This option allows you to specify how long, in seconds, DFSMSdss is to wait for a resource and the number of times DFSMSdss is to retry, should an ENQ or RESERVE fail. The default is WAIT(2,2).

This means DFSMSdss is to retry twice at 2-second intervals. The WAIT keyword does not apply to system resources such as the VTOC and the VVDS.

For a data set copy or logical data set dump operation, the WAIT option has a different meaning for serializing data sets when multiple data sets are to be processed and WAIT(0,0) is not specified. Multiple passes are made through the list of data sets that are selected. On each pass, those data sets that can be serialized without waiting for the resource and that were not processed before are processed. At the end of a pass, if none of the data sets could be processed without waiting for a resource, then, in the next pass, at the first occurrence of a data set that was not processed a WAIT is issued.

That data set and the remainder of the list is processed if possible. The above procedure is repeated until all data sets are processed or the WAIT limits are reached.

For example, if WAIT(3,10) is specified and 5 data sets are left to be processed, up to 10 passes are made. On each pass, the first unprocessed data set is waited upon for 3 seconds. Thus, only a 30-second maximum is ever waited, not 150 (5 times 3 times 10).

For system resources, such as the VTOC and the VVDS data set, the default is WAIT(3,30). This means DFSMSdss is to retry 30 times at 3 second intervals, resulting in a total wait time of 90 seconds.