On Sat, 26 Aug 2023 11:52:58 +0000, Richard McIntosh 
<[email protected]> wrote:

>We are starting to do a very rushed syncsort to DFsort migration.
>I am assuming most of the sort ports are identical, but I bet not all of them.
>Does anyone have a list of parms that need to be looked at?
>Or anything thing else that I should be aware of.
>
>Thanks in advance for your time in replying.
>
>Richard M

Some relevant points/considerations/concerns:
- SYNCSORT (now SYNCSORT MFX re-branded with Precisely marketing over-reach) 
use of /$ORTPARM DD (e.g., ELAP, VSCORE/VSCORET, others)  and DFSORT uses 
//SORTCNTL DD or //DFSPARM DD - clearly may involve external JCL-changes.
- DFSORT generates enhanced SYSOUT diagnostics when //SORTDIAG DD DUMMY coded; 
otherwise with SYNCSORT uses $ORTPARM DD control parameters
- "out of the box" DFSORT ICEMAC definitions pretty well tuned; otherwise 
unsure about current-methodology with SYNCSORT.
- SYNCSORT (namely ZPSaverSuite) may have zIIP-offload exploitation; otherwise, 
DFSORT not-so-much - an IBM-declared statement, presumed that the z15/z16 
zSORT/SORTL on-chip approach taken, but only "compliant" SORT-executions (e.g., 
an application sort execution, such as SAS-invoked PROC SORT under DFSORT does 
not exploit zSORT/SORTL (SAS INSTITUTE responded "not planned enhancement, and 
customers are not asking for it either.")
- unsure about "native SORT" using SYNCSORT (more current 
release/version/maintenance) and z15/z16 zSORT/SORTL (Accelerator).
- SYNCSORT may be implemented with SAS application PROC SYNCSORT; otherwise SAS 
PROC SORT using DFSORT calls for SAS CONFIG parameter SORTBLKMODE.
- DB2 sort-operation considerations - unknown about if/how/where SYNCSORT might 
get invoked; otherwise, with DFSORT consider IBM PH03207 and later 
documentation available for z15/z16 zSORT/SORTL exploitation.
- unsure about how a "new" DFSORT site, converting from use of PGM=SYNCSORT, 
PGM=SYNCGENR, PGM=SYNCTOOL, will "under the covers via a program alias" will 
get the DFSORT-equivalent - surely there must be some documented knob-turning 
with DFSORT install/implementation at IBM.COM ??
- z/OS address space control/mgmt of REGION / MEMLIMIT (job- and job-step 
level) influences how a HOST-SORT solution can exploit memory over disk for 
SORT-WORK operations.
- With a DFSORT implementation, active SMF type 16 (especially pay attention to 
DFSORT complaining when it cannot exploit zSORT/SORTL for whatever reason); 
otherwise, SYNCSORT has some near-equivalent sort invocation/performance data 
source when implemented with the SMF=(ON,nnn|208) parameter.
- Likely both SYNCSORT and DFSORT behave as-expected when SORT-WORK allocations 
are made dynamically; otherwise consider HOST-SORT behavior when JCL-coded 
SORT-WORK DD allocations are made/used (e.g., DSNTYPE=LARGE, no VOL-ADD support 
for either DFSORT or SYNCSORT.  Again, coding //SORTDIAG DD DUMMY will enhance 
the diagnostic-messages output sent to //SYSOUT DD for DFSORT operations 
(unsure if SYNCSORT has a special DD-name opportunity or otherwise is only 
driven with $ORTPARM DD override with MSG=  parameter coding technique.)
- by all means afforded....exploit / engage available IBM/ISV/vendor SUPPORT 
services to ensure your solution implementation is as optimized as possible -- 
fortunately both IBM DFSORT and PRECISELY SYNCSORT technical support teams are 
always very helpful, in my past experience.


Scott Barry
SBBTech LLC

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