Installing Your Product from Tape › Apply Maintenance › Hold Data

Hold Data

When you apply maintenance, you typically encounter SMP/E hold data. We use hold data to notify your SMP/E system of SYSMODs that have errors or special conditions. We support two types of hold data:

System hold data

Indicates data that is an in-stream part of the SYSMOD instructing you of special conditions. Examples of system hold data are as follows:

ACTION

Indicates that you must perform special processing before or after you apply this SYSMOD.

DEP

Indicates a dependency for this SYSMOD that you must externally verify.

DELETE

Deletes the SYSMOD load module. You cannot reverse this type of SYSMOD with the SMP/E RESTORE command.

DOC

Indicates a documentation change with this SYSMOD.

EC

Indicates that this SYSMOD requires a hardware engineering change. An EC hold SYSMOD usually does not affect the product unless the EC is present on the hardware device.

Code a bypass operand on your APPLY command to install SYSMODs that have internal holds. Only code the bypass operand after you have performed the required action, or if you are performing the action after the APPLY, if that is appropriate.

External hold data

External hold data is not part of the PTF. It resides in a separate file. It is commonly used for SYSMODs that have been distributed and later are discovered to cause problems.

Download the external hold data from CA Support Online to a DASD file, and allocate the file to the SMPHOLD DD statement. To take advantage of the external hold data, receive it into your SMP/E environment. If you use the jobs supplied by CA, SMP/E receives the hold data.

If a SYSMOD has an unresolved hold error, SMP/E does not install it unless you add a bypass to your APPLY command. You can bypass an error hold in situations that are not applicable to you. Error holds that are not applicable to you can include a problem that happens only with a hardware device that you do not have or in a product feature that you do not use.

When you issue the SYSMOD that resolves the hold, the resolving SYSMOD supersedes the hold error. This action lets you apply the original SYSMOD in conjunction with the fixing SYSMOD.

A special hold data class called ERREL exists. We have determined that the problem fixed by the SYSMOD is more important than the one that it causes. We recommend that you apply these SYSMODs.

To reliably manage external hold data, allow SMP/E to manage it automatically. The only manual task is running a REPORT ERRSYSMODS. This report identifies any held SYSMODs already applied to your system. If the resolving SYSMOD is in receive status, SMP/E identifies the SYSMOD to apply to correct the situation.

Note: When you have completed the procedures in this section, go to Configuring Your Product.