Hi Jay,
Some of the reasons cited in public for the change to require/entitle
DFSort for use with DB2 V8
* V8 removes the pre-req for an external sort product
* V8 will only use the DFSort package: SORT, MERGE
functions only
*Aim to improve reliability and performance
*DFSort code is part of a standard z/OS install
*DB2 UDB for z/OS Utilities Suite has a license API to use
DFSort
when invoked by the utilities
* Must have access to DFSort R14 plus APAR PQ68263 applied
Consider you can run DB2 under z/OS.e or in an LPAR where you may not
want to support traditional batch workloads. You now don't have to
license a full SORT product for that LPAR which may even be a whole CEC.
This may save you money.
The DB2 product team I would expect has more influence in terms of
getting desired feature and function implemented with DFSORT and doesn't
have to coordinate the same thing being implemented in all ISV products
or limit themselves to a subset of very basic SORT features. Who can
blame them for wanting to use the IBM SORT called from the IBM DB2
tools. You need to understand that IBM is providing the customers a
license to use DFSORT for this purpose as part of the license for DB2.
IBM is not forcing us to purchase DFSORT just to complete the systems
programming installation tasks for code already included in the z/OS
ServerPac.
We run both SYNCSORT for everything else and DFSORT for use by DB2. I
don't see a problem.
The install documentation for DFSORT prior to more recent updates to the
APAR Frank mentioned missed a few key points. If you already had
SYNCSORT and just need to install DFSORT for this you had to add
SICELINK & SORTLPA to LINKLIST and APF on all of the LPARs. The APF
step was not spelled out and they did not do it. The poor DB2 systems
programmer worked with DB2 support for days and didn't get any closer to
why it was not working support kept insisting modules were back level or
missing.
This is a mostly useless error message:
DSNU1640I DSNUGUTC - Z/OS DFSORT LOAD MODULE NOT LOADED.
How about instead...
DSNU1640E DSNUGUTC - Z/OS DFSORT LOAD MODULE NOT LOADED MACRO=LOAD
RC=00000306/000000C FP=FSRB
Or
DSNU1640E DSNUGUTC - Z/OS DFSORT LOAD MODULE NOT LOADED. LOAD OF
modname NOT FROM APF LIBRARY.
You could spell it out in big letters with a couple more lines of
messages but the DB2 developers should externalize the details of a
failing MVS macro which will cause them not to proceed. I want to see
the MVS macro invoked, return code, reason code, and a footprint that
uniquely identifies the code point from which the error is being issued.
Ideally the message description will allow a user to resolve the problem
themselves if not the message should contain enough information to
better understand the failure without having to recreate. Good design
here would have eliminated a support call.
I hauled out GTF trace for them and figured it out pretty quickly seeing
the RSN 0C trace entry but the messages from the DB2 utilities were of
no help.
Best Regards,
Sam Knutson, GEICO
Performance and Availability Management
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
(office) 301.986.3574
The wireless telegraph is not difficult to understand. The ordinary
telegraph is like a very long cat. You pull the tail in New York, and it
meows in Los Angeles. The wireless is the same, only without the cat. -
Albert Einstein
-----Original Message-----
Is there a description somewhere of why this special, internal-only
interface was added? Why should DB2 care what sort product a site uses,
to the point of mandating installation and use of an IBM product even if
an installation has chosen another?
This seems to me to be the same kind of bundling that got Microsoft in
such hot water...
--
Jay Maynard, K5ZC http://www.conmicro.cx
http://jmaynard.livejournal.com http://www.tronguy.net
http://www.hercules-390.org (Yes, that's me!)
Buy Hercules stuff at http://www.cafepress.com/hercules-390
<>
====================
This email/fax message is for the sole use of the intended
recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution of this
email/fax is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please
destroy all paper and electronic copies of the original message.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO
Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
