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91

z/OS Server / MidServer does not work with Java V8 | Fixed

« on: May 27, 2016, 07:47:29 AM »

This only affects shops using the MidServer.

Java V8 deprecated some function.

If you try to start the MidServer with Java V8 you'll see the following errors in STDERR:

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: sun.io.Converters
...
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: sun.io.Converters

Ed

92

Tips and Tricks / JCL That I Find Handy

« on: May 13, 2016, 09:17:38 AM »

Starting a thread to post some JCL that I use to solve CMOD issues. Feel free to post yours here as well.

Problem: testing arsload from spool, wanted to copy the IVP #1 sample file to spool class D.

//GENER EXEC PGM=IEBGENER
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSUT1 DD PATH='/usr/lpp/ars/V9R5M0/samples/ARSIVPR1.out',
// LRECL=133,RECFM=FB,BLKSIZE=399,
// PATHOPTS=(ORDONLY),
// FILEDATA=TEXT
//SYSUT2 DD SYSOUT=D
//SYSIN DD DUMMY

Ed

93

OD/WEK & JAVA API / IHS Apache Web Server (IBM HTTP Server 8.x.x.x) Default Setting Warning

« on: April 20, 2016, 01:51:59 PM »

On z/OS the Apache Web Server sample started task procedure HAPBPROC is shipped via the SHAPJCL2 library.

The sample procedure contains the parameter MEMLIMIT=512M.

Should anyone be seeing memory errors specifically or unexplained errors in general try removing that parm and running REGION=0M.

Ed

94

z/OS Server / Reddit AMA on z Systems security Friday, April 8 at 11AM EDT

« on: April 05, 2016, 09:25:19 AM »

Looks like an excellent opportunity to get those RACF, Unix Systems Services security, and unified login questions answered!

Quote

From: Anthony Giorgio <nitehawk@linux.vnet.ibm.com>
Subject: Reddit AMA on z Systems security

Hey everyone,

We're going to be hosting a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session on
r/mainframe. It's this Friday, April 8 at 11AM EDT. We'll have a
number of IBM security experts available to answer your questions. If
you're interested, check out the announcement at the link below:

http://ibm.biz/security_ama

--
Anthony Giorgio
Advisory Software Engineer
IBM z Systems Platform Performance Manager
Twitter: @a_giorgio

Ed

95

z/OS Server / COBOL V5 exposes poor coding practice in exit ARSEXINP

« on: March 24, 2016, 12:09:20 PM »

Two files get opened in sample exit ARSEXINP.

One, STATS-FILE, does not get properly closed before program termination.

In COBOL V4 and below this condition was tolerated and nobody ever knew there was a problem.

With COBOL V5 we get into a race condition in multi-threaded COBOL and the program ends up looping during termination.

What's interesting is that the LOAD itself completes successfully, it's not until the very very end when files are being closed that the loop occurs.

APAR PI59610 has been opened to update the sample ARSEXINP in SARSINST

ERROR DESCRIPTION:
When compiled under COBOL V5 and above sample ARSEXINP does not
properly close all files resulting in a loop.

LOCAL FIX:
Compile with COBOL V4 and below or ensure that all files are
closed before program termination.

Ed

96

z/OS Server / Exploiting Hardware Compression on the zEDC

« on: March 16, 2016, 11:20:20 AM »

Before you do anything else, read and heed the following Technote:

APAR PI41677 zEDC support as updated by PI49323

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27046215

Now, how can you tell whether you have the hardware set up properly?

1. use the d iqp operator command to see if the feature is enabled:

D IQP
IQP066I 09.59.54 DISPLAY IQP 613
zEDC Information
MAXSEGMENTS: 4 (64M)
Previous MAXSEGMENTS: N/A
Allocated segments: 4 (64M)
Used segments: 0 (0M)
DEFMINREQSIZE: 4K
INFMINREQSIZE: 16K
Feature Enablement: Enabled

2. To see what state the zEDC is in, a D PCIE operator command displays the devices. The zEDC is one of the 'Hardware Accelerator' entries

D PCIE
IQP022I 10.10.58 DISPLAY PCIE 615
PCIE 0011 ACTIVE
PFID DEVICE TYPE NAME STATUS ASID JOBNAME CHID VFN
000000F6 Hardware Accelerator ALLC 0012 FPGHWAM 0150 0006

3. The D PCIE,PFID=xx will display the details telling you the type of accelerator:

D PCIE,PFID=F6
IQP024I 10.12.38 DISPLAY PCIE 617
PCIE 0011 ACTIVE
PFID DEVICE TYPE NAME STATUS ASID JOBNAME CHID VFN
000000F6 Hardware Accelerator ALLC 0012 FPGHWAM 0150 0006
CLIENT ASIDS: NONE
Application Description: zEDC Express
Device State: Ready
Adapter Info - Relid: 00000B Arch Level: 03
Build Date: 02/13/2014 Build Count: 03
Application Info - Relid: 000000 Arch Level: 02

Note:

Device State: Ready is good
Device State: Intervention required is not good
any other state is transient, reissue the command

Of particular importance in the Technote is:

Quote

Two new compression types have been added to Content Manager OnDemand, named OD77HW and OD77LiteHW. In order to leverage hardware-based compression, you must define the document and resource compression types to one of these values.

Ed

97

z/OS Server / Running multiple ARSSOCKD's on the same LPAR

« on: March 02, 2016, 07:38:40 AM »

Recently Level 2 has been requested for a cookbook on how to set up two started tasks accessing the same database, and how to split the load between the two.

Follow the examples below:

Here is what your ars.ini should look like:

[@SRV@_ABC900] <----- this is your original
HOST=mvs222
PROTOCOL=2
PORT=1451 <----- note this
SRVR_INSTANCE=ABC900DB
SRVR_INSTANCE_OWNER=ODPROD
SRVR_OD_CFG=/etc/ars/V900/ars.abc900.cfg
SRVR_SM_CFG=/etc/ars/V900/ars.abc900.cache
SRVR_FLAGS_FOLDER_APPLGRP_EXIT=0
SRVR_FLAGS_SECURITY_EXIT=0
SRVR_FLAGS_FORCE_SECURITY=0

[@SRV@_ABC902] <------ this is different
HOST=mvs222
PROTOCOL=2
PORT=2451 <------ this is different
SRVR_INSTANCE=ABC900DB
SRVR_INSTANCE_OWNER=ODPROD
SRVR_OD_CFG=/etc/ars/V900/ars.abc900.cfg
SRVR_SM_CFG=/etc/ars/V900/ars.abc900.cache
SRVR_FLAGS_FOLDER_APPLGRP_EXIT=0
SRVR_FLAGS_SECURITY_EXIT=0
SRVR_FLAGS_FORCE_SECURITY=0

Note the only things that are different.

So let's say we now have two started tasks, which we could name
anything.

//ARSSOCK0 PROC
//ARSSOCK0 EXEC PGM=ARSSOCKD,REGION=0M,TIME=NOLIMIT,
// PARM='/-S -I ABC900 -v' <------------the only difference
...(everything else is the same)

//ARSSOCK2 PROC
//ARSSOCK2 EXEC PGM=ARSSOCKD,REGION=0M,TIME=NOLIMIT,
// PARM='/-S -I ABC902 -v' <------------the only difference
...(everything else is the same)

Start both of them up.

Using the port number sign on to each of them with a client to see that
you can independently use each one.

Submit a simple batch job, changing only the instance name from ABC900
to ABC902.

Here's a sample job you can submit, it just does a display of process
ID's or some such, not really sure.

// JOB
//TMP1 EXEC PGM=IKJEFT01,REGION=0M,
// DYNAMNBR=200
//SYSPROC DD DSN=SYS1.SBPXEXEC,DISP=SHR
//*
//SYSTSPRT DD SYSOUT=*
//*
//SYSTSIN DD *
oshell /usr/lpp/ars/V9R0M0/bin/arssockd -I ABC900 -px
//*

By using the -I parameter for your load jobs you can direct loading to one started task or the other as desired.

And that's all there really is to it.

Ed

98

OD/WEK & JAVA API / 31 bit and 64 bit Webshere and ODWEK on z

« on: February 28, 2016, 01:19:32 PM »

We're talking Java API here:

Recently had a situation where a customer thought their WAS on z/OS had to be 31-bit (due to AFP2PDF being restricted to 31 bit).

This used to be true, but is no longer.

The ODWEK Java API does a spawn() of afp2pdf. For spawn(), it doesn't matter what AMODE afp2pdf is.

It >>>used to be<<< that ODWEK could invoke afp2pdf via spawn() or via function calls to the afp2pdf_shr DLL. For DLLs, AMODE does matter.

In that case, 64-bit code can't call functions in a 31-bit DLL. But CMOD doesn't do function calls anymore, so that's not an issue.
_________________________

For ODWEK java API, CMOD ships both 31- and 64-bit DLLs.

Either should spawn afp2pdf no problem using the java APIs.

Note: CGI/Servelt remains 31-bit only.

Ed

99

z/OS Server / COBOL V5, Change In Behavior Caused S0C4 In ODSZUPDZ

« on: December 09, 2015, 01:26:47 PM »

We had a report of ODSZUPDZ recompiled with COBOL V5 and S0C4's were being received.

(Thanks go to COBOL support for the following explanation.)

It turns out that when module ODSZUPDZ is built with the COBOL 5.1 compiler, it has a deferred segment.

The module ODSXUPDZ is loaded (via a directed load) in ASID x and the LFMD for it is built in this ASID with a valid loader token.

Later CEEPPOS tries to load the deferred segment of the module for which LE does not have addressability to the LFMD, because the LFMD resides in ASID x, but the deferred segment is being attempted to be loaded in ASID y.

The only solution thus far is to add the module into LPA.

When the module is loaded from LPA, the LFMD is built in common storage that can be accessed from any ASID and allows it to work.

Ed

100

z/OS Server / COBOL V5 Can Cause Storage Leak and 878 Abend

« on: November 06, 2015, 08:54:07 AM »

We've encountered this problem:

PI49958 -
****************************************************************
* USERS AFFECTED: Enterprise COBOL V5.x users compiling and *
* running programs that are compiled with the *
* THREAD compiler option and run under a *
* multi-threaded POSIX(ON) environment, and *
* that contain QSAM or VSAM files OPENed and *
* then CLOSEed repeatedly. *
* *
****************************************************************
* PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: There is a small memory leak in the *
* CLOSE processing of the file. *
* *
****************************************************************
* RECOMMENDATION: Apply provided service. *
****************************************************************
During OPEN of QSAM/VSAM file, a control block is created to
associate the OPENed file with the current thread. If the thread
is cancelled, that information is used to correctly close all
files associated with that thread. During CLOSE processing, the
control block that associate the file CLOSEing and the thread
should be removed. The issue is that removal was not done
correctly.

FIXCAT keyword: COB0501T/K COB0502T/K

The logic of the CLOSE file processing to handle THREAD in
POSIX(ON) is fixed to correctly remove that control block used
to associate the file with the thread. Thus removing the memory
leak.

So you may want to compile exits with COBOL V4 until you have the PTF applied:

http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21883472

Ed

101

z/OS Server / Insight 2015 - October 26-29

« on: October 22, 2015, 06:28:25 AM »

Anybody else going to be at Insight next week?

Look for me at Booth #300 on the exhibition floor.

Ed

102

z/OS Server / RED ALERT - APAR OA48941 Will Affect CMOD Users

« on: October 02, 2015, 09:22:17 AM »

Before you read the rest of this note, read this link:

z/OS Unicode Services Conversion Information Service fails after December 15, 2015

https://www14.software.ibm.com/webapp/set2/sas/f/redAlerts/20150930.html

The good news is that CMOD itself doesn't use iconv() and thus Unicode System Services.

The bad news is that CMOD does use the DSNUTILS Stored procedure, Java, and LDAP which do.

Ergo, get that fix installed soonest so you don't get bitten by an IPL after December 15, 2015.

Ed

103

Tips and Tricks / ARSRPT utility - and how to run in batch on z/OS

« on: September 18, 2015, 10:39:24 AM »

Easy enough to google for more information but here's the 50,000 foot overview:

Quote

The enhanced reporting command produces a report for a selectable 24-hour period. The report is
output in two optional files. The first file is the raw data extracted from the OnDemand System Log
and formatted as XML. The second file is a summary derived from the raw data. The report covers
three sets of operations of the system, logins, loads, and query/retrieves.

// JOB REGION=0M
//STEP1 EXEC PGM=BPXBATCH
//STDPARM DD *
SH /usr/lpp/ars/V9R0M0/bin/arsrpt -h ARCH900
-c "IBM-037" -t 2015-09-17
-u odv733 -p /u/odv733/edstash
-d /tmp
//STEPLIB DD DISP=SHR,DSN=ARS.ARSV900.SARSLOAD
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSOUT DD SYSOUT=*
//STDERR DD SYSOUT=*
//STDOUT DD SYSOUT=*

Note: you can't use V9 libraries to access V8.5 logs --- or at least I can't.

This is the error I see in the JESMSGLG in ARSSOCKD for V8.5 when my JCL points to V9.0:

ARS0013E ODV793 DB Error: {DB2 FOR OS/390}{ODBC DRIVER}{DSN11015}
DSNT408I SQLCODE = -206, ERROR: ODDAT_TIME_STAMP IS NOT VALID IN THE
CONTEXT WHERE IT IS USED
DSNT418I SQLSTATE = 42703 SQLSTATE RETURN
CODE DSNT415I SQLERRP = DSNXORSO
SQL PROCEDURE DETECTING ERROR DSNT416I SQLERRD
= -100 0 0 -1 0 0 SQL DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION DSNT416I
SQLERRD = X'FFFFFF9C' X'00000000' X'00000000' X'FFFFFFFF'
X'00000000' X'00000000' SQL DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION
ERRLOC=5:10:1 -- SQLSTATE=42S22, SQLCODE=-206, File=
arsdoc.c, Line=2529

Ed

104

z/OS Server / 9.5.0.3 Rollup for z/OS --- new function, extensive HOLD ACTION, LE Maint req'd

« on: August 17, 2015, 09:00:15 AM »

Note the changes in

1. Compression/Decompression
2. ODF
3. ODWEK requiring a RACF change.

For now, read the README at the link below and expect more details in the next quarterly newsletter for CMOD.

This is the text from APAR (PI41677) PTF (UI30119):

****************************************************************
* USERS AFFECTED: All Content Manager OnDemand for z/OS 9.5 *
* customers *
****************************************************************
* PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: 1. Rollup Multiplatform 9.5.0.3 *
* fixpack. *
* *
* 2. Add support for zEDC. *
* *
* 3. Add support to ODF to allow *
* customers to specify a wildcard *
* with substring in the sql statement. *
* Upon execution ODF will substitute in *
* the correct portion of the recipient *
* name. *
* *
* A. The format of the wildcard is: *
* *
* $ODF_RECIPIENT(start pos:length) *
* *
* where start pos is the number of the *
* character to start and length is *
* is the number of characters to use. *
* (start pos:length) is optional *
* *
* $ODF_RECIPLIST(start pos:length) *
* *
* where start pos is the number of the *
* character to start and length is *
* is the number of characters to use. *
* (start pos:length) is optional *
****************************************************************
* RECOMMENDATION: *
****************************************************************
1. Rollup Multiplatform 9.5.0.3 fixpack.
2. Add support for zEDC.
3. Add support to ODF to allow customers to specify a wildcard
with substring in the sql statement. Upon execution ODF will
substitute in the correct portion of the recipient name.

A. The format of the wildcard is:

$ODF_RECIPIENT(start pos:length) where start pos is the number
of the character to start and length is the number
of characters to use.
(start pos:length) is optional

$ODF_RECIPLIST(start pos:length) where start pos is
the number of the character to start and length is the number
characters to use.
(start pos:length) is optional

DOWNLD:
This PTF updates the OnDemand AFP Web Viewer and the IBM
OnDemand Image Web Viewer. These are self-extracting
files. These files should be downloaded in binary to the users
Windows system an run to install the appropriate plug-in.
If the user is running a browser while the installation is in
progress, then the user must stop and restart the browser
before the plugins can be used. The files are located in:
-PathPrefix-usr/lpp/ars/V9R5M0/www/plugins/. For users
installing in the root directory, -PathPrefix- would be "/".
For others, it might be "/SERVICE".

afpplgin.exe - IBM OnDemand AFP Web Viewer
- All languages including DBCS support
afpplgin.zip - IBM OnDemand AFP Web Viewer
- Zip format for all languages include DBCS
imgplgin.exe - IBM OnDemand Image Web Viewer
- All languages
MULTSYS:
This ptf must be applied to all systems which
run a server for the same instance. Running servers
for the same instance at different fixpack levels
may produce anomalous results.
DOCUMENTATION:
OnDemand MP 9.5.0.3 Readme Link is at:
http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27046127
ACTION:
If you are using the OnDemand Web Enablement Kit (ODWEK), then
after you apply this PTF, you must delete all of the files from
the Web Enablement Kit cache directory. The directory is
specified by the CacheDir directive in the arswww.ini
file. The deletion should be done when ODWEK is not active.

If _CEE_DLLLOAD_XPCOMPAT=2 was being specified as a WAS
environment variable to circumvent an abend in the ODWEK
servlet, it should be removed as it is no longer necessary.
ACTION:
This SYSMOD changes the way the Java ODWEK API generates docids.
After installation of this SYSMOD, verify that users of the Java
ODWEK API have READ access to the CSFOWH profile in the CSFSERV
class.

105

z/OS Server / On z/OS V2.1? CMOD Works Just Fine With New Format zFS Aggregates

« on: July 19, 2015, 01:52:06 PM »

History: when zFS first came out, a recurring question was "Does CMOD work with zFS's?"

The answer was always yes. Completely transparent.

With z/OS V2.1 a new, and better format of zFS aggregate has been made available.

I'm not going to write about it, all one would want to know is here:

http://www-304.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSLTBW_2.1.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r1.ioea700/ioea7p02999476.htm

Right now you can run the following JCL which simply does a brief display of information about each zFS aggregate on your system:

//AGGRINFO EXEC PGM=IOEZADM,REGION=0M,
// PARM=('aggrinfo -long')
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=H
//STDOUT DD SYSOUT=H
//STDERR DD SYSOUT=H
//SYSUDUMP DD SYSOUT=H
//CEEDUMP DD SYSOUT=H
//*

This is output for my V9.0 product zFS before converting it to the new format:

ARS.ARSV900.PRODUCT.ZFS (R/W COMP): 119662 K free out of total 1080000
version 1.4
auditfid E2D4E2E5 D3F20598 0000
14957 free 8k blocks; 6 free 1K fragments
2160 K log file; 56 K filesystem table
160 K bitmap file

Note the "version 1.4" in the output above, that's the old format.

I went into my BPXPRMxx and changed that mount to this:

MOUNT FILESYSTEM('ARS.ARSV900.PRODUCT.ZFS')
MOUNTPOINT('/usr/lpp/ars/V9R0M0')
TYPE(ZFS)
MODE(RDWR) PARM('CONVERTTOV5')

All I did was add the PARM statement and IPLed.

Voila - now when I run the aggrinfo job I get:

ARS.ARSV900.PRODUCT.ZFS (R/W COMP): 119662 K free out of total 1080000
version 1.5
auditfid E2D4E2E5 D3F20598 0000
converttov5
14957 free 8k blocks; 6 free 1K fragments
2160 K log file; 56 K filesystem table
160 K bitmap file

I have converted all of my product zFS's and all of my temp and cache zFS's and run a test load through my system.

It works.

Ed

OnDemand User Group

News:

Topics - Ed_Arnold

z/OS Server / MidServer does not work with Java V8 | Fixed

Tips and Tricks / JCL That I Find Handy

OD/WEK & JAVA API / IHS Apache Web Server (IBM HTTP Server 8.x.x.x) Default Setting Warning

z/OS Server / Reddit AMA on z Systems security Friday, April 8 at 11AM EDT

z/OS Server / COBOL V5 exposes poor coding practice in exit ARSEXINP

z/OS Server / Exploiting Hardware Compression on the zEDC

z/OS Server / Running multiple ARSSOCKD's on the same LPAR

OD/WEK & JAVA API / 31 bit and 64 bit Webshere and ODWEK on z

z/OS Server / COBOL V5, Change In Behavior Caused S0C4 In ODSZUPDZ

z/OS Server / COBOL V5 Can Cause Storage Leak and 878 Abend

z/OS Server / Insight 2015 - October 26-29

z/OS Server / RED ALERT - APAR OA48941 Will Affect CMOD Users

Tips and Tricks / ARSRPT utility - and how to run in batch on z/OS

z/OS Server / 9.5.0.3 Rollup for z/OS --- new function, extensive HOLD ACTION, LE Maint req'd

z/OS Server / On z/OS V2.1? CMOD Works Just Fine With New Format zFS Aggregates