Types of Nodes

NJE uses the following terminology for the nodes that comprise an NJE network.

Originating Node is the node where the user submitted the request to transmit the data to another complex.
Intermediate Node is a node that lies in the path of either the:
- Originating node and execution node
- Execution node and the destination node
It receives and transmits the NJE transfer unit to the next node in the path of the target node.
Target Node is the node where a NJE job or NMR is received and will either be executed or be processed. The target node can be either a:

Destination Node

is a node that receives and processes:

An NJE SYSOUT job. A node processes an NJE SYSOUT job by printing or punching the SYSOUT data set.
A message contained in an NMR.

When an NJE transfer unit reaches its destination, it may or may not be processed as the user intended, depending on the facilities available at that node. NJE protocols allow the destination node to reject files that it cannot process or perform other system-dependent actions.

Execution Node

is the node where:

JCL contained in an NJE SYSIN job executes. The node packages the SYSOUT data sets created by the SYSIN in an NJE SYSOUT job and sends the NJE job to the destination node.
A command contained in an NMR is processed. The node packages the messages that are a result of the command in an NMR and sends the NMR to the destination node.

The execution node may not necessarily be the destination node. If, for example, a user submits a job specifying that the job execute at one complex and job's output be printed at a different complex then the complex where the job runs is the execution node and the complex where the SYSOUT prints is the destination node. If no SYSOUT destination is specified, then the origin node and destination node are the same by default.

Figure 1 illustrates the different types of nodes in an NJE network. The network is composed of 3 nodes. If a user submits a job at node 1 to be executed at node 3:

Node 1 is the originating node because that is where the user submitted the request.
Node 2 is the intermediate node, because it is in the path of the destination node. Node 2 receives the data, stores it, then forwards it to the next node in the path of the target node.
Node 3 is both the execution and destination node because it is the node that the user specified as the target.

Figure 1. Sample NJE Network

To transmit an NJE transfer unit to a complex other than the user's installation (a remote node), the user issues a command or submits a job specifying a destination node name. The destination node can be either directly- or indirectly-connected to the originating node. In the network depicted in Figure 1, if NODE1 is the originating node, NODE2 is a directly-connected node to NODE1, and NODE3 is an indirectly-connected node to NODE1.