Where are sample JCLs are installed?

[RyanFox]

Hi,

I have been told that when a software in installed on your mainframe, they will also give some sample JCLS to use it. And these JCLs will be installed in some sample library. Where are sample JCLs are installed? Can someone please tell me.

[enrico-sorichetti]

the information is available in the manuals of the software being installed

[Robert Sample]

You probably need to talk to your site support group as well. They install the software and hence know where the installation libraries are. The installation libraries may not have the same high level qualifier as the production software.

[RyanFox]

Hi Enrico and Robert,

Thank you. don't they have standard libraries for sample across companies? Will this not be confusing for all of us who try to learn and change companies in between?

[Robert Sample]

don't they have standard libraries for sample across companies? Will this not be confusing for all of us who try to learn and change companies in between?

There are standard SYSTEM libraries -- SYS1.LINKLIB, SYS1.PROCLIB, SYS1.PARMLIB and SYSx.IPLPARM as examples (SYSx may be SYS0 through SYS9). However, even system libraries are not necessarily standard across companies -- the COBOL compiler data sets I have seen include SYS1.IGY?????, SYS1.VmRnMp.IGY??????, SYS3.IGY?????, SYS4.IGY????? and other variations. So even system data sets vary from site to site; since application programmers generally use the established site compile process they don't care what the COBOL compiler data sets are called. And system programmers adapt quickly. Software applications I've dealt with sometimes have a SAMPLIB data set with sample code, but some vendors just put samples in the install library and some just don't ship any sample code. When the application programmer changes companies, part of the learning curve for the new company is to find out company-specific information like standard compile processes (some companies may use Endevor, some Librarian, some Panvalet, or some other source code library management software).

[enrico-sorichetti]

You started by asking about sample JCLs for installed software

I have been told that when a software in installed on your mainframe, they will also give some sample JCLS to use it.

then You changed Your mind

Thank you. don't they have standard libraries for sample across companies?

it' more a question related to company standards and making new hires familiar with them
every company has different habits, different standards, different practices

probably not giving enough info to new hires is part of the above behaviour

[Robert Sample]

I have been told that when a software in installed on your mainframe, they will also give some sample JCLS to use it.

Note that this is not necessarily true. Some vendors provide sample JCL, some vendors do not.

One of the ongoing issues on this and other mainframe fora is that new users believe that sites are standardized. We see this when someone recommends using product X to solve a problem, not realizing that product X is from an ISV (independent software vendor) and hence is not installed at every site. There is much less standardization than new users realize -- other than a handful of datasets (5? 8? certainly not many more than that), system programmers can name data sets as they want and place them where they want. Hence for almost any given data set, the name depends upon the site. Volume names, storage class and storage group names, data class names, and so forth are completely dependent upon the site and MUST be found at the site. And even for the IBM products, some sites run all the products while other sites use some of them (HSM, RACF, RMF come to mind as three IBM products that are not installed at every site).

[RyanFox]

There are standard SYSTEM libraries -- SYS1.LINKLIB, SYS1.PROCLIB, SYS1.PARMLIB and SYSx.IPLPARM as examples (SYSx may be SYS0 through SYS9). However, even system libraries are not necessarily standard across companies -- the COBOL compiler data sets I have seen include SYS1.IGY?????, SYS1.VmRnMp.IGY??????, SYS3.IGY?????, SYS4.IGY????? and other variations. So even system data sets vary from site to site; since application programmers generally use the established site compile process they don't care what the COBOL compiler data sets are called. And system programmers adapt quickly. Software applications I've dealt with sometimes have a SAMPLIB data set with sample code, but some vendors just put samples in the install library and some just don't ship any sample code. When the application programmer changes companies, part of the learning curve for the new company is to find out company-specific information like standard compile processes (some companies may use Endevor, some Librarian, some Panvalet, or some other source code library management software).

Hi Robert,

Thank you so much. This is a great information.

[RyanFox]

it' more a question related to company standards and making new hires familiar with them
every company has different habits, different standards, different practices

Hi Enrico,

I was thinking that that is the next possible question. If the libraries were standard, to an extent JCLs could have been standard. But that is my assumption but now looking at Robert's replies I get some idea how it works.