Changing the elements of the system

Over time, you may need to change some of the elements of your system. These changes may be necessary to improve the usability or reliability of a product. You may want to add some new functions to your system, upgrade some of the elements of your system, or modify some elements for various reasons. In all cases, you are making system modifications. In SMP/E, we refer to these system modifications as SYSMODs.

A SYSMOD is the actual package containing information SMP/E needs to install and track system modifications. SYSMODs are composed of two parts:

Modification control statements (MCS), designated by ++ as the first two characters, that tell SMP/E:
- What elements are being updated or replaced
- How the SYSMOD relates to product software and other SYSMODs
- Other specific installation information
Modification text, which is the object modules, macros, and other elements supplied by the SYSMOD

There are four different categories of SYSMODs, each supporting a task you might want to perform:

Function SYSMODs: Introduce the elements for a product.
PTF (program temporary fix) SYSMODs: Prevent or fix problems with an element, or introduce new element s.
APAR (authorized program analysis reports) SYSMODs: Fix problems with an element.
USERMOD (user modifications) SYSMODs: Customize an element.