Before you can use the PROTECT command, a password data set must reside on the system residence volume. The password data set contains passwords and security information for protected data sets. You can use the PROTECT command to display this information about your data sets at your terminal.

The password data set contains a security counter for each protected data set. This counter keeps a record of the number of times an entry has been referred to. The counter is set to zero at the time an entry is placed into the data set, and is increased each time the entry is accessed.

Each password is stored as part of an entry in the password data set. The first entry in the password data set for each protected data set is called the control entry. The password from the control entry must be specified for each access of the data set by using the PROTECT command. However, the LIST operand of the PROTECT command does not require the password from the control entry.

If you omit a required password when using the PROTECT command, the system prompts you for it. If your terminal is equipped with the print-inhibit feature, the system disengages the printing mechanism at your terminal while you enter the password in response. However, the print-inhibit feature is not used if the prompting is for a new password.