SAVLIB and RSTLIB Basics

Learning Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use SAVLIB and RSTLIB to save and restore an entire library.

Simple Explanation

The previous lesson covered SAVOBJ and RSTOBJ, working at the level of specific objects. SAVLIB and RSTLIB work at the level of an entire library instead, saving or restoring every object it contains in one operation:

SAVLIB LIB(MYTESTLIB) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(MYLIB/TESTBKUP)

RSTLIB SAVLIB(MYTESTLIB) DEV(*SAVF) SAVF(MYLIB/TESTBKUP)

This saves every object in MYTESTLIB into a save file, and later restores the entire library, with all its objects, from that save file.

Why It Matters

This matches a genuinely common developer need: refreshing an entire test library back to a known-good state, rather than restoring objects one at a time. SAVLIB and RSTLIB are the right tool when the goal is "give me this whole library back the way it was," not just one specific object within it.

Practical Example

Imagine a test library, MYTESTLIB, used for trying out changes before they reach a real library list, covered earlier in this course. After a round of testing leaves several objects in MYTESTLIB changed or messy, restoring the entire library from a SAVLIB taken earlier gives testers a clean, predictable starting point again, without needing to individually restore every object that changed.

This is a simplified, illustrative example rather than a specific real testing process, but it reflects exactly how SAVLIB and RSTLIB are used in practice.

Common Confusions

"Is SAVLIB just SAVOBJ repeated for every object in a library?" Conceptually similar in effect, saving everything the library contains, but SAVLIB is its own command working at the library level directly, rather than a loop calling SAVOBJ for each object individually.

"Does RSTLIB require the target library to already exist?" Generally, RSTLIB can create the library if it does not already exist, restoring it fresh from the saved copy. Confirming exactly what happens to an existing library with the same name before running RSTLIB matters, covered in more depth later in this batch.

"Should SAVLIB be used for a library other developers are actively working in?" Not without care. Saving or restoring a library while other users or jobs are actively using objects in it can run into object locks, covered earlier in this course, and deserves the same coordination covered later in this batch for restoring safely.

Quick Recap

• SAVLIB saves every object in a library at once; RSTLIB restores an entire library from a save.
• This is the right tool for "give me this whole library back the way it was," rather than restoring individual objects one at a time.
• RSTLIB can create the target library if needed, but what happens to an existing library with the same name deserves careful confirmation.
• Saving or restoring a library other users are actively working in can run into object locks and needs coordination.

Try Asking the AI Tutor

Use the AI Tutor to ask follow-up questions about this lesson. For example, try asking:

• "Why might a shop prefer SAVLIB over saving objects individually for a test library refresh?"
• "What could go wrong if I ran RSTLIB against a library other people were actively using at the same time?"