<snip>
TOD Clock Service
The time-of-day (TOD) clock service provides a caller, including your
exit routine,
with a TOD clock image. In the clock image, bit 0 is set on to allow
the service to
handle values from May 11,1971, at 11:56:53.685248 to January 25,
2114, at
11:50:41.055743.
</snip>
What this is likely trying (but failing) to say is that this service
applies a windowing technique, which much of z/OS will do in the coming
years, as we approach the end of the standard epoch.
Currently, but 0 off in the STCK result means (approximately) "before
1971", and bit 1 on means 1971-2042 (approximately).
But come the end of the standard epoch, bit 0 off will be treated when
windowed (approximately) as the 71 years following the end of the standard
epoch.
Thus, the wording is wrong, and Gil's puzzlement is fully understandable.
It's actually that an input STCK value with bit 0 off is treated as "after
the end of the standard epoch, not the first part of the standard epoch".
But it's worse. The lead-in does not match the service names. The lead-in
for the section has "provides a caller...with a TOD clock image" which
does not match the table that shows that the output is a 26-character
buffer. So either the lead-in is wrong or the reference to BLSUXTOD here
is wrong. I think the latter. The description in the register sub-section
shows the "TID" name.
There are actually two pairs of services: BLSUXTOD/BLSUETOD and
BLSUXTID/BLSUETID.
The "TOD" services take an input clock value and return a formatted
date/time. The "TID" services take an input formatted date/time and return
a clock value.
The book has two sections -- "TOD Clock Service" and "26-Character Time
Stamp Service". The section name should correspond to the output. Thus TOD
Clock Service would be BLSUXTID. 26-Character Time Stamp Service would be
BLSUXTOD. And that is analogous to the 17-Character Time Stamp Service
which is BLSUMTOD and is documented as such.
The 26-Character Time Stamp Service has analogous errors (and its register
sub-section incorrectly shows the "TID" name)
The register section also has this:
Note: If using a LINK macro, specify the addresses of the fullwords in the
PARAM parameter.
which is wrong. If using a LINK macro, you would specify the parameters in
the PARAM parameter.
I will initiate an RCF to get this updated.
Peter Relson
z/OS Core Technology Design
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