Using automatic allocation of SVC dump data sets

You can specify the command instructions to enable or disable automatic allocation either in the COMMNDxx parmlib member, to take effect at IPL, or from the operator console at any time after the IPL, to dynamically modify automatic allocation settings. The DUMPDS command provides the following flexibility:

Activate automatic allocation of dump data sets
Add or delete allocation resources
Direct automatic allocation to SMS or non-SMS managed storage
Deactivate automatic allocation of dump data sets
Reactivate automatic allocation of dump data sets
Change the dump data set naming convention

Set up automatic allocation with the following steps:

Set up allocation authority
Establish a name pattern for the data sets
Define resources for storing the data sets
Activate automatic allocation

After automatic allocation of these SVC dump data sets is active, allocation to a DASD volume is done starting with the first resource allocated via the DUMPDS ADD command. When allocation to that volume is no longer successful, the next resource is then used.

SVC Dump data sets can be SMS-managed or non-SMS-managed. If the DUMPDS ADD command defined SMS classes, then the allocation will first pass these classes to the ACS routines to try to allocate the SVC dump data set as SMS-managed. If this allocation is not successful for any reason, or if no SMS classes are defined, then the data set allocation will use the DASD volumes that were defined on the DUMPDS ADD command, and the SVC Dump data set will be allocated as non-SMS-managed.

SVC Dump data sets allocated as non-SMS-managed must be single volume; they can have multiple extents but they cannot span multiple volumes. Non-SMS-managed DASD does not support striping. SVC Dump data sets allocated as SMS-managed can be multi-volume only if they are allocated as striped data sets. Striping is an attribute that must be defined in the SMS classes. Striping and compression, another SMS attribute, can be used to allocate datasets that are larger than those allowed for a pre-allocated or non-SMS managed dataset.

Note: You must update automatic class selection (ACS) routines to route the intended data set into SMS-management so that it is assigned a storage class.