Releasing Space

The close function attempts to release unused tracks or cylinders for a data set if all of the following are true:

For a multivolume data set that is not in extended format, or is in extended format with a stripe count of 1, CLOSE releases space only on the current volume.

Space also can be released when DFSMShsm is performing space management or when an authorized program issues the PARTREL macro.

Space is released on a track boundary if the extent containing the last record was allocated in units of tracks or in units of average record or block lengths with ROUND not specified. Space is released on a cylinder boundary if the extent containing the last record was allocated in units of cylinders or in units of average block lengths with ROUND specified. However, a cylinder boundary extent could be released on a track boundary if:

Changing a cylinder boundary extent to a track boundary extent generally causes loss of the possible performance benefit of a cylinder boundary. On the latest disk drives there is no performance benefit of cylinder boundaries.