Introduction to problem management

• Overview of problem resolution
• Steps for diagnosing problems on z/OS
• Gathering diagnosis data
• Problem categories
• Searching problem reporting databases
• Extracting problem symptoms and search arguments
• Formats for symptoms
• Searching for a known problem
• Steps for searching problem reporting databases
• Example of a IBMLink search
• Determining the level of z/OS

Common tools for problem determination

• Messages
• BPXMTEXT for z/OS UNIX reason codes
• IPCS
• Logs
• Traces
• Dumps
• IBM Omegamon for z/OS Management Console
• AMATERSE for FTP
• IBM documentation

Diagnosing an abend

• Overview of an abend
• Steps for diagnosing an abend
• Obtaining the abend and reason code
• Steps for obtaining the abend code
• Identifying the module and component
• Steps for identifying the module and component
• Searching the problem reporting databases
• Steps for searching the problem reporting databases
• Gathering additional problem data for abends
• Steps for gathering trace data for abends
• Steps for collecting additional messages and logrec for abends
• Steps for obtaining a dump for the error

Diagnosing a system hang or wait state

• Overview of a hang or wait
• Steps for diagnosing a system hang
• Collecting the problem description
• Steps for collecting the problem description
• Diagnosing a hang or wait during IPL
• Steps for diagnosing a hang or wait during IPL
• Diagnosing an enabled or disabled wait state
• Steps for diagnosing an enabled wait state
• Steps for diagnosing a coded disabled wait state
• Diagnosing a system partitioned from a sysplex because of status update missing
• Steps for diagnosing a system partitioned because of status update missing
• Searching the problem reporting databases
• Steps for searching the problem reporting databases
• Gathering additional data for hangs and waits
• Steps for gathering messages and logrec for hangs

Diagnosing a job or subsystem hang

• Overview of a hang or wait
• Steps for diagnosing a job or subsystem hang
• Gathering additional data for a job or subsystem hang
• Step for gathering additional data
• Determining the status of a hung job or subsystem
• Steps for determining the status of a hung job or subsystem
• Steps for determining if a job is waiting for resources
• Steps for examining address space dispatchability
• Steps for examining the SRB status
• Steps for examining the TCB status
• Examining why a job is not running
• Steps for examining why a job is not running

Diagnosing a loop

• Overview of a loop
• Steps for diagnosing a loop
• Gathering additional data for a loop
• Steps for gathering loop data
• Analyzing the dump to determine the type of loop
• Step for analyzing the dump for loop type
• Diagnosing a disabled loop
• Steps for diagnosing a disabled loop
• Diagnosing an enabled loop
• Steps for diagnosing an enabled loop
• Diagnosing an excessive spin (spin loop)
• Steps for diagnosing an excessive spin
• Analyzing a logrec error record
• Steps for analyzing a logrec error record
• Searching the problem reporting databases
• Steps for searching the problem reporting databases

Diagnosis information for z/OS base elements and features

Reporting problems to IBM

• Software support service checklist
• Automatic problem reporting
• Invoking IPCS as a background job

Problem diagnostic worksheet