Collect troubleshooting data for file control (VSAM RLS) problems in CICS TS for z/OS

Resolving The Problem

For the most up-to-date documentation, refer to Collecting CICS troubleshooting data (MustGather) for IBM Support in the CICS TS documentation. You will find the General information you should gather for every type of problem followed by the Component-specific information which includes Troubleshooting data for file control (VSAM RLS) problems

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The following is the original MustGather information:

• Collecting general information for all problems
• Collecting data for VSAM RLS problems
• Troubleshooting hints and tips
• Exchanging data with IBM Support


• Collect troubleshooting data for CICS products - Read first

Collecting general information for all problems

If you have already contacted IBM Support, you can continue on to the component-specific MustGather information. Otherwise, go to Collect troubleshooting data for CICS products - Read first.

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• CICS message log for all CICS regions that use RLS and the system log (SYSLOG) for all MVS images that use RLS.
• CICS internal trace that is included in the MVS system dump and SLIP dump when tracing is active. The trace should be at least 10240K and when possible level 1 tracing should be on for all CICS components and level 1-2 for the FC component.
• Hang situations with CICS and RLS require MVS system dumps of SMSVSAM address spaces and dataspaces, Master address spaces, XCF address spaces and dataspaces, and CICS address spaces. Use the following MVS command with the REMOTE option at the time of the hang to capture a dump on each MVS system in your SysPlex :
  
  DUMP COMM=(dumpname)
  R nn,JOBNAME=(SMSVSAM, XCFAS,*MASTER*,cicsjob*),CONT
   R nn,DSPNAME=('XCFAS'.*,'SMSVSAM’.*),CONT
   R nn,SDATA=(COUPLE,ALLNUC,LPA,LSQA,PSA,RGN,SQA,SUM,
   TRT,CSA,GRSQ,XESDATA),CONT
   R nn,REMOTE=(SYSLIST=*('XCFAS','SMSVSAM‘,’cicsjob*’,
   ’*MASTER*’),DSPNAME,SDATA),END
  
  where dumpname is the name you want to give the dump, nn is the unique reply id for each reply, and cicsjob* is the first part of the job name for your CICS regions. The asterisk is a wildcard telling MVS to dump all regions starting with cicsjob. Note: The incident token in message IEA611I or IEA911I will be the same on all MVS systems.
  
  You can avoid having to reply with so many dump options and instead specify the suffixes of one or more IEADMCxx parmlib members.
1. Tailor a IEADMCxx member to include the dump command. A sample for CICS and RLS problems is provided below.
2. Copy the member into SYS1.PARMLIB.
3. Enter DUMP TITLE=(dump-name),PARMLIB=xx to request a dump using the dump command in IEADMCxx. Request multiple parmlib members by specifying PARMLIB=(xx,yy).


• RLS messages such as DFHFC0987 require a SLIP dump. Use the following SLIP command to capture a dump of the SMSVSAM address space and the CICS address spaces for message DFHFC0987:
  
  SLIP SET,MSGID=DFHFC0987,A=SVCD,
  JOBLIST=(SMSVSAM,cicsjob*),
  DSPNAME =('SMSVSAM'.*),
  REMOTE=(JOBLIST,DSPNAME),ID=id,END 
  
  where DFHFC0987 is the message you are receiving, id is the dump id, and cicsjob* is the first part of the job name for your CICS regions. The asterisk is a wildcard telling MVS to dump all regions starting with cicsjob. Note: The MSGID parameter is valid for z/OS V1.2 and above. The incident token in message IEA611I or IEA911I will be the same on all MVS systems

• If you are able to reproduce the problem, consider using CICS auxiliary trace or GTF Trace in combination with the MVS system dump. The dump is unlikely to tell you anything about system activity in the period leading up to the wait. This is because the trace table will probably wrap before you have had a chance to respond. But, the CICS auxiliary trace and GTF trace should provide enough trace.

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Troubleshooting hints and tips

• Review the logs and dumps generated at the point of failure.
• Search the CICS support site for known problems using symptoms like the message number and error codes.
• If you find a fixing PTF, see Ordering CICS products and maintenance for the options that are available to order CICS maintenance.
• Gather the documentation and work with the CICS support team to resolve your problem.
  
  

• Document on RLS Recovery and Diagnostic Guidelines
• Investigating file control waits in the CICS TS V4.2 information center
• Resolving retained locks on recoverable resources in the CICS TS V4.2 information center

1. See Exchanging information with IBM Technical Support for FTP and email instructions using the IBM Enhanced Customer Data Repository (ECuRep).
   
2. Go to the Service Request page to open or update a problem. If you have a SoftwareXcel enterprise edition for zSeries contract, you can also ask a non-defect installation and usage questions.
   
   Note: Always update your Service Request (problem record) to indicate that data has been sent.

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