Determining whether the problem is VTAM or non-VTAM

Problems can be classified into two types:

VTAM® problems

These are problems that occur in the VTAM program.

Non-VTAM problems

These are problems that occur because of changes to your network or problems caused by other application programs or software in the network, such as a network control program (NCP) or a local area network (LAN).

If you did any of the following actions, the problem might be in your network setup, in your configuration, or in another IBM® product:

Did you modify an application program that has run without problems in the past?
Did you modify a product exit routine that has run without problems in the past?
Did you change the processing environment? For example, did you introduce a new host processor or communication controller?
Did you modify the operating system, or did you install a new release of the operating system?
Did you add a new terminal to your VTAM network that had incorrect features or incorrect Request for Engineering Activity (REA) and Engineering Change (EC) levels?
Did you attach a link?
Did you set switches at a terminal?
Did you initialize link parameters for a programmable controller?
Did you modify installation-provided VTAM tables? For example, did you modify logmode, Class of Service (CoS), or unformatted system services (USS) tables?
Did you modify VTAM messages?

If you cannot resolve the problem on your own:

Compare your problem to the examples in Common problems in subarea networks and Common problems in APPN networks.
Check Table 1 for your problem symptom.
Follow the instructions in Recommended documentation for VTAM problems. To gather additional information, see Collecting documentation for specific types of problems.
For non-VTAM problems, call your IBM branch office. For suspected VTAM problems, do either of the following steps:
- If you have access to IBMLink, search for known problems in this area. If no applicable matches are found, report the problem to IBM by using the electronic technical report (ETR) option on IBMLink.
- Contact the IBM Software Support Center at 1-800-IBM-SERV.

If a reported problem is a hardware, network definition, or user definition error, the IBM Support Center representative creates an ASKQ item for VTAM. The ASKQ item includes the solution for the problem and can be found in the problem determination database (PDDB).