PMDF System Manager's Guide

Unrecognized keywords are interpreted as rightslist identifiers (on OpenVMS) or as groups ids (on UNIX). On OpenVMS, a rightslist identifier as a channel keyword means that the user must be granted that rightslist identifier before they can queue messages to the channel; on UNIX, a group id as a channel keyword means that the user must be a member of that group before they can queue messages to the channel. See also the more flexible and general SEND_ACCESS mapping described in Section 16.1, or on OpenVMS systems only, the network channel keyword described below.

The PMDF TEST/REWRITE (OpenVMS) or pmdf test -rewrite (UNIX and NT) utility will tell you if you have any unrecognized keywords in your configuration file that don't match a known rightslist identifier (OpenVMS) or group id (UNIX).

The basic idea for using OpenVMS rightslist identifiers is as follows. Each channel specified in the configuration file can have one or more OpenVMS rightslist identifiers associated with it. These identifiers are specified as keywords on the same line as the channel name. If such an identifier is specified, PMDF checks to make sure that the identifier is held by the user. If it is not, the user cannot queue messages to that channel. The user must hold all the identifiers associated with a channel in order to be able to use that channel.

OpenVMS rightslist identifiers are created and managed with the AUTHORIZE utility and are the basis of OpenVMS system security. PMDF's use of identifiers follows OpenVMS guidelines. Rightslist identifiers used by PMDF should contain one or more dollar signs to prevent conflicts with future PMDF keyword definitions (PMDF keywords do not contain dollar signs). Consult HP's Guide to OpenVMS System Management and Daily Operation for additional information on rightslist identifiers.

On OpenVMS systems, if the network rightslist identifier is specified on a channel, it is specially interpreted by PMDF: PMDF will not allow users without network privileges (NETMBX) to queue messages to the channel.