How is the TPX ACT related to a user's TPX profile or menu? (Users are Dynamic and SMRT Profile Selection is PROF.)

Products

• TPX - Session Management
• Vman Session Management for z/OS

Issue/Introduction

For this discussion, users are dynamic and SMRT Profile Selection is PROF.

How is the TPX ACT (Application Characteristics Table) related to a user's TPX profile or menu?

Environment

TPX for z/OS

Resolution

The TPX Menu is made up of sessions.

When a dynamic user signs on to TPX and the SMRT profile selection method is PROF, TPX will make a security call for each profile in Profile Maintenance.  When a positive response is received by TPX from external security, the sessions within that profile are added to the user's TPX menu. This continues for each profile, building the menu for that user.  So the user's TPX Menu can be built from multiple TPX profiles.

• Within a TPX profile, the Session option entries are keyed on Sessionid (sessid).  
• Each session definition includes a field for applid, which is the VTAM applid.
• The ACT entries are keyed on applid.
  
  

System level parameters are defined within the ACT.  Note that there are some parameters that are only available to be defined within the ACT such as terminal Type (GRP, SHR, UNQ). If there is no ACT entry for an applid defined at the profile (or user) level, then Type will default to UNQ (unique) and there is no way to override that without an ACT entry.  It is a best practice to define ACT entries.