Reader Feedback and Insights: Avoiding Object Locks

July 10, 2002 Timothy Prickett Morgan

Hey, Ted:

After reading the January 18 Midrange Guru article, “Avoiding Record Locks in RPG,”I still don’t understand how the record lock is avoided. The program acknowledged the condition by the indicator that was set, but how does this change the fact that the record is locked? Can you enlighten me?

— Tom

The technique doesn’t do anything about the lock, Tom. It can’t. But the technique does keep a program from freezing while waiting for a record lock, and it does tell which job has the record locked.

Of course, since it tells you which job has

Use Query/400 to Find IFS Files in BRMS

July 10, 2002 Timothy Prickett Morgan

Hey, Joe:

We’re using Backup Recovery and Media Services/400 (BRMS/400) for backup, and I find locating a tape that has the correct version of an Integrated File System (IFS) file that I’m looking for is a real hassle. Do you know of any shortcuts to locate a list of BRMS tapes that were used to backup a particular IFS file?

— Bernie

This was a hassle for me, too, particularly when I needed to restore Domino databases from a BRMS backup and it wasn’t readily apparent which tape in a backup set contained my file. However, a reader recently clued

Delete Badly-Named OS/400 IFS Files, Take Two

July 10, 2002 Timothy Prickett Morgan

Dear Readers:

In the May 15, 2002 issue of the Midrange Guru, I explained how to use an FTP client to delete an IFS file with an improper name . Recently, it occurred to me that there’s an easier way. In fact, there are two easier ways and I’d like to share them with you.

To recap the problem, sometimes client programs create IFS files with names that make OS/400 choke when you try to delete, rename, or otherwise access such files.

However, you may still be able to access these files with wildcards. You can use the question