Version compatibility

Workload Automation Programming Language is compatible with all the supported versions of HCL Workload Automation for Z.

By default, if you do not specify VER and MOD in the JCL or OPTIONS statement, Workload Automation Programming Language operates at the latest level of code installed, communicating and generating output for the equivalent level of HCL Workload Automation for Z. However, Workload Automation Programming Language can work with HCL Workload Automation for Z from version 9.x to the current release, but only supported for versions whose service date is not passed.

For cross-version compatibility, you can define to Workload Automation Programming Language which version of HCL Workload Automation for Z to operate as. In this way, Workload Automation Programming Language enables you to perform only the actions that are applicable to that release, and generates only output compatible with that release. Performing database updates when specifying an HCL Workload Automation for Z version other than the version of the database might result in update failures, if the object being updated has different structures between the two releases.

You can specify the version to operate as by appending the version to the subsystem name with a hyphen when you call EQQYXTOP, for example SUBSYS=ʼZWSC-950ʼ. Otherwise Workload Automation Programming Language loads support for the latest version that was generally available at the time it was released.

You can change the version during a session with the OPTIONS VERSION statement, which causes the operating mode to be initialized again. This enables you to perform some complex actions, for example, performing some V10.1 specific actions with a V10.1 controller, and then later generating some V9.5-compatible output within the same session from a V10.1 controller.

The version can be specified in a variety of formats, for example 9.5, 950, V950, 9.5.0, or V9R5M0. If you use one of these formats as part of your naming convention for HCL Workload Automation for Z data sets, for example your message library or load library, you can use the &VER symbol in the EQQYXJPX procedure to form part of the names.

There is a special case of * that you can use either as VER=* from the JCL (only if you are not using it in data set names), or as

OPTIONS
               VERSION(*)

. This causes Workload Automation Programming Language to start up using the latest supported version available, but when it is connected to an HCL Workload Automation for Z subsystem it will detect what version the subsystem is using and automatically switch to that version.

Note: You can set VER=* only if you are using HCL Workload Automation for Z V9.5, or later.

As well as major versions of the product, some new features could be released between versions by applying PTFs. When this occurs, the module EQQYXTOP is assigned a new Fix Pack level specified in the MOD keyword, as shown in the EQQB001I message at the beginning of the Workload Automation Programming Language log. The Fix Pack level is shown after the version as a plus sign (+) followed by 3 digits:

EQQI001I ADCDMST1,JOB06592 Starting WAPL v9.5 +001

By default Workload Automation Programming Language runs with the latest version and Fix Pack level. For any specifically selected version, without selecting a Fix Pack level Workload Automation Programming Language always operates at the latest Fix Pack level for that version.

The following features have been delivered by Fix Pack levels:

V930+001 October 2016 – Enable NOP, and HOLD in the database.

To select a specific Fix Pack level within Workload Automation Programming Language, specify the Fix Pack level in the OPTIONS VERSION keyword. For example,

OPTIONS
               VERSION(V950+000)

selects Fix Pack level +000, which is the original version 9.5 of the product, and suppresses the generation of any Batch Loader keywords relating to NOP or Manually Hold in the database, along with any other new features added to version 9.5 after the GA version.

Workload Automation Programming Language automatically sets the appropriate value for the USRLEV keyword for any INIT statements it generates, and any USRLEV statements that do not include a USRLEV keyword. Workload Automation Programming Language does not override any USRLEV keywords already present in an INIT statement.

To select the Fix Pack level from JCL use the MOD symbolic parameter in the JCL, as shown in the following example:

//RUNWAPL EXEC EQQYXJPX,
//        VER='V950'
//        MOD='+000'

During the rollout of a version upgrade, you might have controllers operating at different versions. You can manage this issue by setting OPTIONS VERSION statements in your site default member, according to the controller version that you are using, as shown in the following example:

VARSUB SCAN
IF !ZSUBSYS = "WSMC" THEN
   OPTIONS VERSION(V950+001)
IF !ZSUBSYS = "WSLC" THEN
   OPTIONS VERSION(V930)

Ensure that the values for VER and MOD in the PROC statement of the EQQYXJPX and EQQJXJPL procedures are always set to null values, as shown in the following example. This ensures that you always operate at the latest version of Workload Automation Programming Language installed (unless the version value is overwritten by the setting of a job). Set the VER and MOD keywords to a significant value only if you are working with a controller whose version is earlier than Workload Automation Programming Language.

//EQQYXJPX PROC @=,        
//         ARGS='',        
//         CMD=EQQYXTOP,   
//         REG=4M,         
//         SUBSYS=,        
//         VER=,           
//         MOD=,           
//         #=