Re: Physical Files in QSPL library

Vinay Gavankar wrote:

Could anyone tell me what are the Physical files in QSPL library?
They have names like Q04079N001, Q04079N002, Q04079N003 etc. and
are huge in size. They are taking up about 8 gb of storage. Are
those actual spooled files? (There are a lot of spool files in
out queues, which I need to clean up).

The physical database file members [as part of the database *FILE objects] either store spoolfile data or they are empty storage locations for future spool file data on the system. When the spool file is deleted [DLTSPLF], its data will be cleared from the member object, thus freeing the storage taken by the data, but maintaining the object [and its storage] for another spool file.

When eligible according to the QRCLSPLSTG system value [or by specification on an explicit RCLSPLSTG command invocation], an empty member will be removed from the database file. That empty members remain is for performance reasons, because creating and deleting objects is /expensive/ as compared to just adding\removing data; i.e. excessive reclaim of spool [member] storage impacts performance of creating spool files because a new member must be created for many spool file open requests versus just using an exiting member object.

Another question is, will a *NONSYS backup, try to backup the
QSPL library (in which case it is not going to fit on one tape).

The QSPL##### libraries are not saved as part of any backup procedures. Since some release however, there is a feature to save the spool data, but from *OUTQ objects rather than from the QSPL libraries. No user action should ever be performed directly against the QSPL##### library objects nor against [nor by placing] any objects in a QSPL library.

So the *NONSYS [and other] backup procedures will not require the storage for the QSPL library on the tape *unless* the SPLDTA(*YES) option is chosen for SAVLIB to include spool files from *OUTQ objects in [pseudo and actual] user libraries. Even if requesting to save spools in the *NONSYS, the spool file data associated with output queues located in system libraries [that are not pseudo-user libraries] or in libraries named with a Q prefix, will not be saved by the *NONSYS backup.

Regards, Chuck