Downloading VMARC Archives

Many of the files we make available on this web site are packaged in VMARC archives. On this page we tell you how to handle such VMARC archive files.

Handling a VMARC Archive File

A VMARC archive file is a single CMS file that contains many CMS files in data-compressed form. To make said CMS files useful on your system, you need to do the following things:

  1. Download the VMARC archive file from this web server, usually by clicking on its link. Your browser will prompt you about saving the file. Save the file on your workstation.

  2. Upload the VMARC archive file to your z/VM system in binary. Use whatever file transfer means you have at your disposal: FTP it to your VM system, or upload it through your terminal emulator, or whatever.

  3. Reblock the VMARC archive file to F 80 format so that it can be unpacked. Assuming your uploaded file was called FRED VMARC A, issue this command to reblock it: 
    Ready;
PIPE < FRED VMARC A | fblock 80 00 | > FRED VMARC A F 80
Ready;

  4. Unpack the VMARC archive file. Use the VMARC tool, like this: 
    Ready;
VMARC UNPK FRED VMARC A = = A ( OLDDATE REPLACE
Ready;

  5. At this point you can erase the VMARC archive file itself because you have extracted the CMS files it contains.

Obtaining the VMARC Tool

Of course, to be able to unpack a VMARC archive file, you need the VMARC tool itself. The tool is a MODULE file that you upload to CMS. Here's how to get yourself a copy of VMARC MODULE:

  1. Click here and instruct your browser to save the file to disk,
  2. Upload the file to VM in BINARY,
  3. Run the file through this pipeline: 
    PIPE < VMARC MODULE A | deblock cms | > VMARC MODULE A

We also have a help file for VMARC. To get yourself a copy of the help file,

  1. Click here and instruct your browser to save the file to disk,
  2. Upload the file to VM in BINARY,
  3. Run the file through this pipeline: 
    PIPE < VMARC HELPCMS A | deblock cms | > VMARC HELPCMS A

To peruse the help file, just issue HELP CMS VMARC.