Collect troubleshooting data for the z/OS or CICS Explorer when the UI is not available or not usable

• Collecting general information for all problems
• Collecting data for the Explorer when the UI is not available or not usable
• Troubleshooting hints and tips
• Exchanging data with IBM Support
• Collect troubleshooting data for CICS products - Read first

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• If the UI actually came up, images of the Explorer screen are useful. Do the following to create the screen captures as image files (bmp or jpg):
  
  On Windows:
  1. Use the print screen or alt-print screen keys to create an image on the system clipboard.
  2. Open a graphics application (for example, Microsoft Paint) and select Edit > Paste to copy the clipboard into the application.
  3. Select File > Save as to create the file as a bmp or jpg.


• On Linux, the procedure might be simpler depending on the desktop and packages you are using. The print screen or alt-print screen keys typically bring up an application window that directly asks you where to save a file. In other cases, you might need to use steps similar to those provided for Windows.
• On Mac OS, you take a screen capture by pressing shift+command+3.  By default, this saves to your desktop.

• If the Explorer user interface is usable, use the Explorer integrated capability to create a .zip file containing service data:
  1. Select Explorer > Trace > Collect Service Data from the Explorer menu.
      
  2. Select where to save the .zip file.


• This procedure is explained in detail in the CICS Explorer Help under "Preparing error data for IBM service".

• If the Explorer user interface is not usable, collect the logs and other Explorer working files (such as settings) from one of the following directories. Use an archiving utility (a program that creates a .zip, .rar, .tar, or .tar.gz file) to collect directory content.
  • If you are using the default on Windows:
    C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\.cicsexplorer
     
  • If you are using the default on Linux:
    /home/<username>/.cicsexplorer
     
  • If you are using an alternate workspace, as described in the help Starting multiple instances of CICS Explorer, use that location.


• Archiving utilities that you can use to collect the directory content:
  • Windows compressed folders. When you move a file or a folder to a compressed folder, that file is automatically compressed. A file that is moved from a compressed folder is automatically uncompressed.
     
  • Linux tar command which is available on most UNIX machines.
     
  • Third-party tools like WinZip or WinRAR.

• If the UI is up but hanging and unresponsive, a Java Thread Dump might be useful.
  
  On Linux:
  1. Find out the process id of the CICS Explorer, using any system tool. For example, from a shell (command line) enter:
     $ ps -ef | grep cicsexplorer
  2. From a shell, invoke kill -QUIT <process_id> and a file named javacore.YYYYMMDD.<other>.txt will be created in the Explorer directory.


• On Windows:
  1. The Explorer must have been started with the "-consolelog" parameter which in addition to the graphical UI window also opens a shell (command line) window only for output.
  2. If a dump was not taken, enter the key combination CTRL-BREAK from that command line window to request a dump.
  3. From the console log window, you will see a message like the following that includes the location and name of the dump that you should send to IBM:
     JVMDUMP010I Java dump written to C:\...\CICS Explorer\javacore.20090610.092732.6908.0001.txt.

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• Search the IBM support site for known problems using symptoms like the message number and error codes.
• Search the CICS Explorer Help. This is where you will find CICS Explorer messages. They are not documented in the CICS information center.
• If you find a fix, see Ordering maintenance for IBM CICS Explorer and CICS Explorer plug-ins for the options that are available for ordering Explorer maintenance.
• Gather the documentation and work with the CICS support team to resolve your problem.
   

• Overview of the IBM CICS Explorer
• CICS Explorer technical exchanges

1. See Exchanging information with IBM Technical Support for FTP and email instructions using the IBM Enhanced Customer Data Repository (ECuRep).
2. Go to the Service Request page to open or update a problem. If you have a SoftwareXcel enterprise edition for zSeries contract, you can also ask a non-defect installation and usage questions.
   
   Note: Always update your Service Request (problem record) to indicate that data has been sent.

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