RE: Saving spool files!

["blackandblue" <blackandblue@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>The spool API's do not retain the original job name and original create
time
>attributes. They create copies of the spool data, not a direct save of a
>spool files like you can save an object. When you use the API's to restore
a
>copied spool file the job name becomes the restore job's name and the
create
>time becomes the current time.


Ken,

The APIs do track the original user id - either as the job user of the new
spooled file  (QPRTJOB/olduser/newnumber) or as the 'User who created file'
attribute.

To track the spooled file with all it's job attributes you'll need to keep
them within a separate cross-reference file - which allows searching via the
old job name, and finds the new spooled file.

Our company does have something which does this, Easy Spool Archiver. It is
more expensive than other options mentioned previously, but if you use it
for a CISC-RISC migration (or in your case a system upgrade), the WRKOUTQESA
& 'Restore' facility can be used indefinitely.

You can download it at http://www.black-and-blue.com

An alternative might be to change the OUTQ/USRDTA/FORMTYPE fields to keep
the information you use for searching (e.g. keep the jobname in USRDTA, the
create date in USRDTA and separate the spooled files in outqs named after
the USER).

As to your original point, why OS/400 has never had a SAVOUTQ or at least a
backup of QSPL is amazing. I can only surmise that it is because the spooled
file is regarded as belonging to a job, which like job locks, overrides etc.
cannot actually be saved. The information needed to make sense of the QSPL
members is perhaps contained in the job, and this dies with the job (i.e.
when the file is deleted)?

IBM probably had the choice of introducing a SAVJOB/RSTJOB command, or
writing APIs to separate the spooled file from the job and allowing that to
be SAV/RST'd.


Brendan Bispham
Black and Blue Software Engineering



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