W

Return to Glossary.

WACK character: See wait-before-transmitting positive acknowledgment character.
WAIS: See Wide Area Information Service.
wait-before-transmitting positive acknowledgment character (WACK character): A BSC character sequence sent by a receiving station to indicate that it is temporarily not ready to receive.
WAN: See wide area network.
WAP: See Wireless Application Protocol.
ward: A section of a double-byte character set (DBCS) where the first byte of the DBCS codes belonging to that section are the same value. According to IBM® standards for DBCS codes, there are 190 wards, and each ward has up to 190 points on which DBCS characters can be assigned. See also point.
warm start: A method of recovering temporary storage and transient data queues when a CICS® control region is started following a normal shutdown of the region. A warm start may result in one or more queues being cleared or recovered, that is, returned to their state prior to shutdown.
WCC: See write control character.
weak export: An export that allows several definitions for the same external symbol. Each weak export has an associated key value, which is the size of the data item. The binder chooses the weak export with the largest key value. See also strong export.
weak key: In Cryptographic Support, a value for a key-encrypting key that has known techniques that a code breaker can use to decrypt a data-encrypting key encrypted with this value.
Web: See World Wide Web.
Web activity monitor: In HTTP Server for iSeries™, a function that automatically creates reports (host name or Internet Protocol (IP) address, method, return code, and URL information) about visits to your Web site.
Web application server: The run-time environment for dynamic Web applications. A J2EE Web application server implements the services of the J2EE standard. It provides communications, resource management, security, transaction management, and persistence capabilities for Web applications. It also typically includes an administration interface for managing the server and deployed applications.
Web-based application: An application that is downloaded from the Web each time it is run. The advantage is that the application can be run from any computer, and the software is routinely upgraded and maintained by the hosting organization rather than by each individual user.
Web browser: A client program that initiates requests to a Web server and displays the information that the server returns.
webmaster: The person who is ultimately responsible for managing and maintaining a particular Web site.
Web page: Any document that can be accessed by a URL on the World Wide Web.
Web site: A related collection of files available on the Web that is managed by a single entity (an organization or an individual) and contains information in hypertext for its users. A Web site often includes hypertext links to other Web sites.
WebSphere® MQ: A family of IBM licensed programs that provides message queuing services.
Web usage mining: In HTTP Server for iSeries, a function that automatically creates reports (user, path, and group-based information) about visits to a Web site.
weekly activity: In Backup Recovery and Media Services, an activity plan contained in the control group that specifies which days of the week that processing is to occur.
weight: The ranking value used to determine the placement of a graphic character relative to the other graphic characters in a sort sequence.
welcome page: See home page.
well-known service: A service that uses a specific port number below 1024. An example of a well-known service is File Transfer Protocol (FTP), which uses port 21.
what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG): A capability of an editor to continually display pages exactly as they will be printed or otherwise rendered.
white space: A sequence of one or more characters, such as the tab character, the new line character, or the blank character, that belong to the space character class.
whole number: In REXX, an integer or a number that has a zero decimal part. Whole numbers are not usually expressed by the language processor in exponential notation.
Wide Area Information Service (WAIS): A network information system that enables clients to search documents on the World Wide Web.
wide area network (WAN): A network that provides communication services between devices in a geographic area larger than that served by a local area network (LAN) or a metropolitan area network (MAN). See also metropolitan area network.
wideband: See broadband.
wide-to-narrow ratio: In AFP™ Utilities, the ratio of the wide element dimension to the narrow element dimension of a bar code.
widow line: A single first or last line of a paragraph or a heading separated from its related text and appearing on a different page.
wildcard character: (1) A special character such as an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?) that can be used to represent one or more characters. Any character or set of characters can replace the wildcard character.; (2) In the hierarchical file system, one of the characters that allows substitution in strings.
window: (1) In data communications, the number of data packets the data terminal equipment (DTE) or data circuit-terminating equipment (DCE) can send across a logical channel before waiting for authorization to send another data packet. The window is the main method of pacing, or flow control, of packets.; (2) A part of the display screen with visible boundaries in which an application program or information is displayed.
window definition record: In DDS, a record containing the WINDOW keyword that defines the window's size and location.
Windows® 32-bit operating system: A phrase that is used to encompass Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT® but excludes Windows 3.1 (a 16-bit operating system) and earlier versions.
window size: The maximum number of sequentially numbered protocol data units that can be outstanding (unacknowledged) at any given time. The window size is usually a value that is determined by agreement between the same protocol layers of adjacent systems. On i5/OS™, the term window size is used for different layers of communications; for example, X.25 high-level data link control (HDLC), X.25 packet level, and the X.400 reliable transfer server all use the concept of window size to control flow.
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): An open industry standard for mobile Internet access that allows mobile users with wireless devices to easily and instantly access and interact with information and services.
wizard: User assistance that is an alternate path usually through complex and infrequently performed tasks. Presented sequentially, the panels of the wizard prompt the user for responses, then take that data and perform the task. Wizards complete a single task and are usually self-contained.
word: In REXX, a sequence of characters that do not include any blanks. Words may be used as units for manipulation during parsing and by many built-in functions.
word wrap: A function of a program that automatically moves the last word on a displayed line of text down to the next line if the word runs beyond the right margin setting.
work area: A list used to organize objects according to a user's tasks. When a user closes a work area, all windows opened from objects contained in the work area are removed from the workplace.
work entry: An entry in a subsystem description that specifies the source from which jobs can be accepted for processing in the subsystem.
worker: In socket server designs, an application process or thread that carries out the requests for the server process or thread. Typically the server establishes the connection to a remote application and gives that connection to the worker to process subsequent requests from and interact with the remote application.
Working-Storage Section: In COBOL, the section of the Data Division that describes working storage data items, composed of noncontiguous items, working storage records, or both.
workload: In Performance Tools, a stream of transactions generated by specific jobs or tasks. Key attributes of a workload include the number of local and remote jobs generating transactions, the number of interactive and noninteractive transactions per job, and the system resources required for each transaction.
work management: The user control of a system's operation and daily work load, as well as the distribution of system resources by means of subsystems, jobs, pools, classes, and system values.
work on behalf of: Pertaining to the function that allows users to temporarily access documents, folders, or mail that another user is authorized to except those items that are marked private. Tasks performed by a user working on another user's behalf produce the same results as if the original user performed the task. For example, if user A creates a new object while working on behalf of user B, user B is the owner of the object.
workplace: A list that fills the entire display and holds all of the objects that make up the user interface.
workspace: (1) An area of the disk storage used temporarily by licensed programs to hold work data while the licensed programs are running.; (2) In XDS/XOM, a space in which OM objects of certain OM classes can be created, together with an implementation of the object management functions that supports those OM classes.
workspace interface: The interface as realized, for the dispatcher's benefit, by each workspace individually.
workstation: A device used to transmit information to or receive information from a computer, for example, a display station or printer.
workstation address: The address to which the switches on a workstation are set, or the internal address assumed by the system if no address is specified.
workstation controller (WSC): An I/O controller card in the card enclosure that provides the direct connection of local workstations to the system.
workstation customization: An i5/OS function that allows a user to tailor ASCII workstations and printers for use with the iSeries system. Most twinaxial keyboards can also be customized. Character presentation, font specifications, and control key sequences are examples of characteristics that can be customized.
workstation entry: An entry in a subsystem description that specifies the workstations from which users can sign on to the subsystem or from which interactive jobs can transfer to the subsystem.
workstation gateway: A TCP/IP application that transforms iSeries 5250 data streams to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for dynamic display on Web browsers. This allows a user to run iSeries applications from any workstation that has a Web browser.
workstation I/O processor: An I/O processor card in the card enclosure that provides the direct connection of local workstations to the system.
workstation user profile: The system-supplied user profile that has the authority required by workstation operators. Named QUSER.
world coordinates: In the GDDM® function, the user-defined set of coordinates that define the graphics window, and that serve as the horizontal and vertical range for all graphics primitives within the graphics window.
World Wide Web (WWW Web): A network of servers that contain programs and files. Many of the files contain hypertext links to other documents available through the network.
WORM: See Write Once Read Many.
wrap connector: A test connector that connects the output of a controller or cable to the input of the controller or cable. A wrap test then verifies that the controller or cable output and input circuits are working correctly.
wrap test: (1) For devices, a diagnostic test that returns the output of a device as input.; (2) A test that checks attachment or controller circuitry (without checking the connected device) by returning the output of the attachment of controller circuitry as input. For example, when irrecoverable communications adapter or machine errors occur, the wrap test can transmit a specific character pattern to or through the modem in a loop and then compare the character pattern received to what was transmitted.
write authority: An object authority that allows the user to add, change, and delete entries in an object. Write authority combines object operational authority, add authority, update authority, and delete authority. The system-recognized identifier is *W.
write control character (WCC): A control character that follows a write command in the 3270 data stream and provides control information for executing display and printer functions.
write-enable ring: A device that is installed in a tape reel to permit writing on a tape. If a tape is on a tape drive without the ring in position, writing to the tape cannot occur; the tape is protected.
write-enable sensor: A device that detects if the write-enable ring is present in the bottom of the tape reel.
write/execute authority: An object authority that allows the user to add, change, and delete entries in an object, run a program, and search a library or directory. Write/execute authority combines object operational authority, add authority, update authority, delete authority, and execute authority. The system-recognized identifier is *WX.
Write Once Read Many (WORM): Property of an optical disk that, once written to, cannot be overwritten. Storage capacity ranges from 400® MB to 3.2 GB.
write operation: An output operation that sends a processed record to an output device or output file.
writer: In RJE, a program that receives output data (files) from the host system.
writing: The action of making a recording of data on an external storage device or other data medium.
WSC: See workstation controller.
WWW: See World Wide Web.
WYSIWYG: See what you see is what you get.