Topics in the course

For each of these, there is some coverage in the course Notes book, as well as what is listed here.

QSAM

There are a couple of web pages relevant to QSAM: "QSAM Example" and "Note on DCB Parameters".

Also see Chapter 7 of the assembly-language textbook by Overbeek and Singletary.

The IBM manuals that cover QSAM are Using Data Sets and Macro Instructions for Data Sets, but be aware that they cover various other things as well.

The documentation for the NIU macros is also available through the web site; see "Documentation for NIU Macros".

Elementary JCL

There are a couple of web pages about JCL: "Structure of a JCL file" and "Choosing DD Parameters".

You may want to look at an IBM manual, the JCL Reference.

COBOL

Our primary reference for COBOL is our textbook by Grauer, Villar and Buss. It is an elementary book for beginning programmers, which does not describe the students currently in CSCI 465. We will certainly need material in Chapters 4, 5, 7, 9, 11-12, and some of 6 and 8. Some of this we will cover very lightly.

There are also some web pages about COBOL: "Skeleton of a COBOL Program", "Example of Redefines" and "Example of Control-Break Processing". We also have worksheets and solutions to them.

If you need specific details, the IBM manuals to see are the COBOL Language Reference and the COBOL Programming Guide.

JCL Procedures

You may want to consult the IBM manuals JCL Reference and JCL User's Guide.

There is a web page titled "JCL Procedures Practice Problem".

Linkage

This is probably easiest to learn in class. Some of the ideas will be familiar, but there are many details.

There is material in the COBOL textbook, Chapter 16, on linkage, and there are various relevant IBM manuals.

Utilities

     IEFBR14
     IEBPTPCH
     IEBGENER
     DFSORT

The sections in the Notes book on these utilities (except for IEFBR14) are mostly condensed versions of the accounts in the IBM manual on Utilities. None of them is very hard to use. (IEFBR14 is barely mentioned in any manual. You will understand why.)

Topics in each assignment

     Assignment 1       100 points      QSAM

     Assignment 2        50 points      JCL

     Assignment 3        50 points      elementary COBOL

     Assignment 4       100 points      COBOL

     Debug Practice       0 points      COBOL debugging

     Assignment 5       100 points      COBOL tables

     Assignment 6       100 points      Linkage
                 
     Assignment 7       100 points      COBOL Sort/Merge and DFSORT

     Assignment 8        50 points      JCL Procedures and IEBGENER

     Extra Credit 1      10 points      MVS practice      

     Extra Credit 2      20 points      COBOL debugging

     Extra Credit 3      20 points      assorted utilities

     Extra Credit 4      20 points      assorted utilities

     Total              650+70 points