ECAM: extended communications access method for OS/360

Installations utilizing OS/360 which wish to extend the operating system's use into a teleprocessing environment all face a similar problem: How to prevent the significant waste of resources, particularly that of main storage, that inevitably accompanies a move from batch to on-line processing? QTAM organization normally utilizes one region (or partition) for its Message Control Program and one region (or partition) for each process, or application, program. Thus, the TP configuration becomes inordinately expensive due to resident core storage requirements, most particularly if the applications are low-volume oriented. An alternate approach, via the use of the BTAM facilities, requires much more extensive knowledge on the part of both system designers and programmers and may well generate more severe and complex problems.