Inclusion of error description and possible causes as a comment for excluded PTF's in z/OSMF APPLY/INSTALLTION job.

Adding error descriptions and possible causes as comments for excluded PTFs (Program Temporary Fixes) in a z/OSMF apply or installation job offers several significant advantages. Adding these comments transforms a mere exclusion into a valuable piece of diagnostic and historical information, significantly improving the manageability, efficiency, and auditability of z/OSMF PTF operations.

Currently the logs (SMPRPT or SMPOUT) from VERIFYING_UPDATES should be reviewed to identify the exact reason to understand why a PTF wasn't applied, and an inclusion of the comment provides instant clarity in the APPLY/INSTALLTION job log itself.

Please find herewith the attached traditional SMPE apply job with our standard exclusion reason comments and the z/osmf apply SMPRPT report without any comments.

When a PTF is excluded, it's often due to a specific error, dependency issue, or pre-requisite not being met. Having a comment explaining why it was excluded immediately points administrators to the root cause, saving valuable time in debugging.

Provides a clear, documented reason for why a particular PTF was not applied. This is crucial for audit trails, demonstrating due diligence, and proving compliance with security or regulatory requirements (e.g., explaining why a security fix might be temporarily deferred).

If a PTF was excluded due to a missing prerequisite, the comment serves as a reminder to address that prerequisite before the next attempt to apply the PTF.

Helps identify and track complex PTF dependencies. If a PTF is excluded because another essential PTF isn't present, the comment highlights this relationship.