technical: IBM Program Number, Component ID and FMIDs

You'd think it would be simple, wouldn't you? IBM releases a product, and you use it. However, it isn't. IBM products have names that change, program IDs, component IDs, FMIDs and release numbers. So, let's look at IBM products and all the identification they have.

Program Number

Every IBM product has a unique program number. Sometimes called a program ID or PID, this is a number unique to each product. For example, the current z/OS has a PID of 5655-ZOS. All PIDs are of this form: a 4-digit number, with three digits or letters at the end.

The PID is the best way of identifying an IBM product. Sometimes products with similar names can be confused. For example: CICS Transaction Server and CICS Transaction Gateway. They sound the same but are different products; they also have different PIDs. Sometimes IBM changes the names of its products: IBM Developer for z/OS (IDz) used to be called Rational Developer for z Systems. Both have the same PID.

Sometimes a product with the same name is intended for different platforms. CICS TS for VSE has a different PID (5648-054) to CICS TS for z/OS (5655-YA1). The same product may be packaged differently: each with a different PID. For example, Db2 for z/OS version 13 has a PID of 5698-DB2; the value unit edition (VUE) has a PID of 5698-DBV.

Often, different versions of a product have different PIDs: CICS TS version 6 has a PID of 5655-YA1; version 5 has 5655-Y04. However, releases usually don't: CICS TS 5.1 through to CICS TS 5.6 have the same PID. Of course, there are exceptions to these rules. For example, IDz has the same PID for versions 14 to 16.

PIDs are used by IBM everywhere to uniquely identify a product. They're on your invoices from IBM and SCRT reports. IBM product announcements all provide the PID. The IBM product lifecycle webpage lists them: they're the best way of searching for announcements and information. What's more, most IBM modules often have an eyecatcher with PID of the product they belong to. The following shows a simple browse of an IBM load module:

This module has the IBM PID (5655-MQ9) of IBM MQ version 9 as an eyecatcher.

Component ID

Many IBM products are really a group of several other products. The classic example is z/OS itself: consisting of components like JES2, ISPF, and Communication Server (TCP/IP and SNA). z/OS has one PID, but every component has another identifier: the component ID (or COMPID). IBM documentation shows the component ID for every z/OS component:

The component ID is usually a 4-digit number (5665 in the case of TSO session manager), followed by five digits or letters (28505). z/OS isn't the only IBM product with multiple components. For example, IMS consists of IMS itself (5635A05) and IRLM (569516401). Db2 for z/OS version 13 has several components, including Db2 base (5740XYR00), IRLM (569516401) and the Db2 subsystem (5740XYR01).

The components and their IDs for each product is usually included in the Program Directory for each product. The component ID does not necessarily change with each product version and release.

Component IDs are really useful when searching the IBM support site for information or APARs. For example, you may be interested in APARs relating to the Db2 subsystem, but no other components.

FMIDs

Function Modification Identifiers (FMID) are a 7-character identifier of each 'package' of IBM products that are installed using SMP/E. As with components, one product may have many FMIDs. For example, the TSO/E component included in z/OS is one FMID, SDSF is another.

One component may have multiple FMIDs. For example, TSO/E has three FMIDs: the base FMID (HTE77E0), and two others for Japanese users (JTE77EE for the Japanese information centre, and JTE77EJ).

The FMID changes for every version and release of the product. For example, the z/OS 3.1 BCP FMID is HBB77E0. For z/OS 2.5 it is HBB77D0, and it is HBB77C0 for z/OS 2.4. FMIDs usually start with the same three characters (HBB for z/OS BCP), followed by characters relating to the version and release number. So '7E0' is release 3.1.

FMIDs included in each product are listed in the relevant Program Directory. They're essential for systems programmers installing programs and fixes.

So Many IDs

It can be confusing: there are so many different IDs for IBM software products and components. However, once you get your head around it, using the right ID for what you need can save you a lot of time.

David Stephens

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