When a subtask ends abnormally, only the subtask itself and its subtasks end. To get the abend code for an abnormal end of a subtask:

• Examine the event control block (ECB) specified by the task that attached the subtask
• Issue the EXTRACT macro with the CMC keyword

A low-level subtask that ends abnormally has two ways to cause the entire job step to end abnormally:

• Each task in the job step's task chain, including the job step task, must end itself abnormally when it detects an abend code from one of its subtasks. To end the job step with the abend code for the original error, each task must use the abend code from its subtask as its own abend code.
• A subtask can abnormally end the entire job step if it specifies a STEP parameter on the ABEND macro.