It may also be a good idea to put this command
in each users .logout
file who will be using GEMPAK.
What happens if GPEND isn't run?
When users exit without running GPEND, the message queues and GEMPLT and Device Drivers are not shut down. Remember, those processes still exist even after you exit a GEMPAK application program so that you can overlay graphics from other programs, or append output to other plot files from other application programs. Running GPEND is the only way these applications know that they are no longer needed.
So What?
Computers have a finite amount of resources. When they're all used up, you can't get your work done...and you and your system administrator become very unpopular. This is usually when novices start reaching for power buttons!
For more information on how to
remove old abandoned processes, see the section on
Administering GEMPAK.