This section describes basic coding concepts needed to define resources. For further information, see the z/OS Communications Server: SNA Resource Definition Reference.

To define your resources:

1. Code VTAM® and NCP definition statements to define your major nodes.
   The following restrictions apply to coding your definition statements:

   • Names must be unique within a network.
   • Names cannot begin with "IST" or any of the names "VTAM", or "VTAMSEG", or "VTAMSG2". Also, the name "VTAMTERM" cannot be used.
   • Code each minor node and major node name in column 1.
   • Code each definition statement in column 10.
   • Code each operand in column 16 or one space after the definition statement.
   • If your operands are longer than one line, code a continuation character in column 72 and continue operands in column 16 of the next line.
   Following is a sample definition file KIMAP VTAMLST (the scale is included to show coding restrictions, such as the continuation character in column 72):

   |...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7...
   KIMAP    VBUILD TYPE=APPL
   AP1      APPL  AUTH=(PASS,ACQ),                                        X
                  ACBNAME=ECHO
   AP2      APPL  ACBNAME=ECHO

2. If you are defining NCP, code the NCP-only definition statements and operands as described in the NCP resource definition documents.

3. Generate the NCP as described in the NCP, SSP, and EP Generation and Loading Guide. If you are updating VTAM-only definition statements or operands, update the NCP definitions in VTAMLST; no NCP generation is required. If you are updating NCP-only definition statements or operands, update the NCP generation definition and generate NCP again, or use dynamic reconfiguration facilities.
   Note: If you need to make changes before you can regenerate the NCP, VTAM and NTuneNCP provide functions to allow some NCP definitions to be dynamically changed.
4. Store your definitions in the proper VTAM library. You can concatenate VTAMLST files, but either the block sizes must be the same for all files or the file with the largest block size must be the first file in the concatenated list.