SYNCSORT PHASES?

kitchu84 · New User Joined: 02 Dec 2006 Posts: 33 Location: chennai

Does Syncsort have phases? Like if i am running sort on a file , does it happen like read the file, sort and put it in SORTWK and eventually write the records into the o/p file.

Just wanted to know whether we have a way of knowing which phase the sort is in , based on any of the data from SDSF , while the job is still active.

dick scherrer · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:31 am

Hello,

No, there isn't a way from SDSF, really.

Why do you believe this might be of some use to you?

Bill Woodger · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:44 am

Trying to find out how the scrillion-record sort is going?

dick scherrer · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:08 am

Hello,

Possibly. . .

If this really is a scrillion-record (and not just a generic request about sort status while in-flight). something i've noticed over time is that when the cpu usage drops very low and the i/o is very high, the sort is nearly done. As long as the cpu use is substantial, the "ordering" is still in process.

Bill Woodger · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 4:52 am

There is an "END SORT PHASE" message. As Dick says, then the CPU drops and IO (EXCPs) rises. If you have any sort of "monitoring" tool, you'd notice the difference.

I don't know if the message comes up on the log in your system, or whether you have to get lucky looking at the output while the job is still running.

The read input/write to sortwk/sort is, I think, all happening at the same time, to at least some extent, although sortwk usage and sorting will continue after the input is exhausted. I don't remember a message for "finished with input file", but just look at any sort output, sort messages manual, sort manual etc. Tape rewinding was a clue to finished input. We'd sometimes ask the OPS to let us know that on a big sort (our "big" sorts were tiny compared to yours).

It was always comforting to see WER045C arrive. Although you then start to think about if there is enough space for the output file.

PeterHolland · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:48 pm

A description of all Syncsort phases can be found in the Programmer's Guide.