Target hardware levels

IBM® Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS® can generate program modules for the latest IBM Z servers.

Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS uses the same hardware numbering scheme as the COBOL compilers. Table 1 lists the hardware levels that are supported by IBM Automatic Binary Optimizer for z/OS 2.2. You can use the ARCH option to specify which hardware level you want the ABO produced modules to target.

Table 1. Supported hardware levels
Hardware level Description
12 Generates code that uses instructions available on 3906-xxx (IBM z14) and 3907-xxx (IBM z14® ZR1) models in z/Architecture® mode.

Specifically, these level 12 machines and their follow-ons add instructions that support the vector packed-decimal facility, which accelerates packed-decimal computation by storing intermediate results in vector registers instead of in memory.
13 Generates code that uses instructions available on 8561-xxx (IBM z15®) and 8562-xxx (IBM z15 T02) models in z/Architecture mode.
Specifically, these level 13 machines and their follow-ons add instructions supported by the following facilities:
  • Vector Packed-Decimal Enhancement Facility
  • Vector-Enhancements Facility 2
  • Miscellaneous Instruction-Extensions-Facility 3
  • Aligned Vector Load/Store Hints
14 Generates code that uses instructions available on the 3931-xxxx (IBM z16™) model in IBM z/Architecture mode.

Specifically, this level 14 machine and its follow-ons add instructions supported by the new vector packed-decimal enhancement facility 2. This new facility adds performance improvements for COBOL programs that contain one or more of the following types of statements:

  • Exponentiation operations on packed or zoned decimal data items where the exponent is declared with one or more fractional digits
  • Arithmetic statements involving mixed decimal and floating-point data items
  • Statements using numeric-edited data items
Notes:
  1. ABO can run on any system supported by the z/OS level. For a complete list of IBM Z® servers and z/OS support, see z/OS Server Support.
  2. On the system where the ABO optimized modules will run, the SYS1.IPLPARM or SYS1.PARMLIB member LOADxx must not include MACHMIG VEF. This will disable the vector extension facility and cause an 0C7 data exception abend when executing vector instructions produced by ABO at all ARCH levels.