SYSRES datasets and z/OS version.

[Prakash Jha]

Hello,

Just curious to know if there is/are a module within SYSRES dataset's which can help me to determine the zOS version? I am just curious to know this for the Knowledge. If possible, please guide me.

Regards,

[Robert Sample]

The easiest way to find the z/OS version is to use the console command D IPLINFO which display the version as part of its output. There is no need to go to any SYSRES data set to obtain this information.

[Prakash Jha]

Thanks Robert. Why do you say not to go to SYSRES, is it restricted to be accessed?

[Robert Sample]

Most sites restrict access to SYSRES in one way or another. However, the main reason I said to use the console command is that it is MUCH easier to get the OS version -- there is not a simple way to get the OS version by looking at the SYSRES pack(s).

[Prakash Jha]

Thanks Robert. I am not allowed to issue D IPLINFO. I tried to issue it when I was in SDSF.

[Robert Sample]

I was talking with a colleague about your request today. We are using a z/OS 1.12 system, and there are a couple of places to get the version information on the SYSRES (there may be more, but these are the ones we thought of): the system boot record and the operating system nucleus. In order to access the system boot record, you must have specialized knowledge and a very high level of authorization to your system. Our 1.12 system has almost 600 modules in the nucleus, but a good number are aliases so there's maybe 450 to 500 modules. One (or more) of them will have the version information -- which one? I don't know.

The other issue with getting z/OS version information from the SYSRES is that the data is not likely to be something you recognize. If you look at the system macros, z/OS 1.12 is listed as SP7.1.2 internally. I suspect z/OS 2.1 will be SP8.0.1 internally but I haven't looked at the 2.1 system macro library to confirm that. And IBM is noted for using bits to denote the operating system level sometimes -- check the SMF record descriptions! So even if you have access to the system boot record or the nucleus, you don't really know what you're looking for exactly.

If you cannot use the D IPLINFO console command, talk to the site support group and they can tell you the version of z/OS in use at your site. There are tools (MXI, MAINVIEW, OMEGAMON being three of them) that can identify the z/OS version as well; if you have access to any of them you can them to find the z/OS version. I believe SAS can also identify the z/OS version but I'd have to go back and research that.

Also, you referenced SYSRES data sets but more typically system programmers refer to the SYSRES volumes (or disk packs). Most systems these days have 2 or 3 volumes for SYSRES (especially since z/OS 2.1 and 2.2 EACH add a couple of thousand cylinders to the required space) and which data sets go on which SYSRES volumes can be arbitrary. There are optional products which sites may -- or may not -- have installed and some of these products need data sets on what are traditionally considered SYSRES (such as LPA or LINKLIST data sets or authorized load libraries).

[Prakash Jha]

Thanks, thank you so much for the detailed reply.

[Robert Sample]

z/OS 1.12 is listed as SP7.1.2 internally. I suspect z/OS 2.1 will be SP8.0.1 internally

I was wrong again -- it is SP7.2.1 NOT SP8.0.1