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PM24643: EGL generated COBOL program fails with abend APCT due to an invalid value in the CICS EIBCALEN field

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APAR status

  • Closed as program error.

Error description

  • Rational Business Developer V7.5.1.5:
    
    A VisualAge Generator generated COBOL program receives an abend
    AZCT which is expected when the transcation times out.
    
    After migrating the program from VisualAge Generator to Rational
    Business Developer and regenerating the program with Rational
    
    Business Developer, an abend APCT is received instead of the
    expected AZCT abend.
    
    The following is the failing scenario:
    
    1) EGL generataed COBOL program XYZ requests an exec cics
       handle abend program (ELAESABD).
    
    2) When the transaction times out and receives an abend AZCT,
       the handle abend program ELAESABD is passed control as
       expected.
    
    3) As control is being passed to ELAESABD, a commarea address of
       0's and a commarea length of 4 is passed.  Since the commarea
       address is 0's, the link to ELAESABD fails with an
       invalid_commarea_address.  This is the cause for the APCT
       abend.
    
    4) Program XYZ does not have a commarea, but it is linking to
       program ABC with a commarea that has a length of 4.
    
    5) When control is returned from ABC to XYZ, the CICS EIBCALEN
       (EIB Commarea Length) did not return to 0, but continued to
       hold the value of 4.
    
    APAR PM14429 resolved this issue when the abend occurs in a
    called program and the call is made via an EXEC CICS LINK.
    This problem still occurs when the call is made using the COBOL
    CALL statement.
    

Local fix

  • A temporary fix is available from support.
    

Problem summary

  • ****************************************************************
    * USERS AFFECTED:                                              *
    ****************************************************************
    * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:                                         *
    ****************************************************************
    * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
    ****************************************************************
    The problem is that when calling the EGL abend handler
    directly, instead of through the use of HANDLE LABEL, the
    CICS environment expects that a commarea must have been set
    up initially. EGL calls its called programs directly,
    instead of using exec cics link (unless the program is
    defined as external) which bypasses the cics internal logic
    to set its internal commarea address pointer. When the
    called program abends, the abend handler EGL program is
    attempted to be invoked, but cics detects that the commarea
    length ? 0, but the address it thinks the commarea is at is
    0. This causes the APCT abend. The solution is to use exec
    cics handle abend label instead of habdle abend program.
    Once in the label section of the cobol code, then the abend
    handler is called using exec cics link. This avoids the
    commarea/length discrepancy.
    

Problem conclusion

  • Software updated. Fixtest available.
    

Temporary fix

Comments

APAR Information

  • APAR number

    PM24643

  • Reported component name

    RBD EGL FOR COB

  • Reported component ID

    5724S5001

  • Reported release

    751

  • Status

    CLOSED PER

  • PE

    NoPE

  • HIPER

    NoHIPER

  • Special Attention

    NoSpecatt

  • Submitted date

    2010-10-15

  • Closed date

    2011-05-06

  • Last modified date

    2011-05-06

  • APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

  • APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

Fix information

  • Fixed component name

    RBD EGL FOR COB

  • Fixed component ID

    5724S5001

Applicable component levels

  • R751 PSN

       UP

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU058","label":"IBM Infrastructure w\/TPS"},"Product":{"code":"SSMQ79","label":"Rational Business Developer"},"Component":"","ARM Category":[],"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"7.5.1","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB35","label":"Mainframe SW"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
06 May 2011