Broadcom Easytrieve Versions

Naming: Broadcom, CA, Plus, Report Generator

Official product title: CA Easytrieve Report Generator. Language/runtime name: Easytrieve Plus Report Generator when distinguishing from historical Classic. Marketing may say Broadcom Easytrieve. All refer to the supported product under Broadcom Mainframe Software—not a fork, not a compatibility layer. FMIDs and SMP/E receive records retain CA identifiers for continuity; support tickets may request both CA legacy numbers and Broadcom case IDs during transition years.

Release Line Overview

Exact FMID spellings and end-of-support dates change with Broadcom announcements—verify on TechDocs for your contract year. Migration projects anchor on installed FMID, not memory of conference slides.

11.6 as Documentation Baseline

Broadcom TechDocs organize 11.6 into Getting Started, Programming, Language Reference, Installation, Messages and Codes, and Release Notes. Developers migrating from 6.x should read Release Difference documents alongside Language Reference—statement spellings, deprecated options, and behavioral notes appear there before you encounter them in compile listings. 11.6 also documents Symbols and Reserved Words appendices critical for function mode cutover.

• Getting Started — terminology, first compile, runtime overview.
• Programming / Application Guide — tutorial-style examples by feature area.
• Language Reference — authoritative syntax for statements and parameters.
• Installation — SMP/E, library deployment, distributed setup.
• Release Notes — new features, fixes, migration breaking changes.

SMP/E, FMIDs, and Maintenance Levels

Systems programmers install Easytrieve through SMP/E with functional FMIDs and apply PTFs that increment maintenance levels. Developers experience the result as compiler message text changes, new reserved words, or fixed abends—not as abstract inventory rows. Before blaming source code for a migration failure, confirm test LPAR FMID matches the release notes PDF on your desk. A program compiling on an older maintenance level may fail on production after PTF apply—or vice versa when test lags production.

Keep a site standard table: production FMID, test FMID, compile proc STEPLIB order, authorized PARM profile, and options table DSN. Change control updates the table when PTS bundles promote.

Options Table: 6.x to 11.x EZOPTBL

A major version boundary for operations—not just developers—is options table format. CA 6.x sites often used installation-defined table layouts; 11.x on z/OS expects a file-based options table, commonly referenced by EZOPTBL DD in compile and go JCL. Broadcom supplies a conversion utility; run it in test, diff output, and validate buffer and abend settings before mass recompile. Wrong options produce silent performance degradation or unexpected ABEXIT behavior even when programs compile cleanly.

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//EZTCOMP  EXEC PGM=EZTPA00,REGION=0M
//STEPLIB  DD DSN=CA.EZTPLUS.R11.LOAD,DISP=SHR
//EZOPTBL  DD DSN=SITE.EZT.OPTBL.FILE,DISP=SHR
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN    DD DSN=DEV.EZT.SRC(PAYRPT),DISP=SHR

Notable 11.x Feature Themes

Release notes across 11.x highlight themes migration teams should map to test plans:

Distributed vs z/OS Versions

Broadcom documents Plus runtimes for z/OS, z/VM, z/VSE, UNIX, Linux, and Windows. Version numbers align conceptually but installation media and FMIDs differ. A shop may standardize on 11.6 language semantics on z/OS while distributed servers lag one maintenance level—document the skew. FILE statements aim for portability; path names, sort utilities, and code pages still differ by platform.

How to Read Release Notes During Upgrade

1. Identify source FMID and target FMID from operations.
2. Open Release Difference / Release Notes for the target.
3. Highlight deprecated syntax, new reserved words, and JCL changes.
4. Build a spreadsheet mapping program count to error categories from pilot compile.
5. Schedule options table conversion and proc updates before compile-all week.
6. Plan parallel-run window with rollback load modules retained.

Explain It Like I'm Five

Broadcom versions are like edition numbers on a cookbook. Your kitchen might still have the 6th edition (CA 6.x) while the store sells the 11th edition (11.6). Most recipes look similar, but some ingredient names changed and the oven settings page moved (EZOPTBL). Before cooking for a big party, check which edition your kitchen actually uses and read the "what changed" page in the new book.

Exercises

1. Record your site production Easytrieve FMID and maintenance level.
2. List three TechDocs books you would open before a 6.x to 11.6 upgrade.
3. Explain EZOPTBL to a new developer in two sentences.
4. Find one 11.6 release note item that affects JCL, not source.
5. Draft a test LPAR promotion checklist including FMID verification.