Date Last Reviewed:
03/15/2007
Information Technology Services retains some MVS programming, statistical, and utility software on our IBM mainframe for purposes of programming and data analysis. Most programmers who still make use of MVS access it via the Superwylbur interface or via ftp to submit batch programs.
This briefly describes the various software packages, compilers, and utilities currently available. MVS users need to use JCL (Job Control Language) to run their jobs batch. In order to use the packages described here, insert the name of the procedure that you wish to run into the EXEC statement of the appropriate JCL setup. The following simple JCL setup will often be sufficient:
//jobname JOB ,'your name'
//STEP1 EXEC procedurename,parameters
//SYSIN DD *
[program statements (and maybe data) for this package or compiler]
/*
//GO.SYSIN DD *
[data may go here for some compilers]
/*
ABR
ABR utilities list and restore from archive or backup data sets that at one time resided on disk and have been removed to cartridge. These utilites are best submitted to the system from Superwylbur macros designed to build the JCL for you. See MVS Archives and Backups.
ACF2
ACF2 is the computer security system. By default, data sets can be accessed only by the owner. If users want to give others access to their data sets, ACF2 rules must be written to allow this. Rules can be written and stored using the ACFRULES procedure or a Superwylbur macro. ACF2P has more information.
ACSLABEL (Label Program)
The ACSLABEL package produces 2- or 5-line mailing labels. The label program is also available through a Superwylbur macro called LABELIT.
ALDEP
ALDEP, CRAFT, and PLANET are computer programs which enable students using computer-aided layouts in Industrial Engineering to access their special FORTRAN subroutines.
APT (Automatically Programmed Tools)
The Department of Technology in the College of Engineering uses APT to produce geometries and tool path information for numerically controlled machines. The procedure names are APT, APTTEKTR, and SSX.
ASSEMBLER H/ASSIST
Assembler is the basic language for IBM mainframe computers. We currently support IBM's Assembler H. A student version of Assembler, ASSIST, is used for teaching only. The Assembler H procedures are:
ASMHC - compile only
ASMHCE - compile and link edit
ASMHCEG - compile, link edit, and go
ASMHCG - compile, load and go
ASMHCLG - compile, load and go
ASMHE - link edit only
ASMHEG - link edit and go
ASMHG - load and go
ASMHLG - load and
COBOL
NIU has version 1.1.0 of IBM's SAA AD COBOL compiler. The associated procedures are given below:
ICYWC - compile only
IGYWCE - compile and link edit
IGYWCEG - compile, link edit, and go
IGYWCG - compile, load and go
CRAFT - see ALDEP
Dataset Utilities (Superwylbur)
The next few procedures call Superwylbur utilities which perform the creation, manipulation, and destruction of data sets. If the procedure used to execute the utility begins with ED, an EDIT format data set is being manipulated; if it begins with just D, a CARD format data set is assumed. These utilities require only JOB and EXEC statements, with parameters. The User's Guide to Utilities, published by ITS Customer Support, has a complete explanation of these utilities.
EDSCARDS/DSCARDS copies input sequential 80-byte images to disk.
EDSGET/DSGET restores to disk a data set that has been saved on cartridge with either EDSSAVE or DSSAVE.
EDSLIST/DSLIST lists a disk data set on the printer.
EDSSAVE/DSSAVE saves a data set on cartridge in its original format. (It is preferable to use SEQCOPY, with EDSIN if necessary.)
DSSCR (there is no EDSSCR) scratches a disk data set.
EDSIN/EDSOUT makes an EDIT format Superwylbur data set available to a subsequent job step as a sequential data set (EDSIN) or saves a sequential data set from a previous job step as an EDIT format data set (EDSOUT). The use of EDIT format data sets is encouraged because it saves space on disk. EDIT format data sets are the default type when permanent data sets are SAVEd INTO from Superwylbur.
EISPACK (FORTRAN subroutines)
EISPACK, release 2.5.0, contains FORTRAN subroutines in both single- and double-precision that compute the eigenvalues and eigen vectors of nine classes of matrices. The EISPACK procedure includes the IMSL subroutine library.
ELLPACK
ELLPACK is a software package for solving elliptic type partial differential equations and is used by the Department of Mathematical Sciences. The ELLPACK procedure includes the IMSL subroutine library.
FORTRAN
NIU has release 2.6.0 of IBM's VS FORTRAN compiler. The associated procedures each include the IMSL subroutine library and are listed below:
VSF2C - compile only
VSF2CE - compile and link edit
VSF2CEG - compile, link edit, and go
VSF2NVCG - compile, load and go
VSF2VE - link edit
VSF2VEG - link edit and go
VSF2VG - load and go
GPSS/H
GPSS/H is a general programming simulation package designed for discrete event simulation. The procedure name is GPSSH.
HLM
HLM is a statistical analysis program for analyzing hierarchical linear models. The procedures associated with HLM are:
HLMSSM - sets up the sufficient statistics matrices file
HLMHARCH - performs the hierarchical model
HLMMIXED - performs the mixed model
LIMDEP
LIMDEP is a statistical analysis program used for estimating parameters of twenty different regression models including: least squares with several types of autocorrelation or heteroscedastcity, Probit, Tobit, Logit, two and three stage least squares, and sample selection models. In addition, LIMDEP has a powerful assortment of matrix routines. The procedure name for the 1986 release is LIMDEP. The procedure name for the 1995 release is LIMDEP7.
LINPACK (FORTRAN subroutines)
LINPACK is used to solve a variety of simultaneous linear algebraic equations. The VS FORTRAN compiler is used to compile the FORTRAN source statements. The LINPACK procedure includes the IMSL subroutine library.
LISP/REDUCE
LISP is a high-level list processing language used in the development and research of artificial intelligence. REDUCE is a system for carrying out algebraic operations and is used by the Department of Mathematical Sciences. It can manipulate polynomials in a variety of forms, both expanding and factoring them, and extracting various parts of them as required. REDUCE is based on Standard LISP, which is distributed with it. The REDUCE procedure can be used as follows:
REDUCE,RESTORE=REDUCE - REDUCE programs
REDUCE,RESTORE=SLISP - Standard LISP programs
REDUCE,RESTORE=RSLISP - RLISP programs
PASCAL
The student PASCAL compiler, from the University of Waterloo, may be accessed using the WPASCAL procedure.
PDSLIST/UNPLPDS/UNPRPDS
PDSLIST, UNPLPDS, and UNPRPDS are designed to work with partitioned data sets (PDSs). PDSLIST lists a CARD format PDS on the printer. It requires that you identify the PDS to be listed on a SYSUT1 DD statement. UNPLPDS lists an EDIT format PDS on the printer. UNPRPDS copies an EDIT format PDS from disk to a CARD format PDS on disk. UNPLPDS and UNPRPDS require parameters on the EXEC statement; for a complete explanation, see "PDS Utilities" in the July, 1984, issue of Computing News.
PLANET - see ALDEP
PLI/X and PLI/C
PLI/X is IBM's PL/I optimizing compiler, and PLI/C is IBM's PL/I checkout compiler. The optimizing compiler generates efficient code while the checkout compiler is designed for efficient debugging. The procedures for the optimizing compiler all begin with PLIX, while those for the checkout compiler all begin with PLIC. The procedures for PL/I are listed below:
PLICKC PLICKE PLICKR PLIXE
PLICKCE PLICKEG PLIXC PLIXEG
PLICKCEG PLICKG PLIXCE PLIXG
PLICKCG PLICKI PLIXCEG PLIXLG
PLICKCLG PLICKLG PLIXCG
READER
READER uses the HASP internal reader to submit the data set specified by the SYSIN DD statement as a sequence of jobs. SYSIN input must be 80-byte images, blocked or unblocked. This utility allows one job to submit another as its last step, depending on the condition code of previous steps in the initial job.
REDUCE - see LISP/REDUCE
SAS
SAS is a computer software system for data analysis. The base SAS system provides tools for information storage and retrieval, data modification and programming, report writing, statistical analysis, and file handling. Besides the base SAS system, we have SAS/GRAPH for many graphics needs, SAS/IML for matrices, SAS/ETS for forecasting, and SAS/OR for operations research. The procedure to execute any of the SAS products is just SAS. The current default is SAS release 6.09. (ITS also has site licenses for SAS/Windows and SAS/Solaris).
SCA (Univariate-multivariate time series)
The SCA system provides sophisticated capabilities including regression analysis, Box-Jenkins time series methods, and other univariate and multivariate time series analyses. Vector and matrix manipulations can be performed in the analytic statements such as IF-THEN-ELSE, DO-LOOP, GO FORWARD, and GO BACKWARD. Procedures can be handled through SCA's macro-writing capabilities. The procedure name is SCA.
SCRIPT
Script is a document-composition program, more popularly known as a text formatter, from the University of Waterloo. In addition to its text formatting and macro capabilities, the current release, version 90.1, contains a high-level generalized markup language (GML) which includes layouts for common business forms (memos, minutes, etc.) and for research documents (theses, reference manuals, etc.). Script is also available through the Superwylbur macro SCRIPTIT.
SEQCOPY
SEQCOPY copies sequential data sets. It is generally faster than other such utilities, can process unreadable data, can change record formats more easily, and can list in character or hexadecimal format while it copies. For detailed information on how to use SEQCOPY, please refer to the User's Guide to Utilities.
SHAZAM
SHAZAM, version 6.1, is a comprehensive computer program for performing statistical techniques, particulary in the area of regression model estimation. It provides extensive data manipulation capabilities including matrix operations. The procedure name is SHAZAM.
SIMAN
SIMAN, version 3.5, is a simulation modeling language used by Industrial Engineering. The main procedure is SIMAN. This procedure may create auxiliary data files which can be processed further by the SIMANOUT procedure.
SIMSCRIPT
Simscript, version II.5, is a general programming language oriented toward list processing and discrete-event simulations. The procedure name is SIM25CLG.
SLAM
SLAM II, version 4.0, is a simulation language used by Industrial Engineering. SLAM II MHEX, version 2.1, is an extension to SLAM II provided to allow easier modeling of manufacturing material handling systems. The SLAM procedures are as follows:
SLAM - noMHEX; SLAM input only
SLAMHE - MHEX; SLAM input only
SLAMHEX - MHEX; SLAM and FORTRAN input
SLAMX - no MHEX; SLAM and FORTRAN input
SPSS
SPSS is a comprehensive data analysis system, comparable to SAS, and originally developed for the social sciences. The procedure name is SPSS. The default MVS version is 4.1. (ITS also has site licenses for SPSS for Windows and SPSS for Macintosh systems.)
SSX - see APT
SUDAAN
SUDAAN is survey analysis software for complex survey samples. The current version is 7. It is callable from within SAS using the following JCL:
//SUDRUN1 EXEC SAS
//SASLIB DD DSN=USER1.SAS.SUDAAN.ALOAD,DISP=SHR
//SUDMSG DD DSN=USER1.SAS.SUDAAN.MSG,DISP=SHR
SYNCSORT
SYNCSORT sorts and merges sets of data. It is useful in a wide variety of operations, including the sorting or merging of multiple fields and the merging of many data sets. While many other packages also use SYNCSORT, it may be executed by itself by using the SORTD procedure.
TSP (Time Series Processor)
TSP, version 3.5C, is a computer program for econometric analysis of time series data. This package contains all the standard and many advanced econometric techniques, along with a full set of matrix operations. The procedure name is TSP.
For further information on any of this software, users can:
Read the appropriate manual for the software.
Check out mainframe documentation:
Run a macro from Superwylbur. Many macros are available to build the JCL to enable you to run mainframe software more easily. There are macros that help you to change your ACF2 rules, to do arclists and restores, to do mailing labels, and to manipulate outside tapes. These macros can be accessed most easily after the following calls:CALL FROM &PUBLIC.MACROS:CMDS
CALL FROM &PUBLIC.ABR.MACROS:CMDS
CALL FROM &PUBLIC.MAC1:CMDS
You can review the JCL for the SAS and SPSS statistical packages by issuing the commands:
USE FROM &&&USER1.STAT.ANOVA:SAS ON CAT
USE FROM &&&USER1.STAT.REG:SAS ON CAT
Replace SAS by SPSS as required.
Contact the ITS Helpdesk at helpdesk@niu.edu or call 815-753-8100.