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PI14892: ABENDAEXZ AFTER UPGRADE TO CICS/TS V5.1 CAUSED BY A ZERO LENGTH GETMAIN FOR A COMMAREA.

A fix is available

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APAR status

  • Closed as program error.

Error description

  • Application progs abend AEXZ after CICS/TS V5.1 upgrade.
    After upgrading a CICS region to V5.1 an application
    is now abending with AEXZ. The trace shows that this abend AEXZ
    relates to a failed CICS GETMAIN for a ZERO LENGTH COMMAREA:
    SM 0301 SMGF  ENTRY - FUNCTION(GETMAIN) GET_LENGTH(0)
                     SUSPEND(YES) INITIAL_IMAGE(00) REMARK(COMMAREA)
    .                STORAGE_CLASS(USER)
    SM 0302 SMGF  EXIT  - FUNCTION(GETMAIN) RESPONSE(EXCEPTION)
                        REASON(INVALID_GET_LENGTH) ADDRESS(00000000)
    .
    CICS TS 5.1 rejects a zero length getmain but previous CICS
    versions tolerated it.
    Additional Symptom(s) Search Keyword(s): kixdcfcic680
    Applications that issue exec cics link passing a
    commarea length zero, where storage protection is active,
    may now receive ABEND AEXZ under CICS TS 5.1.
    

Local fix

  • Code a XPCREQ exit to remove COMMAREA GETMAIN or to make the
    COMMAREA GETMAIN length non zero.
    

Problem summary

  • ****************************************************************
    * USERS AFFECTED: All CICS V5.1 users.                         *
    ****************************************************************
    * PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: Applications issuing the following      *
    *                      command abend AEXZ after migrating      *
    *                      to CICS TS V5.1:                        *
    *                      EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM(...)             *
    *                                COMMAREA(...) LENGTH(0)       *
    ****************************************************************
    * RECOMMENDATION:                                              *
    ****************************************************************
    CICS is running with storage protection active. A program
    (PROGA) has issued a LINK to another program (PROGB), where
    PROGB is an EXECKEY(USER) program.
    The LINK command specifies a COMMAREA, with LENGTH(0). The
    address of the COMMAREA is not a user key address, therefore
    CICS attempts to copy the COMMAREA into user key storage so that
    it is accessible to PROGB. The length specified on the LINK
    command is used in an internal GETMAIN, to get some user key
    storage to copy the COMMAREA contents into.
    In this case the length requested was zero. CICS attempts a zero
    length GETMAIN. As of CICS TS V5.1, this is no longer allowed.
    The SMGF GETMAIN request fails with an EXCEPTION, reason
    INVALID_GET_LENGTH. DFHPGLE returns a DISASTER response, and the
    transaction terminates with abendAEXZ.
    .
    Note - the behaviour of EXEC CICS GETMAIN was not changed in
    V5.1; these already produced a LENGERR if the LENGTH value was
    zero.
    

Problem conclusion

  • DFHPGLE has been updated so that a zero length GETMAIN will not
    be attempted if the user application specifies a COMMAREA with
    length zero. Instead a real GETMAIN will be performed for 8
    bytes, ensuring that a valid user key address is passed to the
    linked to program.
    

Temporary fix

  • FIX AVAILABLE BY PTF ONLY
    

Comments

APAR Information

  • APAR number

    PI14892

  • Reported component name

    CICS TS Z/OS V5

  • Reported component ID

    5655Y0400

  • Reported release

    800

  • Status

    CLOSED PER

  • PE

    NoPE

  • HIPER

    NoHIPER

  • Special Attention

    NoSpecatt

  • Submitted date

    2014-04-01

  • Closed date

    2014-05-02

  • Last modified date

    2015-03-05

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

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

    UI17772

Modules/Macros

  • DFHBRCV  DFHBRMF  DFHBRMR  DFHCCNVG DFHD2EX1 DFHDHTM  DFHDPIQ
    DFHEIP   DFHEPC   DFHFCRP  DFHPGLET DFHPGLE  DFHPGPG  DFHPGXE
    DFHPIAT  DFHPIIW  DFHPIPL  DFHPITL  DFHRSSR  DFHSIJ1  DFHUSBP
    DFHWBIP  DFHZCN2
    

Fix information

  • Fixed component name

    CICS TS Z/OS V5

  • Fixed component ID

    5655Y0400

Applicable component levels

  • R800 PSY UI17772

       UP14/05/15 P F405

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.

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Document Information

Modified date:
05 March 2015