[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> Joe,
>
> I remember that there is a way to invoke sort where the 'output' file
> contains the record number and the key value.  In your example you would end
> up with an output file of about 16 bytes long and the same 'eof' as you
> input file and then your program would read the output file serially and
> using the record number stored in the first 4 bytes of the record would
> perform a random read of the input file.
>
> Just a thought.
>
> Regards
>
> Paul H. Christidis
>
> ______________________________________________________________

The syntax (in SORT.PUB.SYS) for doing this is:

OUTPUT filename,NUM,KEY

Incidentally, my ancient MPE/V Sort-Merge/3000 manual says that if you
get the INSUFFICIENT STACK SPACE error, you need to increase MAXDATA
(which you already did).
In light of this, I'd guess that CM SORT can't handle a file with that
many records
and a record size that big. Paul's suggestion might work, since only the
keys would be passed to SORT, and not the whole record.

--Ken Kirby
  Vanderbilt University