Usage

  1. If the LIST(ASCII) option is not specified, the generated listing is in EBCDIC, and will be difficult to view on Linux® on IBM Z®. However, the Linux 'dd' command will automatically convert EBCDIC files to ASCII, insert newlines, and so on. The 'man' pages for 'dd' describe its options.
  2. When you use FTP to copy source and macro files to Linux on IBM Z, if you specify the 'binary' option, the file is transferred in EBCDIC. This may avoid unexpected mappings of EBCDIC characters to ASCII code points that HLASM does not recognize or process correctly.
  3. Be careful if you edit files on Linux on IBM Z, because the original 80-byte fixed-length structure of each record may not be retained.
  4. Source files are recognized as EBCDIC or ASCII by checking the first record. While the test is normally reliable, there are some cases where the need for conversion is not correctly recognized. Also, some characters (such as those in C-type and G-type constants) may not have ASCII equivalents that will cause identical object code to be created.
  5. High Level Assembler for Linux on IBM Z does not use a work file and therefore the default size option has been set at 32M. This may be inadequate for large or complex assemblies, but can be increased by specifying the SIZE(xxM) option.
  6. Transferring object or listing files to and from Linux on IBM Z: if you wish to copy files to or from Linux on IBM Z using FTP, set the 'binary' and 'locsite fix 80' options (for object files) or 'locsite fix 133' (or 121), for listing files, before each 'get'.
    For example, when sending the files to z/VM®, set the mode to 'binary' and issue the 'put' FTP command. Then, you can post-process each file with either
        'PIPE <' fn ft fm '| deblock fixed '  80 '|> ' ofn oft ofm
    for object files, or
        'PIPE <' fn ft fm '| deblock fixed ' 133 '|> ' ofn oft ofm
    for listing files.