Tutorial: JCL

JCL applications written to run on a z/OS or VSE mainframe can be run on Enterprise Server. In this tutorial, you use Enterprise Developer to create and build a JCL application project, and create a JES-enabled enterprise server region on which to run the compiled application by submitting a JCL job. You then view the job progress, and spool queues and catalog results, all from within the Enterprise Developer IDE.

This is tutorial intended both as an introduction to using JCL with the Enterprise Developer and Enterprise Server environments and as an Installation Verification Procedure (IVP) to confirm that JCL support is correctly installed.

Assumptions

This tutorial is written from the perspective that all of the following is true. Specific instructions for setting up your environment to adhere to these assumptions is found in the Before you begin this tutorial section that follows:

Windows File Explorer is set to show file names and extensions.
You are running the latest version of Micro Focus Enterprise Developer, which has been installed on your local machine using default installation settings.
Enterprise Developer is started on your local machine.
Your parent project directory is c:\tutorials\JCL. If you choose to use an alternative parent project directory, adjust the instructions accordingly.
You have addressed all of the items in the Before you begin this tutorial section below.

Before you begin this tutorial

Before beginning, be sure you have addressed each of the following items:

Set Windows File Explorer options: These tutorials assume that your Windows File Explorer options are set to use the Details layout, and to show file name extensions. See your Windows documentation for more information.
Create a parent project directory: Create a directory in which to store the project files imported or created while completing this tutorial, which cites a parent project directory of c:\tutorials\JCL.

Start Visual Studio

If you need instructions to get Visual Studio started on your local machine, see To start Visual Studio.

Note: If Visual Studio prompts you on startup to select an initial action, click Continue without code.

Start ESCWA

If ESCWA is not already running, which you can ascertain by attempting to open the Local node within Server Explorer: an ESCWA offline message is displayed if it is not, you need to start it (and mfds) before you can create the enterprise server used in this tutorial. Run the following commands from a command prompt:

To set up the COBOL environment, enter . <product-install-dir>/bin/cobsetenv.
To start ESCWA, enter escwa &.
To start mfds, enter mfds &. (This command must be run with root privileges.)

Demonstration application - JCLDEMO

The JCLDEMO demonstration application consists of the following source files:

ESJCL.jcl

JCL that runs the JCLTEST job, which performs the following tasks:

Using the IDCAMS utility, deletes any previous instance of the data set created by executing the JCLCREAT program
Executes the JCLCREAT COBOL program
Using the IEBGENER utility, populates a temporary data set
Executes the JCLREAD COBOL program

JCLCREAT.cbl

A COBOL program that creates and populates a simple data set.

JCLREAD.cbl

A COBOL program that writes the contents of the temporary data set to SYSOUT.

Sequence

To complete this tutorial, progress through these topics in the order presented here. The bottom of each topic provides Next topic and Previous topic navigational links to help you proceed in the proper sequence: