Determining the size (number of blocks allocated) of the Dispatch database files.

Products

• Dispatch Output Mgmt

Issue/Introduction

We are receiving "FILE FULL" messages and must allocate larger database files. We need to determine what our current file size is so that we know how much bigger to make them when setting up the migration jobs JCL.

How can we determine what size our existing CA Dispatch database files are allocated with?

Environment

z/OS

Resolution

There is both an ONLINE and a BATCH method for determining how many blocks are allocated for each of the database files. The number of blocks that are allocated for a file represents that file's or area's "page range" which is part of the IDMS database functionality that CA-Dispatch uses.

ONLINE METHOD:

While logged on to CA-Dispatch, at the ENTER NEXT TASK CODE prompt, type DCMT D AR and hit the enter key. This is a DCMT command that does a DISPLAY AREAS function. You will need the proper security authorization to issue DCMT commands.

The resulting display will show each area and will have columns labeled LO-PAGE and HI-PAGE. The difference between the LO-PAGE and HI-PAGE columns represents the number of BLOCKS that your loadlib thinks you have for that file. For the OV, AR and RD files, you must also calculate the number of blocks for the INDEX areas (prefixed IX-) of these files and add them together with the base area.

Example:
RD-AREA + IX-RD-AREA = TOTAL blocks for RD file.
AR-AREA + IX-AR-AREA = TOTAL blocks for AR file.
OV-AREA + IX-OV-AREA = TOTAL blocks for OV file.

You can confirm the above findings outside of CA-Dispatch by going into TSO and doing a 3.4.S function against the database file. In the resulting display, the CURRENT ALLOCATION value tells you how much space is allocated for the file and the CURRENT UTILIZATION value tells you how much of the space allocated has been successfully INITIALIZED for use by CA-Dispatch. These two values should match. Or at least be very close to each other.

BATCH METHOD:

Execute job DSEXLOOK found in the CA-Dispatch installed CADSJCL library. DSEXLOOK is the submit JCL. Make sure that the execution JCL proc. CADSLOOK is available. Also make sure that you code the correct Dispatch load library on the 'LOADLIB=' symbolic. The report produced by DSEXLOOK will show the same LO-PAGE and HI-PAGE columns as the online display area command. DSEXLOOK can run with CA-Dispatch either up or down. Calculate the size the same way as outlined above.

In addition to the output from DSEXLOOK, the output from the DSEXSTAT job will also indicate how many blocks you have allocated for your database files if you know how to find it. The DSEXSTAT job is used to determine the percentage of utilization in each of the database files. It lists each area separately. You can do a FIND on the specific area you are interested in and look for the line that says 'PAGE SIZE IS ??? CHARACTERS. DUMPED ??? PAGES' for that area. The DUMPED ??? PAGES tells you the number of blocks allocated for that area.