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New level of HLASM available for z/TPF (PJ46619)

  
PJ46619 provides support for RPM 52, the latest update to the High Level Assembler (HLASM) for Linux on IBM z. The software update is delivered in two formats:
- In RPM download format, for installation on the Linux system
- In executable format, extracted from the RPM and delivered in a new base/oco/hlasm folder in the z/TPF directory structure

We understand that some of our clients are hesitant to install software updates because of the time and resources required to install and test the new software. But at the same time, some of our clients have reported a number of build problems that are resolved by moving to the latest software levels. Diagnosing these build problems consumes time and resources for both the client and the lab.

Taking these concerns into consideration, this APAR also introduces new support in MakeTPF that automatically uses the latest HLASM software delivered in the base/oco/hlasm folder, making the installation of the RPM on the Linux system optional. Extensive consideration was given to this change and we are confident that the automatic use of newer levels of HLASM introduces no risk for the following reasons:
- All updates to HLASM are fully backward compatible and the object code produced is identical to that generated by prior RPMs, unlike what can be seen with newer versions of compilers.
- The lab performs full product builds and loads using the new HLASM software before announcing its use.
- If an issue occurs, you can use a MakeTPF configuration setting that is included in this support to disable the use of the HLASM software in the base/oco/hlasm folder.

We believe this change will make the adoption of the newer level of HLASM much more streamlined for our clients. Details on the download of the RPM package, the list of HLASM updates made since RPM 51, and the MakeTPF tooling updates can be found in the APEDIT for PJ46619.