JOBCOM (Job Communication) Macro
The macro provides for communication between jobs or job steps in a partition.
For dynamic partitions, this applies only to z/VSE jobs and job steps within one VSE/POWER job, because a dynamic partition and its z/VSE control blocks are only existent during the execution of a VSE/POWER job.
Information being communicated is stored in a 256-byte area. The system provides such an area for each partition. Through the JOBCOM macro, a program either moves information into that area or retrieves information that had previously been stored there by another program. The area remains unaltered from one job (or job step) to the next. Unless it is modified through execution of the JOBCOM macro, the contents of the area remain unchanged over any number of jobs. The JOBCOM macro is not reentrant.
Format
Requirements for the caller
- AMODE:
- 24
- RMODE:
- 24
- ASC Mode:
- Primary
Parameters
- FUNCT=PUTCOM | GETCOM
- This operand describes the function that the macro is to perform.
Specifying PUTCOM causes information to be stored into the system-supplied
area. The number of bytes to be moved is given by the LENGTH operand.
If LENGTH yields a value smaller than 256, the remainder of the area
is left unaltered.
Specifying GETCOM indicates that information is to be retrieved from the system-supplied area. Again, the number of bytes to be moved is given by the LENGTH operand.
- AREA=address | (r1)
- This operand gives the address of a field where the program provides (FUNCT=PUTCOM specified) or receives (FUNCT=GETCOM specified) the information to be moved.
- LENGTH=length | (r2)
- This operand specifies the number of bytes to be moved. The value
is either given as a self-defining term or in register notation.
If register notation is used, the specified register is expected to
contain the length value.
Length should be a positive number up to 256. If it is zero or negative, no information gets moved. If it is greater than 256, only 256 bytes are moved.