Fault Analyzer
A tool that steps in when a program abends and produces a readable report of where and why it failed.
Also written IBM Fault Analyzer, Abend-AID, abend report, dump analysis tool
When a program abends, a raw dump is hard to read. Tools such as IBM Fault Analyzer and Abend-AID step in at the moment of failure, examine the program and its storage, and write a report in plain terms.
A typical report names the abend and explains what it means, shows the statement that failed in the program's source, and shows the values of the fields involved. For an S0C7, it can show which field held invalid data, and what bytes were in it. It may also list the files that were open and the last records read.
The reports are usually written to the job's output and also saved in a history file, so they can be looked at later even after the job output is gone. To show source lines, the tool needs the compile listing or a side file created when the program was compiled.
For production support, these reports are often the fastest way from "the job abended" to "this field in this record was wrong". Find out early which tool your site uses and where its reports go.
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- DumpA copy of a program's memory taken at the moment it failed, used to find out why.
- AbendAn abnormal end: a program stopping in an uncontrolled way rather than finishing and reporting a result.
- Compile listingThe report a compiler produces: the source with line numbers, error messages, and maps that help find where a program failed.
- Production supportKeeping live systems running: diagnosing failures, fixing what broke, and getting the service back.
- Language EnvironmentThe common run-time support for COBOL, PL/I and C programs on z/OS, which handles storage, errors and messages while they run.