Object library utility

This information describes how to use the object library utility to process libraries of object modules. On z/OS®, a library is a PDS or PDSE with object modules as members.

Object libraries (also called object library utility directories) provide convenient packaging of object modules in MVS™ data sets, in much the same way as the z/OS UNIX System Services ar utility packages object modules that reside in z/OS UNIX files. Using the object library utility, you can create libraries that contain object modules compiled with various combinations of compiler options, such as LONGNAME | NOLONGNAME, XPLINK | NOXPLINK, IPA | NOIPA and LP64 | ILP32.

The object library utility keeps track of the attributes of each of its members in two special members of the library, which are the Basic Directory Member (@@DC370$) and the Enhanced Directory Member (@@DC390$). The Basic Directory Member is used to maintain backwards compatibility with object library utility directories that were created with older versions of the object library utility (pre-z/OS V1R2). The Enhanced Directory Member was introduced to support object modules that were compiled with the IPA, XPLINK, or LP64 compiler options, as well as provide more detailed listing information. If you do have older object library utility directories at your site, you should consider upgrading them to include the Enhanced Directory Member by using the DIR command (described later in this information).

Commands for this utility allow you to add and delete object modules from a library, rebuild the Basic and Enhanced Directory Members, and to create a listing of all the contents in an object library utility directory.

You can create an object library under z/OS batch and TSO, but not from under z/OS UNIX.