Having problems with your Dispatch journal files? Consider running periodic journal file maintenance.

Products

• Dispatch Output Mgmt

Issue/Introduction

Over a period of time, the journal files eventually become fragmented and as a result, Dispatch may not be writing to all of the available allocated blocks for a journal file. If this happens, you'll likely start seeing messages similar to "DC111111L JOURNAL 90% FULL AFTER CONDENSE".

Other types of journal corruption can also occur that result in CA Dispatch thinking a journal file is FULL even through it is not. Or, that causes Dispatch to stop writing to a journal file all together.

If you start having problems with your journal files or the DSEXJNL1 journal offload job, it's time to get them cleaned up, and this article documents the CORRECT way to accomplish this task. 

Environment

Dispatch, 11.7, DSEXJNL1, JOURNAL, OFFLOAD, INITIALIZE, PROCEDURE, DSEXJFIX

Cause

Fragmented or corrupted journal files may cause errors.

Resolution

Because of the above reasons that it would probably be a good idea to "periodically" execute the //JFIX step of the CADSJFIX PROC to initialize the journal files on a regular basis. Perhaps Monthly or Quarterly, just to clean up any corruption or fragmentation that may have occurred over time.

The DSEXJFIX jobs submit JCL is located in the Dispatch installed 'HLQ...CADSJCL' library. The execution procedure (PROC) for this job is located in the 'HLQ...CADSPROC' library as member CADSJFIX. In addition to being able to initialize existing journal files, the DSEXJFIX job can also be used to install brand new journal files. The specific steps of the CADSJFIX PROC that will be executed when the job is run are dictated by the symbolic settings in the DSEXJFIX submit JCL.

When running the DSEXJFIX job for the specific purpose of initializing a clients existing journal files as outlined in this knowledge document, the symbolic known as 'MIGRATE=' must be set as MIGRATE='LE'. By setting MIGRATE=LE, most of the steps of the CADSJFIX PROC will flush with the exception of the very last step (//JFIX EXEC PGM=IDMSINIT) with a step description of "INITIALIZE JOURNALS".

• It's CRITICAL to STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE THAT CA DISPATCH HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN CLEAN prior to running the DSEXJFIX job to initialize your existing journal files! A CLEAN shutdown of Dispatch is REQUIRED in order to maintain database integrity and prevent broken chains!

 

Instructions:

1. Issue the 99STOPCADS command to initiate the normal CA Dispatch shutdown routine.

2. When the Dispatch STC comes down, review the contents of the JESMSGLG from the started task to ensure that it came down CLEAN and that there were no abends or error messages.

NOTE: During normal CLEAN shutdown processing, you may see messages containing the text of "ABORTING TASKS" and/or "ABENDED WITH CODE SHUT". Messages containing this specific text are not representative of a problem. These are normal shutdown messages and are to be expected.

3. Submit the DSEXJFIX job with the MIGRATE symbolic set as MIGRATE='LE' to initialize all four journal files.

4. Review the output from the DSEXJFIX jobs execution and ensure that the job ended with RC=00.