Automation in handling Space abend

honestsoul · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 23 Location: delhi

Hi frnds,
I have comeup with an idea if u can help me out to implement the same.

Actually we get lots of space abends in production jobs,
I thought of developing a tool or a JCL which will handle the space abend as below:

1. While allocating space for the output dataset, I wanted to add another temp dataset and allocate larger space for it which will get deleted once the program get executed.
2. say the given space for the o/p dataset is to hold 50 lines data but our program is producing 60 lines data, then it gives space abend.
but all the 60 lines of data will be in that temp dataset which have larger size.
3. once it shows space abend it wud come to a PARA which will then calculate the size of the temp dataset with all records.
then the logic is it will substract size of temp dataset with o/p dataset so it will get the required INCREASE IN SPACE.
4. Now it will just add the increased space with the space of the present o/p dataset and re-run the program or job......
so now the exact space is allocated and no space abend is produced.....

Please suggest me if this is possible or any new easy logic for this...
and am sorry if posted in a wrong thread.

THANKS

expat · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:34 pm

I have always found prevention better than cure.

One way is to trend dataset usage from SMF or DCOLLECT records and generate a report on multi extent datasets and then increase the space before it abends.

Also, talk with your storage people to discuss multi volume datasets which can sort out the problem just as easily.

genesis786 · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:34 pm

Hi, there are a couple of questions which you would like to answer :

1. What constitutes your production jobs? ie they could be some batch cobol programs running, some rexx macros, some cics / mq / db2 programs. basically u need to assess your environment first.

2. where ur space abend happens? is that for sequential files / vsam files etc ?

3. if u already know the output is going to exceed the allocated space, why not increase it permanently? or is that some sort of variable output? ie if u know some job is going to abend due to space problem today, using temp dataset would be a temporary solution. instead fix the job up permanently.

4. when u say '...it wud come to a PARA which will then calculate the size of the temp dataset...' i hope u mean cobol programs ?

5. how will u know the delta of the space allocated and space required. if the job abends, how will u find out how much more data that job was going to produce?

Gnanas N · Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:58 pm

Available products, BMC STOP X37, CA ALLOCATE.

honestsoul · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 23 Location: delhi

thanks for ur replies
First i wud like to answer Genesis786

1.The production jobs contains batch cobol programs and it can be ims db even db2 programs.

2. generally we handle the space abends for Sequentially files

3.actually i dont know how much size is the input ,its a report not always but sometimes lots of space abend occurs so thought of taking a temp dataset whose size is large and after calculating the actual size of the input it wil get deleted once the program get executed.

4.actually i meant PARA means if we can write in rexx or any function we can use in which all this logic we can put.

5.to know the delta of the space i am taking the temp dataset whose size is large and it is only to accomodate all the input datas and once the logic of calculation for the delta space over and it add that delta space to the o/p dataset then it get deleted...( so i meant a temp dataset).

well GNANAS N can i know frm where we can get the CA ALLOCATE PRODUCT?can i know its code how it works?

Please i need to know if we can do it by rexx or any code???

thanks

Gnanas N · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:28 pm

expat · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:37 pm

And not to mention SMS which you pay for anyway, so why not talk to your storage people to use SMS rather than pay for another product that will do the same thing.

honestsoul · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 23 Location: delhi

yaa well now buying a new product wont b possible,

just wanted to know if any of u can help me in coding the logic i gave.....
or any other easy logic.....

Thanks

expat · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:18 pm

Why not just talk to your storage people and ask about multi volume DATACLAS.

It will take the storage people about 10 minutes to set everything up and activate it.

honestsoul · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 23 Location: delhi

thanks EXPAT but my friend they are using BMC STOPX37 and sometimes it gives error so we get more than 100 space abends every months...

so thought of applying some logic and permanently fix the space abend...
any idea like if the logic wud work wat i specified before on the top?

just when the space abend occurs it wud come to a function where it will be handled and as i told the delta increase of space wud get added with the space of given o/p dataset space and the program will re-run so now it wont get any space abend...
Please suggest.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:40 pm

honestsoul · New User Joined: 05 Nov 2008 Posts: 23 Location: delhi

not exactly a functiong frnd just an idea i suggested like if the program get abended then it comes to a PARA or to a control position where it wud then follow some logical step to increase the required space and re-run the whole program so this time it wud b abend free.

expat · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 4:01 pm

As previously said in this thread, and sucessfully implemented in many sites where I have managed the storage environment and have done this in liaison with the prod support JCL monkeys. Mostly reducing from 70 - 100 space abends per day down to virtually zero.

1) Implement multi volume datasets, in conjunction with your storage people. As said before, probably less than 10 minutes work.

2) Monitor which datasets are going to multiple extents / volumes and then change the space allocations before an abend occurs. ISMF should do the reporting easily enough.

Why do you want to waste a lot of time complicating something that can take relatively little time and effort to achieve with excellent results. Or is this just another case of "I want to do it this way and I will do it this way, so there !!!

Pedro · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:16 pm

Follow Expat's advice.

As for your logic:

dick scherrer · Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:53 pm

Hello,

gcicchet · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:58 am

Hi Expat,

expat · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:33 pm

Gerry,

I used to be one myself a good many years back

And have also been called a few other things too