Contents
Parallel Sysplex enhancements
WLM WebSphere Dynamic Application Environment API: WLM is designed to provide
the capability to manage server address spaces for scalable applications such
as WebSphere V4 and V5, and DB2 Stored Procedures. To enable WLM to start and
stop server regions for these applications, you need to define an application
environment in the WLM service definition. This definition tells WLM the name
of the JCL procedure that must be used to start the server address space.
The application control regions also need the name of the application
environment to pass work requests to WLM for queuing to the application
environment and processing by the server address space.
The need to define the application environment in multiple places presents a
challenge since the definitions must be done by different administrators, one
for the system (WLM) and one for the application (WebSphere, for example). To
address this issue, WLM will support the definition of dynamic application
environments. These environments will be defined dynamically by the control
region when they are needed and will be removed from the system when the
control region terminates. Definition of the application environment in the WLM
service definition will no longer be required. The command interface to operate
WLM application environments will be enhanced to support both user defined
application environments (which still exist) and dynamic application
environments. The installation will still possess all capabilities to monitor
and operate application environments with the benefit of less required
definition steps.
z/OS V1.4 Consoles Enhancements feature
As discussed in Software Announcement 203-131, dated May 13, 2003, the z/OS
V1.4 Consoles Enhancements feature is designed to enhance the operator
messaging architecture of z/OS. The overall objective is to improve system
availability by enhancing the capacity and reliability of message delivery.
This capability was an optional feature in z/OS V1.4; it is integrated into
z/OS V1R5.
z/OS Managed System Infrastructure for Setup
msys for Setup has been expanded to support
additional z/OS functionalty such as:
- RMF customization support: A new msys for Setup plug-in will help customers
get RMF up and running quickly. The plug-in includes a wizard that guides
customization and migration tasks. All RMF Parmlib options are presented so
knowledge about the correct syntax of session options is no longer necessary.
In addition, the plug-in creates correct and consistent RMF Parmlib members.
Thus, error messages during initialization of a monitoring session because of
conflicting options or incorrectly specified parameters are greatly reduced.
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DB2 customization support: DB2 UDB for z/OS V8 joins the growing number of
products that system administrators can customize using msys for Setup. msys
for Setup for DB2 simplifies the task of customizing a DB2 subsystem on z/OS. A
set of wizards provides guidance for specifying settings for DB2 subsystem
parameters (DSNZPARMs) and helps reduce the amount of data that system
administrators need to enter to set up and configure DB2. The configuration
windows provide default values and recommendations for best practices wherever
possible. After completion of the initial setup and configuration of DB2,
system administrators can view and update the parameters and other information
through notebooks.
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FTP customization support: msys for Setup support will also be extended to FTP
Servers and FTP Clients. The extensions will support complete configuration as
well as multiple FTP servers and clients.
In addition to these enhancements, numerous usability and sophisticated
reporting functions on the installed software are now available, integrated
into the msys for Setup workplace. As part of this effort, msys for Setup can
now use the IBM Directory Server, OpenLDAP, on any IBM platform. This includes
OpenLDAP on z/OS UNIX System Services which can make the Management Directory
virtually transparent to the user.
z/OS Communications Server
Communications Server Sysplex Enhancements:
Several sysplex enhancements will be added to provide needed expansion for
certain Dynamic Virtual IP Address (DVIPA) limitations as well as to enhance
capability and availability to servers in a sysplex environment:
- Allowing VIPABackup before VIPADefine in the TCP/IP profile which will remove
dependencies on the order in which TCP/IP stacks are activated.
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Providing client-to-server affinity whereby connections from the same client,
as identified by IP address, are routed to the same server instance. This will
also allow client-server functions that rely on affinity, such as connection
recovery type functions, to work in a load balancing environment.
z/OS Unix System Services
Preventing sysplex system outages: Today when a system is joining the
sysplex and its level of UNIX System
Services is incompatible with the systems that are already in the sysplex, it
enters into a "disabled wait state" and the system must be re-IPLed, thus
resulting in a system outage. In z/OS V1R5, when the joining system's level of
UNIX System Services is incompatible with the systems that are already in the
sysplex, the joining system will shut down UNIX System Services rather than
hard-waiting the entire system. This support is rolled back to z/OS V1.3 and
V1.4.
Dynamic change of mount mode:
Currently with UNIX System Services Filesystem Sysplex Support, in order to
change the mount mode (read-only or read-write) of a mounted filesystem, it
must be unmounted, and then mounted again in the desired mode. But in order to
unmount a filesystem, all filesystems mounted under it must be unmounted first.
z/OS V1R5 will allow changing the mount mode of a mounted filesystem without
needing to explicitly unmount and mount it again. It also helps to provide ease
of use when changes are to be applied to read-only file systems without
disrupting the applications using them.
Storage management
DFSMShsm to utilize volume-level fast replication:
DFSMS plans to significantly enhance application backup by enabling DFSMShsm to
utilize volume-level fast replication. Fast replication will be designed to
exploit the FlashCopy and virtual concurrent copy capability of IBM Enterprise
Storage Server and IBM RAMAC Virtual Array (RVA) respectively.
This capability will offer the ability to define a set of storage groups as a
copy storage pool using the new ISMF Copypool application. The volumes in this
pool will then be processed, collectively creating, via fast replication,
backup versions managed by DFSMShsm. DFSMS will provide the capability to
perform fast recovery at the volume or copy storage pool level. Copies of the
backup versions that DFSMShsm creates can be made using PPRC for remote
disaster recovery or using DFSMSdss for local recovery.
DFSMShsm fast replication will also offer a fast, easy to use backup and
recovery solution designed to work specifically with DB2 Universal Database
(UDB) for z/OS V8. Fast, non-disruptive backups can be taken at appropriate
events during minimum activity at the application level or when a fast
point-in-time backup is desired. For more details about DB2® UDB for z/OS V8
and the Point-In-Time Backup and Recovery functions, refer to
Software Announcement 203-019, dated January 28, 2003.
Although it is targeted for interrelated table spaces, DFSMShsm fast
replication can be used for DB2 and CICS applications and other application
data that can be aggregated into a copy storage pool.
DFSMS plans to improve business continuance with the following:
- VTOC index rebuild: This function will allow you to rebuild a VTOC Index when
a volume is online to other systems. You will not need to vary a volume offline
to sharing systems to perform the rebuild. This function will also be made
available on OS/390® V2.10 through z/OS V1.4, with maintenance. The function
requires a yet to be announced new release of ICKDSF (5655-257). This level of
ICKDSF will have to be installed on lower-level systems that share DASD. You
will be able to automate this process by recognizing the IEC604I message to the
console when an index gets disabled and when scheduling a ICKDSF job to rebuild
the index.
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Enhanced integrity of physical sequential data sets: This function will
address data loss by inadvertent use of sharing specifications on concurrent
output by multiple users.
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Prevent generation data set overlay: An installation will be able to choose
to not automatically reclaim and overlay a newly created (+1) generation of a
GDG in deferred roll-in state when failures prevent cataloging the generation
by one job while another job that creates a +1 generation is being started.
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Enhanced data integrity of VSAM data sets with AIXes: If insufficient buffers
are available to complete upgrade processing, attempts to back out can fail
when you use Local Shared Resources (LSR) and upgrade processing with many
alternate indexes (AIXes). This can be avoided by increasing the number of LSR
buffers. VSAM processing will be enhanced to determine the number of strings
necessary before processing. If insufficient buffers have been specified, the
application will be notified with an option to retry the request.
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Service task in recall termination: Catalog allows the termination of a
service task that is waiting for a service in another address space (recall).
At times, tasks may become hung waiting on recalls to other address spaces that
will never complete. This enhancement will terminate the hung task.
DFSMS plans to improve business efficiency with the following:
- Improved management of storage group allocation threshold:
SMS will now write
a new message to the hardcopy console log when it detects that a storage group
exceeds the allocation threshold. You will be able to use automation products
to kick off HSM space management or add new volumes to the storage group to
address increased workloads.
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Save ACDS as SCDS: With this function, a storage administrator will be able
to save an ACDS as an SCDS in case you lose your SCDS or when you want to save
the changes made to the active configuration through operator commands and use
the configuration as a Source Control Data Set.
DFSMS plans to improve tape management as follows:
- DFSMSrmm backup improvements: You can run backup of the RMM CDS and journal
at any time, even during inventory management. This enhancement will enable you
to backup and clear just the journal data set so as to minimize the time
required. When you backup the journal without the CDS, the backup is
non-intrusive, and this enables CDS updates to continue throughout the backup.
Contact z/OS.
Send us your questions and comments.
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