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IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:14 am
by steve-myers
I just read over the IEFBR14 article in Wikpedia. There is a serious misconception about how the system is built. In particular, there is criticism about the version -
IEFBR14  CSECT
         SR    15,15
         BR    14
         END

The complaint is the END statement does not specify the entry point. The article is correct if it is linked from the Assembler object output, but this is a non-issue if it is linked from a load module in a "distribution" library, which is how the final load module is actually built (assuming it's linked from the "distribution" library, more likely it's simply copied from the "distribution" library to the "target" library). The reason for this is the entry point of a load module is not an attribute that is retained when it is used as input to the Linkage Editor or Binder. In fact, the formal packaging rules for z/OS products, as described in this manual effectively require the use of the ENTRY Linkage Editor control statement. You have to read roughly half way through the very long article to find this statement.

Another complaint is the module does not have identification. This is true, but since IEFBR14 is about as bullet proof as any module in z/OS, it is never seen in a dump, so it's a non-issue. I recall an IEFBR14 APAR from the days of OS/VS2 Release 1 where there was some issue about the identification that was required at the time, but I don't recall any particulars about it. The version in this post is basically what you now get with z/OS.

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:11 pm
by BillyBoyo
steve-myers wrote:The version in this post is basically what you now get with z/OS.


Now I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd improved on it :-) Always a jokey aim of mine, with the dumb assumption that it was just BR14. At least now I'll think of it as IEFSR1515BR14, even if that is a bit long.

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:37 pm
by BillyBoyo
And the Wikipedia article can be user-amended, if you fancy it.

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:52 pm
by steve-myers
BillyBoyo wrote:And the Wikipedia article can be user-amended, if you fancy it.
Not worth the effort. Some of the Wikpedia pages appear to have a link to report problems, but not the IEFBR14 page.

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:58 pm
by BillyBoyo
Sorry, I thought (and never checked) that one could just edit articles on Wikipedia. Now checked. I don't have the time.

The article does look strange, "(t)here is an apocryphal story..." it quotes a John Pershing from IBM. The story doesn't make sense, as you indicated. Why would anyone ever run a link-edit with IEFBR14 in it? And why would "dump analysis" ever invovle IEFBR14?

I'd guess if this really is the way it looks now, or at some point, that they must have given it to a programmer grounded in "applications" stuff and let him get on with it. Who would think of doing a "code review" of IEFBR14?

Can someone browse the module to see what is actually inside?

I don't even like the JCL or general description. Of course, IEFBR14 can't create files. Why DISP=(MOD,....? Etc. Horrible thing.

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:03 pm
by enrico-sorichetti
Can someone browse the module to see what is actually inside?
1BFF07FE 00000000

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:07 pm
by BillyBoyo
Thanks for the prompt response enrico. Spot on Steve. Wikipedia a pile of old tosh?

Oh dear, part of me now wants to know if it was ever like Wikipedia says it was...

Re: IEFBR14 Article in Wikpedia

PostPosted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:11 am
by DFSHDC40