MIM | PROCCTC Fails with JCL Error

Products

MIM Resource Sharing (MIM)

Issue/Introduction

Attempting to run the MIM CTC path validation utility on FSYS with the name CTCPROC fails with JCL error. Below are the messages from the log.

JOBLOG

S CTCPROC,58A                                                     
$HASP100 CTCPROC  ON STCINRDR                                     
IEF695I START CTCPROC  WITH JOBNAME CTCPROC  IS ASSIGNED TO USERMIM
 , GROUP G1035STC                                                 
$HASP373 CTCPROC  STARTED                                         
IEF403I CTCPROC - STARTED - TIME=23.25.09                          
IEF453I CTCPROC - JOB FAILED - JCL ERROR - TIME=23.25.09           
         -NOT_EXECUTED_STEP_TABLE BEGIN                           
         -JOBNAME  STEPNAME PROCSTEP STEPNO                       
         -CTCPROC          CTCPROC    1                           
         -NOT_EXECUTED_STEP_TABLE END                             
$HASP395 CTCPROC  ENDED                                           
IEE132I START COMMAND DEVICE ALLOCATION ERROR                      
IEA989I SLIP TRAP ID=X33E MATCHED.  JOBNAME=*UNAVAIL, ASID=004D.

 4 XXIEFPROC EXEC PGM=MIMCTPRF,TIME=1440,REGION=4M          
   XX*                                                      
 5 XXSTEPLIB  DD  DISP=SHR,DSN=SYS2.MIM125.FSYS.LINKLIB     
   XX*                                                      
 6 XXCTC      DD  DDNAME=IEFRDER                            
 7 XXSYSUDUMP DD  SYSOUT=*                                  
 8 //IEFPROC.IEFRDER DD UNIT=58A                            

IEF695I START CTCPROC  WITH JOBNAME CTCPROC  IS ASSIGNED TO USER MIM     , GROUP G1035STC 
IEF467I CTCPROC CTCPROC CTC - UNITS REQUIRED NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE - WAITING NOT ALLOWED
IEF272I CTCPROC CTCPROC - STEP WAS NOT EXECUTED.

MIM DISPLAY PATHS

Taking from FSYS:

-"D PATHS                                                                    
 MIM0067I Command DISPLAY 923                                                 
 MIM0176 MIM PATH DISPLAY:                                                    
 LAST RESTART AT  06:12:20 ON 2021.007                                        
  DEV  SYSTEM   STATE   IO-STAT     READS  WRITES  ERR TIME/RSV  CYCLES        
  N/A  FSYS     LOCAL                   0        0                   0       
  05A8 DSYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
  05AA DSYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
  0598 TSYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
  059A TSYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
 >0580 ESYS     IN-USE  IDLE      672,182  670,152     0.004120 559,771       
  0581 ESYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
  0588 ASYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
  058A ASYS     USABLE  IDLE            0        0                   0        
  XCF  ESYS     USABLE                  0        0                   0       
  XCF  TSYS     USABLE                  0        0                   0       
  XCF  DSYS     USABLE                  0        0                   0       
  XCF  ASYS     USABLE                  0        0                   0

This behavior raises some questions:

What does this "D PATHS" output mean in terms of device allocation/reservation and should we expect CTCPROC to work in such a case?
Does MIM check if primary CTC devices are communicating with each other during initialization?
Can we deallocate the secondary CTC devices on both systems and run the CTCPROC while MIM is still up and running on both systems?
Is there any other way to validate the CTC devices while MIM still runs on both systems?

Environment

Release: 12.5

Component : MIA, MII, MIM

Cause

The IEF467I message indicates that another job is using the unit requested. The system does not allow waiting for the unit to become available. As illustrated below, CTC devices being tested by the MIM PROCCTC utility cannot be defined or in use by any other utility - including MIM.

Resolution

Question 1

What does this "D PATHS" output mean in terms of device allocation/reservation and should we expect CTCPROC to work in such a case?

The MIM DISPLAY PATHS output shows device 58A is already allocated to MIM on ASYS, so cannot be accessed by the PROCCTC. If the error is occurring and the device is not allocated by MIM, it may be in use by another task or SMS. Use the sample job below to determine CTC allocation; a failed result confirms the use of the device for another task.

//JOBNAMEG  JOB (123100000),'ALLOCATE CTC',
//          MSGCLASS=X,CLASS=A,NOTIFY=XXXXXXX
//ALLOC    EXEC PGM=IEFBR14
//DD1       DD  UNIT=58A

Question 2

Does MIM check if primary CTC devices are communicating with each other during initialization?

Yes. MIM performs CTC path validation (handshaking) during product initialization under these conditions:

If an external system is up, handshaking completes immediately
If the external system is down, handshaking occurs at product initialization.

As MIM validates both the primary and alternate CTC paths, any issues identified will mark the path status as "IN ERROR" - making the device unavailable for use. Successfully validated failover devices will show as "USABLE IDLE" on the MIM DISPLAY PATHS command output - but only on the local system. Therefore, it's required to route this command on all systems where the device(s) are in-use versus available

Question 3

Can we deallocate the secondary CTC devices on both systems and test the PROCCTC while MIM is running on all systems?

Yes, it is possible; however, it's advised users contact MIM product support for assistance in performing this test. The intention of this measure is two-fold:

It allows the MIM Support team to be made aware of your planned test; expediting any support needed should the test create any negative consequences
Ensures the MIM Support team has the opportunity to review your current configuration both prior to and post configuration

Question 4

Is there any other way to validate the CTC devices while MIM is active across the MIMplex?

The answer to this question depends on the scenario:

Scenario 1: New CTC Devices

Sites acquiring new devices for MIM are recommended to use the PROCCTC utility as intended - validating the new CTC device(s) function correctly prior to implementing

Scenario 2: Testing PROCCTC Without Device Inventory

Sites, where users want to test the PROCCTC itself but have no unallocated devices, can opt to either use the process above to deallocate secondary CTC devices from MIM usage or to wait until new, unallocated devices become available.