G

garbage collection
A specified period of time after which the server reclaims any resources that are no longer being used for what they were originally allocated. An example of garbage collection is the reclaiming of any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses whose leases have ended. See also Java garbage collection.

gateway
(1) A program used to connect two systems that use different communications protocols.
(2) In TCP/IP, a device used to connect two systems that use either the same or different communications protocols.
(3) A device that acts as a router, but occurs at the transport layer, to transfer packets between networks.

GCGID
See graphic character global identifier (GCGID).

GCS
See Group Control System (GCS).

GCSGID
See graphic character set global identifier (GCSGID).

GDA
See global directory agent (GDA).

GDDM
See graphical data display manager (GDDM).

GDF
See graphics data format (GDF).

GDF file
See graphics data format (GDF) file.

GDS
See general data stream (GDS).

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).

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.

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.

general-purpose library
The library shipped with the system that contains IBM-provided objects required for many system functions and user-created objects that are not explicitly placed in a different library when they are created. Named QGPL.

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.

generate
In DB2 UDB for AS/400, 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.

generic
Relating to, or characteristic of, a whole group or class.

generic alert
A product-independent method of encoding alert data by means of both (a) code points indexing short units of stored text and (b) text.

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. See also asynchronous controller description.

generic envelope type (GET)
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.

generic name
(1) 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.
(2) In the hierarchical file system, a path name that contains one or more wildcard characters.

generic search
In the OfficeVision program, a type of search that searches all documents or personal directories authorized to a user for information that corresponds to a search value that contains a string of characters followed by an asterisk. The asterisk indicates to the system that the user wants to identify all instances of the specified character string. See also contextual search and exact search.

get
In MQSeries message queuing, to retrieve a message by removing the message from a queue or by browsing the message. See also browse.

GET
See generic envelope type (GET).

get function
In the OfficeVision program, a function that inserts text from one document into another document.

GFT
See grant functional transmission (GFT).

gid
See group identification number (gid).

GIF
See graphical interchange format (GIF).

GIX
See generalized interactive executive (GIX).

global directory agent (GDA)
A Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) component that makes it possible for the local CDS to access names in foreign cells.

global mutex
A mutual exclusion lock that is provided by the pthreads library to allow easy serialization to application resources. See also mutex and pthread.

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, file-names, record-names, and some special registers may be global names.
(2) A name that is universally meaningful and usable from anywhere in the Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) naming environment.
(3) In SystemView Managed System Services/400, 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.

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.

global server
In the DCE Distributed Time Service (DTS), a server that provides its clock value to courier servers on other cells, or to DTS entities that have failed to obtain the specified number of servers locally.

global set
In the DCE Distributed Time Service (DTS), the group of global servers in a network.

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.

global variable pool
In query management, the set of all user- and query-defined variables associated with a query instance.

GLT
See group list table (GLT).

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.

GMT
See Greenwich mean time (GMT).

GOCA
See Graphic Object Content Architecture (GOCA).

Gopher
In the Internet suite of protocols, 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.

grade level
Pertaining to the vocabulary understanding of a student of a particular grade.

grade of delivery
In OfficeVision, a specification for how fast a mail item will be sent. The three grades of delivery are high, normal, and low. When the sender assigns a high grade of delivery, the system delivers the mail item by the fastest possible means.

grant functional transmission (GFT)
In MTAM, a control character indicating that the host system gives permission to the AS/400 system to send data or that the AS/400 system gives permission to the host system to send data. Contrast with request functional transmission.

graph
(1) See chart.
(2) In Performance Tools, the displayed, printed, or plotted output that represents the horizontal and vertical axis variables specified by the user for a collection of performance data.

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.

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. Contrast with presentation graphics routines (PGR).

graphical interchange format (GIF)
A digital format that is used to compress and transfer graphical information over computer networks. For example, GIF is a common format for graphical information on the Internet.

graphical user interface (GUI)
A type of user interface that takes advantage of high-resolution graphics. A graphical user interface includes a combination of graphics, the object-action relationship, the use of pointing devices, menu bars and other menus, overlapping windows, and icons.

graphic character
A character that can be displayed or printed. Contrast with control character.

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.

graphic character set
A defined set of graphic characters. No coded representation is assumed.

graphic character set global identifier (GCSGID)
A number between 00001 and 65534 that is assigned to identify a graphic character set. For AS/400 business computing systems, 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.

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. See also code-page ID.

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. Contrast with DBCS-only.

Graphic Object Content Architecture (GOCA)
An architecture that provides a collection of graphics values and control structures used to interchange and present graphics data.

graphic push button
A button that uses an image, rather than text, to describe its use.

graphics
(1) Pictures and illustrations.
(2) Pertaining to charts, tables, and their creation. See also computer graphics.

graphics data format (GDF)
In AFP Utilities, the ability to create an AFP resource, such as an electronic overlay.

graphics data format (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.

graphics field
In the GDDM function, that part of the display or the paper that is used for pictures and graphics text.

graphics primitive
In the GDDM function, a single item of graphics information, such as a line or a string of graphics text.

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.

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. See also vector symbol set (VSS) and image symbol set (ISS).

graphics text
In the GDDM function, text displayed by an application program using a graphics symbol set.

graphic string
A set of characters associated with a double-byte character set.

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.

gray level
In the GDDM function, a digitally coded shade of gray that is in a range of 0 through 7. See also gray-scale image.

gray scale
A scale that indicates the shades of gray between black and white that can be presented on a display device.

gray-scale image
In the GDDM function, an image in which the degrees of shading between black and white are represented by different gray levels. Each picture element of the image has a value in the range from 0 through 7.

Greenwich mean time (GMT)
Mean solar time at the meridian of Greenwich, England. GMT was formerly used as the basis of standard time throughout the world. Universal Time Coordinated is considered the most accurate measure of time. See also Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).

grid
(1) In Business Graphics Utility and the GDDM function, uniformly spaced horizontal and vertical lines on a chart. See also axis grid lines.
(2) 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.

group
(1) 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.
(2) A collection of CICS resource definitions that can be usefully exported together. A group normally includes all the elements for an application.
(3) In DCE Remote Procedure Call (RPC), a name service entry that corresponds to one or more RPC servers that offer common RPC interfaces, RPC objects, or both. A group contains the names of the server entries, other groups, or both that are members of the group. See NSI group attribute.
(4) In DCE Security, data that associates a named set of principals that can be granted common access rights. See subject identifier.

group address
In communications, a multidestination address associated with one or more stations on a given network. Contrast with individual address.

group authority
Authority to use objects, resources, or functions from a group profile.

group calendar
A display that shows the events for up to seven users at one time.

Group Control System (GCS)
In OSI Communications Subsystem, a VM operating environment in which the subsystem and Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM) run.

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.

group identification number (gid)
A four-byte, unsigned integer (gid) used to identify a group profile. Contrast with user identification number (uid).

group indication
In RPG, the printing of control information for only the first record of a group of records containing identical control information.

group item
In COBOL, a named set of consecutive elementary or group items.

group job
One of up to sixteen interactive jobs that are associated in a group with the same work station device and user.

group job name
The name that identifies a given job within a group.

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.

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.

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.

group member
(1) A user profile that is a member of a group profile.
(2) In DCE Remote Procedure Call (RPC), a name service entry whose name occurs in the group.
(3) In DCE Security, a principal whose name appears in a security group. See group.

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.

group profile
A user profile that provides the same authority to a group of users.

group PTF
A single, orderable PTF (program temporary fix or simply, fix) that provides a logical set of PTFs for a specific function such as database, Java, or Y2K. Group PTFs are dynamically updated when new PTFs for the same function become available.

group window
In Client Access for Windows, a window that contains one or more icons that represent applications, functions, or documents. See also group.

GUI
See graphical user interface (GUI).

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. Contrast with threshold value.

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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