Troubleshooting
Problem
The DB2 region encountered an abend with code S878 due to ECSA (Extended Common Storage Area) exhaustion. The issue occurred in a z/OS environment, where the ECSA was depleted, causing the DB2 region to stop. Analysis of the SVC dump revealed that the ECSA growth was related to repeated abends in the NetView subsystem, specifically in the CNMCSSPI module, which accumulated storage in Subpool 241. The problem was temporarily resolved by re-IPLing the system with a larger ECSA size.
Symptom
The DB2 regions stopped with an abend code S878 due to ECSA being full. Analysis of the SVC dump revealed that Netview has been abending with 0C4 since IPL, causing CSA storage to accumulate. The issue is related to multiple NetView subsystems defined after BEGINPARALLEL in the IEFSSNxx PARMLIB member, which led to storage accumulation in Subpool 241.
Cause
The issue was caused by NetView repeatedly abending with S0C4, leading to ECSA storage accumulation. The problem was temporarily resolved by re-IPL with increased ECSA size.
Diagnosing The Problem
- Reviewed the ECSA dump and syslog to identify the cause of the S878 abend.
- Analyzed the dump to check for CSA exhaustion and identified CNMCSSPI as a key component.
- Verified the version of CNMCSSPI and confirmed it was a support version of NetView.
- Engaged the NetView dev team for assistance with dump analysis to rule out code mismatch issues as the cause.
- Identified potential configuration issues related to multiple NetView subsystems defined after BEGINPARALLEL.
- If problem persists, suggested further investigation with dumps of actual abends and the CNMCANZ0 dataspace for a better understanding of the issue.
Resolving The Problem
The issue was resolved by performing a re-IPL of the production system with a larger ECSA size, approximately 30% increase, to address ECSA exhaustion. Post re-IPL, the system functioned correctly. The analysis of SVCDUMPs and SYSLOG provided insights into the issue, and specialist review confirmed the involvement of components like NetView.
The customer was advised to correct the IEFSSNxx PARMLIB definition for the NetView subsystems using Beginparallel, which was implemented in the recovery IPL, as mentioned in the IEFSSNxx sub-topic, in the Updating SYS1.PARMLIB Members topic, in the Preparing the MVS System chapter, of IBM Z NetView 6.4 Installation: Getting Started. The third bullet under #3 in the Usage notes: states:
"If you are defining more than one NetView subsystem (SSI) in the IEFSSNxx member, the first NetView subsystem must come before the BEGINPARALLEL keyword. Any remaining NetView subsystems can be defined following the BEGINPARALLEL keyword. If you are defining only one NetView subsystem, the NetView subsystem can be placed before or after the BEGINPARALLEL keyword in the IEFSSNxx member."
Document Location
Worldwide
Product Synonym
Tivoli;5697NV600
Was this topic helpful?
Document Information
Modified date:
08 May 2026
UID
ibm17272425