Using authorized program analysis reports

 

An authorized program analysis report (APAR) is an IBM-supplied program that allows you to create a diskette file or a tape file. The file contains information from your system to help software service representatives to correct programming problems.

The APAR procedure creates one or more diskette files or tape files that contain information about the following areas:

• Control storage dump area. This area is control-block storage that is used by the Licensed Internal Code.

• Input/output controller storage dump area.

• The system work area (if you are not running the APAR procedure during IPL after a system dump), including the following information:

  • The system configuration

  • The disk Volume Table of Contents (VTOC)

  • The #SYSWORK index

  • The trace work area

  • The security work area

  • The program temporary fix (PTF) work area

  • The diskette VTOC

  • The volume label

  • The IPL bootstrap

• PTF logs for the IBM^® licensed program library and system library.

• The system service log.

• The disk trace files. If you do not run the APAR procedure during startup, and you do not copy a task dump, then the system displays a trace file prompt and you can select up to 16 trace files to copy.

• Microcode tables.

• Task dump file (optional).

• The history file.

• The spooled file (optional).

• The job queue (optional).

• The message file (optional).

• The product-level data file.

The APAR procedure can copy a specified load member to a file named APARLOAD, a specified source member to a file named APARSRCE, or a specified procedure member to a file named APARPROC, which can be saved to diskette or tape. When the APAR procedure begins running, you can select the spooled file, job queue, message file, and user file index that the system copies. Most of the data areas that are copied can be displayed using the DUMP procedure.

 

Using APARs to collect diagnostic information

After you have performed a system dump, run the authorized program analysis report (APAR) procedure during an IPL. The procedure requires an attended IPL.

To perform the APAR procedure, enter the following command:

APAR volid,[object],[source],[proc],[dumpfile],[S1],[AUTO/NOAUTO],[I1/TC/T1/T2]

 

Parent topic:

Analyzing and handling problems

Related concepts
Problem-handling menus Using authorized program analysis reports

Related reference
Details: Authorized program analysis report Save APAR Data (SAVADATA) Restore APAR Data (RSTAPARDTA)