BCOM FOR WINDOWS NT: SNA SERVER ERROR CODE 084C0000

BACKGROUND.

BCOM for Windows NT uses Microsoft SNA Server as a Gateway to the SNA environment. Through SNA Server, APPC (LU 6.2) sessions are established between BCOM requesters and BCOM servers. The following diagram depicts a standard configuration for an MVS to NT link (the same discussion applies to Tandem nodes):

When BCOM MVS, while acting as a requester, tries to establish a conversation with a BCOM NT, this attempt will cause the activation of an Invokable TP on the NT side.* SNA Server is responsible for TP activation. This Invokable TP is defined through parameters in the NT Registry of the NT on which BCOM executes. This is how SNA Server knows where the activation request should be sent to.

The information needed to route the TP invocation request is composed of the TP name (BFSSER in the case of BCOM) and the associated LU name (defined in the LOCALLU parameters of the server process in the BCOM configuration file (BCOM.CFG) for Windows NT.

* For a full discussion of the Transaction Programs, please consult the SNA Server documentation; SNA Server and its SnaBase client, running on the BCOM workstation.

A SAMPLE CASE.

For the sake of the discussion, assume the following configuration:

When trying to execute a request on %IBM, the request fails with a message: "FS62151E RECEIVED FMH-7 FROM PARTNER" in the BCOM MVS log. In the Event Log of the SNA Server, an event 60 is posted with error code 084C0000. No error is posted in the BCOM for Windows NT log.

(Note: If the sender is BCOM for Windows NT, message BCOM_E_4031 will be posted in the sender's BCOM log)

THE SOLUTION.

There are many situations that can cause the 084C000 error:

1. BCOM is not started on the receiving Windows NT workstation. In this case, you will see the following pop-up message on the NT workstation: "Unable to get initial server information for BMON".
2. At the installation of BCOM for Windows NT, the TPSETUP program (part of SNA Server) was not run properly. Please check the README.TXT file on the BCOM for Windows NT installation diskette for more information.
3. More than one versions of BCOM for Windows NT, all with the same configuration parameters (TP Name and LU) have been installed on different Windows NT stations. For example, they are all "listening" to the LLU2 logical unit. You have to use different LU's for different BCOM's.

A BCOM for Windows NT was installed on a workstation (workstation A), removed and then reinstalled on another workstation (workstation B). BCOM was removed from workstation A but the Registry entries associated with the TP BFSSER was not removed from the workstation A. The client part of SNA Server (the SnaBase service) broadcasts the Registry keys for TP BFSSER to the SNA Server, thus leading to confusion. The problem could be intermittent and only show up when workstation A is powered on. To solve the problem, you have to remove the Registry keys associated with the BFSSER TP on workstation A.