A name/token pair consists of a 16-byte character string (name) with 16 bytes of user data (token). One program creates the name/token pair, assigns the name, and initializes the token field. Typically, the token is an address of a data structure.
Figure 1 shows the name/token pair and indicates
its intended use.
Figure 1. Using the Name
and the Token
The bytes of the name can have any hexadecimal value and consist of alphabetic or numeric characters. The name may contain blanks, integers, or addresses.
Names must be unique within a level. Here are some examples.
- Two task-level name/token pairs owned by the same task cannot have the same name. However, two task-level name/token pairs owned by different tasks can have the same name.
- Two home-address-space-level name/token pairs in the same address space cannot have the same name. However, two home-address-space-level name/token pairs in different address spaces can have the same name.
Because of these unique requirements you must avoid using the same
names that IBM® uses for name/token pairs. Do not use the following
names:
- Names that begin with A through I
- Names that begin with X'00'.
The token can have any value.