Patent ID: 7467139

Claim:
A data processing system comprising: a. a mainframe processor with an active application and a plurality of library programs; b. a maintenance terminal wherein said maintenance terminal is utilized by a system administrator to perform maintenance functions associated with said data processing system; c. wherein said plurality of library programs includes a plurality of software computer programs and wherein said active application is a particular one of said plurality of software computer programs; d. a plurality of user terminals responsively coupled to said mainframe processor; e. wherein a particular one of said plurality of user terminals utilizes said active application by requesting said mainframe processor to execute said particular one of said plurality of software computer programs; and f. a facility located within said mainframe processor which permits said maintenance terminal to print a list of said plurality of library programs without unduly preventing said active application from accessing said plurality of library programs in response to the requesting said listing from said maintenance terminal; said facility receiving said request; g. locking accesses to said plurality of library software computer programs to prohibit execution of any of said plurality of library software computer programs; h. transferring a list of a first portion of said plurality of library software computer programs to a buffer; i. unlocking said accesses to said plurality of library programs to permit execution of any of said plurality of library software computer programs; k. outputting contents of said buffer; j. repeating g, h, i, and k until all of said plurality of library programs has been listed; and wherein said buffer further comprises a plurality of individual buffers wherein said plurality of individual buffers is alternated.