The Official CBT ISPF Dialog - Quick and Easy Access to the CBTTape from ISPF
Congratulations - you have found CBTTape File043 - THE place to start.
This is an ISPF application that provides quick, and easy, access to the contents of the CBTTAPE 'tape', updates, and overflow, directly from your z/OS TSO/ISPF session.
Bonus Hidden Treasures in zOS (aka Bit Bucket x3E)_Official CBT ISPF Dialog.pdf
This application requires that FILE001 be available. If it isn't, and FTP is enabled, then it will be downloaded (see Dynamic download below). Then the file will be processed to generate an index member (1-line description for each CBT file), and a separate member for each CBT file with the full file description/summary.
This is accomplished in one of two ways.
-
Bulk download
- Download the ADRDSSU, FDR, or AWSTAPE, formats
- This is for sites that do not have FTP access to the www.cbttape.org site
-
Dynamic download
- Using this application, when a file is referenced that has not been downloaded, then it will be downloaded. If an update is available then the update will be downloaded
- The download consists of:
- downloading the zip file to the USS /tmp filesystem
- unzip'ing the zip file
- performing a binary upload of the resulting file
- removing the zip file, and the unzip'd file, to clean up
- performing a TSO RECEIVE if the unzip'd file is in TSO Transmit format
- Updating the summary information about the file
The CBTTAPE is a collection of files (over 1,000 tools) for use with z/OS. These tools are all open-source and have been contributed to the 'tape' since 1975. Today the CBTTAPE is a website where all of the files are available for access. Its address is www.cbttape.org .
There are two 'tapes' in the CBTTAPE collection.
- The current 'tape' that is accessed from the CBT link on the left
of the webpage.
- The updates page contains contributions to the 'tape' that
arrived after the 'tape' was generated.
- The overflow 'tape' is available via the Overflow link on the left
of the webpage. These files are older and may not work with current
versions of z/OS. They are included here for reference. See File 001
on the Overflow site for details.
There is no set time, when a new "version" of the CBT Tape is cut. When a new version IS cut, then all the updates since the last version, are merged into it, and a new "tape" is created.
When a new version of the CBT Tape is cut, it is as if a completely new "tape" has been generated, with all the updated files merged in.
After that point, a new set of Updates is generated, to prepare for the next "tape" version.
If you'd like to join an online forum to discuss all things CBT use this link to join the System Z Enthusiasts Discord server and find the 'cbttape' channel.
https://discord.gg/hxRhtu8KnW
To Install this application copy the PDS into a new dataset with the dataset name of hlq.FILEIDX.PDS. Where hlq is the high-level-qualifer that will host all the CBTTape Datasets.
Automated Installation Execute the $INSTALL member of this PDS to: 1. Allocate the hlq.FILEIDX.PDS 2. Copy the members from this PDS to FILEIDX.PDS 3. Edit the CBTCONFG member 4. Update the CBTVIEW member (exec) to reference the new hlq.FILEIDX.PDS dataset
Manual Installation It is recommended that the PDS be a PDSE as it will be updated with one member for each CBT file and then periodically updated - with a PDSE you won't have to compress it.
A recommended allocation is:
RECFM=FB,LRECL=80,BLKSIZE=32720,SPACE=(TRK,(150,90,52))
Be SURE to edit the CBTCONFG member and review the site customization settings. This is important if your site does not have the PDS and/or the REVIEW commands. Also CRITICAL if your site does NOT allow FTP from your z/OS system (change update to 0).
This application has the following requirements:
-
Selection P requires the PDS command from FILE 182
-
Selection R requires the REVIEW command from FILE 182 or 134
-
FTP must be enabled to access the WWW.CBTTAPE.ORG site
- may require opening your firewall if that is allowed
Download www.cbttape.org/ftp/cbt/CBT001.zip from the CBTTape web site. unzip, and upload in binary to a z/OS sequential dataset (RECFM=FB,LRECL=80) named hlq.FILE001.DATA.
NOTE:
If this has not been done prior to starting this application
then it will be attempted when this application starts, provided
that FTP is allowed.
Then copy the CBTVIEW member to a dataset in your SYSPROC or SYSEXEC library and update to reference the hlq.FILEIDX.PDS dataset. This will be done automatically if using the $INSTALL exec.
Execute the CBTVIEW exec to setup the ALTLIB environment and then execute the CBT exec in this library. It will create the CBTINDEX member and then display a table with a list of ALL of the CBTTape files.
Note:
After the dialog table is displayed, the DATE header field initially contains the version number of the CBTTape. To the left of the DATE field, there can be two indicators displayed.
- An "*" indicator will be displayed after the CBT file has been downloaded to your z/OS system and is available as a local dataset.
- A "+" sign will will be displayed if there is an update available for the CBT file on the website and the DATE field will contain the date of the updated file. After an update is downloaded, the summary file, hlq.FILEIDX.PDS(FILEnnnn), will be updated with the new @FILEnnn (or @FILnnnn) from the newly downloaded file.
This application will display a selectable table of all CBT files with the following options:
Commands:
DS (DS) Display all the CBT datasets online
- DS
Find (F) Find a string in the description fields
- F str
History (H) Display a change history for the command
- H
Info (I) Display information about the CBT Application
- I
Locate (L) Locate a file number
- L 312
New (NE) Limit the table to those files with an update date
- NE
Only (O) Limit the table to those records with the string
- O str
Refresh (R) Refresh the table (useful after using Only or Search)
- R
REBuild (REB) Create or Recreate the CBTINDEX member
- REB
Search (S) Use SuperC to search all of the file description
members and then limit the table to those files.
Site (SI) Display only the files that have been downloaded and
are available on your local system
Update (UPD) Check the CBTTAPE.ORG updates directory for updated
files since the date of the last update and then
download them, update the CBTINDEX and the FILEnnnn
members.
CUrrent (CU) Work with the CBT production files *Default
OVerflow (OV) Work with the CBT Overflow files
/ - Display a popup menu
File Selections:
S Select the file and perform the default action
- default action is a setting in the CBT exec
B Browse the file
C Copy the dataset
E Edit the file
I Browse the file description member
P Open the file using the PDS command
R Open the file using the Review command
U Update the file with a fresh download
V Browse the file
/ Display a popup selection menu
In the displayed table an * indicates that the file is available on the local system. And a + indicates that there is an update available for the file.
If a file has not been downloaded to your local system that the user is prompted to allow this application to FTP the file from WWW.CBTTAPE.ORG, unzip and then RECEIVE it into a dataset that can be accessed locally. This will happen for all selections other than I.
When attempting to download a file, if an update exists then it will be downloaded.
The FTP process utilizes the /tmp filesystem on your z/OS system for the file work area. The FTP process is:
- Installs the unzip command from the FILEIDX.PDS(unzip) into /tmp
for use after the zip file is downloaded from WWW.CBTTAPE.ORG.
- this file is shipped in pax format and it automatically
- extracted when copied to /tmp
- Creates a temporary file in /tmp with the FTP instructions
- Invokes the FTP OMVS command piping the temp file into FTP
- Unzip's the downloaded CBTnnnn.zip file.
- Performs an OGET of the resulting XMI or DATA file to z/OS in binary
- If the file was a XMI then perform a TSO RECEIVE
- Remove the files from /tmp except for unzip
-
If updates are enabled (update = 1 in CBTCONFG) then each time the dialog starts it verifies that FTP is available. If it isn't then it could take a minute or two to timeout at which point a message it generated and FTP is disabled for the session. If this happens verify that ftp to www.cbttape.org works and if it doesn't then change the CBTCONFG update setting to 0 until resolved.
-
A check is made to verify that the pax extract of the unzip utility was successful. The only times it will fail is if the UNZIP member is corrupt - which can happen if the PDS was not transferred properly to allow the UNZIP to transfer in mode b and type e.
This PDS contains the file summary members for every PDS on the CBTTape along with the following special members:
$$README What you are reading.
$INSTALL REXX Installation Dialog to allocate the hlq.FILEIDX.PDS
and then copy the key members from this PDS to it
$INSTALP ISPF Panel used by $INSTALL
CBT The CBTTape ISPF Application - try it - you'll like it.
CBTCONFG Site customization data for the CBT ISPF Application.
CBTDOWN Exec used by CBTDOWNJ (JCL) to download ALL of the CBT
files (File 001 is excluded as it should already be
downloaded as it is used to create CBTINDEX).
CBTDOWNJ Sample JCL to run CBTDOWN.
CBTVIEW Copy this into a CLIST or EXEC library in your normal
TSO library allocations and then tailor it to reference
this PDS.
CBTINDEX A one-line summary of every file on the CBTTape that is used
by the CBT exec as an index. This is created by by the CBT exec.
This member is a pre-req for the use of CBTDOWN
UNZIP The OMVS port of unzip. It is used when you request a CBT File
that is not on your system under the same HLQ as this dataset.
Note: this member is in PAX format and will be copied and then
extracted into /tmp when required.
UNZIPL Unzip License
XMITINFO Dave Alcock's tool from File 311 that reports information on
the contents in a TSO Transmit dataset. Used by CBT to find
RECFM and LRECL so that a more optimal BLKSIZE can be used
during the RECEIVE process.
ZDATE Created and updated with each UPDATE command. Initially does
not exist.
If the CBTVIEW command is installed in a library in your CLIST or EXEC allocation library then you can also add it to the ISPF command table using these values:
Verb: CBT
Trunc: 3
Action: Select cmd(%cbtview &zparm)
Desc: The CBT ISPF Application
This ISPF application is dedicated to all those who have, and will, contribute to the mainframe community via this site.
Comments/suggestions/etc. to fix, or improve, this application should be directed to Lionel Dyck at lbdyck@gmail.com - complaints welcome as well (but please be kind and constructive).