Module 4: ISPF SDSF

ISPF- SDSF

SDSF stands for System Display and Search Facility. It is the panel where you watch your batch jobs run and read their output. You open it with option S on the ISPF primary option menu, or by typing SDSF at the TSO READY prompt.

The SDSF panels you need

Every SDSF panel has a COMMAND INPUT ===> line. Type one of these two-letter commands and press Enter.

ST - Status of jobs. Shows your jobs on every queue: input, executing and output. This is your home panel.
DA - Display Active users. Shows jobs and started tasks currently executing, with CPU usage.
I - Input queue. Jobs waiting to run.
O - Output queue. Finished jobs whose output is ready to read.
H - Held output queue. Output you held with the H line command (or that the system held).
LOG - System log. Operator messages and system events; useful when the whole system misbehaves.
On the ST panel, set OWNER to your userid (or *) and PREFIX to your jobname pattern to filter the list.

Line commands on the ST panel

Type the command in the small NP field at the left of a job row and press Enter.

NP JOBNAME JobID Owner Prty Queue C Pos ? PAYJOB01 JOB12345 USER01 5 EXECUTION A 1 S PAYJOB02 JOB12346 USER01 5 OUTPUT A - P PAYJOB03 JOB12347 USER01 5 OUTPUT A - Line commands: ? = list the job's output data sets (JESMSGLG, JESJCL, JESYSMSG, SYSOUT) S = browse the whole job output O = release held output so it prints or can be viewed H = hold the job's output C = cancel a job that is waiting or executing P = purge (delete) the job's output from the spool

Type ? next to a job to see its individual output datasets, then S next to JESMSGLG to read the messages and JESYSMSG for system messages.
S directly on the job row browses all of its output concatenated together.
Use O and H to release or hold output. Held output stays on the spool until you release or purge it.
C cancels a job. P purges finished output you no longer need.

A real example: submit a job and read the output

In the editor (option 2), open your JCL member and type SUBMIT on the command line. Note the jobname and job ID from the message, for example JOB12345.
Go to SDSF (type =S to jump there, then ST).
Set PREFIX to your jobname, for example PAYJOB*, and press Enter.
Watch the Queue column: INPUT means waiting, EXECUTION means running, OUTPUT means finished.
When it shows OUTPUT, type ? next to the job and press Enter.
Type S next to JESMSGLG and read the messages. Look for the return code line, for example IEF142I PAYJOB01 STEP1 - STEP WAS EXECUTED - COND CODE 0000.
COND CODE 0000 means success. Anything else means a step failed; type S next to JESYSMSG for the system messages explaining why.
When you are done, type P next to the job on the ST panel to purge the output and keep the spool clean.

Holding and releasing jobs

Type H next to a job on the ST panel to hold its output; it moves to the H queue and will not print.
Type O next to held output to release it for printing or viewing.
To hold a job before it runs (so it waits in the input queue), use the H line command while it is still on the input queue, or submit with TYPRUN=HOLD.
Releasing a held job from the input queue lets it run normally.

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