TPX users inhibited from signing on when a WTOR is pending with system console messages ICH301I and ICH302D or ICH303I and ICH304D.

Products

• TPX - Session Management

Issue/Introduction

When a RACF user defined as a SPECIAL-user tried to log on to our system using TPX, message ICH303I and ICH304D appeared on the system console.
The outstanding message was not responded to for several hours.
During those several hours, TPX users experienced two identifiable types of failures trying to log in.

1)  TPXL0910 - SIGNON TERMINATED FOR USER: userid ON TERMINAL: termid . SIGNON EVENT ALREADY IN PROGRESS
2)  Users would "hang" trying to log in to TPX.

It appears that this would happen if a user closed out the terminal emulator session by force and then re-connected to VTAM on the same LU, and then tried to logon to TPX again.

All of these problems cleared up when a reply was posted to the WTOR console ICH304D message.

Environment

Release: 5.4
Component: TPX for Z/OS

Resolution

TPX has a limited number of security tasks (by design) and any user on that task that is waiting for the WTOR to be replied to, will experience a 'hang' condition.

The WTOR is what prevents the release of the TPX security task. Replying to the WTOR will release the TPX security task.
TPX is a victim since at this point the security product (RACF) has control of the logon process.

A force disconnect out of the emulator is not a recommended option, simply because at that point it is up to the emulator to notify VTAM that the session has terminated, not TPX.
Therefore, the users that force disconnected could not logon because VTAM had not yet been notified to clean up the sessions and from VTAM's perspective the sessions were still active.

In order to overcome the WTOR condition, it is recommended to either set up security (RACF) so it does not issue a WTOR or
set up automation to respond to the WTOR because TPX will not respond to WTORs and a hang condition may result.

Possible RACF messages observed:

ICH301I MAXIMUM PASSWORD ATTEMPTS BY SPECIAL USER userid {AT TERMINAL terminalid}  

ICH302D REPLY Y TO ALLOW ANOTHER ATTEMPT OR N TO REVOKE USERID.  

ICH303I INACTIVE INTERVAL EXCEEDED BY USER usrid (AT TERMINAL termid).  

ICH304D REPLY Y TO ACTIVATE USER OR N TO REVOKE USERID userid.