STATUS: This provides the user with the current state of another users process , that is to say , how long it has been since the user has executed a command. The routine uses DPROCS to obtain information about the user. In the record used by DPROCS there is a field status which AND'd with 16 gives result true if and only if the user is active. If this turns out to be false the field active gives an integer which can be translated into a message to show how long the process has be left dormant. This message works on the lines that the more sleepy the message the longer it has been left RENEW: This command enables the user to allocate a new location to a particular TCP's buffer. The TCP's name is read in along with the console number (decimal) and the new location message. To update the location the starting address of the database file is obtained using CONNECT and the correct location is changed by calculating the correct offset in the file. In addition to the location being changed a record of what user changed what location and what TCP+console he/she was on a the time. This is done in order to check up on invalid locations. THIS COMMAND IS THE MOST READILY ABUSABLE A possible alternative to letting the user update the database is let the Communications Group update it when they update their database of TCP's and console locations ADDNAME,REMOVENAME: These two commands just involve reading and writing to the users ss#profile file, nothing else is done. GONE: The command allows a user to log off leaving a message behind in ss#profile which can be obtained using FIND. Gone uses DSTOP 100 to log the user off. FIND: This command searches for either a group of users (i.e. ECTU??) or all users (i.e. FIND * or FIND ??????) or a single user(i.e. FIND ectu74) or the list of users in ss#profile (i.e. FIND) The first two alternatives anly printout information on the user logged on, the latter printing out info whether the user is on or not. A user's location is foundby searching DPROCEDURES list of processes and find the record corresponding to the user. From this record their TCP and console number can be found and this enables a location to be read from the database. If a user is not logged on then a gone message is searched for in their ss#profile file, if there is one it is printed out else "is not logged on" is the message used. This command might meet with objections from some users in that their whereabouts can be found but even if not implemented a user could quite easily construct a FIND command of their own ,given time and access to terminals.