PH60896: POSSIBLE OVERLAY WHEN USING SORT RETURN STATEMENT OF A VARIABLE RECORD LENGTH

Obtain the fix for this APAR.

APAR status

• Closed as program error.

Error description

• COBOL program that does a SORT of a variable length file
  receives unexpected characters in the output dataset.
  

Local fix

• Compile with COBOL 6.3 or prior
  

Problem summary

• ****************************************************************
  * USERS AFFECTED: Users of Enterprise COBOL 6.4 compiling and  *
  *                 running programs that contain a RETURN       *
  *                 statement for a sort file defined with the   *
  *                 RECORD VARYING clause but the sort record    *
  *                 itself is not defined as a varying length    *
  *                 record and neither is the receiver data item *
  *                 in the RETURN statement. Additionally, the   *
  *                 receiver data item does not involve a        *
  *                 varying length reference modification.       *
  ****************************************************************
  * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: Bad data at runtime.                    *
  *                                                              *
  *                      The move of data from the sort record   *
  *                      to the receiver is treated as a fixed   *
  *                      length move instead of a varying length *
  *                      move and more bytes than are available  *
  *                      in the sort record may be copied into   *
  *                      the receiver, with those excess bytes   *
  *                      having unpredictable values.            *
  ****************************************************************
  * RECOMMENDATION: Apply the IBM-provided PTF                   *
  ****************************************************************
  The compiler tries to avoid generating code to do extra runtime
  length checking during RETURN statement processing when fixed
  length sort records are involved. However, a long-standing error
  in the compiler logic pertaining to the decision between a fixed
  and varying length move was attempted to be addressed in the 6.4
  release but an error in the logic persisted.
  

Problem conclusion

• The compiler was updated so that RETURN statement processing
  always makes the correct decision between generating a
  fixed-length or varying length move of data from the sort record
  to the user receiver data item.
  

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

• APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

• APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Modules/Macros

• IGY8RWTU IGYCASMB IGYCCBE  IGYCCCRT IGYCCICS IGYCCSRV IGYCDGEN
  IGYCDIAG IGYCDMAP IGYCEN$0 IGYCEN$1 IGYCEN$2 IGYCEN$3 IGYCEN$4
  IGYCEN$5 IGYCEN$8 IGYCEN$D IGYCEN$R IGYCFGEN IGYCFREE IGYCINIT
  IGYCJA$0 IGYCJA$1 IGYCJA$2 IGYCJA$3 IGYCJA$4 IGYCJA$5 IGYCJA$8
  IGYCJA$D IGYCJA$R IGYCJBLD IGYCJDM1 IGYCJDM2 IGYCJDM3 IGYCJDM4
  IGYCJDM5 IGYCJDM6 IGYCJDMB IGYCJDMJ IGYCJDMR IGYCJDN1 IGYCJDN2
  IGYCJDN3 IGYCJDNB IGYCJDNJ IGYCJDNR IGYCJGEN IGYCLIBR IGYCLSTR
  IGYCLVL0 IGYCLVL1 IGYCLVL2 IGYCLVL3 IGYCLVL8 IGYCMALL IGYCOSCN
  IGYCPGEN IGYCRCTL IGYCRDPR IGYCRDSC IGYCREAL IGYCRWT  IGYCSCAN
  IGYCSIMD IGYCUE$0 IGYCUE$1 IGYCUE$2 IGYCUE$3 IGYCUE$4 IGYCUE$5
  IGYCUE$8 IGYCUE$D IGYCUE$R IGYCXREF IGYDRV   IGYEQCWI IGYMSGE
  IGYMSGK  IGYMSGT  IGYQCBE  IGYQSPLT IGYZQEN6 IGYZQENU IGYZQJP6
  IGYZQJPN
  

Fix information

• Fixed component name

  ENT COBOL FOR Z

• Fixed component ID

  5655EC600

Applicable component levels

• R640 PSY UI97420

     UP24/06/27 P F406

• R641 PSY UI97421

     UP24/06/27 P F406

• R642 PSY UI97422

     UP24/06/27 P F406

• R64H PSY UI97423

     UP24/06/27 P F406

Fix is available

• Select the PTF appropriate for your component level. You will be required to sign in. Distribution on physical media is not available in all countries.