Saving and restoring settings, breakpoints, and monitor specifications

You can save settings, breakpoints, and monitor specifications from one debugging session and then restore them in a subsequent debugging session. You can save the following information:

Settings
The settings for the WINDOW SIZE, WINDOW CLOSE, and SET command, except for the following settings for the SET command:
  • DBCS
  • FREQUENCY
  • NATIONAL LANGUAGE
  • PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
  • FILE operand of the RESTORE SETTINGS switch
  • QUALIFY
  • SOURCE
  • TEST
Breakpoints
All of the breakpoints currently set or suspended in the current debugging session as well as all LOADDEBUGDATA (LDD) specifications. The following breakpoints are saved:
  • APPEARANCE breakpoints
  • CALL breakpoints
  • DELETE breakpoints
  • ENTRY breakpoints
  • EXIT breakpoints
  • GLOBAL APPEARANCE breakpoints
  • GLOBAL CALL breakpoints
  • GLOBAL DELETE breakpoints
  • GLOBAL ENTRY breakpoints
  • GLOBAL EXIT breakpoints
  • GLOBAL LABEL breakpoints
  • GLOBAL LOAD breakpoints
  • GLOBAL STATEMENT breakpoints
  • GLOBAL LINE breakpoints
  • LABEL breakpoints
  • LOAD breakpoints
  • OCCURRENCE breakpoints
  • STATEMENT breakpoints
  • LINE breakpoints
  • TERMINATION breakpoints

If a deferred AT ENTRY breakpoint has not been encountered, it is not saved nor restored.

Monitor specifications
All of the monitor and LOADDEBUGDATA (LDD) specifications that are currently in effect.

In most environments, z/OS® Debugger uses specific default data set names to save these items so that it can automatically save and restore these items for you. In these environments, you must automatically restore the settings so that the SET RESTORE BPS AUTO and SET RESTORE MONITORS AUTO commands are in effect during z/OS Debugger initialization. There are some environments where you have to use the RESTORE command to restore these items manually.

In TSO, CICS® (when you log on with your own ID), and UNIX System Services, the following default data set names are used:

  • userid.DBGTOOL.SAVESETS (a sequential data set) is used to save the settings.
  • userid.DBGTOOL.SAVEBPS (a PDS or PDSE data set) is used to save the breakpoints, monitor specifications, and LDD specifications.

In non-interactive mode (MVS batch mode without using full-screen mode using the Terminal Interface Manager), you must include an INSPSAFE DD statement to indicate the data set that you want z/OS Debugger to use to save and restore the settings and an INSPBPM DD statement to indicate the data set that you want z/OS Debugger to use to save and restore the breakpoints and monitor and LDD specifications.

Use a sequential data set to save and restore the settings. Use a PDS or PDSE to save and restore the breakpoints and monitor and LDD specifications. We recommend that you use a PDSE to avoid having to compress the data set. z/OS Debugger uses a separate member to store the breakpoints, LDD data, and monitor specifications for each enclave. z/OS Debugger names the member the name of the initial load module in the enclave. If you want to discard all of the saved breakpoints, LDD data, and monitor specifications for an enclave, you can delete the corresponding member. However, do not alter the contents of the member.