IBM Software Group Debug Tool Support

Researching and Reporting Debug Tool Problems

Daniel Kosteck, Thomas Soriano: Level 2 Support

WebSphere Support Technical Exchange

This presentation is for introducing the Debug Tool support site and how to gather documentation to report a problem.

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Agenda
Using the Debug Tool Support Site Reporting a problem

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I will be discussing some of the features available off the Debug Tool support site that will aid in learning more about the Debug Tool product and also assist in resolving problems you may encounter using the product. Tom Soriano will than be discussing the things to consider when you need to report a problem to the support center.

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IBM Software Group Debug Tool Support

Debug Tool main site

http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/debugtool/support/

WebSphere Support Technical Exchange

This is the URL for the Debug Tool support site. From this site you will hopefully be able to get to all the information youd find useful in using and supporting the product. Ive highlighted some of the key features Ill be going over in more detail. Feel free to go to the support site during the presentation to see some of the features live.

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Technotes

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Much of the information available off the Support site is in the form of Technotes. Technotes are the items created by IBM Support teams to provide answers to problems or to document information that may be useful to programmers using our products. This is just a sample of a typical technote based on a problem record reported to the support center.

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Staying Current on Debug Tool

Link to Latest Debug Tool Service Information

Contains latest Fixes for all Debug Tool releases

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Under the Solve a problem header you will find a link to the Latest Debug Tool service information. This link points to a technote that contains all the information on the fixes available for the various releases of Debug Tool for z/OS. This item is updated when a new PTF for a Debug Tool release becomes available. Debug Tool ships multiple fixes via a single PTF so we always advise being on the latest PTF for a release. You can go to this item to determine what that latest PTF level is. Other links under the Solve a Problem header contain technotes on LE and Compiler maintenance levels along with how to ftp documentation to the support center. There is also a link to APAR and all technotes under solve a problem.

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Staying Current on Debug Tool

Use My Support to be informed when key technotes are added to the site.

Click on Request e-mail updates to sign up for a weekly notification of significant technotes via My Support. Use RSS feeds to be informed of all updated content
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Instead of periodically checking the site for the latest PTF information you can be informed of key updates to technotes by using my support. My support is a feature that allows you to customize your support experience. You can choose to receive a weekly e-mail that will inform you when a key technote has been added to a support site. My Support users are notified via e-mail when the latest debug tool service information technote is updated. Details on setting up my support is available under the Request e-mail updates link. For those who use RSS to monitor website content this feature is also available in the Stay up to date section of the support site.

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Search for information specific to Debug Tool

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The search support section of the webpage contains a box where you can place search arguments. You can limit your results by clicking on just technotes and apars (solve a problem) or you can make your search more broad. This search just includes items specific to Debug Tool. Youll notice at the top of every IBM web page is also an area where you can enter search arguments. This searches all of ibm.com.

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Download PTFs

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If you find a PTF either via search or the latest service information technote you can order the PTF via the link under the downloads section. This directs you to the z/OS Techsupport site which requires you register. Once you are registered you can enter PTFs that you would like to retrieve. You will receive a link via e-mail to an ftp site where you can download the PTFs you order. This is an alternative to IBMLINK which is the way many customers order PTFs on z/OS. This is nice when you do not have an IBMLINK ID of your own. There is also a link where you can check the status of your PTF order under the Download link.

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Library Page

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In the left navigation area of the support page you will find a link to the library page. The library page contains all the manuals related to the various releases of Debug Tool. It also contains program directories a problem specifications for the product.

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Information Center

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Under the learn section of the support site is a link to the Application Development Tools Information Center. This is a centralized search repository that includes all the documentation and selected technotes for all the various products that make up the application development offerings at IBM. Id encourage everyone to explore the information center and check out the information available off this link. For Debug Tool the Information Center contains a whole separate FAQ section that was put together by our technical sales representatives and it also contains a how to reference card. These are just a few items you may not run across elsewhere.

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Bottom Half of Support Page

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Here is look at the bottom half of the support page. There are A FEW additional links I wanted to point out that you may find especially useful on this half of the page.

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LookAt Messages facility

Product Support Lifecycle/PSP

IBMLINK

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The LookAt Message facility is a z/OS site that allows you to search on messages and abends. Its a great place to quickly look up a message you may be seeing for various IBM products. Go ahead and try putting an error message received from any IBM product and see if you like this feature. We use this all the time in level 2. The Product Support Lifecycle link contains the End of Support dates for various products. The link off Debug Tool points to the products that begin with D but from this link you can look for EOS dates on products A-Z. The Preventive Service Planning or PSP Link allows you to search for a products PSP Upgrade and Subsets. PSP upgrades are targeted for those who install products. They contain updates from IBM support regarding issues related to the product that is most useful when installing. The last thing I wanted to point out is a link to IBMLINK for those who use SERVICELINK to report problems this will come in handy if you need to contact the support center. Next I wanted to introduce Tom Soriano who will be going into more details regarding the type of information we would like you to gather if you are unable to find a solution off the website and need to enter a record with the support center.

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Reporting Problems
General documentation Small Test case Problem specific documentation http://www-306.ibm.com/software/awdtools/debugtool/

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Add notes here.

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General Documentation: Checklist

Debug Tool version and PTF level (CALL %VER, CEEEVDBG eye-catcher) Compiler version (PTF level if known) Language Environment version (PTF level if known) Subsystem: CICS, DB2, IMS Debugging commands used before the error

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Test scenario: Debug Tool commands from LOG window. (SET LOG ON FILE dsn)

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Sample Test Case

Fastest resolution o Load Module o Listing/Source o EQALANGX o Test scenario (Debug Tool log)

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Sample Test case: Simpler the better, but even if not simple, we may still make use of the load module for certain problems, for example, Debug Tool not starting or source/listing not found. This test scenario also includes any setup , for example, allocation of files, or defining special CICS resources.

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Problem Specific Documentation

Abends: SYSMDUMP CICS errors: AUX trace Remote Debug: EPDC Trace VTAM errors: Configuration files

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Regarding performance or hang problems, respond to question by mentioning Performance Analyzer and sample test case.

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Abends: SYSMDUMP
APAR II10573: How to request dumps in LE/370 environment CICS SYSMDUMP: CETR: - All domains defined as 1 except for AP which is defined 1-2 - Trace Table Size at least 12 meg CEMT INQ SYS shows Dumping(sysdump)

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Start with APAR to describe general dumps, then talk about CICS specific dumps.

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CICS Aux trace

CICS Startup parameters: INTTR=ON TRTABSZ = 1024 CETR Internal Trace Status => Started Internal Trace Table Size => 12000 K

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Add notes here

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EPDC Trace: Remote Debug

Execution and Program Data Control (EPDC) defines the actions taking place between the host and the remote debug (workstation) client To diagnose problems running with remote debug, the EPDC trace can show what data and actions are taking place before the error occurs. The EPDC trace is created differently for the version of remote debug: Distributed Debugger: VisualAge, C/C++ Productivity Tools Compiled Language Debugger: WD4Z (formerly WSED), WDDZ

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Discuss this topic briefly.

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VTAM errors: Configuration files

Samples on SEQASAMP: VTAM configuration files: EQAWAPPL: Minor node names EQAWTRML: Terminal LUs TCPIP configuration file EQAWTTS1/2/3: TN3270 server

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Discuss this topic briefly. Describe the samples as examples of the type of documentation we need.

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FTP site
Terse all files (PDS-E use XMIT then Terse) ftp ftp.emea.ibm.com log on as anonymous, use E-mail address as password cd toibm/mvs put userid.file.trs nnnnn.bbb.ccc.file where nnnnn = ETR id, bbb = branch id, ccc = country id Additional information may be viewed at: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=431&uid=s wg21154524

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Useful Links
Debug Tool main site: http://www/ibm.com/software/awdtools/debugtool/support/ Debug Tool library: http://www.ibm.com/software/awdtools/debugtool/library/ EPDC: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?&uid=swg21002498 FTP: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?&uid=swg21154524 CICS AUX: See CICS Problem Determination Guide http://publibfp.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/bookmgr/BOOKS/DFHS1B00 SYSMDUMP: http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/zos/le/assist/support/ii10 573.html

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Useful Links (continued)

Latest Debug Tool PTFs: http://www/ibm.com/software/docview.wss?&uid=swg21164374/ Latest Compiler/LE PTFs: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?&uid=swg21180142 Information Center: http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/pdthelp/v1r1/index.jsp Lookat Messages: http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/zseries/zos/bkserv/lookat/ Preventive Service Planning: http://www14.ibm.com/webapp/set2/psp/srchBroker Send/Receive Documentation: http://www.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?&uid=swg21154524

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Additional WebSphere Product Resources

Discover the latest trends in WebSphere Technology and implementation, participate in technically-focused briefings, webcasts and podcasts at: www.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/community/ Learn about other upcoming webcasts, conferences and events: www.ibm.com/software/websphere/events_1.html Join the Global WebSphere User Group Community: www.websphere.org Access key product show-me demos and tutorials by visiting IBM Education Assistant: www.ibm.com/software/info/education/assistant Learn about the Electronic Service Request (ESR) tool for submitting problems electronically: www.ibm.com/software/support/viewlet/probsub/ESR_Overview_vie wlet_swf.html Sign up to receive weekly technical My support e-mails: www.ibm.com/software/support/einfo.html

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This chart includes links to a number of sites that provide valuable online resources for WebSphere products. developerWorks offers in-depth technical information. The Events link on Support pages points you to webcast and conference information. Visit websphere.org for user group information and more product information. The IBM Education Assistant consists of self-help modules to get new users up the learning curve quickly. The ESR tool is for Passport Advantage clients to open, update and view PMRs online. And the My Support link on all product support pages lets you sign up for weekly email updates for products of interest to you.

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