Objections to Implementing Source Support

Extremely important note:Compiled program listings must be compiled with the following options – LIST or OFFSET, MAP and any form of XREF. Otherwise, Shared Services cannot load the listing properly.

  • LIST or OFFSET - Correlates the offset within the object deck created during the compile with the line of code
  • MAP – Correlates the BLW and BLF cell addresses within the compiled output with the working-storage, linkage and FD field names
  • XREF – Correlates the multiple occurrences of the field names within the compiled listing – saves considerable time compared to doing a correlation of the BLx cells with the field names.

It is critical for the client to understand that these options only affect the compiled listing output; not one byte in the object deck is affected.

Another note: - The Current Abend-AID Viewer has an issue with user DDIO files. Currently, the only DDIO files that can be added to the Viewer are those that the ownerid of the Viewer has security rights to read. This is of particular consequence to large clients who have myriads of user DDIO files. Their security groups will NOT set up rules to handle these situations. An enhancement has been created that will modify the existing external security processes to allow the user’s security profile to be used to determine if the DDIO file can be read instead of the Viewer’s. It is currently being tested at a couple of sites.

The assumption below assumes that the compiler options in effect for the listings match the requirements above.

Objections:

  • Takes too much DASD
  • There are approaches that can be taken using existing tools (like DFHSM) to mitigate the amount of DASD needed.
  • If the data is already archived in some other repository – (Changeman, Endevor, SAR, etc.) and a method exists to extract the listing from the repository, the amount of DASD needed is minimal
  • It’s too hard
  • If the client already owns Xpediter, the DDIO files used for Xpediter can also be used for Abend-AID (and Strobe).
  • If there are no pre-existing DDIO files, there is additional work to be done, but it, generally, is not terribly intrusive into existing processes.
  • DDIO files have to be defined.
  • If listings are already archived after compilation, the only process needed is to move the listing from its repository to the DDIO file. This can be done via CLIST, REXX exec or batch job.
  • There is an important point to be mentioned here. If the listings are not available on the LPARs needed, the process to get them there can be more difficult, but not impossible. This will be a subject to be discussed at another time.
  • I don’t have time
  • If the client already has Xpediter, it shouldn’t take the sysprog much time at all to get implemented.
  • Frequently, it is necessary to go directly to application management to get this on their priority list.
  • The programmers don’t need it
  • This is a common argument among many of the old-time sysprogs (“real programmers shoot dumps” attitude).
  • In these situations, it is often necessary to go directly to development management as well as tech support management to get something done.
  • Too many system resources
  • This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions.
  • Compiling the programs and using the postprocessor add approximately 10% to the compile process.
  • The CPU costs to merge the listing into the Abend-Aid report is minimal and the resources assigned to the Viewer can be monitored and adjusted by the client’s performance staff.
  • One subjective factor that should be weighed is the impact of having source support active within Abend-AID. How much more productive are the programmers when they are able to view their listings embedded within the report.
  • This ties in directly with the use of Abend-Aid to enhance the ability of progammers to debug with Xpediter.
  • Having the listing embedded within the Abend-AID report enables the programmer to set better breakpoints with Xpediter because the programmer can view all of the program storage by the field names and see their values; as opposed to looking at BLW cells and cross-referencing the softcopy of the listing. It enables the programmer to get to root cause much more quickly than without source support.
  • Listings are already backed up; don’t want duplicate repositories.
  • Using the existing processes defined in the FEC enables the clients to export the listings from various library management systems into DDIO files.
  • The DDIO files that are required in this situation can be defined as very small files, since the only time you need the listing for Abend-Aid is when a program abends.
  • Processes can be built to retrieve a listing from spooled output (using the XDC command) to build a temporary dataset and then post-process it into the DDIO file.