IBM Mainframe Forum

Hello,

First, there are always a few modules at any shop, that do not have the source code.

No, there are not always modules with missing source. . . If this has happened, either there are no proper procedures in place or someone or group is not following the proper processes that are in place.

Several of the clients i've supported can retrieve every line of source that has been promoted for more than 30 years. . . Several have rules/laws that they be able to demonstrate what was running when some particular event happened (even years in the past).

Unfortunately, many places are experiencing a downturn in the quality of the care and feeding of their IT environment.

Who knows, in some number of years, maybe everywhere WILL be missing some of their source - and no one will be held accountable

d

Quasar wrote:First, there are always a few modules at any shop, that do not have the source code.

dick scherrer wrote:No, there are not always modules with missing source. . . If this has happened, either there are no proper procedures in place or someone or group is not following the proper processes that are in place.

I 100% agree with Dick. Quasar's comment, nothing personal intended at the level of my example here, is like saying "there's always sometimes you don't use the toilet paper".

It's not always just us, and sheer damn pride and professionalism. In many banking, insurance and other finanacial businesses, you will have no choice. You will have internal audit, compliance, external audit and regulators. If you have a program in production that you don't have the source for, then 1) your job is in danger and 2), for the last two groups at least, even the company can be in some danger (a "qulification" to the annual accounts is a serious thing).

Sheesh. We used to file the date/time stamp of production compile to prove that we had the right program listing. We had a copy of the production source, and the production department had copies of the production source. We had daily, weekly, monthly and annual back-ups. The annual back-ups (on the date of the formal production of the company accounts) were kept for seven years. It would have been extremely difficult to even deliberately remove a source.

OK, I once saw someone loose a source in develpment. It seems two guys, curiously, both called "Doug", hit the save key in ISPF on the same PDS and close enough to the identical time that we ended up with two copies of one program and no copies of the other. Except for the previous nights' back-up of course. Source returned. "Missing" for 15 minutes.

Dick and Bill -
I guess, I'll just say "Early years of one's career are impressionable, and I am easily be mislead. I shouldn't have made any assumptions, with the meagre experience I have. Thanks to you folks!"

Gracefully said, Quasar.

If you are having problems loosing code, go to the group who is responsible - it is difficult to second-guess what they might be called at your site.