CICS Program Debugging and Dump Analysis

Duration

Overview

Audience

Prerequisites

Objectives

• Understand the layout of a CICS formatted dump.
• Identify and interpret the reason for a CICS Application Program ABEND.
• Obtain the details of the application environment at the time of the error.
• Understand IBM’s Standard Linkage Convention and the use of Registers, the Base and Displacement Addressing mechanism, and Register Save area chaining.
• Locate the program name and particular statement in error.
• Find all the CICS areas (CWA, TWA, TCTUA, EIB) associated with this task.
• Trace the CALL chain within each load module and the parameters associated with each CALL.
• Trace the LINK chain between load modules and the COMMAREAs associated with each LINK.
• Locate and interpret the contents of all application program variables in all active programs at the time of the dump.
• Interpret the contents of the CICS internal trace table and auxiliary trace.
• Describe and locate the COBOL II Runtime environment, and its relationship with CICS.
• Obtain all the above information from an Unformatted System Dump, as well as from a CICS Formatted System Dump or a Transaction Dump.
• Use the Execution Diagnostic Facility to find the required information dynamically.

Module 1 INTRODUCTION TO CICS/ESA DEBUGGING AND DUMP ANALYSIS

• The Trace Table
• The Formatted CICS Dump
• Language Debugging Facilities
  • PL/1
  • COBOL
• Tools Required for Debugging
• CICS Areas
• Dump Layout
• Transaction Storage User Area (TSUA)

Module 2 PRINCIPAL CICS CONTROL BLOCKS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS

• Kernel Linkage
• Application Domain
• CSA, CWA, TCA, TWA
• TCTTE, TCTUA, EIS, EIB

Module 3 CICS TRANSACTION DUMP LAYOUT

• CICS Formatted Transaction Dump
• CICS Formatted System Dump
• Operating System “Snap” Dump
• Dump Layout

Module 4 LOCATING CICS AREAS OF INTEREST

• CICS Areas Useful for Debugging
• CWA Length
• TWA Length
• EIB

Module 5 THE CICS TRACE TABLE

• The Trace Facility
• EIP Entries
• The HANDLE CONDITION Entry
• ABEND Codes

Module 6 IBM ADDRESSING AND USE OF REGISTERS

• A History of Addressing
• Base and Displacement Addressing
• SAVEAREA’s
• Return Codes

Module 7 FINDING THE COBOL STATEMENT IN ERROR

• Obtaining the Interrupt Address
• CICS Abend Codes
• CICS Interrupt Codes
• The Task Global Table
• Offsets

Module 8 FINDING THE PL/1 STATEMENT IN ERROR

• Obtaining the Interrupt Address
• CICS Abend Codes
• CICS Interrupt Codes
• The Task Global Table
• Offsets

Module 9 LOCATING WORKING-STORAGE VARIABLES

• Task Global Tables
• Base Locators for Working Storage

Module 10 LOCATING LINKAGE SECTION VARIABLES AND INDEXES

• Linkage Sections
• Task Global Tables
• Indexes

Module 11 LOCATING PL/1 VARIABLES

• Variable Storage Classes
• Variable Storage Map
• Identifying Procedures’ DSA

Module 12 TRACING BACK FROM THE ABEND

• Internal Calls
• EXEC CICS LINK

Module 13 THE EXECUTION DIAGNOSTIC FACILITY

• Overview of EDF
• Restrictions in the use of EDF
• How to Invoke EDF
• Stop Points and Conditions
• PF Keys and Options Available
• Overtype EDF Displays

Module 14 INTERPRETING DATA

• Data Types Overview
• EBCDIC
• Data Types in COBOL and PL/1
• Data Type Restrictions