Skip to main contentIBM ZLPN Documentation

Customizing an IIC-Dallas zOS Guest Operating System

IIC-Dallas has implemented a specific dataset concatenation (search order) for system configuration parameters to allow users of the IIC-Dallas complex the capability to easily customize the zOS Guest operating system to their requirements. ALL your changes should be made in a “VENDOR” High-Level Qualifier (HLQ) dataset. The concatenation order is as follows:

Concatenation Order

Dataset HLQDescription
VENDORWhen you IPL or “BOOT” your system the first datasets in the search order are searched for any configuration file with this HLQ. Therefore ALL of your changes should be made to a dataset with this HLQ. There are pre-allocated dataset for your use. Some will be empty so you can add to them others will have configurations files you can modify.
SVTSCAre read only datasets. Reserved for IIC-Dallas configurations. These datasets are pre-allocated for IIC-Dallas Configuration.
LVL0Are read only datasets. Reserved for IIC-Dallas configurations. These datasets are pre-allocated for IIC-Dallas Configuration.

Pre-Allocated Concatenation Order

Pre-Allocated HLQ. (Example: VENDOR.PARMLIB)Description
CIDTABL
CLISTClists and Rexx execs used
HELPHelp files. ISV specific help files
ISPLLIBISPF Load Modules
ISPMLIBISPF Messages
ISPPLIBISPF Panels
ISPSLIBISPF Skeleton used for file tailoring
ISPTLIBISPF Tables and/or special command table
LINKLIB
LPALIB
PARMLIBADD/Change PARMLIB configuration members
PROCLIBADD/Change Start Procedures
SOURCEA place you can keep your source.
STCJOBS
SYSEXECRexx execs
TCPPARMSTCPIP configuration members (Make sure the TCPIP proc is updated
VTAMLIBVTAM loadlibs and USS table modules
VTAMLSTADD/Change VTAM configuration members.

Updating PARMLIB members:

DO NOT SIMPLY COPY OR CHANGE PARAMETERS in VENDOR.PARMLIB.

Certain members in parmlib, like IEASYSVN, will remove required configuration parameters if you just add a parameter or cut and paste on from a book.

VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN). This is a crucial member used during IPL. If it is not modified correctly you will have a problem with your next IPL or you may NOT be able to IPL at all. To modify this member the following will help:

  1. First you need to determine what other IEASYSxx files are being used and then follow the search order setup at IIC-Dallas to find each member. You can use the D IPLINFO to determine which other members are currently being used for each IPL.

    D IPLINFO

    RESPONSE=S0W1
    IEE254I 10.12.38 IPLINFO DISPLAY 751
    SYSTEM IPLED AT 19.30.29 ON 06/08/2008
    RELEASE z/OS 01.09.00 LICENSE = z/OS
    USED LOADW1 IN SYS1.IPLPARM ON 0CE3
    ARCHLVL = 2 MTLSHARE = N
    IEASYM LIST = (W1,SV,VN)
    IEASYS LIST = (00,LV,SV,VN) (OP)
    IODF DEVICE 0CE3
    IPL DEVICE 1000 VOLUME VIMVSB

    “IEASYS LIST =” is the list of IEASYSxx members used for an IPL.

  2. If you want to change VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN), follow the search order datasets to see if there is an IEASYSxx with one of the prefixes displayed in those datasets and check each one for the parameter you want to add or modify.

  3. If the parameter you want to add/modify DOES NOT EXIST, then you can add it to VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN).

  4. If the parameter you want to modify DOES exist, then you probably will need to cut-paste it from the member you found it in and MODIFY it, IF IT CAN BE MODIFIED, in VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN).

Example: My application requires several APF authorized datasets and several datasets need to be added to LINKLIST. I have created two members in VENDOR.PARMLIB. One is PROGAP, which contains my application APF datasets, and PROGAL, which contains my application LINKLIST datasets. What I need to do is ADD or MODIFY the “PROG=” parameter in VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN)

Looking at the D IPLINFO above and knowing that the search order for IIC-Dallas is SVTSC.PARMLIB then LVL0.PARMLIB, I will be looking for n IEASYS00, IEASYSLV, IEASYSSV in SVTSC.PARMLIB then LVL0.PARMLIB to see if the “PROG=” parameter exists in any one of these members. If it does then I will select the member located in the first concatenated dataset and cut-paste it into VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN).

Example: I have viewed SVTSC.PARMLIB for IEASYS00, IEASYSLV, IEASYSSV, and did not find one of these members.

I then viewed LVL0.PARMLIB for IEASYS00, IEASYSLV, IEASYSSV and found “PROG=” in LVL0.PARMLIB(IEASYSLV). I cut-paste the two lines below into VENDOR.PARMLIB(IEASYSVN).

PROG=(00,52,J3,AA, ***SEE COMMENTS BELOW***
SY,LA,LB,MC,MD,LE,LG,LJ,LM,LN,L9),

The first line includes the APF authorized datasets and the second line includes the LINKLIST datasets.

I would then modify the first line by ADDING the 2 character suffix of PROGAP after the “AA,”.

MAKE SURE YOU EITHER ADD OR DELETE REQUIRED COMMAS.

PROG=(00,52,J3,AA,AP, ***SEE COMMENTS BELOW***

I would then modify the second line by ADDING the 2 character suffix of PROGAL between the “LM,” and “LN,”.

MAKE SURE YOU EITHER ADD OR DELETE REQUIRED COMMAS.

NOTE: To understand why we add the LINKLIST two character suffix as stated below please navigate to:

By selecting the appropriate zOS operating system level from SY,LA,LB,MC,MD,LE,LG,LJ,LM,AL,LN,L9),

NOTE: To understand why we add the LINKLIST two character suffix as stated above or options for other configuration parameters please see the following manuals:

By selecting the appropriate zOS operating system level you are configuring at the following url: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/zos