is an ordinary FRBO monitor program - just like the various "displayers" and "print programs". Besides the usual monitor commands ("TAPE TYPE", "REWIND", "GO" etc), SYSLOG provides two additional sets of commands which we may call the LOGGING COMMANDS and the LOG UTILITY COMMANDS.
The only way of invoking either the internal or the external logging functions of SYSLOG is by means of the LOGGING commands. The LOG UTILITY commands mostly provide for the setting of certain switches in SYSLOG's private data area. These switches control such functions as the echoing of commands and the dumping of diagnostic information.
In order that they are able to communicate information to SYSLOG, all FR80 jobs arc in fact composed of those sub-jobs. The job proper (that is the part of the job which actually produces the required graphics output) is called the PLOTTING JOB and appears on the FRBO data tape sandwiched between two LOGGING JOBS. These logging jobs cause the FR80 LOADGO system to pass control to SYSLOG which then processes the logging commands contained in them. The logging job which precedes the appearance of the plotting job is called the LEADING logging job, while that which follows the plotting job is called the TRAILING logging job. While any logging job may invoke the external logging function of SYSLOG, the leading logging job must also invoke the LOG IN function. Conversely, the trailing logging job must always invoke the LOG OUT function. Other logging jobs may appear anywhere on an FR80 data tape for the purpose of invoking (only) the external logging function.
The FR80 operators may communicate with SYSLOG for the purpose of logging jobs "by hand", or in order to enter additional information about jobs which have been logged automatically.
(a) LOG JOB/<username>,<jobname>,<time on>,<duration>,<frame count>,<sub-frame count>,<camera>
This command is to be used by the FR80 operators when a job must be logged manually, either because the automatic logging facilities have failed, or because the job did not invoke them (for example, jobs which use the "print program").
The parameters required are:
<username>: the ordinary 1906A (or other) usernarne (with the colon omitted)
<jobname>: the jobname
<time on>: the time at which the job began execution on the FR80, in format HHMM (24 hours with midnight = 0000)
<duration>: the amount of FR80 time used by the job in format HHMMSS (eg 10mins and 2 secs as 001002)
<frame count>: the number of frames of output produced
<sub-frame count>: the number of sub-frames of output produced
<camera>: the type of output generated described using 1906A SPOOL memories - CL16, HCM, MFCH, etc
Example:
LOG JOB/GSIN18,JMR-MOP,1015,000217,10,37,HCM
This command causes a job with username GSIN18, jobname JMR-MOP, which used 2 mins and 17 secs of FR80 time starting at 10.15 am, and which generated 10 frames and 37 sub-frames of hardcopy many-up output to be recorded in the log file.
(b) NO CHARGE/<username>>,<jobname>,<reason>
This command is used by the FR8O operators when they decide that a previously logged job should not be charged for. This may occur when, for example, the output is spoilt, or the job is run with "make film" equal to zero.
The username and jobname parameters are as described for the LOG JOB command, and serve to identify the job concerned. It is understood that the job referred to is the most recently logged job whose user and job names match that supplied with the NO CHANGE command.
The <reason> parameter may consist of any text string and should specify the reason for not charging for the job.
(c) COMMENT/<any text string>
This command should be used by the FR80 operators when they wish to insert additional information into the log file.
Note : THE PROMPTING FEATURE
The 3 commands LOG JOB, NO CHARGE and COMMENT are for use by the FR80 operator only. Because of the complexity and length of the parameter string which they require, and because the FR80 "MONITOR" system provides poor facilities for correcting typing mistakes, these three commands incorporate a "prompting" feature.
The prompting feature is activated when any of the three commands is entered with an empty parameter string. In this case, SYSLOG will prompt the operator for each parameter individually, giving explicit details of the information required in each case. If the parameter string is non-empty, however, it is copied to the log file in the normal way.
An example of a use of the prompting feature (operator input is highlighted - the rest is system output).
MON;SYSLOGSJ *MONITOR LOG JOB/ USER NAME (NO COLON)? GSIN18 JOB NAME? JMR-MOP TIME ON (HHMM)? 1015 DURATION (HHMMSS)?000217 FRAME COUNT? 10 SUB-FRAME COUNT? 37? CAMERA (BW135,CL16,PR16 ETC)? HCM *OK
There are three of these commands. They are:
(a) ECHO/m
This command controls the "echoing" of logging commands onto the teletype. Echoing is turned on if "m"' has the value "1", off it has any other value (or is absent). When the log file is created, echoing is set on by default. Only logging commands (a) to (f) are echoed (since commands (g) to (i) must be typed in from the teletype anyway), and the GSTART command is always echoed.
(b) DEDUG/m
This is used to control the dumping of debugging information onto the teletype. Dumping is turned on if m equals "1", off otherwise. Dumping is off by default. The information dumped consists of:
(i) a copy of every log record sent to the log file and
(ii) a running commentary on the state of the FR80 clock.
(c) RESET TIME/
This command may be used by the FR80 operator if he discovers that SYSLOG has got the time of day set wrongly. No parameter is required for this command - SYSLOG prompts for the data it requires.
The manner in which SYSLOG keeps track of the time of day is discussed in the next section.
