G
Return to Glossary.
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G11N
- See globalization.
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garbage collection
- Part of a language's
run-time system or an add-on library that automatically determines the memory
that a program no longer uses, and recycles it for other use. Garbage collection
may be assisted by the compiler, the hardware, the operating system, or any
combination of the three.
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gateway
- A device or program used
to connect networks or systems with different network architectures. The
systems may have different characteristics, such as different communication
protocols, different network architecture, or different security policies,
in which case the gateway performs a translation role as well as a connection
role.
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GCGID
- See graphic character global identifier.
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GCS
- See Group
Control System.
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GCSGID
- See graphic character set global identifier.
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GDDM®
- See Graphical Data Display Manager.
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GDF
- See graphics
data format.
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GDF file
- See graphics data format file.
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GDS
- See general
data stream.
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general activity
- In Backup Recovery
and Media Services, an instruction to perform a specific operation such as
*LOAD (load a new tape) or *EXIT (perform user exit).
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general data stream (GDS)
- A structured
field that precedes all mapped conversation user data in the communications
data stream. It consists of a length (LL), which is defined as the first 2
bytes of the structured field, and a general data stream identifier (GDS ID),
which is defined as the next 2 bytes following the length field that identifies
the GDS-defined format of the data.
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generalized interactive executive (GIX)
- A function of the NetView® Distribution Manager licensed program
that provides the host system user with interactive use of the NetView Distribution
Manager program.
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general purpose library (QGPL)
- A
library that contains IBM-provided objects that are required for many system
functions, and user-created objects that are not explicitly placed in a different
library when they are created.
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General Use Programming Interface (GUPI)
- An interface, with few restrictions, for use in customer-written programs.
The majority of programming interfaces are general-use programming interfaces,
and are appropriate in a wide variety of application programs.
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generate
- In DB2® UDB for iSeries™, to produce, through the actions performed
by a precompiler. For example, the precompiler generates host language statements
and declarations that are embedded into the input source, and this modified
source is then used as input to a compiler.
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generic
- Relating to, or characteristic
of, a whole group or class.
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generic alert
- Alert information that
is provided as text or is encoded using a method in which code points provide
an index into short units of stored text. The use of generic alerts prevents
the receiver from having to recognize and understand each unique problem for
which an alert is sent. See also nongeneric alert.
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generic controller description
- An
asynchronous controller description that is reserved for incoming calls on
an X.25 packet-switching data network from a remote system or device that
does not use SNA transmission protocols and whose location name and identifier
are defined in configuration list QASYNCLOC in library QSYS.
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generic envelope type
- A value that
defines a specific envelope type. The contents of this envelope are published
so that it can be used as a common interchange format.
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generic name
- (1) In the hierarchical
file system, a path name that contains one or more wildcard characters.
- (2) The characters common to object names that can be used to identify a
group of objects. A generic name ends with an asterisk (*). For example, ORD*
identifies all objects whose names begin with the characters ORD.
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Generic Security Service API (GSS API)
- A standard application programming interface (API) that is defined by
the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for authentication, integrity protection,
and confidentiality. GSS API provides a generic interface for an application
to interact with a variety of security mechanisms that may provide these security
features. This provides for source-level portability of applications to different
operating systems.
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geographic mirroring
- A subfunction
of cross-site mirroring (XSM) that generates a mirror image of an independent
disk pool on a system, which is (optionally) geographically distant from the
originating site for availability or protection purposes.
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get
- In message queuing, to use the
MQGET call to remove a message from a queue.
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GFT
- See grant
functional transmission.
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GID
- See group
identification number.
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GIF
- See Graphics
Interchange Format.
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Gigabit Ethernet
- A variation of the
Ethernet protocol that is capable of transmitting data at one billion bits
per second. Gigabit Ethernet on iSeries is supported only by TCP/IP in full-duplex
mode.
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GIX
- See generalized
interactive executive.
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global character
- See wildcard character.
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globalization (G11N)
- The process
of developing, manufacturing, and marketing software products that are intended
for worldwide distribution. This term combines two aspects of the work: internationalization
and localization.
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global mutex
- A mutual exclusion lock
that is provided by the pthreads library to allow easy serialization to application
resources.
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global name
- (1) In COBOL, a name that
is declared in only one program but that may be referred to from that program
and from any program contained within that program. Condition-names, data-names,
filenames, record-names, and some special registers may be global names.
- (2) In Managed System Services, the name by which an object is known to
SNA File Services (SNA/FS). SNA/FS enables objects to be uniquely named in
an SNA network with systems of different types.
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global polling
- In Managed System
Services, a type of polling used by the topology manager when collecting topology
information for all the systems in the network.
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global variable
- A named entity within
query management that can be assigned a value used for communications between
an application program and Query Management/400.
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global variable pool
- In query management,
the set of all user- and query-defined variables associated with a query instance.
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GLT
- See group
list table.
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glyph
- A graphic symbol whose appearance
conveys information, for example, the vertical and horizontal arrows on cursor
keys that indicate the directions in which they control cursor movement.
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GMT
- See Greenwich
mean time.
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GOCA
- See Graphics
Object Content Architecture.
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Gopher
- In Internet communications,
a distributed information service that makes available hierarchical collections
of information. A single Gopher client can access information from any accessible
Gopher server. The Gopher client provides the user with a menu-driven interface.
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grant functional transmission (GFT)
- In MTAM, a control character indicating that the host system gives permission
to i5/OS™ to send data or that i5/OS gives permission to the host system to
send data. See also request functional transmission.
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graph
- (1) See chart.
- (2) The displayed, printed, or plotted output that represents
the horizontal and vertical axis variables specified by the user for a collection
of data.
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graph format
- In Performance Tools,
a template used to display performance and historical graphs. The graph format
consists of such things as titles, axis variables, and the type of graph.
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Graphical Data Display Manager (GDDM)
- A function of the operating system that processes both text and graphics for
output on a display, printer, or plotter. See also presentation graphics routines.
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graphical interface
- See graphical user interface.
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graphical user interface ( GUI, UI graphical
interface)
- A type of computer interface that presents a visual
metaphor of a real-world scene, often of a desktop, by combining high-resolution
graphics, pointing devices, menu bars and other menus, overlapping windows,
icons and the object-action relationship.
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graphic character
- A visual representation
of a character, other than a control character, that is normally produced
by writing, printing, or displaying. (see ISO/IEC 9995-1). See also glyph, control character.
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graphic character global identifier (GCGID)
- A 4- to 8-character alphanumeric identifier assigned to a registered
graphic character. Each graphic character that is to be assigned a code point
must have a GCGID. Each GCGID is unique.
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graphic character set
- A defined set
of graphic characters treated as an entity. No coded representation is assumed.
See C-S 3-3220-019 Corporate Standard.
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graphic character set global identifier (GCSGID)
- A number between 00001 and 65534 that is assigned to identify
a graphic character set. For i5/OS, the graphic character set global identifier
is expressed as a 5-digit decimal number. For example, the invariant character
set has the GCSGID of 00640.
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graphic character-set ID
- A 5-digit
registered identifier used to specify a graphic character set. The graphic
character-set ID is the first part of the QCHRID system value or the CHRID
parameter value.
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graphic data type
- A character string
in which each character is represented by 2 bytes. The character string does
not contain shift-in (SI) and shift-out (SO) characters. See also DBCS-only.
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graphic push button
- A button that
uses an image, rather than text, to describe its use.
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graphics
- (1) Pertaining to charts, tables,
and their creation.
- (2) Pictures and illustrations.
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graphics data format (GDF)
- In AFP™ Utilities,
the ability to create an AFP resource, such as an electronic overlay.
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graphics data format file (GDF file)
- A picture definition in a coded order format used internally by the GDDM function and,
optionally, providing the user with a lower-level programming interface than
the GDDM application programming interface.
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graphics field
- In the GDDM function, that
part of the display or the paper that is used for pictures and graphics text.
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Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
- A file format for storing images. GIF files are common on the World Wide Web
because they only contain a maximum of 256 colors and are therefore very small.
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Graphics Object Content Architecture (GOCA)
- An architecture that provides a collection of graphics values and control
structures used to interchange and present graphics data.
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graphics primitive
- In the GDDM function, a
single item of graphics information, such as a line or a string of graphics
text.
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graphics segment
- In the GDDM function, a
group of graphics primitives (lines, arcs, and text) that are operated as
a common set. The graphics primitives inside a graphics segment share characteristics,
such as visibility and angle of rotation, but keep their individual characteristics,
such as color and line width.
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graphics symbol set
- In the GDDM function, an
object that can contain either lines or images. The system-recognized identifier
for the object type is *GSS.
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graphics text
- In the GDDM function, text
displayed by an application program using a graphics symbol set.
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graphic string
- A set of characters
associated with a double-byte character set.
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graphics window
- In the GDDM function, the
view of the graphics picture that is defined by the range of the world coordinates
specified by the user.
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gray level
- In the GDDM function, a
digitally coded shade of gray that is in a range of 0 through 7.
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gray scale
- A scale that indicates
the shades of gray between black and white that can be presented on a display
device.
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gray-scale image
- An image that is
represented by different gray values that range from white to black.
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Greenwich mean time (GMT)
- Mean solar
time at the meridian of Greenwich, England. Universal coordinated time is
considered the most accurate measure of time. GMT is kept by the Royal Greenwich
Observatory located at Greenwich, England. In the 1840's, GMT was established
for all of England, Scotland, and Wales, replacing many local times in use
in those days. Subsequently GMT became the official time reference for the
world until 1972 when it was replaced by the atomic-clock-based coordinated
universal time (UTC). GMT is also known as universal time.
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grid
- (1) In AFP Utilities, horizontal and vertical lines
printed on an AFP resource, such as an electronic overlay, to help in the design of
the AFP resource.
- (2) In Business Graphics Utility and the GDDM function, uniformly
spaced horizontal and vertical lines on a chart.
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gross lock
- In DB2 Universal Database™ for z/OS® and OS/390®, the shared, update, or exclusive mode locks on
a table, partition, or table space. See also exclusive
lock, shared lock.
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group
- (1) In resource definition online,
a collection of related resources. The main purpose of an RDO group is convenience
in storing definitions in the CSD.
- (2) In the Application Development
Manager feature of the Application Development ToolSet licensed program, a
collection of parts at the same phase in the development process.
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group address
- In communications,
a multidestination address associated with one or more stations on a given
network. See also individual address.
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group authority
- Authority to use
objects, resources, or functions from a group profile.
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group calendar
- A display that shows
the events for up to seven users at one time.
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Group Control System (GCS)
- In OSI
Communications Subsystem, a VM operating environment in which the subsystem
and Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM®) run.
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group data area
- A data area that
is automatically created when an interactive job becomes a group job. This
data area is shared by all jobs in the group but cannot be used by jobs outside
the group.
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group identification number (GID)
- A 4 byte, unsigned integer (GID) that is used to identify a group profile.
See also user identification number.
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group indication
- In RPG, the printing
of control information for only the first record of a group of records containing
identical control information.
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group item
- In COBOL, a named set
of consecutive elementary or group items.
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group job
- One of up to 16 interactive
jobs that are associated in a group with the same work station device and
user.
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group job name
- The name that identifies
a given job within a group.
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group job transfer
- An operation performed
by the Transfer to Group Job (TFRGRPJOB) command that will either start a
new group job or resume an existing group job.
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group list print descriptor
- A special
type of print descriptor used to define print descriptor groups, and the search
order used when a print descriptor is referred to.
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group list table (GLT)
- A CICS® table that
identifies the library and file names for resource mapping that is to be installed
when the control region is started.
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group member
- A user profile that
is a member of a group profile.
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group message queue
- A message queue
that is associated with a group of jobs. When the message queue is set either
to break mode or notify mode in the active group job, the mode is the same
for any job in the group that becomes the active job.
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group profile
- A profile that provides
the same authority to a group of users.
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group window
- In iSeries Access for Windows®, a window that contains one or more icons that represent applications,
functions, or documents.
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GSS API
- See Generic Security Service API.
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guaranteed service
- A type of service
class that ensures bandwidth availability and provides information on queuing
delays. Guaranteed service is the most reliable of the service classes. It
is commonly used for applications that cannot tolerate network delays or performance
variations. For example, applications such as Internet Protocol (IP) telephony
and other real-time applications have specific timing needs that require guaranteed
service.
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guest partition
- A secondary partition
that runs an operating system other than i5/OS. The guest partition requires another
partition to host it. The purpose of the hosting partition is to supply paths
from virtual I/O in the guest partition's operating system to real I/O hardware
drivers in the hosting partition. The guest partition requires a console in
order to provide an interface to DST console functions. TELNET is used to
establish a guest console from the hosting partition. The guest partition's
console should not be confused with the console used by the operating system
running in the guest partition. They are separate console sessions.
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GUI
- See graphical
user interface.
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guideline value
- In capacity planning,
a value used as a general guide for optimal resource utilization. If resource
utilization is above the guideline value, the resource may be approaching
a problem area or a threshold value. Guideline values are also available for
the rate of synchronous reads in the machine pool and for the sum of all pools.
See also threshold value.
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GUI designer
- The VRPG tool suite
that allows the user to create interfaces by dragging and dropping controls
from the parts palette to the design window.
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GUPI
- See General
Use Programming Interface.