The ENF backup/archive process and how it can result in the database filling up.

Products

• Datacom
• DATACOM - AD
• COMMON SERVICES FOR Z/OS
• COMMON PRODUCT SERVICES COMPONENT
• Common Services

Issue/Introduction

This document will discuss the ENF backup/archive process and how it can uncover an undersized ENF database. This information relates only to ENF r1.0 which makes use of a CA-Universe database, and to users that record events to the database.

 

Environment

Release: 15.0
Component: ENF

Cause

ENF database filling up.

Resolution

The ENF backup/archive process is generally controlled via the BACKUP control option. When the database backup/archive starts you will see the following message in the ENF job log...

CAS9350I - CA-ENF Database archive commencing

At this time the following steps (simplified for this discussion) are processed internally:

1. A recorded event is selected for archive processing
   
   
2. A temporary event table is defined for that event in the database
   
   
3. The events that are to be kept (i.e. have not expired) are copied from the event table to the temporary event table
   
   
4. The original event table is deleted and the temporary table is renamed to the original event table name

Depending on the number of events that currently exist in the database and will be retained, the database can fill up during the copy of events from the current event table to the temporary event table (step 3). If this happens the results can be unpredictable, but one of the symptoms can show itself as a database error...

CAS9373I - Purge complete for event JOBINIT, 102677 records deleted
CAS9373I - Purge complete for event MEMTERM, 000747 records deleted
*CAS9207E - CA-ENF Database Error 1600
CAS9373I - Purge complete for event STEPTERM, 228235 records deleted
CAS9356I - CA-ENF Database archive complete, no records available for archive

The most likely offenders are DSCLOSE or STEPTERM, but this will depend on what events are defined with OPT(RECORD).

The general recommendation for this situation is to increase the size of the ENF database. There is a formula provided in the CA Common Services Getting Started Guide that can be used to get an idea on how large to allocate the database, but this is sometimes difficult to calculate. If you have a history of ENF backup/archive processing, you can use another formula to size your ENF database. Please refer to Knowledge Document ID: 54622.

In addition to resizing your ENF database, you may want to consider filtering those events that are being recorded to the database. The ENF SELECT control option can be used to filter the events that will be recorded based on the data name associated with the specified event The CA Common Services Reference Guide contains the information relating to this and other CA ENF control options.