Using the Register Service

When a product issues the Register service, the system checks the enablement policy in IFAPRDxx. If the check is successful, MVS™ issues a return code of 0 and adds the product to its list of registered (running) products.

For the check to be successful, you need to select the type of Register request very carefully, depending on what you want to do:

To register your product without regard to the enablement policy, select Ifaedreg_Type_Required. When it processes your request, the system does not check the enablement policy. Use this register request when you are registering only to allow other products:
- To determine if your product is running.
- To access information you provide through the Features parameter.
To register your product and consider it enabled even if there is no entry in the policy, select Ifaedreg_Type_Standard. This type of request is useful when your product can be enabled without any user change to the policy in IFAPRDxx. With the standard register request, you get return code 4 (indicating that the product is disabled) only when there is a matching statement that explicitly disables the product.
To register your product and consider it disabled when there is no entry in the policy, select Ifaedreg_Type_NotFoundDisabled. For the request to be successful, there must be a matching statement in the policy that explicitly enables the product. You get return code 4 when the product is explicitly disabled or when there is no matching statement.

The product definitions in the enablement policy can contain wildcard characters (? and *), and MVS allows wildcard matching so that a single policy statement can apply to multiple products.

Because of the interaction between the product definition in the register request, the type of register request, and the contents of IFAPRDxx, make sure that your product documentation provides the information users need to update IFAPRDxx, as described in z/OS MVS Initialization and Tuning Reference.

The placement of the Register request in your product code is also important. Most products and separately orderable features would invoke the Register service during initialization. Products or features that have multiple entry points or that allow branch entry must consider registering at each possible point of invocation.

If other products need information about your product, you can use the Features parameter to pass the information. Callers of the Query_Status service can obtain this information, but you need to define its contents and format to enable the callers to interpret the information correctly.

See Register Service (IFAEDREG) for a complete description of the service, including the various types of register request.