Getting Started With Batch Aug78

This document, "GETTING STARTED WITH BATCH (TOPS-10)" from August 1978, serves as a beginner's guide for utilizing the Digital Equipment Corporation's TOPS-10 GALAXY Batch System.

The Batch system allows users to submit long-running, low-interaction data processing jobs to be executed in their absence, often during off-peak hours. Users must have a basic understanding of Batch processing or familiarity with a programming language, DECsystem-10 timesharing, or card processing.

Jobs can be submitted in two primary ways:

1. Via an Interactive Terminal: Users create a "control file" (using editors like SOS or TECO) containing system commands, program commands, and special Batch commands. This file is then submitted directly to the Batch system using the SUBMIT command.
2. Via Punched Cards: Users prepare a card deck with specific "Batch control card commands" (prefixed with a dollar sign, e.g., $JOB, $PASSWORD, $EOJ, $-language, $DATA) and hand them to an operator for entry.

Key features and processes include:

• Control Files: These are central to Batch jobs, containing all instructions for the system to process.
• Job Scheduling and Execution: Submitted jobs wait in a queue and are scheduled based on parameters like estimated time, pages, and priority. Batch executes commands sequentially, recording all interactions.
• Error Recovery: The system typically terminates jobs upon error, but users can embed special Batch commands (.IF, .ERROR, .GOTO, .BACKTO for terminal input; $ERROR, $NOERROR for card input) within the control file to define error handling procedures and allow for continued processing or alternative actions.
• Output Management: All job activity, including commands, system replies, program output, and error messages, is recorded in a "log file." Output can be directed to a line printer, magnetic tape, disk, or cards.
• Resource Specification: Users can specify limits for CPU time (/TIME), output pages (/PAGE), and even schedule job execution for a specific time (/AFTER).

The manual provides detailed instructions on creating control files for both terminal and card input, explaining command formats, available switches, and illustrating common tasks with examples for various programming languages (ALGOL, COBOL, FORTRAN, BASIC). It also explains how to interpret the printed output, especially the log file.