Creating and storing a DTCN profile

You can create and store DTCN profiles, or CICS profiles, in the following ways:

The DTCN transaction stores debugging profiles in a repository. The repository can be either a CICS® temporary storage queue or a VSAM file. The following list describes the differences between using a CICS temporary storage queue or a VSAM file:

  • If you don't log on to CICS or you log on as the default user, you cannot use a VSAM file. You must use a CICS temporary storage queue.
  • If you use a CICS temporary storage queue, the profile will be deleted if the terminal that created the profile has been disconnected or the CICS region is terminated. If you use a VSAM file, the profile will persist through disconnections or CICS region restarts.
  • If you use a CICS temporary storage queue, there can be only one profile on a single terminal. If you use a VSAM file, there can be multiple profiles, each created by a different user, on a single terminal.

z/OS® Debugger determines which storage method is used based on the presence of a debugging profile VSAM file. If z/OS Debugger finds a debugging profile VSAM file allocated to the CICS region, it assumes you are using a VSAM file as the repository. If it doesn't find a debugging profile VSAM file, it assumes you are using a CICS temporary storage queue as the repository. See the IBM® z/OS Debugger Customization Guide or contact your system programmer for more information about how the VSAM files are created and managed.

If the repository is a temporary storage queue, each profile is retained in the repository until one of the following events occurs:

  • The profile is explicitly deleted by the terminal that entered it.
  • DTCN detects that the terminal which created the profile has been disconnected.
  • The CICS region is terminated.

If the repository is a VSAM file, each profile is retained until it is explicitly deleted. The DTCN transaction uses the user ID to identify a profile. Therefore, each user ID can have only one profile stored in the VSAM file.

Profiles are either active or inactive. If a profile is active, DTCN tries to match it with a transaction that uses the resources specified in the profile. DTCN does not try to match a transaction with an inactive profile. To make a profile active or inactive, use the z/OS Debugger CICS Control - Primary Menu panel (the main DTCN panel) to make the profile active or inactive, then save it. If the repository is a VSAM file, when DTCN detects that the terminal is disconnected, it makes the profile inactive.

To create and store a DTCN profile:

  1. Log on to a CICS terminal and enter the transaction ID DTCN. The DTCN transaction displays the main DTCN screen, z/OS Debugger CICS Control - Primary Menu, shown below. 
     DTCN               z/OS Debugger CICS Control - Primary Menu             S07CICPD
                           * VSAM storage method *    1           
 Select the combination of resources to debug (see Help for more information)  
  Terminal Id     ==> 0090                                                     
  Transaction Id  ==>                                                          
  LoadMod::>CU(s) ==>          ::>                ==>          ::>             
                  ==>          ::>                ==>          ::>             
                  ==>          ::>                ==>          ::>             
                  ==>          ::>                ==>          ::>             
  User Id         ==> CICSUSER                                                 
  NetName         ==>                                                          
  IP Name/Address ==>                                                          
 Select type and ID of debug display device                                    
  Session Type    ==> MFI                 MFI, TCP, DIR, DTC, DBM              
  Port Number     ==>                     TCP Port                             
  Display Id      ==> 0090                                                     
                                                                               
 Generated String:  TEST(ERROR,'*',PROMPT,'MFI%0090:*')                        
                                                                               
 Repository String: No string currently saved in repository                    
                                                                               
 Profile Status:    No Profile Saved. Press PF4 to save current settings.      
                                                                               
 PF1=HELP 2=GHELP 3=EXIT 4=SAVE 5=ACT/INACT 6=DEL 7=SHOW 8=ADV 9=OPT 10=CUR TRM

    Line  1  displays a message to indicate that DTCN will store the profile in a temporary storage queue or in a VSAM file. Some of the entry fields are filled in with values from one of the following sources:

    • If the temporary storage queue is the type of repository, the fields are filled in with default values that start z/OS Debugger, in full-screen mode, for tasks running on this terminal.
    • If a VSAM file is the type of repository and a profile exists for the current user, the fields are filled in with data found in that profile. If a VSAM file is the type of repository and a profile does not exist for the current user, the fields are filled in with default values that start z/OS Debugger, in full-screen mode, for tasks running on this terminal.

    If you do not want to change these fields, you can skip the next two steps and proceed to step 4. If you want to change the settings on this panel, continue to the next step.

  2. Specify the combination of resources that identify the transaction or program that you want to debug. For more information about these fields, do one of the following tasks:
  3. Specify the type of debugging session you want to run and the ID of the device that displays the debugging session. For more information about these fields, do one of the following tasks:
  4. Specify the TEST runtime options, other runtime options, commands file, preferences file, and EQAOPTS file that you want to use for the debugging session by pressing PF9 to display the secondary options menu, which looks like the following example: 
     DTCN               z/OS Debugger CICS Control - Menu 2               S07CICPD

 Select z/OS Debugger options
 Test Option     ==> TEST                Test/Notest
 Test Level      ==> ERROR               All/Error/None
 Commands File   ==> *
 Prompt Level    ==> PROMPT
 Preference File ==> *

 EQAOPTS File    ==>

 Any other valid Language Environment options
 ==>



 PF1=HELP 2=GHELP 3=RETURN

    Some of the entry fields are filled in with default values that start z/OS Debugger, in full-screen mode, for tasks running on this terminal. If you do not want to change the defaults, you can skip the rest of this step and proceed to step 5. If you want to change the settings on this panel, continue with this step.

  5. Press PF3 to return to the main DTCN panel.
  6. If you want to use data passed through COMMAREA or containers to help identify transactions and programs that you want to debug, press PF8. The Advanced Options panel is displayed, which looks like the following example: 
     DTCN               z/OS Debugger CICS Control - Advanced Options         S07CICPD 
                                                                                
 Select advanced program interruption criteria:                                 
                                                                                
 Commarea Offset  ==> 0                                                         
 Commarea Data    ==>                                                           
                                                                                
 Container Name   ==>                                                           
 Container Offset ==> 0                                                         
 Container Data   ==>                                                           
                                                                                
 URM Debugging    ==> NO                                                        
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
 Default offset and data representation is decimal/character.                   
 See Help for more information.                                                 
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
 PF1=HELP 2=GHELP 3=RETURN
    You can specify data in the COMMAREA or containers, but not both. You can also use this panel to indicate whether you want to debug user replaceable modules (URMs). For more information about these fields, do one of the following tasks:
  7. Press PF3 to return to the main DTCN panel.
  8. Press PF4 to save the profile. DTCN performs data verification on the data that you entered in the DTCN panel. When DTCN discovers an error, it places the cursor in the erroneous field and displays a message. You can use context-sensitive help (PF1) to find what is wrong with the input.
  9. Press PF5 to change the status from active to inactive, or from inactive to active. A profile has three possible states:
    No profile saved
    A profile has not yet been created for this terminal.
    Active
    The profile is active for pattern matching.
    Inactive
    Pattern matching is skipped for this profile.
  10. After you save the profile in the repository, DTCN shows the saved TEST string in the display field Repository String. If you are satisfied with the saved profile, press PF3 to exit DTCN.

Now, any tasks that run in the CICS system and match the resources that you specified in the previous steps will start z/OS Debugger.

Refer to the following topics for more information related to the material discussed in this topic.