IBM Support

PH61398: CICS REGION HUNG NON RESPONSIVE TASK IN LOOP ON QR TCB INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE KERNDUMP

A fix is available

Subscribe

You can track all active APARs for this component.

 

APAR status

  • Closed as unreproducible in next release.

Error description

  • You are running CICS TS 5.5 and the region suddenly becomes
    unresponsive.  The region is running with Fault Analyzer and
    happens to be processing transaction abend codes for
    dumpcode EC4120. In the joblog you see the following messages:
    +DFHKE0201 ABOUT TO TAKE SDUMP. DUMPCODE: KERNDUMP,
               DUMPID: 0/0000. (MODULE DFHKESTX).
    +DFHKE0201 ABOUT TO TAKE SDUMP. DUMPCODE: KERNDUMP,
               DUMPID: 0/0000. (MODULE DFHKESTX).
    +DFHKE0201 ABOUT TO TAKE SDUMP. DUMPCODE: KERNDUMP,
               DUMPID: 0/0000. (MODULE DFHKESTX).
    BPXP018I THREAD 1F72100000000000, IN PROCESS 1332, ENDED
    WITHOUT BEING UNDUBBED WITH COMPLETION CODE 940C4000
    
    +DFHME0118 An error has occurred when calling the Message User
               Exit for message DFHSJ0904
    +DFHME0118 An error has occurred when calling the Message User
               Exit for message DFHAP0001
    BPXP018I THREAD 1F9308000010331E, IN PROCESS 16777931, ENDED
    WITHOUT BEING UNDUBBED WITH COMPLETION CODE 0033E000
    
    +IDI0095W Unexpected condition found in IDI:347: STATIC
              INVOCATION OF EXIT NOT SUPPORTED
    
    Looking at a KERNDUMP, found a task, running on the QR TCB,
    looping overlaying CICS DSA storage above the line.
    The task had abended, and Fault Anayzer was in in control
    gathering information about the abend.  CICS internal
    trace showed it issued and INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE call to CICS.
    CICS keeps track of
    task storage for each individual task in a SMX control block,
    anchored off the Storage Manager Anchor Block.
    FA was inquiring on a task that Just recently ended.
    
    Here is that trace:
    
    QR SM 0E01 SMMC2 ENTRY INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE
          TRANSACTION_NUMBER(0085979C)
          ELEMENT_BUFFER(27100008 , 0012E4F0  , 0012E4F0)
          LENGTH_BUFFER(28500008 , 0012E4F0 , 0012E4F0)
    
    Task 85979 recently terminated, but Storage manager had not
    completely finished its
    clean up of control blocks for this task. This caused code in
    DFHSMMC2 to reference
    low core - address 0000000, thinking it was chaning through CICS
    control blocks,
    This was updating the buffer storage - 27100008 with information
    from low core, which
    happened to be the CVT address.  This overlaid many CICS control
    blocks, as well as
    causing storage violations.
    
    Here is an example of this overlay, which happens to be the
    address of the CVT- 00FD6380:
    27100000   E4F0F0F8   F5F9F2F9   00FD6380   00FD6380
    27100010   00FD6380   00FD6380   00FD6380   00FD6380
    27100020.:2743D43F. LENGTH(X'33D420')--Same as above
    Additional Symptoms: KIXREVDAM
    quickcell SM0102 DFHSM0102 DFHEC4120
    

Local fix

  • disable Fault Analyzer
    

Problem summary

  • ****************************************************************
    * USERS AFFECTED: All CICS users.                              *
    ****************************************************************
    * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: Corruption of storage during            *
    *                      DFHSMMCX XPI (INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE)     *
    *                      processing.                             *
    ****************************************************************
    The DFHSMMCX (INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE) TRANSACTION_NUMBER()
    is called to inquire upon a task which has not got
    any task storage subpools (either because they have not
    yet been allocated, or they have been de-allocated).
    The INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE mechanism returns invalid pointers
    to the caller, corrupting storage.
    In the reported case, many instances of a fullword which
    contained the address of the CVT were returned.
    

Problem conclusion

Temporary fix

Comments

  • DFHSMMCX (INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE) has been changed to
    ignore subpools which are not allocated.
    .
    IBM Publications for CICS, will be updated at
    section:"The INQUIRE_TASK_STORAGE call",
    operand: NUMBER_OF_ELEMENTS
    to state:
    "NUMBER_OF_ELEMENTS can be zero."
    

APAR Information

  • APAR number

    PH61398

  • Reported component name

    CICS TS Z/OS V5

  • Reported component ID

    5655Y0400

  • Reported release

    200

  • Status

    CLOSED UR1

  • PE

    NoPE

  • HIPER

    NoHIPER

  • Special Attention

    NoSpecatt / Xsystem

  • Submitted date

    2024-05-17

  • Closed date

    2024-06-13

  • Last modified date

    2024-07-01

  • APAR is sysrouted FROM one or more of the following:

  • APAR is sysrouted TO one or more of the following:

    UI97311 UI97312

Modules/Macros

  • DFHSMMC2
    

Fix information

  • Fixed component name

    CICS TS Z/OS V5

  • Fixed component ID

    5655Y0400

Applicable component levels

  • R200 PSY UI97312

       UP24/06/14 P F406

  • R300 PSY UI97311

       UP24/06/14 P F406

Fix is available

  • Select the PTF appropriate for your component level. You will be required to sign in. Distribution on physical media is not available in all countries.

[{"Business Unit":{"code":"BU048","label":"IBM Software"},"Product":{"code":"SSGMGV","label":"CICS Transaction Server"},"Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"5.5","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB70","label":"Z TPS"}}]

Document Information

Modified date:
02 July 2024