Difference between SYNCSORT and DFSORT

DFSORT is IBM's own utility, while SYNCSORT is developed and marketed by SYNCSORT Inc. 

ICETOOL is a multi-purpose "utility" that comes free with DFSORT. You invoke ICETOOL via PGM=ICETOOL. Similar to this, SYNCSORT too has got SYNCTOOL, which is invoked via PGM=SYNCTOOL


DFSORT and Syncsort are similar with respect to their basic functions (SORT, MERGE, COPY, INCLUDE, etc). However, DFSORT has free access to its books online, the fully documented and supported ICETOOL utility, Symbols for fields and constants, translation features, FB to VB conversion, run date and time constants, SMF date and time formats, and so on that adds a lot of value.

ICETOOL is a fully documented and supported feature of DFSORT that provides a lot of additional functions. 


Now Syncsort too has a lot of useful features like XSUM (to store the rejects), horizontal arithmetic (adding two fields in a record) Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.

Now, when you code PGM=SORT (or even PGM=ICEMAN), either DFSORT or SYNCSORT is invoked, depending on the settings in your installation. In general, a site has only one sort product since most sites don't want to pay for 2 sort products. If both are used, then it will usually require a JOBLIB or STEPLIB to get to one of them.

How do I know if my site has got SYNCSORT or DFSORT?
The easiest way is to look at the SYSOUT of your sort job. DFSORT messages begin with ICE* and SYNCSORT messages begin with WER*

How do I know whether DFSORT is installed in my MVS system
You might try looking for libraries like SYS1.SICELINK, SYS1.SORTLPA, SYS2.SICELINK, SYS2.SORTLPA to see if you can find the libraries for DFSORT. If you do find them, you can add them to steplib or JOBLIB.

If Syncsort is invoked when you use PGM=SORT, that means that Syncsort has been installed resident in your site. If DFSORT has also been licensed and installed at your site, then it will have been installed non-resident and you'll need to use a JOBLIB or STEPLIB to get to it.

Trying to "find the libraries for DFSORT" is rather difficult and will lead to "fake" errors if you don't get the right libraries or the right order of concatenation.

The best way to find out if you can use DFSORT at your site is to ask your system programmers if it's available and if so what JOBLIB/STEPLIB DDs to use to get to it.