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This page provides details of what's new in HCM for z/OS V1R8 and z/VM V5R3.
Server Time Protocol (STP) link support
HCM supports Server Time Protocol (STP) links between two zSeries processors(z890, z990, or higher). In the Create Coupling Facility dialog, you can select two CHPIDs that are capable for coupling facilities, and then click an option to create an STP link (timing-only link).
New utilities to support complex configuration definitions
HCM offers new utilities (wizards) for various complex, cumbersome and therefore error-prone configuration definition tasks that let you perform these tasks quickly and efficiently. Utilities are provided for the following:
- Copy Processor
- Copy Channel Subsystem
- Copy Partition
- Copy Operating System Configuration
- Copy Eligible Device Table
- Copy Esoteric Device Group
- Create/Copy I/O Subsystem
Compare reports for IODFs
You can now view IODF compare reports in an HCM window on your workstation.
Compare reports for HCM configuration files
You can request HCM Compare Reports that list the differences in the physical configurations between two HCM configuration files.
Enhanced OS device group change
Before z/OS 1.7 HCM, when editing a group of devices, you could only change all of the parameters and features, or the subchannel set ID simultaneously. Starting with this release, HCM lets you modify selected parameters as well as the subchannel set ID without modifying other operating system related data.
Performance data integration
You can access RMF Monitor III performance data for a selected object. The performance data is provided by the RMF Distributed Data Server (DDS) and presented in a Web browser window. This data is only available for objects in the sysplex of the system that you are logged on to. The prerequisite for this function is an installed RMF with DDS set up and running. Because DDS is only available on z/OS, you cannot access performance data from z/VM.
Applying default names to switch ports
From the Edit Port Matrix dialog, HCM now offers a function to automatically apply standard names to all ports. The name for a port is derived from its connection information. You can change the standard names for single ports later, if desired.
Deleting multiple objects
Besides the possibility to delete multiple objects by selecting them on the configuration diagram, you can now select multiple objects on some Edit <object> dialogs and delete them in one step by clicking the new Delete... button on these dialogs.
Automatic activity log generation
HCM can exploit the HCD capability to generate automatic activity log entries for changes that are performed on IODF objects. Use the HCD profile option CHANGE_LOG = YES and enable activity logging for the IODF when creating the IODF. HCD then creates activity log entries for actions such as add, change, delete, connect or disconnect on HCD objects. These entries are proposals and presented in the HCM Activity Log dialog when ending an HCM session or accessing a different IODF. You can modify these entries before leaving the dialog. They are stored in the HCD activity log file. Use HCD to either view or print the activity log.
Export/Import IODF
In the IODF's dialog, HCM offers a function to export an IODF from the host to the workstation and to import an exported IODF (saved on your PC) back to the host.
Extract controller PDF
HCM allows you to save the current layout of a controller as a model for other controllers. You can change the physical description of a controller in the Edit Controller dialog. From this dialog, HCM now offers the facility to save the layout of a tailored controller definition as a new PDF that can be used for further controller definitions.
Printing cable labels with PCHID information
You can now select whether you want to print the cable labels together with the PCHID information, if available, in addition to the CHPID information of the channels they connect.
Locate by User Fields
From the Locate menu, you can select a new User Fields... item. This invokes the Locate One or More User Fields dialog, which shows the objects together with their user fields. You can select to locate multiple objects whose user fields contain a certain value or combination of values, for example, a certain location.
Hiding connections in diagrams
For the following interface objects in a configuration diagram, you can hide or show their connections to other objects:
- CHPIDs
- Switch ports
- Controller channel interfaces
The context menus for these objects contain new choices: Show Connection or Hide Connection. You can also show or hide multiple connections in one step by selecting the appropriate objects and then selecting the new choices Show/Hide selected connections from the View menu.
Filtering with wildcards
Filtering objects in HCM has been enhanced to enable multiple usage of the wildcard character ’*’ in any position in the filter criteria string.
Enhancements with importing and exporting data
New ‘SSID’ column in CU table
The Export Data function now exports the subsystem ID of a control unit (needed to define PPRC links) in the new optional SSID column in table CU.txt. This column can also be imported.
Importing data tolerates unknown columns
The Import Data function has been modified to enhance backward compatibility. When finding an unknown column header in an exported table, earlier versions of this function issued an error message and could not perform the data import. The enhanced function now issues an informational message saying that the corresponding column will be ignored, and the data import continues. This allows older versions of HCM to import tables that were exported by newer versions of HCM (which may write additional data columns not known by the older version).
Exporting customized User Field names
If you specify customized user field names for an object (for example, Location or Power consumption for a processor) and you select to have a header line in your exported files, these customized names are now used in the header line instead of their generic names (User field 1–User field 20), and are also used in the HCM Compare Reports.
Restrictions
The following restrictions apply to this release.
Label change for objects
Starting with z/OS 1.8 HCM, you can no longer create controllers, crossbar switches and strings with a label that contains a period (’.’). Also, if you edit existing objects of these types that contain a period in their labels, HCM enforces a label change by issuing a corresponding message. This is because objects with a period in their labels cannot be compared in reports and cannot be exported.
Change in exported data
Starting with z/OS 1.8 HCM, the Export Data function has been modified to no longer export controllers for switch-internal control units to the CONTRLLR.TXT table. Switch-internal control units are also no longer exported to the CU.TXT table. This is because controllers for switch-internal control units are volatile objects that are deleted and created whenever the configuration is loaded.
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