Questions of IBMers and their responses:

Q: DFP 2.3 always takes an SVC dump when I restart the catalog address space. Should it be doing this?

A: No, it probably shouldn't be, but it's coded in. We'll fix that soon.

Q: I've got SYNCSORT and not DFSORT. Are you guys going to screw me (a quote) into buying DFSORT one of these days?

A: As long as the OEM product remains compatible we see no problems.

Q: I've got ACF2, because the Department of Defense doesn't let us run RACF (its security ranking is not high enough). Are you guys going to require RACF one of these days?

A: We have published the external security interface, and have no plan to bundle RACF with the remainder of the product line. (DOD will upgrade the RACF security classification within a few months).

Q: While cloning a SYSRES volume, DFDSS refused to let me create a new SYS1 dataset on the new volume. This is new behavior in DFP 2.3. Help!

A: You are right that this is new behavior. We are aware of the problem. We have no help for you today.

Q: (I asked:) I gather from the recent DFSMS announcements that you will put new data into the ICF catalogs. Will these be new cell types or new record types? Will I require a toleration PTF on MVS/370 to read a new-format ICF catalog? If not, can I put user data in my ICF catalog and not have ICF puke? We have a homegrown tape management system that I would love to integrate with the system catalog.

A: (Horrified look on Ed Daray's face) We wish you wouldn't put your own data in your ICF catalogs! Including user data in ICF catalogs is a well-known requirement (he turned to his cohort and asked "What is it, 256 bytes?"). You won't need a toleration PTF. ICF already knows that the cells can contain variable data.