Conditions for use:

1. 16-bit units only (i.e. logical record header consists of 16-bit words)
2. no headerless blocks
3. no old EP format
4. no unknown length records
5. modes 11, 12, 13 only (otherwise error 8)

In addition, no checks performed whether input unit. Conditions 2. to 4. are always fulfilled when writing with EPIO, condition 1. is default when writing with EPIO. User data will be truncated at the value in status word 2, but no error will be signalled.

The routine is poorly protected against bad user data on input, and may lead to program aborts in cases where EPREAD would recover. In particular EPFRD does not test for the condition which leads to IERR=18 from EPREAD, and performs unpredictably in the case of this condition.

Therefore, in case the user wants to be better protected (e.g., after a fatal error in EPFRD), he should use EPREAD.

Calls to this routine are entirely compatible with EPREAD calls.