Restrictions for the COPY command

The following information covers restrictions when using the COPY command:

DFSMSdss must be able to invoke IDCAMS to copy an extended-format VSAM data set.
When performing a logical copy operation of an extended-format data set, the target data set allocation must be consistent with the source data set allocation as follows:
- If the source is extended-format VSAM, then the target must be extended-format VSAM.
- If the source is extended-addressable VSAM, then the target must be extended-addressable VSAM.
- If the source is a compressed-format VSAM KSDS, then the target must be a compressed-format VSAM KSDS.
- If the source is an alternate index for an extended-format KSDS, then the target must be an alternate index for an extended-format KSDS.
- If the source is an alternate index for a compressed-format KSDS, then the target must be an alternate index for a compressed-format KSDS.
- The target control interval size must be equal to the source.
When performing a logical copy operation of an extended-format VSAM data set with a stripe count of one, the resulting target will remain a VSAM data set with a stripe count of one, even if the target storage class is multi-striped.
You can copy a sphere only if all the parts of the sphere resolve to the same catalog.
Multiple path names to an alternate index are not supported. Only the last path name listed in the catalog is preserved.
To copy a sphere logically without the DELETE or RECAT keywords, you must rename every data set in the sphere. This includes all paths, all alternate indexes, and the base cluster. If the target sphere is to be SMS-managed, the data sets must be renamed even if the RECATALOG keyword is specified because the RECATALOG keyword is ignored for SMS-managed data sets.

If you do not use the SPHERE keyword and the base cluster has associated alternate index clusters, only the base cluster is moved as follows:

If you specify DELETE, only the base cluster is moved, but the alternate index cluster continues to be related to the base cluster.
If you do not specify DELETE, a second copy of the base cluster is created, and the alternate index cluster continues to be related to the original base cluster.

To move an alternate index cluster, specify DELETE on the COPY command. Only the alternate index cluster is moved, and it continues to relate to its base cluster. An alternate index cannot be moved by itself outside the environment of the base cluster. If the base cluster is not SMS-managed, the alternate index cannot be moved to an SMS-managed volume. If the base cluster is SMS-managed, the alternate index cannot be moved to a volume residing in another storage group.

For an empty VSAM data set (zero data relative block address or zero record count), the data set is defined on the target volume but is not copied. Message ADR474W is issued for the data set.

Note: DFSMSdss does not preserve candidate volumes during copy processing.