Making sure this is a RACF problem

Table 1 helps you make sure that the problem is in RACF®, rather than in either the caller of RACF or a system service used during processing of a RACF request.

For some problems, you might be able to do a quick check of the problem symptoms in the dump (if present), the job and system message log, SYS1.LOGREC, trace records, or other problem output.

Table 1. Determining Whether You Have a RACF Problem
Questions	Recommendations
Was there a valid request for a RACF function?	This could be that: A RACF macro was invoked A RACF utility was invoked A RACF command was invoked A user selected a RACF option on an ISPF panel The RACF request must be valid. A user request could invoke a routine that in turn invokes RACF. A RACF error message (like ICH408I, insufficient access authority) would then be issued not because of a RACF error or because of an error made by the original user, but because of the routine that invoked RACF. Note: If there is a system dump, you can check this in the trace records recorded in the dump. If there is no system dump, you may need to recreate the problem and request a system dump when the problem recurs.
Were error messages issued by system services that were used during RACF processing?	Check whether any error messages were issued for the user request, and make sure that message IDs are included with the messages. If a batch job produced the output, check that the job statement had MSGLEVEL=(1,1) specified. If a TSO/E user had the problem, check that the user profile had these options specified: PROFILE WTPMSG MSGID.
Did RACF return control to the program that made the request?	For RACF macros and utilities: if there is a system dump, you can check this in the trace records recorded in the dump or (if an SVC was issued) in the RB chain in the system dump. If there is no system dump, you may need to recreate the problem and request a system dump when the problem recurs. For batch jobs, you can also check whether the job step for the program completed with a zero return code. (If an application program made the request, the TSO TEST command, a SLIP command issued by the system operator, or a WTO or PTRACE macro added to the program could be helpful in checking the execution steps within the program.)

Note: While diagnosing the problem, you need to continue to check whether something other than RACF might be the source of the problem. Possible candidates are:

Callers of RACF
System services used by RACF
A hardware error
A program that overlaid storage used by RACF, its caller, or a system service
A storage shortage can cause RACF commands to ABEND unpredictably