Introduction To IBM Utilities

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Sunday, July 5, 2009
IBM Utilities Tutorial - 01
Q. What are IBM Utilities?
The MVS O/S comes pre-loaded with lots of utility programs, which help us in doing
difficult tasks quickly. For example, you might need to create a new dataset(with
particular parameters/settings), or you would like to take a backup of a
Sequential Dataset. You may intend to work with special kind of VSAM Datasets. In
order to accomplish such tasks, we would have to normally type TSO commands. This
is very tedious and cumbersome.
To make things easy, we can use utility programs provided by IBM. The most widely
used IBM Utilities are -
IEFBR14 Null program. Can be used to create a dataset, delete a
dataset.
IEBGENR Create a backup of a sequential dataset
IEBCOPY Copy dataset from PDS to PDS or member to member
SORT Sort the data in ascending or descending order
IDCAMS Create a GDG or VSAM
Q. How is IEFBR14 (null program) used?
IEFBR14 is the IBM supplied DO-NOTHING utility program. Basically, it does
nothing. We can use it in our Batch Job if we would like to create dataset, delete
dataset using JCL. Normally, its easier to create, and delete datasets through TSO/
ISPF. But if we want to do the same, by writing a Batch Job in JCL, we must use
IEFBR14.
Lets see a Batch Job(JCL) to create a simple Dataset.
//TRGD56A JOB A123,QUASAR,NOTIFY=&SYSUID
//STEP01 EXEC PGM=IEFBR14
//DD1 DD DSN=TRGD56.DEMO.DATASET,
// DISP=(NEW,CATLG,DELETE),
// SPACE=(TRKS,(1,1),RLSE),
// DCB=(RECFM=FB,LRECL=80,BLKSIZE=800)
//
In the above JCL, we create a new dataset with a storage space 1 primary track and
1 secondary track. Also, it is a Physical Sequential(PS) dataset. The PS has fixed-
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length records(FB), of length 80. The Block-size is 800.
Note : Every IBM Utility program has a prefix like IEF.
IEF All programs supplied by the JOB Management group have this prefix.
IEB Dataset utility programs have this prefix.
IEH System utility programs have this prefix.
IEW Linkers and Loaders have this prefix.
The name IEFBR14 is due to fact, that BR14 stands for Br anch t o r egi st er 14
instruction in the IBM Assembly language.
Q. How is IEBGENR utility program used?
Whenever you want to take a backup of a PS(Physical Sequential) dataset, you must
use IEBGENR. The PS dataset, could be a standalone dataset, or a sequential member
of a PDS.
Here is the IEBGENR JCL Format :
//TRGD56B JOB A123,QUASAR
//STEP01 EXEC PGM=IEBGENR
//SYPRINT DD SYSOUT=<output-device-class>
//SYSUT1 DD <input-dataset>
//SYSUT2 DD <output-dataset>
//SYSIN DD <control-dataset>
Here is a photograph(snapshot) of the Batch Job(JCL) written in the lab, to take a
backup of a sequential Dataset(PS).

It can be easily deduced that -
1) This JCL takes a backup of a sequential file using IBM Utility program IEBGENR
2) Input Dataset LEMOU21.LAB.EDSPS opened in Shareable mode
3) Ouput Dataset containing backup LEMOU21.LAB.OUT2 created newly
4) SYSOUT=* means that all the allocation, termination and job-step messages should be directed to the default printer (Given
by MSGCLASS parameter). You can see them in the JOB Spool.
Contents of Input Dataset(SYSUT1) - LEMOU21.LAB.EDSPS

Output Dataset Generated AFTER Running IEBGENR Utility - LEMOU21.LAB.OUT2

JOB Spool showing that job-step was executed successfully COND CODE 00

Learn about the other IBM Utilities in the next few tutorials..
Technorati Tags: IBM Mainframes,JCL,JCL Tutorial,IBM Utilities,IBM Utilities Tutorial,IEFBR14,Null program,SYSUT1,SYSUT2,SYSIN,SYSOUT,SYSPRINT,IEBGENR,IEBCOPY,
SORT,MERGE,IDCAMS,VSAM,PS,PDS
Posted by Quasar at Sunday, July 05, 2009
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Note : The copyrights of all the material, text and pictures posted in this website
belong to the author. Any instance of lifting the material from this website, shall
be considered as an act of plagiarism. For any clarifications, please mail at quasar.
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Globe-trotting
Some Excerpts from Mainframes360
Q. What are the two broad types of Applications/Systems?
All application/systems are of 2 types
(i) Online Systems(Transaction Processing Systems)
(ii)Batch Processing Systems. Read more ...
Q. What is the DATA DIVSION? What are the different sections in the DATA DIVISION?
DATA DIVISION is used to describe the Input Output Storage areas and temporary storage areas. In other words, itll describe the
structure of the data being stored in Input Output Files, as well as in any temporary storage. Read more ...
Q. What are data-types? What are the basic data-types in COBOL?
Data-type is used to announce/declare to the MVS O/S, about the type of data youre gonna store in a Storage Location, so that it
can estimate the storage space to be allocated and reserved for you data excusively. Read more ...
Q. What are group and Elementary Data Items?
In COBOL, one or more elementary data-items can be grouped together. For example, we can group EMP-NAME, EMP-SALARY and EMP-JDATE
as EMPLOYEE-RECORD. In COBOL, we say that a group item is a data item, which has several low-level(elementary) data-items. Read
more ...
Q. Can you elaborate on how to write the File Descriptor FD Paragraph?
As mentioned before, we must describe the input file record format and output file record format in the File Descriptor FD
paragraph under the FILE SECTION. Remember, that FD paragraph is always coded in AREA A. Read more ...
Q. What is JOB Log? Why do we need a JOB Log? What purpose does it serve?
When you submit a Batch JOB/JCL to the MVS System, the MVS executes the Job Stream, makes the necessary resources available to the
the EXEC PGM (Program), and finally tells you the result of the Job. Read more ...
Q. In the previous tutorial, youve stated what is compiling, linking and running.. Can you show me a Compiler and
Linking JCL/Job Stream that does this?
Sure, as you know, the Compiler takes a SYSIN DD Input Dataset, which is the Source COBOL Program. The COBOL Compiler IGYWC(or
IGYCRCTL) produces SYSOUT DD Dataset containing the JOB Log and Status messages, and more importantly, SYSLIN DD which is Object
Module and Input for the Linker. Read more ...
Q. Show me a simple JCL/JOB Stream to run my COBOL Program(LOAD MODULE).
On Windows, to run a program, we simply click on the Executable File. In the same way, to run our COBOL Program on Mainframes, we
are going to use the LOAD MODULE(Executable). To run a program on the MVS, you write JCL. You specify the name of the Program(LOAD
MODULE) Read more ...
Q. What is the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION? What purpose does it serve in the COBOL Program?
The ENVIRONMENT DIVISION provides information about the computer equipment/configuration upon which the COBOL program will run. It
also gives the name of the input and output files used in the program. It assigns the file-names to ddnames(DD Statements in the
Run JCL). Read more ...
Q. What is a Mainframe Computer?
A Mainframe computer is used by large organisations for processing huge volumes of data e.g. census, consumer statistics, ERP and
financial transaction processing. Read more ...
Q. How did IBM Mainframe machines evolve?
Well, IBM first launched the System/360, then System/370, System 370/XA, Enterprise System Architecture(ESA)/370, System 390 and
the latest machines in the Mainframe series is zSeries(pronounce Zee). Read more ...
Q. What does a Mainframe Computer look like? How do you operate it?
Lets just try to see whats life like, if you are Mainframe machines operator. A Desktop computer can fit into a trolley or a
cabinet. A Mainframe Machine is generally big monster-size, would fill up a room. On a Desktop PC, you would sit near the physical
computer and operate it using the keyboard and the mouse, and see the result on the monitor. Read more ...
Q. Hey, Windows is the most popular Operating System on a Desktop-PC. On the same lines, the popular Mainframes
Operating System is MVS...
Bulls-eye! In fact, MVS is said to be the Operating System that makes the world move. Read more ...
Q. What about Super-computers? Are mainframes faster than super-computers?
Dont equate the word Mainframes to Speed. Mainframes have tremendous processing power or computational power, but of a different
kind. Think of task, where we have 1,00,000 records of Input data, and we want to perform 3 calculations on each record, and then
put the Output Records in a separate file. Read more ...
Q. Whats that name again.. Multiple Virtual Storage? What crap?
Virtual Storage is a simple idea. Virtual storage simulates a large amount of main storage(Primary or main memory) by treating the
auxiliary storage as an extension of the real storage. Thus, a program gets the feel, Wow, I have an infinite amount of computer
memory at my disposal. Read more ...
Q. What is a Batch Job?
If you are a college student, you would have probably written a computer application in C, and executed it on your desktop PC. You
run the program interactively, you type in some input data, wait for the response(output), and then you type some more input, and
this cycle continues. Such programs or systems are called as Online Systems or Transaction Processing Systems. Read more ...
Q. Look, on Windows PC, you interact with the computer using the Windows GUI the Desktop Icons, the Menus,
Buttons etc. How do you interact with an MVS Mainframe System?
MVS offers several ways to interact with it. The 3 main ways of interacting with MVS are TSO, ISPF and CICS. Read more ...
Q. What does COBOL stand for? What are the application areas where COBOL Programs written?
COBOL stands for Common Business Oriented Language. COBOL Programs are used for commercial data processing. COBOL is an English-
like language. Writing a COBOL program is just like writing a passage in English. Read more ...
Q. You said COBOL Programming language bears resemblance with English. Do COBOL Programs have paragraphs like in
English?
A COBOL Program consists of 4 main divisions : IDENTIFICATION DIVISION, ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, DATA DIVISION and PROCEDURE DIVISION.
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION is used to identify the COBOL Program to the system. It tells the... Read more ...
Q. Show me the basic skeleton of a COBOL Program then..
The basic skeleton of a COBOL Program is as follows : IDENTIFICATION DIVISION. ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. Read more ...
Q. Paragraphs in the English language are indented. Do you have indentation/alignment rules in COBOL?
Just like paragraphs in English, COBOL Divisions and Paragraphs must follow strict alignment rules. The way we indent paragraphs in
English, you must indent different Divisions, sections and paragraphs in a COBOL Program. When you write .. Read more ...
Q. What is the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION used for?
The IDENTIFICATION DIVISION is used to identify the COBOL Program to the system. It has the following paragraphs :
PROGRAM-ID.
AUTHOR.
Read more ...
Q. What does the PROCEDURE DIVISION look like? Whats the format/syntax. Can you elaborate..
The PROCEDURE DIVISION indicates the entry-point or starting point of the COBOL Program. This is where the computer system begins
to run(execute the COBOL instructions). Hence, all your instructions/programming logic must be written inside this PROCEDURE
DIVISION. Read more ...
Q. How do you compile a COBOL Program? What is meant by Linking a COBOL Program? Finally, how do you run the
Program on a Mainframe System?
Compiling a COBOL Program : COBOL is a high-level language. The Mainframe Computer System only understands binary Machine Language
0 and 1. Thus, your COBOL Program has to be translated from COBOL Language to Binary Machine Language. So, you give the Program in
COBOL Language as Input to the Translator(Compiler), and you get the Output Program in Binary Machine Language. Read more ...
Q. Could you throw some light on the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION of a COBOL Program?
The WORKING-STORAGE SECTION is used to declare any fields or records that are not going to be used in input files, or output files,
but they are used to store the intermediate results of processing in a temporary storage area. Read more ...

Navigation
Navigation
- Main Page
- Questions Archive
- Articles and Writing
Tutorials
+ JCL Tutorials(12)
+ IBM Utilities Tutorials(08)
- Introduction to IBM
Utilities, IEFBR14, and IEBGENER
- IEBCOPY
- IEBCOMPR and SORT
- DFSORT: Sorting multiple
fields, Merging, extracting
subset
- Reformatting output, adding
spaces and $...
- Sum(aggregation), how high-
level data helps managers, SUM
FIELDS
- OUTREC FIELDS, Hex output,
OVERLAY and IFTHEN
- Generation Data Groups(GDGs)
for Versioning
+ COBOL Tutorials(08)
- DB2 Tutorials
+ VSAM Tutorials
- CICS Tutorials
- REXX Tutorials
- ISPF Panel Programming
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About Me
Quasar Chunawalla
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Working at Tata Consultancy Services, Chennai
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