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CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND - Abnormal Termination in GDS

CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND generates an abnormal termination condition in a General Data Stream (GDS) conversation in CICS APPC environments. It provides a mechanism for intentional error signaling and conversation termination.

What is CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND?

CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND generates an abnormal termination condition within a GDS conversation, causing the conversation to terminate abnormally. It allows programs to signal error conditions, trigger recovery procedures, and terminate conversations when critical errors occur.

Command Syntax

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EXEC CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND
    CONVID(conversation-id)
    ABCODE(abend-code)
    RESP(response-code)
    RESP2(response-code-2)
END-EXEC.

Parameters Explained

CONVID Parameter

Specifies the conversation identifier:

  • Must be obtained from GDS ALLOCATE
  • Identifies the conversation to terminate
  • Required for all GDS operations
  • Must be valid and active

ABCODE Parameter

Specifies the abend code:

  • Identifies the reason for termination
  • Used for error classification
  • Helps in recovery procedures
  • Must be a valid abend code

Common Abend Codes

1. Application Error Codes

  • APER: Application error
  • ADAT: Data error
  • ALOG: Logic error
  • ATIM: Timeout error

2. Communication Error Codes

  • COMM: Communication error
  • CONN: Connection error
  • PROT: Protocol error
  • NETW: Network error

3. System Error Codes

  • SYST: System error
  • STOR: Storage error
  • SECU: Security error
  • PERF: Performance error

Implementation Example

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WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-CONVERSATION-ID     PIC S9(8) COMP.
01 WS-RESPONSE            PIC S9(8) COMP.
01 WS-RESPONSE2           PIC S9(8) COMP.
01 WS-ABEND-CODE          PIC X(4) VALUE 'APER'.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    * Check for critical error condition
    IF CRITICAL-ERROR-OCCURRED
        EXEC CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND
            CONVID(WS-CONVERSATION-ID)
            ABCODE(WS-ABEND-CODE)
            RESP(WS-RESPONSE)
            RESP2(WS-RESPONSE2)
        END-EXEC.
        
        IF WS-RESPONSE NOT EQUAL DFHRESP(NORMAL)
            EXEC CICS WRITE OPERATOR
                TEXT('GDS ISSUE ABEND failed')
            END-EXEC
        END-IF.
        
        * Conversation terminated abnormally
        EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC
    END-IF.

When to Use GDS ISSUE ABEND

1. Critical Error Conditions

Use GDS ISSUE ABEND when:

  • Data corruption is detected
  • Security violations occur
  • Resource exhaustion happens
  • Unrecoverable errors occur

2. Business Logic Errors

Use for business logic failures:

  • Invalid business rules
  • Data validation failures
  • Authorization failures
  • Process flow violations

3. System Resource Issues

Use for resource problems:

  • Memory allocation failures
  • Storage exhaustion
  • Communication failures
  • Timeout conditions

Abend Processing

1. Immediate Effects

When GDS ISSUE ABEND is executed:

  • Conversation terminates immediately
  • Resources are cleaned up
  • Error information is logged
  • Recovery procedures are triggered

2. Partner Notification

Partner system receives:

  • Abend notification
  • Abend code information
  • Conversation termination
  • Error context

3. Recovery Actions

Recovery procedures include:

  • Resource cleanup
  • Transaction backout
  • Error logging
  • Notification to operators

Common Response Codes

Success Response Codes

  • NORMAL (0): Abend issued successfully
  • CONVERSATION (4): Conversation terminated

Error Response Codes

  • INVREQ (16): Invalid request
  • NOTFND (20): Conversation not found
  • CONVERSATION (24): Conversation error
  • SYSTEM (28): System error

Best Practices

1. Appropriate Usage

  • Use only for critical errors
  • Choose appropriate abend codes
  • Document abend reasons
  • Implement proper error handling

2. Error Handling

  • Check all response codes
  • Handle abend failures
  • Log error conditions
  • Notify operators

3. Recovery Planning

  • Plan recovery procedures
  • Test abend scenarios
  • Document recovery steps
  • Monitor abend patterns

Explain It Like I'm 5 Years Old

Imagine you're playing a game and something goes very wrong:

Sometimes when you're playing a game, something happens that's so bad you have to stop playing completely. Maybe your game piece breaks, or someone cheats, or the game board gets ruined.

CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND is like saying "STOP! This game is over!" when something really bad happens. It's not just stopping the game normally - it's stopping it because something went wrong and you need to figure out what happened.

Just like you might tell your friends "The game is over because someone broke the rules," the computer tells the other computer "The conversation is over because something went wrong" and gives a special code to explain what happened.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Abend Issuance

Write a CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND command to terminate a conversation with abend code 'APER' when a critical application error occurs.

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EXEC CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND
    CONVID(WS-CONVERSATION-ID)
    ABCODE('APER')
    RESP(WS-RESPONSE)
END-EXEC.

Exercise 2: Error Classification

Design a strategy for using different abend codes. When would you use APER, ADAT, ALOG, and ATIM codes?

Answer: Use APER for general application errors, ADAT for data-related errors, ALOG for logic/programming errors, and ATIM for timeout or timing-related errors.

Quiz

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of CICS GDS ISSUE ABEND?

Answer: B) To terminate conversation abnormally

Question 2

Which parameter specifies the reason for abnormal termination?

Answer: B) ABCODE

Related Concepts

CICS GDS Commands

General Data Stream commands for APPC communication

CICS Error Handling

Error handling strategies in CICS applications

CICS Recovery Procedures

Recovery mechanisms in CICS environments