Overview of the IMS Offline Dump Formatter

The IMS Offline Dump Formatter (ODF) is a formatting option that reduces IMS control region abnormal termination processing.

During abend processing, IMS calls the SDUMP system service of z/OS® to create a dump data set. Because SDUMP dumps the requested address spaces without formatting them, the processing time of an abnormal termination is shortened. After abend processing finishes, you can use the IMS Offline Dump Formatter to format (and print) either the complete dump or only those sections needed to analyze the problem.

One advantage of the IMS ODF is that you can make multiple formatting passes at the dump. This means you can first format a summary and then go back one or more times to format the control blocks that will help you most to analyze the problem IMS encountered.

Other advantages of the Offline Dump Formatter include:

• An integrated IMS dump that contains the address spaces of the IMS control region, DBRC, DL/I, and IRLM address spaces.

  Also, the formatting modules are included in the dump data set. This ensures that the modules used for formatting the dump match the level of the dumped IMS control blocks. If you specify the REFRESH parameter on the user control statement for IPCS, you will get a new copy of the modules from the program library.

• You can use a z/OS stand-alone dump, SVC dump, or SYSMDUMP to produce the dump data set for the ODF to format.
• After formatting, you can either print the dump or use interactive aids such as IPCS and ISPF browse to view the dump.

Formatting dumps offline is the recommended option. If you want to format dumps online during abnormal termination, you must change the FMTO parameter to request a SNAP dump.

You cannot use the ODF to format z/OS trace and control block areas, the IRLM control blocks, or the VSAM modules.