Specifying SYSOUT destination through JES2 route codes

When SYSOUT data sets are created, they are assigned routing information. That routing information can cause the data set to be sent to another node or be processed locally. Local printers are also assigned routings that are used to select data sets to print. Routings that are valid for printer selection are:

LOCAL or ANYLOCAL
Remote routing (Rmmmm)
Special local routing (Unnnn)
User routing (8-character name with no special meaning).

Using remote routings or special local routings provides better performance because there tends to be less output queued to those routings. But these routings are difficult for end users to remember and cause problems if they need to change. By using the DESTID(jxxxxxxx) initialization statement, an installation can associate a meaningful name with a remote or special local routing that is easy to remember and insulates the end user from changes made to the system configuration.

Figure 1 illustrates how an installation can use the DESTID(jxxxxxxx) initialization statement to associate a meaningful name with a special local routing that insulates end users from changes made to the network configuration. Nodes 1 and 2 use a 3820 printer (PRT1) located at Node 1 to print all SYSOUT. The destid ‘TOM’ can be specified (DEST=TOM) on either a JCL statement or a JES2 control statement at other nodes to ensure that JES2 routes SYSOUT to the 3820 at NODE 1.

Figure 1. Using Destids to Route Output to a Printer at Another Node

At Node1:  DESTID(TOM) DEST=N1.U5
           PRT(1) START=YES,SEP=NO,UNIT=0008,R=U5

At Node2:  DESTID(TOM) DEST=N1.U5

If end users and application programs are using destids to route SYSOUT and jobs, they will be insulated from configuration changes. As configurations change, installations can change the routing associated with the DESTID(jxxxxxxx) initialization statements to match the new configurations.

For example, an installation wants to move printer 1 to Node 2 or switch the work load that had been sent to Node 1 to another printer at Node 2. The installation can define a printer at Node 2 that selects the same special local route code and change only the first-level destination identifier of DESTID(TOM) from ‘N1’ to ‘N2’. SYSOUT with a destination of ‘TOM’ is now sent to Node 2, where it is selected by the printer with the same special local routing. Figure 2 displays the changed initialization statements.

Figure 2. Destids When Printer Moved to Node 2

At Node1:  DESTID(TOM) DEST=N2.U5

At Node2:  DESTID(TOM) DEST=N2.U5
           PRT(1) START=YES,SEP=NO,UNIT=0008,R=U5