MVS FORCE command and Top Secret shutdown

Products

• Top Secret
• Top Secret - VSE

Issue/Introduction

When should the MVS FORCE command be used to shutdown Top Secret?

If this isn't recommended, what problems could occur from using it?

Resolution

The FORCE command shouldn't be used to shutdown Top Secret.

The recommended way is 'P TSS'. You can then reply with:

• 'T' for temporary shutdown
• 'Z' for End of Day shutdown (IPL).

The FORCE command may be needed under certain circumstances, but this introduces a risk of impacting the Security File integrity. If you are in a situation where the FORCE command is necessary, a dump of the Top Secret Address Space should be taken, before using the FORCE command to shutdown Top Secret.

The dump of the Top Secret Address Space can be taken via the 'TSS MODIFY(SVCDUMP)' command. If, for some reason, TSS commands can't be issued, the dump can be obtained via the MVS DUMP command:

DUMP COMM=tssregion
REPLY nn,JOBNAME=tssjobname,
   SDATA=(ALLNUC,CSA,LPA,LSQA,NUC,PSA,RGN,SQA,SUM,SWA,TRT),
   END