MainframeKit

S722

Output limit exceededSYSTEM ABEND

The job wrote more SYSOUT than one of its output limits allows. Find out why it printed so much before raising the limit.

MOST LIKELY

A program loop that writes the same message or record again and again.

FIRST CHECK

Look at the end of the large SYSOUT data set to see what was being written.

TRY IT ▸

JCL checker

What it means

Jobs have limits on how much output they may produce: lines, cards, bytes or pages. When a limit is passed, the system ends the step with 722.

The limit can come from OUTLIM on a SYSOUT DD statement, from LINES or CARDS on a JES2 JOBPARM statement, or from the installation's JES2 or JES3 defaults (BYTES, CARDS, LINES, PAGES on STANDARDS or the JES3 MAIN statement).

Typical causes

  • A program loop that writes the same message or record again and again.
  • Debug or trace output left switched on.
  • A monitoring tool or exit adding repeated lines to a SYSOUT data set.
  • Genuinely larger reports than the limit allows for.
  • An OUTLIM value or job class limit that is too small.

How to fix it

  1. Look at the end of the large SYSOUT data set to see what was being written.
  2. If the same lines repeat, fix the loop or the source of the repeated output.
  3. Check OUTLIM on the SYSOUT DD and LINES or CARDS on JOBPARM.
  4. Raise the limit only if the volume is real, or ask the system programmer about the class default.
  5. Send very large reports to a data set instead of SYSOUT.

Example

Illustrative only; names and values are invented.

IEF450I RPTJOB01 STEP030 - ABEND=S722 U0000 REASON=00000000