IUCV - Inter-User Communication Vehicle

Enhanced Definition

IUCV (Inter-User Communication Vehicle) is a core z/VM facility that provides a message-based communication mechanism between virtual machines (VMs) running under z/VM, and also between a VM and the z/VM Control Program (CP). It enables secure and efficient data exchange within the z/VM environment, allowing various guest operating systems, including z/OS, to interact.

Key Characteristics

- Message-based: Data is exchanged as discrete messages, not as a continuous stream or shared memory segment.
- Asynchronous: Communication is non-blocking; a sender can continue processing without waiting for the receiver to acknowledge or process the message.
- Connection-oriented: Requires the establishment of a "path" (connection) between the communicating parties before messages can be exchanged.
- Security and Authorization: Access is controlled via the z/VM Control Program (CP) directory, using IUCV *IDENTIFY statements to specify which