Re: QWCRSSTS problem

Dennis Lovelady wrote:

We need the system name in a program so we've been using QWCRSSTS.
Apparently, on rare occasions, we are getting blanks in the name,


with


no error. I've been told to QWCRSSTS replace with RTVNETA. I don't


This sounds like the problem-solving approach that dominates an


operating


system from Macrosloth: "If it doesn't seem to work, then stop using


it and


use some other tool." Not cool, David, and I think you know that!


If there


is a problem with QWCRSSTS (doubt that, by the way, but...) then


report it!

I've encountered the same problem. I think it's real. The users (IT
developers; I'm an administrator) insist the application was working
correctly up to a week or so ago. That's about the time that IBM
(we've
outsourced our System i administration to them) put the latest PTFs on
the partition where we're encountering the error.


Well, I'd be surprised, but of course IBM are not perfect. Else there would
be no need for a PTF process, huh?


We began experiencing the problem on a partition that has later PTFs than
our other partitions. I wouldn't be surprised if some PTF in a cume
package is the culprit.

One of the points I was trying to make is that such things should be brought
to IBM's attention so that the problem may resolved... rather than just
silently not using the tool anymore.


Agreed, but with reservations. The problem is that it might take weeks to
get a fix from IBM, while the need to get the application working is
immediate. I did report our experience to IBM (sort of - we recently
outsourced our servers administration to IBM, so I reported it to our IBM
admins; remains to be seen if they'll take it up with their counterparts
in IBM System i support.)



I changed a copy of the application program we have that is getting the
blank system name using QWCRSSTS to use QWCRNETA, and the latter works
consistently. Not only that, the call is much faster.


Really? That's good news. How much faster? I'm fascinated that any
application would need to find out what system it's running on so frequently
that API speed makes any difference at all, so do tell. :)

In fact, this particular application doesn't have a compelling need for
speed. It's something from some shareware/freeware called TOOLKIT400, and
it's an e-mail application that usually runs in batch, once per job. The
program calls the API to get the system name to form the domain part of
the sender address. The call to QWCRNETA (vs QWCRSSTS) is actually much
faster. A call to the mail send program can hang up for four to seven or
eight seconds while it makes the call to QWCRSSTS, which doesn't even
return the name (on this partition). The call to QWCRNETA is virtually
instantaneous, and it always returns the name.