Advantages of 64-Bit SAS Metadata Server

The SAS 9.3 Metadata Server for z/OS runs in 64-bit addressing mode, which provides the ability to address 8 exabytes of storage instead of the 2 gigabytes available to the 31-bit SAS 9.2 Metadata Server for z/OS.

The 64-Bit SAS Metadata Server is implemented with the IBM Language Environment (LE) run-time library, which enables SAS to call third-party DLLs in a native manner. LE run-time options can be used with SAS to configure jobs that have different requirements.

Applications such as the 64-bit metadata server use two types of memory: 31-bit addressable memory and 64-bit addressable memory. The 64-bit metadata server uses 31-bit addressable memory primarily for executables, and stores its data in 64-bit addressable memory. This is important, because z/OS limits these two sorts of memory with two different JCL keywords: REGION and MEMLIMIT. SAS provides default REGION and MEMLIMIT specifications for the 64-bit metadata server, which should be adequate for most users. Note, however, that if there is so much metadata that the server fails for lack of memory, then increasing the REGION setting will provide no relief. Because the metadata is stored in 64-bit addressable memory, such situations must be addressed by increasing the MEMLIMIT value.