On Mon, 13 May 2019 16:04:04 +0000, Jesse 1 Robinson wrote: > >The problem with FB vs. VB--mostly in script management involving CLIST or >REXX--is as old as MVS. For most of affected shops, the conundrum is the >reverse of OP's. Vendor distribution is usually FB--SMPE pretty much requires >that-- > ??? SMP/E has (almost?) forever supported RECFM=VB for IEBCOPY-unloaded RELFILEs, and more recently in GIMDTS for inlined PTF elements.
>The biggest problem with format conversion is that you have to keep up with >vendor updates. That's way more trouble than the original conversion. So if >pressure on the vendor gains you nothing, you need to live with the hassle. >One technique to simplify life works if you can isolate a product to a >particular set of users. For example, SMPE and IPCS are used by sysprogs. You >can write an 'INIT' REXX that allocates vendor-supplied data sets--including >e.g. REXX of the opposite format--and instruct users to run *your* >application. The INIT REXX almost never needs updating; vendor updates >everything else. > Vendors should distribute or customers should install as UNIX directories/files. Those can be seamlessly concatenated with either RECFM=VB or RECFM=FB PDS(E)s (although not both). Much of the problem lies in vendors' and customers' unwillingness to adopt the newer, more flexible facilities such as GIMDTS and UNIX that IBM has long made available. SMP/E should support "patch" as an alternative to IEBUPDTE for USERMODs and such. -- gil ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
