Assuming that the count/key information is really just meta data and doesn't have the same physical presence as it did on real 3340/50/80/90 devices, and given that this type of operation is common; I was wondering whether creating a new CCW to do the format and let the controller/device take care of everything wouldn't be worth doing. The define extent already bounds the range of the format, a parameter list consisting of the start of the count field, record count per track, block size, and fill character could be provided and the controller could do its thing. If it were a large area then several such format operations could be done if you didn't want to seize the device (or use PAV).
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