DB00501E RC 25 (020) in CICS startup after maintenance

Products

• Datacom
• Datacom/DB

Issue/Introduction

Maintenance CARS2502 was applied to the production environment. While system online and batch IVPs were successful, error messages occurred during the startup of CICS:

+mufname:DB00501E - OPEN ERROR - RETURN CODE 25 (020) CXX=mufname (ACT00010) MUFNAME=mufname 

The error message indicates that a database is not defined to the database directory (CXX). A backout allowed the regions to work normally, and no return code 25 was observed once the regions were recycled without the maintenance libraries. The current process involves re-assembling DBCVTPR and DBSIDPR using source code from the library. It appears the new library set handles automatic module loading differently during the CICS startup sequence.  The maintenance library likely includes a User Requirements Table (URT) module for a database not defined in the CXX.

Cause

During initialization, CICS Datacom Services automatically loads and attempts to open all URT modules found in the search path. If a module exists for a database ID that is not defined in the CXX, the startup process fails with Return Code 25.

Resolution

The configuration can be adjusted to bypass the automatic open attempt for unused databases. Use the following steps to diagnose and correct the issue:

1. Identify the database ID - Review the CICS log to find the database ID and Area from the error message. The identifier ACT00010 refers to database 10.
2. Check library content - Inspect the maintenance DFHRPL library to determine if a module named DBFLT010 is present. This module was likely introduced during the maintenance update.
3. Update the configuration - Modify the DBCVTPR macro source code to include the specific database ID in the DEFER list. This tells the system to skip the open attempt during initialization.
   DEFER=(10)
4. Implement the changes - Re-assemble and link-edit the DBCVTPR module into the custom library.
5. Restart the region - Restart the CICS region. The region should now initialize without the open error as it no longer attempts to access the undefined database during startup.
6. Audit configurations - Regularly audit the DBCVTPR to DEFER any URT modules not required for the specific region to ensure a smooth startup process.

Additional Information

For more information about topics discussed above:

Return Code 25 - INVALID DATABASE ID