IBM CMS dumpfile idiocy

jwsmobile jws at jwsss.com
Wed Dec 16 14:03:09 CST 2015



On 12/16/2015 10:08 AM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
> On 12/16/2015 07:57 AM, Paul Koning wrote:
>
>> IBM standard labels are older than ANSI. Then again, IBM (in OS/360
>> at least) had something they called "ANSI label" that were not
>> actually ANSI at all.  They used "8 bit ASCII" which was a bizarre
>> code created from standard 7 bit ASCII by moving one or two of the
>> bits (bit 6 to bit 7?  I don't remember).
>
> Then there's 6 bit ASCII/USASCII.  I was trying to avoid using jargon 
> that some would not understand.  I'm quite familiar with IBM EBCDIC 
> "SL" tape labels.
>
> My point was that the CMS dumpfile tape isn't even a standard labeled 
> tape.  It just starts out with the first block of data and ends with a 
> double filemark.  No standard labels anywhere.  Any non-CMS system 
> would not know what the heck the thing was.
>
Does the first block have a PSW looking thing in the appropriate start, 
and an I/O program to boot the next record from the boot device?
> --Chuck
>
>



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