The Service Dispatcher requires a configuration file to tell it what services to handle and to set various options for those services. A framework Dispatcher configuration file is shipped with PMDF, referenced by the PMDF_DISPATCHER_CONFIG_MAIN logical name (OpenVMS), or PMDF tailor file option (UNIX), or PMDF Tailor Registry entry (NT), and hence normally dispatcher_main.cnf located in the PMDF table directory; normally this framework configuration file should not be site modified. (In particular, on UNIX and NT the framework Dispatcher configuration file defines some internal PMDF services, PWCHECK and PFILE, whose service definitions should not be modified.)

The framework Dispatcher configuration file reads in the site-specific Service Dispatcher configuration file which is intended to be site created and site modified, located via the PMDF_DISPATCHER_CONFIG logical name (OpenVMS), or PMDF tailor file option (UNIX), or PMDF Tailor Registry entry (NT) and hence is usually dispatcher.cnf located in the PMDF table directory. The command line PMDF Service Dispatcher configuration utility, pmdf configure dispatcher (UNIX and VMS), or the PMDF web-based configuration utility (all platforms), should be used to create an initial configuration file; see the appropriate edition of the PMDF Installation Guide for instructions and an example of using this utility.