The command and control functions were functions that were key to maintaining the operation aboard Deep Space 9.
In 2369, Rao Vantika placed a subspace crossover shunt in Deep Space 9's backup systems that was set to feed back into the station's primary command and control functions, but it was discovered by Lieutenant George Primmin before the program could be initiated. After Primmin revealed this to Odo, Odo acknowledged that had Vantika succeeded, that "would have shut [the station] down for close to an hour," which would have allowed the fugitive enough time to escape the station. (DS9: "The Passenger")