How to Request Automatic Checkpoint/Restart

An automatic checkpoint/restart occurs if:

The job journal option is specified, or
The step requests restart (RD=R), and
A successful checkpoint has been taken, and
The step is eligible for restart because it was terminated by an ABEND macro that returned an eligible completion code (specified by the SYS1.PARMLIB member SCHEDxx RESTART/NORESTART statement type at system initialization), or because system failure occurred, and
The operator authorizes the restart. This authority enables the operator to control the number of restarts of the same step or from the same checkpoint.

If a step fails and an automatic checkpoint/restart is requested, restart occurs automatically at the last checkpoint taken.

Execution of the CHKPT macro requests this type of restart and establishes the checkpoint. You must provide an ordinary DD statement for the checkpoint data set. Figure 1 illustrates a job requesting automatic restart at a checkpoint. For more information see z/OS MVS Initialization and Tuning Guide.

Figure 1. Requesting Automatic Checkpoint/Restart

//MYJOB     JOB     MSGLEVEL=1¹,RD=R²
//STEP1     EXEC
             .
             .
             .
//STEP2     EXEC    PGM=MYPROG   MYPROG issues the CHKPT macro
//NAME1     DD      DSN=NAME2    Describes the data set into
//*                              which checkpoint entries
//*                              are to be written

Figure 1 Notes:
¹: MSGLEVEL=1 is optional.
²: RD=R need not be specified if automatic checkpoint/restart is used through job journaling. See Job Journal Requirements.