Extra inputs needed when reporting z/OS problems

The core documentation that is required for reporting an IBM MQ problem on any platform is described in Contacting IBM Software Support.

As a rule, the total documentation you need to submit for a problem includes all the material you need yourself to do problem determination. Some of the documentation is common to all IBM MQ for z/OS problems, and some is specific to particular types of problem.

Make sure that the problem you have described can be seen in the documentation you send. If the problem has ambiguous symptoms, you need to reveal the sequence of events leading to the failure. Tracing is valuable in this respect but you need to provide details that trace cannot give. You are encouraged to annotate your documentation, if your annotation is legible and does not cover up vital information. You can highlight any data in hardcopy you send, using transparent highlighting markers. You can also write notes in the margins, preferably using a red pen so that the notes are not overlooked.

Finally, note that if you send too little documentation, or if it is unreadable, the support team will have to return your problem marked "insufficient documentation". It is, therefore, worthwhile preparing your documentation carefully and sending everything relevant to the problem.

The additional documentation needed is described in the next section. However, these are only guidelines. You must find out from the IBM support center representative precisely what documentation you need to send for your specific problem.