z/OS Assembler Programming Part 2: Interfaces Virtual Classroom Live July 20, 2026

Course Overview

Introduction

Program Linkages

• A. Control Sections
• B. Save Areas
• C. Addressability
• D. Return Codes
• E. Typical Linkages
• F. SAVE and RETURN macros
• G. Getting the PARM value from EXEC statement 

Working with files

• A. Data set organizations and access methods
• B. DCB Macros
• C. OPEN, GET, PUT, CLOSE
• D. Error handling: SYNAD routines
• E. ABEND macro
  • • Computer Exercise: Program Linkages and QSAM Files  

Subroutines and the Program Binder

• A. CSECTs and the Program Binder
• B. Assemble, Bind, and Run Data Flow
• C. The Assembly Listing
• D. Some Assembler Parameters
• E. Passing Control: the CALL macro
• F. The CALL Process
• G. Object Modules and Load Modules
• H. Program Binder control statements and PARMs
• I. Managing Print Files
  • Computer Exercise: CALLing a Subroutine  

Program Binder and Maintenance

• A. Impact of Changes to a Subroutine
• B. Additional Program Binder Control Statements
• C. Program Binder Processing
  • o Computer Exercise: The Program Binder and Maintenance  

Debugging and Dump Reading

• Computer Exercise: ONION  

Some System Services

• A. WTO - Write To Operator
• B. SNAP - Take a Snapshot Dump
• C. TIME - Get the Date and Time 
• D. STCKCONV - Convert a STCK value to Date and Time Format
• E. CONVTOD - convert a Date and Time value to a TOD Format 

Variable length records

Defining and Processing variable length records
o Computer Exercise: Variable Length  

QSAM Locate Mode processing

A. GET and PUT using locate mode
B. Update-in-place: PUTX macro 

31-Bit Addressability Considerations

A. Implications of z/OS 

Dynamic Linkages

A. Static Linkages versus Dynamic Linkages
B. Module Attributes
C. The Search for Modules
D. LOAD, DELETE, LINK macros and services
E. Computer Exercise: Dynamic Serial Linkages  

XCTL and Storage Management

A. XCTL - an introduction
B. GETMAIN / FREEMAIN
C. Subpools
D. XCTL Resumed
E. Computer Exercise: Using XCTL

Writing Reentrant Programs

A. Writing Reentrant Programs
B. Reentrant Save Area Chaining
C. Reentrant I/O
D. Reentrant Processing
E. Sample Reentrant Program
F. Computer Exercise: Making a Program Reentrant  

I/O and Amode 31

A. AMODE 31 I/O Issues
B. AMODE 31, RMODE 24
C. AMODE 31, RMODE ANY 

Prerequisites

z/OS Assembler Programming, Part 1