Date:         Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:14:43 -0600
Reply-To:     CICS List <CICS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
Sender:       CICS List <CICS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Mackinney.com - Mark Riffey" <mriffey@MACKINNEY.COM>
Subject:      Re: CEDF ACCESS
In-Reply-To:  <CICS-L%98021119312787@AKH-WIEN.AC.AT>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

At 12:33 PM 2/11/1998 EST, you wrote:
> In our shop we do not allow application programmers access to CEDF in
> our production CICS'; we have our reasons for doing this.  However
> they are requesting that they have it.  Is there any other shop out
> there that does not allow the application programmers to have CEDF in
> production; and if so can you tell me why?
> If not; what products or what do you have at your shop that your
> application programmers use for debugging purposes (is it something
> you allow to be used in production; is there overhead)?
 
Generally, one doesnt find that CEDF (or any other interactive debugger) is
enabled on a permanent basis in production regions. Naturally, when the
rare, nasty bug that cant be reproduced in test comes up, you might have to
make an exception.
 
We use our own source-level debuggers (Track and Xray) for CICS and batch.
CEDF-aside, I imagine youll find that much of the list is using one of the
following source-level interactive debuggers Ive listed below. The
productivity gains can be astounding, much less the morale improvement
youll likely see from the programmers.
 
In no particular order<g>,
 
Interactive debuggers (while the program is running)
 
Track/Xray - MacKinney
Intertest (the granddad of em all) - CA
Xpeditor - Compuware
ADS - Gary Burgess
XDC - Cole Software
 
There are others (like Easytest, Simon and Oliver), but most of them were
acquired by someone already on the list above.
 
Post-mortem debuggers/dump diagnosis tools
 
Symdump - CA (Intertest for CICS dump, basically)
AbendAid - Compuware
Dumpmaster - Macro4
 
There are probably others here, but Im not as familiar with the post-mortem
products.
 
You might also search http://www.info-partners.com/softinfo. They have a
nice search engine with a ton of mainframe (and other) products.
 
HTH,
 
Mark