I routinely counsel people not to freak out over RC 8, but that advice is based on how SMPE actually works, not on how I would like it to work. Kurt has opened up a review of the process. Assuming that the latest HOLDDATA has been pulled just before APPLY--best practice--then unresolved hold errors are par for the course and probably deserve only a 4. There is nothing for the user to do except to re-verify that yup, a needed PTF is not available. Unless it's available but not RECEIVEd. The cases where user action is mandatory involve errors such as
-- Insufficient space (allocation or directory blocks) -- Missing DDDEF -- Actual compile or bind error In these situations, RC 8 is certainly in order. Nonetheless, I maintain that examination of the CAUSER report will quickly distinguish the oh-darn cases from the oh-sh*ts. . . . J.O.Skip Robinson Southern California Edison Company Electric Dragon Team Paddler SHARE MVS Program Co-Manager 323-715-0595 Mobile [email protected] [email protected] > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Pommier, Rex > Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2015 09:27 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Bulk] Re: PTF error clarification > > Chris, > > I was having similar thoughts as you, although not to the extent of yours. I tend > to think along the first of your ideas about the purpose of the RC, that being to > indicate the success of the process doing what it is supposed to do. But I would > disagree with your idea of everything being RC=0. In my mind, if SMP/E decides > a PTF shouldn't go on because of a hold (whether error hold or other reason like > ACTION), it shouldn't throw a RC=8, because that is SMP/E doing what it should. > However, if a utility fails, then SMP/E did NOT do what it was supposed to do, > that is install the software or maintenance or whatever. In any case of SMP/E > deciding that something should APPLY/ACCEPT/whatever, and it doesn't, a RC=8 > (or higher) is warranted. > > Maybe in way of compromise, SMP/E should set a RC=6 instead of 8 where > maintenance is stopped due to an error hold. :-) > > Rex > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] > On Behalf Of Chris Hoelscher > Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2015 10:12 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: PTF error clarification > > I guess I have a basic question - is a return code intended to indicate that > success of a process doing what it is supposed to do? Or the meaningfulness of > the results of the process to the person who makes uses of the results of the > process? > > If the former - then should EVERY run of APPLY return a RC=0 unless there is > malformed input where SMP/e could NOT do what it is supposed to do (on the > assumption of well-formed input) > > If the latter - then are return codes ever meaningful - every result set should be > reviewed with equal diligence without regard to the RC (smp/e can't guess what > is acceptable or meaningful to YOU) > > If seems that in either case - the RC is not as important as the results; does a RC- > 9 mean that SMP/E did what YOU wanted it to? Or just that the process ended > without what SMP/E considers to be problems ... > > > Back to my hole .... > > Chris Hoelscher > Technology Architect, Database Infrastructure Services Technology Solution > Services > : humana.com > 123 East Main Street > Louisville, KY 40202 > Humana.com > (502) 714-8615, (502) 476-2538 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
