When your run-time system or linked executable starts up, it attempts to read the run-time configuration file. The run-time configuration file specifies values for the run-time tunables and environment variables. Environment variables set in this way override values already set in the environment.
The run-time configuration file is shared by all users of the run-time system.
For native COBOL, you create or edit a text-based run-time configuration file with a text editor, and then specify the location and name of the run-time configuration file using the COBCONFIG environment variable, or if you are developing a COBOL JVM project and need to specify Java property files, the COBCONFIGJVM environment variable. The format of the text file is described in the sections Format of a Configuration File for Native COBOL and List of Run-time Tunables.
For example, if you want to use a configuration file called myconf , you set COBCONFIG as follows.
COBCONFIG=$HOME/myconf export COBCONFIG
If you want to use a Java property file called myconf.properties for a JVM project, you set COBCONFIGJVM as follows.
COBCONFIGJVM=$HOME/myconf.properties export COBCONFIGJVM
The use of a configuration file is optional - no error is issued if it does not exist.