SMF Director logstream dump ends with RC=04 and zero records (z/OS System Logger offload issue)

Products

• JARS SMF Director

Issue/Introduction

This article describes the diagnostic steps when SMF Director logstream dump jobs terminate with return code RC=04 and produce zero records.
This behavior typically indicates that the dump utility (IFASMFDL) cannot locate SMF records in the targeted logstreams for the specified date range.

Environment

SMF Director, z/OS System Logger (DASD-only logstreams).

Cause

The SMF Director job receives RC=04 when the dump utility reads the logstream and finds no data.
A common cause is that the z/OS System Logger has stopped generating new offload datasets for the logstream,
leaving no data on DASD for the dump utility to process. This can be due to storage, allocation, or staging dataset issues affecting the System Logger.

Resolution

1. Verify Data Availability: Run the IFASMFDL utility directly against the impacted logstream to confirm if data exists. If IFASMFDL also reports no data, the issue resides with the System Logger or the application writing the SMF records (e.g., CICS or DB2).
   
   
2. Examine SMF Status: Issue the following commands on the console to verify logstream status and parameters:
   
   
   • D SMF : Use this to display the status of active logstreams and determine if they are currently being used.
   • D SMF,O : Use this to examine the active SMF parameters and confirm if the logstreams are correctly defined and included in the parameter list.
3. Check System Logger Status: Based on the output of the above commands, verify the health of the logstreams. Look for errors related to staging datasets or connectivity.
   
   
4. Review Offload Datasets: Verify if new offload datasets (e.g., SYSSMF.IFASMF.xxxx.A0000xxx) are being created by the System Logger. If creation stopped on a specific date, investigate allocation errors or storage class issues.
   
   
5. Resolve Logger Issues: Ensure staging files are properly allocated and available. Once the underlying System Logger storage or staging dataset error is cleared, System Logger should resume normal log processing and offloading.
   
   
6. Re-run Dump: Once the System Logger offloading is restored, re-run the SMF Director dump job.