XPEDITER / CICS Debugging

Duration:   3 or 2 days

Participants:   Application developers, mainframe support staff, and systems programmers.

Objectives:   Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to: -  Compile programs for use with XPEDITER/CICS. -  Use XPEDITER to analyze and debug CICS programs, ranging from simple ASRA (S0C7) abends to non-terminal STARTed tasks, XCTLed programs, LINKed programs, and non-terminal triggered programs started from DCT triggers and MQ triggers. -  Use XPEDITER/CICS primary and line commands to: set breakpoints, examine and modify data, alter program logic, troubleshoot program errors, analyze the execution of your programs, and more. -  Use XPED and XPSP transactions to trouble shoot errors and follow program logic. -  Setup and use test scripts.

Overview:   -  XPEDITER /CICS is a debugging tool that lets you analyze, test and debug CICS applications running in a CICS environment. You will learn how to view and alter test profiles, interrupt a running program and examine storage, step through a program line-by-line, animate program execution, restart program execution at a different instruction, trace logic flow, bypass unnecessary program code, monitor, display and modify program variable contents, and more. -  This course uses a variety of CICS COBOL programs to illustrate the debugging of various abends and logic errors, including CICS programs with START, LINK, XCTL, and triggered CICS programs. This course focuses on debugging and analyzing COBOL/CICS applications. It is written for XPEDITER/CICS Release 8.2. Earlier releases are also available.

Prerequisites:   Students need to be able to use TSO and JCL and write COBOL/CICS applications.

Format:   Lecture and extensive hands-on workshops reinforce the lectures and demonstrations.

Setup:   -  Client site needs to have TSO and CICS with XPEDITER/CICS installed. Optionally, WebSphere MQ and DB2 access need to be available. -  Each student needs a PC with 3270 terminal emulation for z/OS mainframe connectivity and logons to both TSO and CICS, and, if available, to the supersession or VTAM switching screen. -  Setup includes multiple PPTs, PCTs and one FCT and CICS/DB2 access for each student and an MQ queue for class.

Topic Outline:   -  XPEDITER/CICS Features and Facilities         XPEDITER/CICS Modes              Three restricted and one unrestricted mode         XPEDITER/CICS Support         Types of Debugging         Debugging Transactions              XPED, XPRT, XPSP         Abend-AID vs. XPEDITER         Compile Process -  Preparing Your Environment to Use Xpediter          Utilities primary menu (Option 5)         Region size message         List allocates screen         DDIO file facility -  Preparing Your CICS Program to Use Xpediter         Setting Defaults         Session Profile         PF Keys         Create New Profile         Save New Profile -  Basic XPEDITER Debugging Session         XPEDITER Primary Menu         Starting the debugging session         First Abend         Changing Data         Setting Breakpoints         Running Your Program         Breakpoint Reached         ASRA Abend         Go Around an Abend         Skip a Line         Ending the debugging session              Log dataset browse screen              Log dataset disposition screen              Test script dataset edit screen              Script dataset disposition screen -  Preparing Your Program         Program preparation menu (Option 1)         Xpediter changes to the compile process         Convert existing compile JCL         Compile facility alternative, for generating compile JCL         General settings              Compile settings              DB2 precompile settings              CICS translation settings              Linkedit settings              Bind facility and DBRM libraries panel -  Essential Debugging Commands         Break Point and Logic Commands              BEFORE, AFTER, WHEN              COUNT              GO              SKIP              TRACE              RETEST         Inserting Instructions              INSERT              PAUSE              GOTO         Program Variable Commands              Monitoring and altering              SET KEEP              KEEP, KEEPE, KEEPH              PEEK, PEEKE, PEEKH              MOVE         UTILITY Commands               HELP              INCLUDE              LOG              SET              SHOW              TSO -  XPEDITER with Non-Terminal STARTed Tasks         Student Setup         Compile and NEWC vs. CEMT NEWCOPY         Set Breakpoints         Trap Summary         Run Transaction         TS QUEUEs         Edit a TS QUEUE         Continue Running Program         View File Contents         Write New Record         List Existing Breakpoints         Cleanup         Remote Abends         Student Setup         Abend with a START, TS Queue, and VSAM File         Rerun without Break in Started Task         Testing with XPSP -  XPEDITER with MQs and DCT Queues         Student Setup         Compile and NEWCOPY         Turn On the MQ Trigger         MQ Breakpoints         List of CSECTS         Monitor Exceptions         MQ ABEND         RESUME         The Abend         View the Dataset         Abend Bulletin         Abend List         Cleanup -  Scripts         Typical uses of scripts         Designing and writing Scripts         Using the log to create a script -  How to Debug Various Types of Programs and Abends         General recommendations for commands before GO         Advanced Xpediter commands         Handling different types of abends         Breakpoints in XCTLed, LINKed, and dynamically Called Tasks         Breakpoints in STARTed Tasks         Breakpoints in DCT Triggered Tasks         Breakpoints in MQ Series Tasks         Breakpoints in Called/Linked Tasks

CICS List    Tools List     Testing and Debugging List     Site Map      Home