I would assume a directory entry must be created before attempting to
allocate space for the contents of a new PDSE member.  So, assuming the
PDSE has no free blocks and cannot be extended, do you get a different
type of ABEND if the out-of-space condition occurs at directory entry
creation time because a new directory block just happens to be needed vs
finding space in an existing directory block and then hitting the
out-of-space condition trying to allocate a block for the member data?  
With no free blocks, obviously no new members can be added to the PDSE,
but it looks like it might still  be possible that the failure could be
reflected differently to the user or program depending on purpose for
which a block were needed at the initial point of failure.

In a pathological case where you were just adding a very large number
of  Alias directory entries pointing to existing members, I would think
you could use all remaining free blocks in the PDSE just for directory
blocks without allocating any new blocks for member content, so if PDSE
block allocation failure makes any distinction between failures
occurring when a directory block is needed vs a member data block, that
would be another case that might be reflected as a shortage of directory
space.
    JC Ewing

On 10/22/20 10:52 AM, Charles Mills wrote:
> Putting it differently, there is no distinction between "member data space" 
> and "directory entry space." Being out of one is being out of both. A PDSE of 
> 10 tracks could equally well hold one member of ~500K or lots and lots of 
> tiny or "null" members. A mischievous programmer adding an unbounded number 
> of empty members would be no different in effect from a mischievous 
> programmer adding one member of unbounded size.
>
> Charles
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On 
> Behalf Of R.S.
> Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2020 7:29 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: emptying a PDS: was RE: [IBM-MAIN] getting XCFAS down
>
> W dniu 22.10.2020 o 15:12, Paul Gilmartin pisze:
>> On Thu, 22 Oct 2020 13:50:44 +0200, R.S. wrote:
>>
>>> Remark: while shortage of space is possible in PDSE, then shortage of
>>> directory blocks is not possible.
>>>
>> What happens if an inquisitive programmer mischievously adds an
>> unbounded number of empty  members to a small PDSE?  Or adds
>> numerous aliases to a nearly full PDSE?
> My guess: x37 abend or next extent. This is NOT directory full, it is 
> lack of space.
>
> ...


-- 
Joel C. Ewing

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