Working with IBM i System Job Tables Nearing Capacity (the CPI1468 Error)

I wound up working late last night resolving the following system job table error on my IBM i 6.1 machine.

CPI1468 – System job tables nearing capacity

This error occurs when the number of active and completed jobs on your system exceed 90 percent of the maximum number of jobs allowed for your system (as defined in the QMAXJOBS system value).

The root cause of this IBM i system job tables problem is usually that there are too many left over spooled files (job logs, reports, etc) that are still on the system. Each set of job spooled files keeps a job table entry on the system and if you have too many spooled files, you start approaching the maximum number of jobs allowed on your system.

The message indicates you’re using 90+% of the allowable job table entries on your system. If you get to 100%, the system can do a lot of ugly things, including: slowing down backups; filling up disk space; halting an IPL; and stop accepting new jobs.

Our issue was solved by clearing an old output queue that had several hundred thousand spooled files in it (with most spooled files taking up an open job table entry for the job that created it).

I found this issue and the fixes in 2008 and documented how to handle them in series of articles for IT Jungle. For more information on how to deal with the CPI1468 System Job Table Entry, check out these articles.

When System Job Tables Attack, Part I

When System Job Tables Attack, Part II

When System Job Tables Attack, Part III

From August 2012. Reposted on 1/17/14 due to popular demand. This is one of the most popular articles on our Web site