FREE TSO command

FREE TSO command:

FREE is used to deallocate ddnames or data sets which were allocated using ALLOC command. It basically does opposite of ALLOC.

Free one or more ddnames:

FREE DD(ddname)

FREE DD(ddname1 ddname2 etc.)

DDNAMES are generally associated with a dataset using ALLOC.

IF we use FREE with the ddname then that association is broken.

Free one or more data sets:

FREE DSN(datasetname)

FREE DSN(datasetname1 datasetname2 etc.)

FROM HELP:
 

 FUNCTION -                                                          

   THE FREE COMMAND DYNAMICALLY UNALLOCATES A DATA SET, AN HFS       

   FILE AND/OR DELETES AN ATTRIBUTE LIST. IT MAY ALSO BE USED TO     

   CHANGE OUTPUT CLASS OF SYSOUT DATA SETS FOR IMMEDIATE             

   AVAILABILITY FOR PROCESSING BY AN OUTPUT WRITER IN ADDITION TO    

   UNALLOCATING THEM OR TO CHANGE THE SYSOUT HOLD QUEUE              

   SPECIFICATION. A DISPOSITION MAY BE ENTERED TO OVERRIDE THE       

   DISPOSITION SPECIFIED AT ALLOCATION.                              

                                                                     

 SYNTAX -                                                            

          FREE   DATASET('DSLIST') FILE('DDLIST')                    

                 ATTRLIST('ALNLIST')                                 

                 OUTDES('OUTDLIST')                                  

                 DEST('STATIONID')                                   

                 HOLD/NOHOLD                                         

                 KEEP/DELETE/CATALOG/UNCATALOG/SYSOUT('CLASS')       

                 ALL                                                 

              PATH(PATHNAME)                          

              PATHDISP(OVERRIDE-DISPOSITION)          

              SPIN(UNALLOC | NO)                      

REQUIRED-  EITHER DSNAME OR DDNAME OF ANY DATA SETS TO BE UNALLOCATED AND/OR ATTR-LIST-NAME OF ANY ATTRIBUTE LISTS TO BE DELETED, AND/OR OUTDES NAME LIST, OR ALL KEYWORD.         

ATTRIUTE LISTs Are created by using the command ATTRIB

NOTE    -  IF NO OVERRIDING DISPOSITION IS SPECIFIED, DATA SETS   

           ARE DISPOSED OF IN MANNER SPECIFIED WHEN ALLOCATED.    

        -  THE OPERAND 'DATASET' MAY ALSO BE SPECIFIED AS 'DSNAME'.

           THE OPERAND 'FILE' MAY ALSO BE SPECIFIED AS 'DDNAME'.  

DATASET('DSLIST') OR DSNAME('DSLIST') - DSLIST IS LIST OF DSNAMES OF DATA SETS TO BE       

                   UNALLOCATED.                                       
 

FILE('DDLIST') OR DDNAME('DDLIST') - DDLIST IS LIST OF DDNAMES ASSOCIATED WITH DATA                        SETS TO BE UNALLOCATED.                            
 

ATTRLIST('ALNLIST') - ALNLIST IS LIST OF ATTR-LIST-NAMES OF ATTRIBUTE LISTS TO BE DELETED.         

Following indicate the kind of disposition to be used for datasets while freeing.

If we dont specify anything then the ones used while allocating is used.

KEEP - DATASET DISPOSITION IS KEEP. IGNORED FOR SYSOUT.                     
 

DELETE - DATASET DISPOSITION IS DELETE.                                     

Example:

alloc ddname(input1) dsn('sm017r.testfile') OLD

free ddname(input1) delete  --> will delete the dataset sm017r.testfile.

If while allocating we had used the disposition  as SHR, then the FREE DELTE will not work.

CATALOG - DATASET IS TO BE CATALOGED. IGNORED FOR SYSOUT.                   
 

UNCATALOG - DATASET IS TO BE UNCATALOGED. IGNORED FOR SYSOUT.               
 

ALL - ALL DYNAMICALLY ALLOCATED DATASETS, FILES AND ATTRIBUTE LISTS         

      ARE TO BE UNALLOCATED.