Exit status codes for /usr/sbin/init

The ETCINIT job, /usr/sbin/init, provides exit status codes. For a discussion of the program itself, see z/OS UNIX System Services Planning.

If /usr/sbin/init does not detect an error and the shell returns normally after executing the initialization script, /usr/sbin/init exits with status code 00.

If /usr/sbin/init detects an error or if the shell abnormally terminates, /usr/sbin/init exits with a two-digit, nonzero, hexadecimal status code, z/OS UNIX displays the nonzero /usr/sbin/init exit status on the operator console with the following message: 
BPXI027I THE ETCINIT JOB ENDED IN ERROR, EXIT STATUS 0000ss00
Note: If the exit status shown is not of the form 0000ss00, but is of the form 000000xx, then the exit status was not set by the /usr/sbin/init process. In the form 000000xx, xx is the signal number of the signal that ended the /usr/sbin/init process. See z/OS UNIX System Services Programming: Assembler Callable Services Reference for a list of the signal numbers. If the status is 00000009, for example, the /usr/sbin/init process was ended by a SIGKILL signal. The SIGKILL signal may be the result of an abend.
Even if /usr/sbin/init exits with status 00, the shell might not have successfully executed the initialization script. To find out if it did, look at the /etc/log file, which contains standard output and error messages written by /usr/sbin/init, the shell, and initialization script commands.
Note: Even if /usr/sbin/init exits before invoking the shell or if the shell does not successfully execute the initialization script, z/OS UNIX makes the system available to all batch and interactive users when /usr/sbin/init exits.

Table 1 lists the exit status codes, ss, set by /usr/sbin/init when it exits due to an error.

Table 1. Exit status codes for /usr/sbin/init (in hexadecimal)
Exit status Explanation Action to take
01 Wrong process ID The process ID of /usr/sbin/init indicates that it was not invoked by z/OS UNIX during START OMVS command processing. To run /usr/sbin/init, z/OS UNIX must be stopped and restarted. The system continues.
02 Wrong group ID The setsid() request that is issued by /usr/sbin/init failed to return the expected group ID. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
03 No storage A malloc() request that is issued by /usr/sbin/init failed to allocate requested storage. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
04 No shell The shell with the path name specified in the /etc.init options file is not accessible. Contact your system programmer to correct the path name specified in the /etc.init options file. The system continues.
05 No script The initialization script with the path name specified in the /etc.init options file is not accessible. Contact your system programmer to correct the path name specified in the /etc.init options file. The system continues.
06 Bad block The sigprocmask() request by /usr/sbin/init to block signals failed. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
07 No alarm The sigaction() request by /usr/sbin/init to install the SIGALRM signal catcher failed. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
08 No stdin /usr/sbin/init could not open /dev/null for standard input. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
09 No stdout /usr/sbin/init could not open /etc/log for standard output. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
Note: /usr/sbin/init attempts to erase and re-create /etc/log each time that it is run.
0A No stderr /usr/sbin/init could not open /etc/log for standard error. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
0B   Reserved.
0C   Reserved.
0D Write error /usr/sbin/init could not write to /etc/log after opening it. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
0E Fork failed The fork() request by /usr/sbin/init to create a process for the shell failed. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
0F Wait failed The waitpid() request by /usr/sbin/init to wait for the shell process failed. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
10 Timeout /usr/sbin/init timed out waiting for the shell to finish executing the initialization script. /usr/sbin/init attempts to terminate the shell process group with SIGKILL signal before exiting if the terminate option was specified in the /etc.init options file. The system continues.
11 Shell terminated The shell was abnormally terminated by a terminating event such as an asynchronous signal. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
12 Shell stopped The shell was stopped by an unexpected SIGSTOP signal. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
13 Notify failed /usr/sbin/init could not send a SIGSTOP signal to tell z/OS UNIX that the shell finished executing the initialization script. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
14 ARG_MAX /usr/sbin/init determined that the number of parameter bytes required for the execve() request to invoke the shell exceeded the ARG_MAX value which /usr/sbin/init obtained with a sysconf(_SC_ARG_MAX) request. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
15 ENV_MAX /usr/sbin/init found that more than 25 environment variables were specified in the /etc.init options file. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
16 Bad Unblock The sigprocmask() request by /usr/sbin/init to unblock signals for the shell process failed. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.
17 Bad Execve The execve() request by /usr/sbin/init to invoke the shell failed. Contact your system programmer. The system continues.