Hi, Rene and Piotr,
From what I recall, from the last century, it was probably the 1980s the last time I actually worked with DOS/VSE at all "for real"... and it was a long time ago.
The way DOS/360 and DOS/VS and DOS/VSE worked, you used // DLBL and // EXTENT cards to define data sets (files) on DASD.? The DLBL was just a way to assign a "label" to the file, e.g. to create a VTOC entry.? It has an optional "date" parameter, where you can specify an expiration date or number of days until the dataset "expires" ... if you do not specify it, it defaults to 7 days.
Anyway, the way I recall it worked is, when you want to "erase" or "delete" a file, you just create a new file over top of it, using the same or overlapping extents. Then, the DOS system checks the VTOC for those extents and if there is an entry, it checks the expiration date. If it has already expired, no problem, and not operator intervention is required.
But, if the entry has not yet expired, the system operator gets a message, the very popular "UNEXPIRED DATASET" ... blah, blah blah ... to which the operator must reply to allow the current job to overwrite those extents.? If the operator allows it, then DOS deletes the old VTOC entry, before creating a new one, based on the new // DLBL card in the JCL.
At least, that's how I seem to remember it worked.
So, you did not really have to use any fancy special utility for "normal" operations and normal jobs.
Hope that helps,
Mark S. Waterbury
