Multiple choice technology programming languages

What should be the record length for a variable length file?

  1. It should be equal to length for variable length records

  2. It should be equal to four plus the record length for variable length records

  3. It should be a multiple of four plus the record length for variable length records

  4. It should be multiple of variable record length

  5. None
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Variable-length records in mainframe file systems require a 4-byte Record Descriptor Word (RDW) at the beginning that stores the actual record length. Therefore, the total record length equals 4 bytes plus the data record length. Option A is incorrect because it omits the RDW. Option C incorrectly suggests a multiple of 4. Option D is nonsensical without a base value.

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