DEC-T9-MTZD-D Time-Sharing Monitors Pgmr Ref Man Mar71

This document is the "PDP-10 Timesharing Monitors Programmer's Reference Manual" (DEC-T9-MTZD-D, Revision 2, March 1971) by Digital Equipment Corporation. It serves as a comprehensive reference for experienced programmers, system managers, and operations staff utilizing the PDP-10 Multiprogramming and Swapping Monitors.

The manual provides a detailed overview of the timesharing system's functions, including multiprogramming, program swapping, memory protection, and reentrant user programming. It thoroughly describes monitor commands for console and job control, such as login procedures, file manipulation (e.g., CREATE, EDIT, TYPE, DELETE, RENAME), program compilation and execution (COMPILE, LOAD, EXECUTE, DEBUG, RUN, SAVE), and system monitoring (SYSTAT, DSK, TIME).

A significant portion is dedicated to user programming, outlining the use of Programmed Operators (UUOs) and CALL/CALLI instructions to access monitor services for I/O operations, memory management, process control (e.g., SLEEP, WAKE, LOCK), and retrieving environmental information. It details the characteristics and usage of various I/O devices, distinguishing between non-directory (e.g., card punch/reader, magnetic tape, teletype) and directory devices (DECtape, Disk), including their data modes, file structures, and access protection.

Furthermore, the manual explains the underlying monitor algorithms for job scheduling, program swapping, device optimization, and error handling, offering insight into system operation. Appendices provide supplementary reference material on monitor sizes, reentrant programming, device status bits, error codes, and filename extensions. This revision incorporates updates from the 5.03 monitor release, aiming for improved technical accuracy and presentation.