Solutions to similar problems

Various sources of information about problems with IBM® licensed programs and their use.

Useful Web sites

Various Web sites are available on the Internet, not all managed by IBM, that you might find useful aids to problem determination. Here are some URLs that you might try:

RETAIN

IBM keeps records of all known problems with its licensed programs on its software support database (RETAIN). IBM Support Center staff continually update this database as new problems that are found. They regularly search the database to see if problems that they are told about are already known.

If you have access to one of IBM's search tools, such as INFORMATION/ACCESS or INFORMATION/SYSTEM, you can look on the RETAIN database yourself. If not, you can contact the IBM Support Center to search for you.

You can search the database using a string of keywords to see if a similar problem exists.

You can use the keyword string (also called the symptom string) that appears in a dump or SYS1.LOGREC record to search the database, or you can build your own keyword string.

If the search is successful, you find a similar problem description and, usually, a fix. If the search is unsuccessful, use these keywords when contacting IBM for additional assistance, or when documenting a possible authorized program analysis report (APAR).