How do I know which tool or service aid to select?

This topic describes the criteria for selecting a tool or service aid.

Your choice depends on one of the following problems or needs:

Problem or need	See
Selecting a dump	Selecting a dump
Selecting a TCP/IP services component trace	Selecting a trace
Selecting a service aid	Table 1

The tables show the problem, the corresponding tool or service aid, and the topic or document that covers it in more detail. Use these tables to find a tool or service aid quickly.

Tip: The traces given in this document are only examples. Traces in your environment can differ from these examples because of different options selected.

Table 1. Selecting a service aid
If the problem is...	Then use this type of service aid
System or hardware problem: need a starting point for diagnosis or diagnosis requires an overview of system and hardware events in chronological order.	LOGREC data set or EREP See z/OS MVS Diagnosis: Tools and Service Aids for detailed information.
Information about the contents of load modules and program objects or a problem with modules on the system.	AMBLIST See z/OS MVS Diagnosis: Tools and Service Aids for detailed information.
Diagnosis requires a trap to catch problem data while a program is running. The DISPLAY TCPIP,,STOR command can be used to help set a SLIP trap.	Service Level Indication Processing (SLIP) See z/OS MVS System Commands for detailed information.
Diagnosis requires formatted output of problem data, such as a dump or trace.	IPCS See z/OS MVS IPCS User's Guide for detailed information.

You can now perform the steps for the decision you have made.