Users sometime report issues where the ChangeMan ZMF user interface (UI) has told them that a certain function has been completed, and/or a job has been submitted, but the resultant task or job never actually finishes.

For example, a user submits a package audit job from the ISPF UI and receives the following messages:

AUDIT JOB SUBMITTED/CMN2600I - The job to audit this package has been submitted.

Or a user in the ZMF4ECL UI sees the following in their Notification view after submitting a component build request:

CMN8700I – Component Build service completed – Package(DEMO000999) Type(SRC) Component(PGM1) Jobname(USER01A)

However, the audit and component build requests in the above examples never complete.

So, where should you begin investigation into such an issue?

The first point of investigation should be the actual job that was submitted to execute the requested function, assuming that it was actually submitted and the output can be found. However, sometimes the job cannot be located and resubmission fails to rectify the situation. Where do you go then?

In such a situation, and as documented in the ZMF Installation Guide (the 8.3 version of which can be found here):

“..A SERNET started task running ChangeMan ZMF initiates started procedures to perform ISPF file tailoring to create JCL for the following functions:

- Package installation
- Stage
- Promotion
- Other batch activities…”

The vast majority of all jobs submitted by ZMF are file-tailored in these external file tailoring address spaces and this should be the next area of interest in such situations.

Locate the output from the relevant file tailoring procedure to see if it has encountered any problems. The default name for these procedures is CMNADSP, but this name can be reconfigured to comply with individual installation standards. So check the Global Admin Parameters (ZMF ISPF Option A.G.1 Part 2 of 8 – panel CMNGGP01) and see the procedure names assigned for your specific environment. For example:

…
Started procedures:
Installation job build  . . . . . SERSTAD1
Batch component build . . . . . . SERSTAD2
Promotion JCL build . . . . . . . SERSTAD3
Default . . . . . . . . . . . . . SERSTAD4

A successful file tailoring procedure should complete with a RC=0 and the name and number of the job that was submitted. For example, a successful audit job submission will end with a RC=0 and produce the following type of CMNADSP SYSPRINT output:

CMNVFTLR file tailoring - 8.3

Function : Audit file tailor and submit.
Subsystem: T
Userid   : USER01
Package  : DEMA000180
Date/Time: 2023/08/30 01:51:36

Job USER01A(J0921273) submitted

Whereas a failing component build job submission could end with a RC=8 and the following in the SYSPRINT:

CMNVFTLR file tailoring - 8.3

Function : Component file tailor and submit for stage.
Subsystem: T
Userid   : USER01
Package  : DEMA000180
Date/Time: 2023/08/30 02:53:33

Libtype  : SRC
Component: PGM1
Error occurred during file tailoring
Invalid control word, CMNCOB2 record-18