Charles, one other option some vendor products provide is an MVS Command I can issue, and trap with automation, that would let me know expiration when I want it. Rather than running a stand alone program
F tool-stc-name,STATUS That would provide status of tool and license key Lizette > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of > Charles Mills > Sent: Monday, July 01, 2019 1:44 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: Best way to alert customer to pending license expiration? > > THANK YOU ALL for taking the time to provide your input. The management > decision is to keep it simple and put out a vanilla WTO that will be distinct > and easy to automate. > > Let me do one e-mail in response to your many, many helpful details: > > > IMHO the best way is a WTO that is easy to catch in the customer's > automation software. > > Thank you @Shmuel. I agree that is the approach. > > > Wouldn't it be nice if there were a multi-ISV convention for format of > expiration alerts? > > Vendor collaboration on anything license-related alarms the anti-trust > lawyers. > > > Or even for messages requiring human attention? > > I think one person's "needs human attention" is another person's "ho-hum." > > > The customer has a responsibility to manage their own system. > > The fact that many do not (completely) is not really something you can > solve. > > Agreed. But I still keep trying. :-( There is no software feature that > substitutes for management. I keep forgetting that. > > > I don't know why the sales team can't keep track of what they've sold > > Neither do I, but I'm a programmer, not a psychologist or a VP of Sales. In > my experience they at least DO not, not reliably. > > > And to be totally crazy maybe the salesperson could actually visit the > customer. > > That train has largely left the station. That is a HUGE, HUGE cost that would > have to be passed on to you-know-who. And customers do not want to take the > time to have someone in their offices. I miss the days when -- as the > technical, non-sales CEO of my old company -- I could call someone up and say > "hey, I'm going to be in Pittsburgh next month, can I take you to lunch?" and > they would be delighted. Nowadays they would not pick up the phone. I really > miss those days. > > > From my experience over the past few decades on the customer side > > there is no full proof means to inform the customer of an expiring license. > > Sadly, I fear you are right. > > > My software emails the customer a notice once a day, > > I like it, but not going to go there at this time. Will keep that in mind. > > > You're assuming that the target machine has the technical connectivity to > "call home," > > or, that if it doesn't, the operators and managers of the target > > machine would agree to such connectivity and configure it. I don't think > you can make those assumptions. > > Agreed. In spades. > > > So if I can tell the software - when you hit 30 days, then produce a > > message to syslog and set the RC to 08 - but only if this tool is run. > > I like it. I want to keep this in mind. > > > The WTO would go to someone to low in the pecking order to make this > worthwhile. > > Agreed. > > Charles > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to > [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
