Description of SPOOLKIT

Download count: 11 this month, 46 altogether.
Downloads for SPOOLKIT:
  VMARC archive: v-93K

The SPOOLKIT package contains the SFLIST module and some associated files, intended to make life easier for system administrators when working with spool files. file The module provides the following functions:

  • Total SPOOL utilization by user
    The initial 'Spool File Overview' screen shows total spool utilization (number of files, number of 4k-blocks used) per user. This is where you'd start looking for users that occupy too much space.
  • Spool file manipulation
    After selecting a particular user on the overview screen that user's spool files are listed on the UFLIST screen (with the newsest files on top). They can be viewed, received, renamed, purged or transferred to another user.
  • The integrated SBROWSE request allows viewing even open spool files (e.g. current console logs).
  • Spool volume utilization
    Two reports are provided:
    • SPOOLVOL summary report for summary SPOOL utilization by volume, and
    • 'SPOOLVOL volser' report with utilization details for a selected volume, listing all files that have data blocks on the volume, and the number of blocks occupied on the volume by each file.
    While this may be of academical interest only most of the time, you will need the information if you drain a spool volume and want to know which spool files occupy the last few blocks that prevent you from taking the volume offline.
Pre-Requisites
Full use of all SFLIST functions requires CP privilege classes D and E, and also access to full-pack overlay minidisks for all SPOOL volumes.
While the basic SFLIST spool file displays can be used with just class D, the SBROWSE function and part of the SPOOLVOL data require access to some CP control blocks, and to control and data blocks on disk.

Documentation
File SFLIST README of the package gives more details about these pre-requisites and it also provides a short introduction.
More detailed documentation is available from CMS help files.

Report bugs, and direct comments/questions to: Eginhard Jaeger

Change history

  • 2023-05-20 SFLIST V1.4/Fix005 level:
    • Fix004: Prevent unplanned exit following CP break-in
    • Fix005: Allow defining default action when hitting ENTER without data for spool file on UFLIST report (new SFLIST $PROFILE entry)
  • 2023-05-13 SFLIST V1.4/Fix003 level, redisributed to include SFLIST $PROFILE sample.
    Also includes
    • Fix001: Accept 'UP' as synonym for 'BACKWARD' scrolling
    • Fix002: Include '% Data' column in SFLIST files overview screen to show percentage of data each user contributes to total amount of spool data
    • Fix003: Fix LEFT shifting on narrow screens
  • 2023-04-19 SFLIST V1.4: Distribution as SPOOLKIT PACKAGE. Some extensions added and bugs fixed:
    - Support SFLIST $PROFILE for customizing PF-key assignment.
    - SBROWSE extenstions:
    • PUT subcommand added for writing data lines to disk file.
    • BLOCK ON/OFF subcommand added to allow showing some information
      on internal organization of spool files.
    • Append file creation time to SBROWSE header for wide screens.
    • Prevent SYS-type file selection for SBROWSE to avoid abend.
    - Auto-dump logic builds a dump if the program should abend.

Previous releases, distributed as SFLIST PACKAGE:

  • 2023-07-18 V1.3: Refreshed to include recent fixes
  • 2023-05-22 V1.3: Extended to include new 'SPOOLVOL' and 'SPOOLVOL volser' reports with information on distribution of spool file blocks on different spool volumes. Also includes some minor enhancements and fixes.
  • 2022-10-30 V1.2: Adapted to tolerate z/VM 7.3 control block layout, and to include system data files in the display.
  • 2022-04-11 V1.1: Update to let SBROWSE support FBA DASD and new SFLIST command invocation.
  • 2022-03-31 V1.0: Initial distribution to VM download page.