>Is it your statement that the only "supported" use of this routine is to 
fail
>the SVC call, not to do alternate processing?

Yes, more or less, that is my statement. The routine may do anything it 
wants 
that is related to failing the SVC call.

>has anyone ever submitted requirements to formalize the way
>it really gets used?  Thereby securing against future changes that might
>break the unsupported feature?

Not to my knowledge. And, yes, submitting such a requirement would be a 
good 
thing to do. There's not much we even could do to break the "feature". And 
I'm
sure we would not intend to do so. But having it recognized and documented
is always good.

In my mind, any SVC front-ending discussion (whether screening or via 
SVCUPDTE) 
should center on "why do you need to front-end the SVC". I suspect that in 
a 
lot of cases it is because the SVC processing does not provide a suitable 
exit. 
Would not it be better for the system to provide exits rather than have 
you 
front-end SVC's? The same is true for PC's. I suspect that much of the 
answer 
lies with practicality and time-of-availability -- the SVC mechanisms are 
available now and who knows how long it would take to get what you need in 

terms of exits.

A key question is: once the SVC Screening routine has gotten control, how 
does 
it then make sure that the "real" SVC routine gets control both in the 
right 
environment (locks included) and also with all the right data (potentially 
all
16 64-bit GRs and ARs at the time of the SVC issuance, with the PSW of the 
issuer)? 

Peter Relson
z/OS Core Technology Design

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