Copying and Reblocking Load Modules

The COPYMOD statement lets you COPY and reblock the load modules to a block size appropriate for the device to which you are copying the data set.

The text records, relocation dictionary (RLD)/control records, and note list records of overlay load modules will be rebuilt when you use COPYMOD. Other records such as SYM and CESD records will be copied without any changes. The load modules processed by COPYMOD can be link edited again.
  • Load modules in page-aligned format are copied without reblocking, as if the operation was COPY not COPYMOD, and the functions of ALTERMOD are performed against the copy that was made.
  • Load modules in scatter-load format and modules that were link-edited with the noneditable (NE) attribute will be copied, but not reblocked or altered.
  • Members that are not recognized as load modules will be copied, but not reblocked or altered.
  • Load modules that have the downward compatible (DC) linkage editor attribute are reblocked to a maximum block size of 1024 (1K) regardless of the value specified on the MINBLK or MAXBLK parameter.

The block size in the output data set label is increased by COPYMOD as needed to match the MAXBLK value.

COPYMOD does not write records longer than the output data set block size. However, if COPYMOD cannot process a member, and COPY is used instead, COPY will copy all records, including those records longer than the output data set block size.

The reblocking function of COPYMOD lets you specify the following block sizes:
  • A maximum block size for compatibility with other systems or programs
  • A minimum block size to specify the smallest block that should be written on the end of a track

IEBCOPY will determine the amount of space remaining on a track before assigning a size to the next block to be written. If this amount is smaller than the output block size, IEBCOPY will try to determine if a smaller block can be written to use the remaining space on the track. The maximum block size produced by the COPYMOD function is 32760 bytes.