METHOD FOR SCHEDULING EXECUTION OF DISTRIBUTED APPLICATION PROGRAMS AT PRESET TIMES IN AN SNA LU 6.2 NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

A method for scheduling time initiated tasks from an Intelligent Work Station (IWS) of an SNA network in which a host processor has created a plurality of run ready virtual machines which are assigned under control of a Virtual Machine Pool Manager in response to an LU 6.2 allocate verb to establish an LU 6.2 conversation between distributed parts of an application program, one part of which is resident at the IWS and the other part of which is resident at the host. A distributed application program named BATCH is provided, Part A of which is resident on the user's IWS and Part B of which is resident on the host processor. Part B is functionally a component of Virtual Machine Pool Manager (VMPM). The BATCH program allows the user to tranfer information regarding the task that is to be initiated at a designated time, to the host processor. The user invokes the BATCH program which prompts the user for the name of the application program which is to be time initiated, the time that the program is to be initiated, and the name of the processor on which the named application is to be executed. When the named application is to be executed on a host processor other than the host processor assigned to the IWS, the user may specify a transfer time for the local processor to forward the information to the target host processor. The user may also specify a plurality of host locations where the application is to be run. The method also provides at the host processor a Time Application Information Table. The function of the TAIT is to maintain information on time initiated tasks that are frequently scheduled so that the user may be relieved of much of the data entry.