IMS Diagnostic Approaches

This class will teach you to understand the IMS software diagnostic process and to know what documentation is required to solve IMS software problems. IMS address space and Task Control Block (TCB) structures along with associated IMS control block structures will be examined to provide you with a roadmap to manuever through the diagnostic maze. Focus will be given to using Interactive Problem Control System (IPCS) and the IMS Interactive Dump Formatter to become familiar with IMS dumps

IMS System Programmers responsible for supporting IMS and diagnosing IMS problems.

Students should have moderate IMS knowledge which can be gained through work experience or through completing the IMS Fundamentals class (CM010 or CMW01).  Students should also have basic assembly language knowledge and be familiar with reading hexadecimal values.  A moderate level of z/os systems programming and z/os operations knowledge would be helpful.

• Learn IBM's recommendations for IMS diagnostic setup
• Understand the usage of the IMS Interactive Dump Formatter
• Identify the key z/os IPCS commands that are useful for IMS problem diagnostics
• Describe the methodology for debugging IMS ABENDs  
• Describe the methodology for debugging IMS waits/loops

• Review IMS documentation setup process
• IMS and z/os control block structure overview
• IPCS analysis overview
• IMS Wait analysis overview
• IMS abend analysis overview
• IMS dump analysis exercises