IBM RPG II

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RPG II is a version of the IBM RPG. It was developed in the late 1960s and was offered on a number of different computers, including the IBM System/3, System/32, System/34, System/36, System/370 and the Wang VS Series. ICL also produced versions for its ICL 2903 system and for the VME/K operating system.

While RPG II itself did not evolve much from the 1977 implementation on the System/34 to 2000 when the Advanced/36 was discontinued from marketing, third-party providers sold more than 200 different assembler subroutines that could be used by System/36 and Advanced/36 programmers to exceed RPG II limitations. By using RPG subroutines, programmers could close and re-open printer files, directly access devices, library members, and system areas, and perform true program calls. The "keys to the kingdom" of advanced RPG II programming are contained in these subroutines.