In a global resource serialization complex, programs can serialize access to data sets on shared DASD volumes at the data set level. A program on one system can access one data set on a shared volume while other programs on any system can access other data sets on the same volume.

Because global resource serialization enables jobs to serialize their use of resources at the data set level, it can reduce contention for these resources and minimize the chance of an interlock occurring between systems. This ends the need to protect resources by job scheduling. Because global resource serialization maintains information about global resources in system storage, it does away with the data integrity exposure that occurs when there is a system reset while a reserve exists. A global resource serialization complex also allows serialization of shared logical resources — resources that might not be directly associated with a data set or DASD volumes. An ENQ with a scope of SYSTEMS might be used to synchronize processing in multisystem applications.

Combining the systems that access shared resources into a global resource serialization complex can solve the problems related to using the RESERVE macro. To understand how global resource serialization overcomes the major drawbacks of using the RESERVE macro, see RESERVE macro.