Error: 878-10 or 0C4 abend when using JOBONCSF function with wildcard in ESP Workload Automation

Products

• ESP Workload Automation

Issue/Introduction

ESP Workload Automation users may encounter system abends with completion codes 878-10 or 0C4 when executing REXX scripts that utilize the JOBONCSF function. This typically occurs when the function is called using a wildcard ('-') to retrieve a large volume of jobs (e.g., 500,000+), leading to storage exhaustion in the user region under the 16M line.

IRX0250E System abend code 0C4, reason code 00000000.        
IRX0253E Abend in external function JOBONCSF.                
IEA995I SYMPTOM DUMP OUTPUT  956                             
   956             SYSTEM COMPLETION CODE=0C4  REASON CODE=00000004             

Environment

• Product: ESP Workload Automation
• Operating System: z/OS

Cause

The abend is caused by exhausting the User Region below the 16M line. When JOBONCSF('-','X') is called, ESP attempts to obtain storage for all jobs on the Consolidated Status Facility (CSF). If the job count is extremely high, the storage required exceeds available space, causing the top of the User Region to hit the bottom of the LSQA.

Resolution

To resolve this storage issue, optimize the REXX script and ensure appropriate region settings:

1. Modify REXX Filter: 
   Avoid using the wildcard '-' for job names. Instead, use specific filters or perform multiple smaller calls to JOBONCSF to reduce the storage footprint per call.
2. Verify Region Settings: 
   Ensure the ESP started task procedure (Master or Proxy) uses REGION=0M in the EXEC statement to provide the maximum available virtual storage. //IEFPROC EXEC PGM=CYBJS000,REGION=0M
3. Monitor Scoreboard Size: 
   Regularly run PURGSCHF to clean up the scoreboard and delete completed applications.