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How COBOL on UNIX is different from Mainframe COBOL


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satya123
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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 4:05 pm
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Hi ,

Can anybody mention how COBOL on UNIX is different from Mainframe COBOL ????

Whether sytax and file programs are same as mainframe cobol???

Regards
satya123
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Aaru

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Joined: 03 Jul 2007
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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 4:32 pm
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Hi,

Quote:
Can anybody mention how COBOL on UNIX is different from Mainframe COBOL ????


By COBOL on UNIX, are you refering to COBOL programs maintained on a UNIX server?

What is the version of cobol that you are using on UNIX?

Techies,

Is it correct to use terms like "MAINFRAME COBOL" or "COBOL on UNIX"???
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Jonathan Sayles

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PostPosted: Thu May 14, 2009 4:59 pm
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Hi Satya - While COBOL is extremely portable in the whole, there are differences and platform-dependencies between some elements - Mainframe, UNIX/AIX and Windows.

These are typically in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION, and/or especially for things like return-codes from I/O on different platforms, etc.

One major difference to consider AIX ...vs... mainframe COBOL is that the data on AIX will be in ASCII while on the mainframe it's EBCDIC. This will affect things like: SORT, MERGE, LE calls and even things as subtle as IF statements - when you're comparing for < or > with mixed Alphanumerics.

Here's a link to the IBM AIX documentation library that includes the language reference:

www-01.ibm.com/software/awdtools/cobol/aix/library/
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satya123
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PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2009 8:50 am
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Thanx for the prompt reply....

I mean MICRO FOCUS on UNIX.. Can anybody give some sample programs or link for study materials.

Thanx & Regards
Satya123
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dick scherrer

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PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:09 am
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Hello,

Last time i used MicroFocus COBOL, it included samples.

You mioght look here:
supportline.microfocus.com/examplesandutilities/index.asp

If you know how to program cobol on the mainframe, you know how to program cobol on unix (basically). . . If you have lots of common routines on the mainframe, you may need to look for alternatives in unix.

FWIW, i was the project leader of a team that migrated the entire application inventory from 4 MVS systems to unix servers. Other than some changes to the SELECT/ASSIGN/FD, the source compiled correctly with the MicroFocus compiler. We did have to deal with packed-decimal and binary issues as well as collating sequence issues. We were fortunate that all of the files were qsam - all random access (bdam and vsam) had previously been converted to database.
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dick scherrer

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PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2009 9:36 am
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Hello,

One of the keys to our success is that all of the code was initially migrated "as is".

No changes/enhancements were implemented during the migration. We decided that the risk of confusion was too great. If something ran differently, we did not want to deal with determining if the difference was a change or with running in the unix environment.
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Anuj Dhawan

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Joined: 22 Apr 2006
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PostPosted: Fri May 15, 2009 1:03 pm
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In a very raw sense, COBOL is runs on Mainframe, AS/400, Servers like VS-COBOL/Cobol400.
Microfocus COBOL runs on UNIX machine with Character based Accept/Display commands.

Differences depend on the specific level of MF cobol and the specific level of COBOL you are comparing to. Differences are to numerous to go into, as said above.

If you have a reference manual for your 'other' cobol, you can go to microfocus.com and look at the Cobol you are using. The manual will tell you what is specific to some other level.
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