Creating output spool files

The NODE and USERID options on the SPOOLOPEN OUTPUT command tell JES what to do with the file when it is complete, and there are other options to convey formatting and other processing to JES if appropriate. SPOOLOPEN returns a unique token in the TOKEN field, which must be used in all subsequent SPOOLWRITE and SPOOLCLOSE commands to identify the file being written.

Thereafter, the task puts data into the file with SPOOLWRITE commands that specify the token value that was returned on the SPOOLOPEN OUTPUT command. Spool files are sequential; each SPOOLWRITE adds one record to the file. When the file is complete, the task releases the file to JES for delivery or processing by issuing a SPOOLCLOSE with the token that identifies the file.

A task can create multiple output spool files, and it can have more than one open at a time; operations on different files are kept separate by the token. However, a spool file cannot be shared among tasks, or across logical units of work in the same task. It can be written only by the task that opened it, and if that task fails to close the file before a SYNCPOINT command or task end, CICS® closes it automatically at these points.

If the node is a remote system, the data set is queued on the JES spool against the destination userid. The ID of this destination user was specified on the SPOOLOPEN OUTPUT USERID parameter. If the node is a remote VM system, the data is queued in the VM RDR queue for the ID that was specified on the same USERID parameter.