Job Monitoring Although  we  would  like  to  believe  all  jobs  run without  error,  there  are  occasions  when  a  program prematurely   or   abnormally   terminates.   It   does   not process to normal end of job (EOJ). When this occurs, the  operator  is  expected  to  take  whatever  corrective actions are necessary to get the job going again. More often than not, the operator is able to recover a job by recreating  a  tape/disk  file,  moving  the  file  to  another device,  or  possibly  cleaning  the  read/write  mechanisms of the device prior to rerun. But, there are times when the operator will notify the I/O control clerk to assist in correcting the problem. Such would be the case when the input parameters are in error, the user’s input is bad, or the job aborted because of an unrecoverable program error.  In  the  event  this  happens,  you  maybe  responsible for collecting all the data, both input and output, along with any memory dumps, and forwarding them all to the programmer. During  the  recovery  phase  of  an  operation,  the operator   may   need   you   to   provide   certain   input parameters  or  tape/disk  files  before  the  job  can  be executed. Because  of  time  constraints,  a  job  that abnormally terminates may have to be rescheduled. If so, you may be responsible for seeing to it that the job gets rescheduled and that the user is notified of any job delay.  We  could  go  on  and  on,  but  by  now  you  are beginning to get the picture. These examples are just a few  of  the  many  things  that  can  get  in  the  way  of achieving   a   normal   EOJ.   We   bring   them   to   your attention to make you aware of the types of problems that can and do arise, and the manner in which you are to respond. Hopefully, you now know and are aware that monitoring a job means more than just calling up the operator to see how the job is progressing. It means you must oversee the job to its completion, doing whatever is necessary to help keep the job (or system) on track. Virus  Utilities Virus  utilities  keep  out  viruses  (malicious  logic) that can attack computer system software. This type of software is normally designed to prevent both “known and  unknown  viruses”  from  invading  a  system,  and detects and removes those already present. What is a virus?  you  might  ask. A  virus  is  a  self  replicating,  malicious  program segment that attaches itself to an application program or other   executable   system   component   and   leaves   no obvious  signs  of  its  presence. And  just  like  any bacterial  disease,  it  can  spread  from  disk  to  disk. Viruses take advantage of the sequential step-by-step process that the computer follows. The virus is read into the   computer   via   a   peripheral   device   (tape   drive, diskette drive, communication device, and soon) from a previously  infected  software  application.  The  virus then  inspects  the  first  few  instructions  of  each  program until it finds a program that does not begin with the same instructions as itself. Then it attaches a copy of its own instruction   set   to   the   front   of   the   program   being examined.   The   spread   of   the   virus   comes   from inspecting   and   duplicating   itself.   Execution   of programs  may  seem  to  appear  normal  until  the  virus strikes.  A  virus  can  destroy  data  files  and  programs, depending on its design. Be particularly careful about putting new software on your computer; if it contains a virus, it can infect your other programs and data, giving you big problems. Your  ISSO  and  Naval  Computer Incident Response Team (NAVCIRT) can assist you in the detection and eradication of the virus. Processing AIS Service Requests Your first task may be to receive jobs from users. Each job will have an AIS service request of some type. A  typical  AIS  service  request  is  illustrated  in  chapter  1 of Module 1 (figure 1-2). In looking over this form, you will  notice  that  it  provides  you  with  all  the  information needed to run the job. LIBRARY  FUNCTIONS As a librarian, your job encompasses many duties and  tasks  vital  to  the  smooth  operation  within  your installation. Usually,  you  will  find  that  there  are instructions  and/or  standard  operating  procedures (SOPS)  to  help  guide  you  along  in  different  areas  of library  procedure  and  toward  establishing  a  highly functional  library. But what about you? What should you know or be aware of when working in the AIS media library? The answer to that question is the topic of our discussion: library functions. Put briefly, as a librarian, your job is to become as proficient as possible in the different areas of library management, by learning all the ins and outs, you might say. You will need to know how to receive, handle,  maintain  (condition,  clean,  and  retire),  store, issue,   and   transfer   magnetic   media. You  will  be working with a minimum of supervision and will have to work well with other people to provide the needed services  in  a  timely  manner. As   the   AIS   librarian,   you   can   be   expected   to perform any one, several, or all of the following tasks: 2-8