Thanks For All the Fish
Friday, 14 December 2018, will be my last day at IBM. For the curious, I started on a Wednesday, 1 June 1977, so it will be 41 years, 6 months since I started as a CE in the local Poughkeepsie branch office. It's time to shed the daily stress, devote more time to my hobbies (diving, amateur radio, metalworking, cycling), and find a place in the County that can use an active volunteer for however many hours I feel like working (if any). I won't be able to get notes on my IBM e-mail address after about noon Friday. I also won't get phone messages after that time at my work phone number, because they arrive as e-mail attachments. Hanging out here has been quite instructive and usually fun (smile), so: Thanks, folks. All the best, everyone. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com (for a couple more days) -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Breaking text file at position 72?
How about an ISPF Edit macro? Here's one: /* REXX EDIT MACRO TO FLOW ENTIRE MEMBER TO SPECIFIED COLUMN */ 'ISREDIT MACRO (COLUMN)' 'ISREDIT (NUMLIN) = LINENUM .ZL' COUNT = 1 DO WHILE COUNT <= NUMLIN - 1 'ISREDIT TFLOW 'COUNT' 'COLUMN'' COUNT = COUNT + 1 'ISREDIT (NUMLIN) = LINENUM .ZL' END With the macro above, entering "FLOW2 72" on the command line would do what you want, I think. Put it in a member of a PDS(E) concatenated to SYSEXEC. Charles Mills wrote: It's a totally reasonable "non-mainframey" text file. It has no carriage returns except at logical points, not at an arbitrary line width point. Most e-mails you get follow this convention (other than old listserves that break up lines like this one). It has nothing to do with MS-Word but yes, MS-Word also follows this convention. No, the lines are nowhere near of equal length. Fold would probably work. I have z/OS of course. But as I said I now have the problem solved. Several good solutions presented here. Charles -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Paul Gilmartin Sent: Monday, December 10, 2018 1:47 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Re: Breaking text file at position 72? On Mon, 10 Dec 2018 21:25:34 +, Jesse 1 Robinson wrote: Text consisting of paragraphs with no indentions or blank lines seems like a pretty odd notion of 'paragraphs'. ... It's MS Word's convention. Pressing ENTER inserts a ¶. On Mon, 10 Dec 2018 14:32:11 -0700, Sri h Kolusu wrote: If the data that Charles is processing contains paragraphs without intervening blank lines, all the paragraphs will be flowed together, not likely what he wants. Also, he mentioned that some of the lines are several thousand bytes long. DFSORT has resize operator which can split long records into short records and merge the short records into long records. So as you mentioned Text flow needs a blank to work with, but DFSORT doesn't need one. Here is a sample. The only requirement is that the input dataset need to have RECFM=FB I wonder whether Charles's records are of equal length? Or whether he cah pad them? I still recommend: fold -sw72 file.text z/OS has it. Linux has it. MacOS has it. I'd expect Windows 10 to have it. -- gil -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IND$FILE -- where did the name come from?
The text in the section from which the eye-catcher below was extracted has certainly not been updated since 1988. But the last of the six PTFs (UR43604) for this FMID (HFX1112) was made available 2 June 1995. Mike Schwab wrote: It hasn't been updated since 1988. On Fri, Nov 30, 2018 at 7:00 AM Elardus Engelbrecht wrote: John Eells wrote: IND$FILE, as part of z/OS, remains supported. As far as I know, support for it has never lapsed (certainly not since its inclusion into OS/390). Indeed and thanks for the clarification. I am somewhat perplexed by this discussion. This module is found in SYS1.CMDLIB and as of z/OS v2.2, I see this eye-catcher there (note the years in the copyright statement): "5665-311 COPYRIGHT IBM CORP 1983,1988; LICENCED MATERIAL - PROPERTY OF IBM, REFER TO COPYRIGHT INSTRUCTIONS FORM NO. G120-2083" -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IND$FILE -- where did the name come from?
Elardus Engelbrecht wrote: John Eells wrote: IND$FILE, as part of z/OS, remains supported. As far as I know, support for it has never lapsed (certainly not since its inclusion into OS/390). Indeed and thanks for the clarification. I am somewhat perplexed by this discussion. This module is found in SYS1.CMDLIB and as of z/OS v2.2, I see this eye-catcher there (note the years in the copyright statement): "5665-311 COPYRIGHT IBM CORP 1983,1988; LICENCED MATERIAL - PROPERTY OF IBM, REFER TO COPYRIGHT INSTRUCTIONS FORM NO. G120-2083" This is a very old FMID. Unless and until we repackage the FMID, all the module headers will remain the same, including the product number and copyright dates. Further, it would not surprise me to learn that the referenced form number has been history for decades now. If you find eye-catchers for, say, MICR/OCR (EMI2220) or TIOC (ETI1106, I think, or possibly ETI1102; I didn't look it up but I'm pretty sure it's one or the other) I would expect to see similarly dated information in them. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IND$FILE -- where did the name come from?
Seymour J Metz wrote: I believe that IND$FILE is included in your z/OS license. I also believe that it is long out of support and less efficient than, e.g., SFTP (yes, FTP is considered insecure these days.) IND$FILE, as part of z/OS, remains supported. As far as I know, support for it has never lapsed (certainly not since its inclusion into OS/390). -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Checksum or hashing
As others have written, I think the use of SHA-1 within an enterprise as a data integrity check is fine, so long as it meets a client's own security standards. To go further, I think our (IBM's) use of SHA-1 for the same purpose for software downloads is likewise just fine. (One must now connect to IBM's download servers for z/OS products and PTFs using SSL, and physical delivery uses R/O DVDs.) All that said, some clients are starting to ask us to use a stronger hashing algorithm. Most of them understand and agree that SHA-1 is just fine for a data integrity check. But, their security departments believe that disallowing SHA-1 is a simple overall rule that covers the security-related uses of SHA-1 even if it imposes changes on the non-security-related uses of SHA-1. It's difficult to argue with simplification logic, I must admit. We will probably have to use something stronger for software delivery, eventually. We will probably need to continue to support SHA-1 for compatibility's sake when we do. CM Poncelet wrote: FWIW SHA1 hashing is *not* secure: you should use SHA2. No idea whether there is a z/OS utility to do that: I use PGP. HTH. Chris Poncelet (retired sysprog) On 20/11/2018 13:36, Sankaranarayanan, Vignesh wrote: Hello again List! Is there any utility for z/OS that lets us create SHA1 or MD5 or some such hash/fingerprint of a dataset or USS file. The use case is to compare these hashes at source (z/OS) and destination (linux) after transferring some sizable datasets. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Storage question
If you are thinking about recataloging them in the right order using DEFINE NONVSAM, it has been a while since you had to figure this out on your own. In every supported release of z/OS, IDCAMS DEFINE with RECATALOG will figure out the order of multivolume data set entries for you. I had to go all the way back to z/OS V1.12 to find this announcement text: "The IDCAMS DEFINE RECATALOG command is enhanced for multivolume and striped data sets. This new function is designed to automatically create catalog entries with correctly ordered volume lists while eliminating any duplicate volumes that might have been specified. This will make it easier to recatalog multivolume and striped VSAM data sets." Vernooij, Kees - KLM , ITOPT1 wrote: And consider multi-volume datasets, you should reconstruct their order. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Checksum or hashing
There is a Java class you can use (if you have Java) and an ICSF service you can use (requires ICSF setup). Sankaranarayanan, Vignesh wrote: Hello again List! Is there any utility for z/OS that lets us create SHA1 or MD5 or some such hash/fingerprint of a dataset or USS file. The use case is to compare these hashes at source (z/OS) and destination (linux) after transferring some sizable datasets. Thanks in advance! -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: ShopzSeries redirects to 404?
The problem is on our end. The team supporting the Shopz servers is aware of it and working on it. Ambros, Thomas wrote: Anybody else having issues getting to shopz? This is what we're getting, different browsers, different nets: https://www.ibm.com/;www-03.ibm.com//software/shopzseries/ShopzSeries_public.wss This isn't right... looks like it injects ';www-03.ibm.com/'. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Speaking of time change...
Paul Gilmartin wrote: On Tue, 6 Nov 2018 08:39:38 -0500, Carmen Vitullo wrote: Thanks Mike and thanks to Allan Staller, I didn't see his response in my email but I wanted to thank him also - on fall back we do shut the systems down, wait an hour, mostly due to DB2, and some home grown applications that read SMF and cannot handle the overlap ... If DB2 is so broken, shouldn't IBM accept an APAR on it? SMF ought to use GMT. What century is this? What makes you think that either (a) Db2 is broken or (b) SMF does not use UTC? -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Is there a utility or command that will show load module characteristics?
Does this show what you want? //S0 EXEC PGM=AMBLIST //SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=* //SYSLIB DD DISP=SHR,DSN=data.set.name //SYSINDD * LISTLOAD MEMBER=member,OUTPUT=XREF /* // Don Poitras wrote: AMBLIST https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSLTBW_2.3.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r3.ieav100/iea3v1_Map_the_CSECTs_in_a_load_module_or_program_object.htm In article <0c3101d4720a$d2b1bcd0$78153670$@mcn.org> you wrote: Seems like there should be a way to do this. I tried IEHLIST LISTPDS FORMAT but it seems pretty basic. The library in question is a PDSE, so I guess the right term is "program object." I'm most interested in alternative entry point names and their addresses. I'd prefer an IBM utility to a CBT program just because it would be quicker to do. Few vendor products available in my datacenter. Charles -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Serverpac products maintenance clarification
Jake Anderson wrote: Hi Some of the products came with serverpac comes with only base . I had an assumption that products are updated latest RSU as per the serverpac note. If there was RSU/HIPER fix/PE fix service available for those products on the date your order was built, and the PTF chains were installable on that day, it should have been installed during ServerPac production. If it was not, please open a PMR. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SMP/E
Longabaugh, Robert E wrote: CA has offered Internet Service Retrieval (RECEIVE ORDER) since January 2018. https://support.ca.com/us/product-content/status/announcement-documents/2018/ca-smp-e-receive-order---maintenance-delivery-made-easy.html I believe that at least one other ISV offers RECEIVE ORDER, but do not want name the wrong one. The other one is Compuware: https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/04/02/1458509/0/en/Compuware-s-New-Automated-Receive-Order-System-Greatly-Simplifies-Ordering-and-Delivery-of-Maintenance.html I have heard that at least one other vendor is working on it. I personally find it very encouraging that we now have three software vendors (IBM, CA, Compuware) using the same process for PTF delivery. It's a step along the road to what I personally hope will become a platform-wide set of common processes for product and PTF acquisition and installation within a few years. (If you have not been following along, you can find my SHARE presentations and others from IBM and other vendors online.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: downloading an older version of a component
Gadi Ben-Avi wrote: Hi, I would like to install AFP Download plus, which is a component of PSF for evaluation. I currently have PSF v4.4 installed. The current version of PSF is v4.6. How do I download AFP Download Plus v4.4. It's not available on ShopzSeries. Generally, you cannot order products that have been replaced with new releases on Shopz. (I sent you a note about a possible alternative offline.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Bad Design but nobody cares
sbgo...@cbttape.org wrote: Hi John, I don’t think user logs deal with global notifications. This is strictly a Broadcast Dataset issue, I think. All the best. Sam ...as "someone" (thanks, JimM) just pointed out to me. Sorry for the misdirection! -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Bad Design but nobody cares
We have had support for user logs--that is, storing messages for each user separately rather than in a SYS1.BRODCAST data set--for quite some time. Does this problem exist with user logs? (I suspect not.) Sam Golob wrote: Question: When you are reformatting the active Broadcast Dataset (SYS1.BRODCAST) with the SYNC command, you create space for 100 global Notices (the messages that everybody sees when they LOGON). How do you change this number? Answer: You probably would never want to change this number, because 100 notices is adequate for most purposes. But what if you really DO want to change this number? Then IBM tells you to zap a fullword field at the beginning of TSO initiation module IKJEFXSR, and re-IPL (maybe with CLPA, just to be safe). Again, you'd probably never want to do this, because 100 notices is adequate for almost everyone. Where is that number (100, or F'64') kept? It is actually a fullword in the CVT itself, at displacement X'5A8'. It is not "chained off the CVT". It is actually a fullword IN the CVT... Wow! So how would a fullword in the CVT be changed? Presumably only at IPL time. That's why IBM's method of changing it is so cumbersome, since (I think) IKJEFXSR, which starts up TSO, has to put that number into the CVT. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: S106 abends after copying into LINKLIST
atched. I wonder if program fetch could successfully load the wrong module. Now with a blocksize of 32760, possibly each module will fit in one block and they likely have different sizes so this wrong module case might be unlikely. Or something else might prevent loading the wrong module (what?) Or it may be possible to have a successful program fetch with the wrong module. And then attempt to execute it with the parameters and environment of the old module. What would that cause? Program checks? Mangled data? -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: ISPF issue - new system
And, if memory serves, likely mount the volume as Storage, associate it with an esoteric name in HCD, activate the configuration, and put the esoteric name you chose into the TSO user profiles. But it's been a long, long time... Chuck Kreiter wrote: You will probably need to put something in VATLSTxx. Read the init and tuning guide for that parmlib member. -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Vinoth M Sent: Friday, October 5, 2018 1:18 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: ISPF issue - new system Hi All, We have build a new system and we are bringing this system without SMS configuration. We got the VTAM, TSO, TCPIP up and we are ready to login TSO, when we login to TSO, the ISPF profiles are not getting allocated, since it’s pointing to SMS dataset but we have disabled SMS. May I know, where to change the SMS stuffs to NON-SMS volume, do I no to change in parmlibs or any other procs, please let me know. Thanks -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: S106 abends after copying into LINKLIST
Jesse 1 Robinson wrote: I sympathize with IBM's predicament in reading the future maintenance tea leaves. The 'fix rate' for a product might be subject to guesstimation from past experience. But the effects of future enhancements like SPEs and customer requirements are a bundle of uncertainties wrapped in unknowns. The change from six month to two year release cycles further clouded space predictions. I think customers are best off expecting data set expansions. A few like LINKLIB and LPALIB can be deliberately oversized as likely candidates for increase in a variety of components. But the migratable sysres volume is limited to whatever size installation has settled on. Secondary extents, in my view, allow for unpredictable expansion with acceptable risk. While we have long provided some cushion in the initial numbers and in ServerPac (and before it, CBIPO and even IPO) allocations, we have really left further guessing to you. I expect that we will err on the side of more free space pretty soon to help alleviate out of space problems in this new(er) era of larger system software volumes, particularly because system software is such a small fraction of the disk space requirements for nearly any shop out there. In the long term I think everyone is better off moving all their software volumes to -54s, doubling or even tripling all the primary space allocations, and using thin provisioning to manage space at the volume level rather than the data set level. It will be approximately true that only occupied space takes up actual disk real estate when you do that. (I say "approximately" because there is an increment size, and on the average every data set will have an extra half-increment.) System software data set level space management and x37 abends during APPLY and ACCEPT processing will, I would hope, become a fading memory in a few years. Unlike some other memories, nobody will miss the "good old days." This will be more like the stories about how much more complicated life used to be when you had to walk to school. It was always uphill both ways and it was always cold and snowing. At least, that's what people used to tell their kids who rode those cushy heated (FSVO "heated," at least in Maine) buses, right? -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: S106 abends after copying into LINKLIST
Elardus Engelbrecht wrote: This is why you see in Program Directories the required space for each dataset/OMVS files needed for each product you ordered. Let's just be clear about what those space numbers represent. They are: - a fixed percentage larger (10 or 15%, I forget right now) than the amount of space consumed by each data set at a particular point in time - are measured at the specified block sizes when the FMIDs represented by that program directory were submitted to software manufacturing and never updated - provide information for only that product and no others that might share the data set. So if PTFs cause the space required to grow by more than the fixed percentage, or you use different block sizes than we specify (which is not to your advantage in general), or fail to add the space required by all products sharing a data set together, you will be in x37 City before you know it. ServerPac production is smart enough to adjust space on the fly, BTW, so the free space allocated by default stays at a fixed percentage even as PTFs consume more space in the data sets for the products included. For CBPDO, you get to guess yourself. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: S106 abends after copying into LINKLIST
John Eells wrote: exceeding the link list extent limit the topic of this thread That should read, "...exceeding the link list extent limit *and* the topic of this thread" -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: S106 abends after copying into LINKLIST
Ed Jaffe wrote: I never liked defining secondary of zero. I realize it's IBM's recommendation, but it all but ensures a compress will be performed when the library fills up. I've had systems crash either during or after such a compress -- sometimes with disastrous consequences! Whether it's "IBM's" recommendation depends on who you talk to (smile). I believe Peter and I have disagreed about this for about 25 years. There are two possible problems when using secondary extents for link list data saets, exceeding the link list extent limit the topic of this thread, everyone's favorite ABEND106-F RC40. If your link list is not especially long, hitting the 255 limit will probably not happen; you can count extents before IPL after putting on PTFs and if necessary compress or reallocate. In the meantime, you will have many fewer x37 abends while putting on PTFs. This should be an informed choice, in my view, rather than a blanket recommendation. But see below.* If you don't update running systems, the second problem will never occur. Likewise, whether it's IBM's recommendation to never update a copy of system software that is in use depends on who you talk to and whether DYNACT is specified for a particular PTF. Here there be tygers, and my recommendation is never to do that unless you clearly and thoroughly scope out the probable result first and are prepared to IPL if you miss something (which is easy to do) and the change goes pear-shaped. *I expect most people to move to thin provisioned volumes over time because the business case is compelling. On TP volumes, there is no reason not to use very large primary extents, which can obviate any advantage to secondary space allocation for system software volumes. "Just let the disk controller manage the actual real estate" is my (new) recommendation for system software volumes. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Installing zOS from scratch experience
Peter wrote:
Thanks Tom and Parwez,
So the COD are built in IBM labs specifically for a scratch built ?
The COD is built as a more-or-less normal z/OS ServerPac, with
operational data sets added to provide a functional system you can use
for z/OS installationm then stripped down and put on DVD with standalone
DSF and DSS. ("There is no magic.")
As Parwez said, get the Redbook. There are a number of other steps
involved, such as creating or editing an IOCDS, configuring the disk
arrays, and so on, and all of them should be covered in the book.
--
John Eells
IBM Poughkeepsie
ee...@us.ibm.com
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Re: Report volumes with IPLText
Jesse 1 Robinson wrote: IIRC, every volume initialized by ICKDSF--is there any other way?--will contain code in the IPLTEXT area that loads a wait state 00F, which says that no IPL text exists, unless that area has been rewritten with true IPL text. So you might write a program that looks for the 00F wait state code and infer that otherwise it has actual IPL text. You work for the guvment, right? I believe that's right. That IPL text loads the "no IPL text" wait state, about which we have, um, perhaps not been entirely honest with you about for all these years. It's not that there's *no* IPL text, in other words, but that there's no IPL text that will actually do anything useful. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: "Library Server" Access Now "Forbidden"?
John Eells wrote: I cannot speak for anyone else, but I have been on vacation the past two weeks and do not know the current state of affairs. I can try to find out what's happening with this later today if time allows and the people I'd need to ask about it are available. I'd missed Sue's response in the clutter of unread posts (sorry). Please ignore the one above! -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: "Library Server" Access Now "Forbidden"?
David Staudacher wrote: The link you included has nothing to do with your post. I should have realized the link might resolve differently for anyone either not connected to Claus Mikkelsen, and/or not a member of his "Mainframe Support Tips" LinkedIn group. My fault. But Claus' post is quite germane, so I'll copy it here [emphasis mine]: "If you haven't noticed I can inform you IBM has CLOSED DOWN their good old and well functioning BookManager Site on the internet. This means that a lot of the links in my tips does not work anymore. I apologise for any inconvenience. Maybe I will fix this problem some day, but I will not make any promises". I posted a reply to him, requesting the source of information for his assertion that IBM had CLOSED DOWN Bookmanger internet access, and with a link to assurances given here that the outage is "unplanned", "unintentional", to "stay tuned" and that "work is under way to restore access to it as quickly as possible". I have yet to hear a reply, but am nonetheless unconvinced he doesn't have some kind of insider knowledge we lack. And that the lack of any further assurances from John, Scott or Susan on the matter also has me very concerned. Claus isn't the only one with hundreds of published links to pages on the Bookmanager site which no longer work and will never work again unless access is restored. I cannot speak for anyone else, but I have been on vacation the past two weeks and do not know the current state of affairs. I can try to find out what's happening with this later today if time allows and the people I'd need to ask about it are available. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: zOSMF setup
Tom Sims wrote: Greetings. I am in the process of upgrading a client's zOS 2.1 systems to zOS 2.3, which means among the many other challenges, configuring a working zOSMF. It was up for some time on the 2.1 test system, however not until the 2.2 repackaging retro-fit was applied. A sentence I encounter frequently is, "z/OSMF can run on a parallel sysplex, monoplex, or XCF local mode environment." See for example, page 4 of the IBM z/OS Management Facility Configuration Guide. For the last two decades, most of my clients have relied on "basic sysplex" for GRS signalling -- not being able or willing to afford a parallel sysplex or carve out an LPAR emulating such; it has simply not been a part of the strategic plans. What are the options, then, for zOSMF moving forward? Can the LPARs remain a basic sysplex, with zOSMF, say, operating in some sort of basic mode, e.g. on the test system only? You can certainly set z/OSMF up so that it starts (or autostarts) on one system only and does not start on the rest. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SHARE handouts
John Eells wrote: Perhaps incorrectly, I thought everything uploaded by any presenter was available for the most recent conference, but prior ones were available to SHARE members only. That said, if anyone wants any of mine, just send me a note. Offline, I heard from a credible source that SHARE presentations are intended to be available only to attendees and SHARE members. However, I can still get to the agenda, with its uploaded presentations, without a login. "I'm so confused." (Again, if you want one of mine, you need merely ask.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: SHARE handouts
Perhaps incorrectly, I thought everything uploaded by any presenter was available for the most recent conference, but prior ones were available to SHARE members only. That said, if anyone wants any of mine, just send me a note. R.S. wrote: Is there any repository for SHARE conference materials? Sometimes it's possible to download the PDF file and sometimes not. I guess SHARE is not interested in sharing that outside the organisation (at least not just in time of conference), however many presentations are available. What are the rules? What are the links for download? Are there any rules? BTW: From copyright point of view, as far as I understand the presentation is owned by the author and usually author is willing to *share* it... -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Problem with RECEIVE ORDER Servers - Fixed
I'm told both servers are back up now. (The cause was an inter-server communications failure on our side.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Problem with RECEIVE ORDER Servers
A problem has been identified with the RECEIVE ORDER servers (both of them, unfortunately), and people are working on a fix. When I have more information, I will let you all know. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: "Library Server" Access Now "Forbidden"?
I'm told that this was an unplanned event due to a reason that I believe to be sound, but which I am afraid I cannot share. The timing and appearance of this problem are indeed unfortunate, coming as it does hard on the heels of other disruptions, but I am assured that we had *no* intent to remove access to this information and that work is under way to restore access to it as quickly as possible. David Staudacher wrote: Starting yesterday, all the Book Manager/Library Server libs I know of (publibz.boulder..., publibfp.boulder..., publibfp.dhe, etc) respond with: "Forbidden: You don't have permission to access on this server". This includes links provide *by IBM*, such as all the doc links given here: http://ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zos-library-archives Did I miss an announcement that Library Server was going away? -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Another url change for SHOPZ
farmall...@gmail.com wrote: So what is the new url for shopz? I start at https://ibm.com and go through menus to support, etc and get auth failed when I select shopz. Same thing starting at myibm. This one works for me: https://www.ibm.com/software/shopzseries/ShopzSeries_public.wss -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Processor model not listed in IODF
Peter wrote: Hi Mike/John, I did ran a REPORT MISSINGFIX against required service driver fixcat and found two ptf which were missing. I am kind of surprised too that these PTFs didn't show up in RSU1806 and there's source was PUT1803. Whether PTFs are marked RSU depends on the PTF close dates and the quarterly RSU testing dates. The moral of the story: Just use current HOLDDATA and REPORT MISSINGFIX to identify the PTFs you need for new processors (and for anything else we provide FIXCAT HOLDs for, too!). I highly recommend that people not rely on the PSP (it is accurate, but the manual process involved in checking the requirements that way is error-prone), or PUT levels, or RSU levels to provide hardware or functional support. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Processor model not listed in IODF
Peter wrote: Hi I have applied toleration maintenance against zOS 2.2 to support z14 zr1 model 3907. All the required and recommended service are applied. When I try to add new processor I don't find model 3907 in the list. I see only till 3906. Any clue where I might be missing ? As it happens, I own the ZR1 PSP. Without exception, when contacted by someone who has used the PSP rather than HOLDDATA and REPORT MISSINGFIX, something got missed in the manual process used. So not to contradict you, but if you receive current HOLDDATA, does REPORT MISSINGFIX show anything? (I assume you are running on the copy of z/OS you updated with the ZR1 PTFs and handled all the necessary HOLDDATA correctly.) I should also mention that at some future point, I intend to stop putting PTF lists in the PSP. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Adding a patch area
Jesse 1 Robinson wrote: We have a vendor product for which we previously ZAPped some tailored code into a patch area. The latest upgrade of the product module does not come with a patch area. I seem to remember a method of adding a patch area to a module for which no source is available. Using I think ASMH and IEWL. Sound familiar? Sound doable? Skip, Perhaps the Binder's EXPAND statement will do what you need. Here's the example from the book, MVS Program Management: User's Guide and Reference, which you can find here: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zOSV2R3sa231392/$file/ieab200_v2r3.pdf: Example In this example, EXPAND statements add a 250-byte patch area (initialized to zeros) at the end of control section CSECT1 and increase the length of named common area COM1 by 400 bytes. //LKED EXEC PGM=IEWBLINK //SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=* //SYSLMOD DD DSNAME=PROJECT.PROGLIB,DISP=OLD //SYSLIN DD DSNAME=&,DISP=(OLD,PASS) // DD * EXPAND CSECT1(250) EXPAND COM1(400) NAME MOD1(R) /* (Note the caution in the book about addressability.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: RACF DATASET protection WHEN(SYSID) - Compilers
Barbara Nitz wrote: On Mon, 23 Jul 2018 06:05:43 -0400, John Eells wrote: Over the past few years, COBOL and PL/I have added support for Product Registration Services, and can be disabled using IFAPRFxx entries. XL C/C++ is a feature of z/OS and can similarly be enabled or disabled with IFAPRDxx. This does not cover everything, of course, but it's a start. That wasn't enough for IBM Germany (we had/have that properly set). They demanded more than 'just' IFAPRDxx. I think you have moved on since then. But if anyone else has encountered this, please let me know, either here or using my direct e-mail (below). -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: OA55889 for TSO/E in z/OS 2.3
As the owner of the TSO/E plan at the time, I was stunned when SHARE told us this was the top priority for TSO/E. We pushed back. We said "what about longer IDs that map into the 7-character namespace instead"? "What about these other TSO/E requirements"? But those who maintained this was #1 stood firm, dissents outside IBM seemed few and far between, and we ultimately did it. The kicker was, if I recall correctly, recurrent audit exceptions from those whose security policies require user IDs of eight or more characters. That the change had so little fallout is actually a testament to the effectiveness of our change notification process to IBM development and other software vendors. (This change set a new record for affected components, as it happens, shattering the old one by a factor of at least two and perhas has high as four.) Ed Jaffe wrote: On 7/21/2018 10:40 AM, Charles Mills wrote: FWIW I think there was pressure from shops with 8-character IDs elsewhere who wanted consistency on z/OS. Not saying it was a good idea, or a bad idea, just sayin' ... No. It was a desire for consistency *within* z/OS. I cover this change beginning on slide 42 of my "z/OS V2R3 User Experiences" SHARE presentation. Here's a link to the slide deck for the most recent incarnation from Sacramento: http://share.confex.com/data/handout/share/130/Session_22307_handout_11384_0.pdf In summary, eight-character userids were supported by MVS 4.2 way back in 1995. That support extended to every subsystem and environment across the stack (the BCP, RACF, JES, CICS, DB2, etc.) with one exception: TSO/E. The design of the old TSO account file -- which long predated RACF -- led to an unfortunate decision to restrict TSO userids to seven characters. After 22 years, that restriction was finally lifted in 2017 with z/OS 2.3 TSO/E. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: RACF DATASET protection WHEN(SYSID)
Over the past few years, COBOL and PL/I have added support for Product Registration Services, and can be disabled using IFAPRFxx entries. XL C/C++ is a feature of z/OS and can similarly be enabled or disabled with IFAPRDxx. This does not cover everything, of course, but it's a start. Barbara Nitz wrote: So how do people protect the same dataset differently on various LPAR's, or is it just not possible? We had to make sure that the compilers do not run on a system that doesn't have licence=z/OS. We used when(sysid) in class PROGRAM, for the names of the compilers as the program name to be protected. The downside is that the data set name must be specified (that the program is loaded from), and every data set name must be mentioned in the rule in PROGRAM. So if anyone copies the full compiler data set to their own HLQ and calls it from there, it would work on *any* system in the sysplex. The upside is that most of those calling the compiler would not have a clue how to do that. We have an additional safeguard: The jobclass canned compile jobs run in only exists on one system. How IBM expects a customer to make sure the compilers are only called on a licence=z/OS system is beyond me - RACF certainly doesn't have the appropriate instrumentation for it that I can see. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: (OT) Good bye everyone
So sorry to hear this, Ed. Best of luck to you; I hope you find something else that keeps you going! Edward Gould wrote: Approximately 2 months I had a life altering incident. I can no longer function as a sysprog. I resigned my no pay job at the place I used to donate my time. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Ported tool for zOS download
Jake Anderson wrote: Hi Apology this query could have been repetitive. I am not seeing zOS ported tools under shop z. Could someone please point me if I am missing anything ? It was withdrawn last April. http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/ShowDoc.wss?docURL=/common/ssi/rep_ca/5/897/ENUS916-145/index.html=en_locale=en Version to be withdrawn April 10, 2017: Product nameVersion Product number IBM Ported Tools for z/OS 1.3.0 5655-M23 (I know this is probably not the answer you'd hoped for.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Using JCL Symbld and TYPRUN=SCAN
Ed Jaffe wrote: On 7/11/2018 4:04 PM, Pew, Curtis G wrote: I don’t think it’s true that JCL is the worst programming language (with all due respect to Fred Brooks) because it isn’t really a programming language. Should it have been a programming language? Almost certainly, as shown by Unix scripting languages. But it isn’t... With all due respect to whomever deserves it, ANY instructions telling the computer what to do constitute programming... This opens up the "competition for the race to the bottom" to machine language, which is clearly the "winner" here! Even 1BFF07FE is harder to read and code than its 2-instruction assembler counterpart. (OK, so I could not resist. Back into my hole now.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Z114 to z14 experience any ?
Timothy Sipples wrote: The z14 ZR1 does not support ESA/390 IPLs, so please check your inventory of IPL'able items such as DFSMS recovery utilities, z/VM installation DVDs, ZZSA, and old Linux distributions, as applicable, to make sure they're modern enough. There's one available workaround for z/VSE 4.x: running z/VSE 4.x under z/VM. And it's an unsupported but "as-is/known to work" workaround. Otherwise, you've got to be "64-bit clean" from IPL. You don't want to find yourself in a DR situation and unable to IPL some critical tool associated with the recovery process. Timothy raises an important point here. From a z/OS point of view, use the z14 FIXCATs to be sure all the PTFs are on. Then, there are the four IPLable things to worry about when any of your systems (including backup and DR systems) are upgraded to any model z14: - z/OS itself - Standalone Dump - Standalone ICKDSF (easier to forget this one) - Standalone DFSMSdss (likewise) (All this is covered in the z/OS Migration book, of course.) If you have fallen back and cannot meet the driving system requirements for z/OS installation, and order a Customized Offerings Driver, its level of z/OS does have the needed support for the z14 models. I believe z/VM's list is similar: - z/VM - z/VM Standalone Dump - Standalone DDR - ICKDSF (yup, the same one) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: Deleting all members of a PDS
What Sri Hari suggested will do that, too. I would guess that both of them just use STOW ,,I to re-initialize the directory. Dyck, Lionel B. , RavenTek wrote: I don't know if this has been suggested but using StarTools or the PDS (cbt file 182) command: FIXPDS RESET Will both delete all members and reset the PDS so it doesn't need to be compressed. -- Lionel B. Dyck (Contractor) < Mainframe Systems Programmer – RavenTek Solution Partners -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Scott Barry Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2018 1:56 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Deleting all members of a PDS On Wed, 11 Jul 2018 10:43:42 -0700, Sri h Kolusu wrote: but I'm curious if there's some additional keyword that will ignore the SHR enqueues. I have not found anything. Skip, You need to use FILE keyword on IDCAMS delete like shown below //DELALL EXEC PGM=IDCAMS //SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=* //PDS DD DISP=SHR,DSN=Your.PDS //SYSINDD * DELETE 'Your.PDS(*)' FILE(PDS) /* Thanks, Kolusu With the use of "splat" and "delete all members" request, sadly the IDC0553I message doesn't provide a list of the members deleted, instead only mention "ALL MEMBERS IN DATA SET DELETED". Now no Auditor-type would go for that -- heck, I even would appreciate knowing what I just deleted !! Still like the enhanced functionality permitting various DSN-mask specifications, similar to TSO/ISPF DSLIST (option 3.4). -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS 2.2 - how to order ?
Dyck, Lionel B. , RavenTek wrote: We are trying to order z/OS 2.2 but ShopZ won't let us as 2.2 is no longer orderable. We have two z10's that will never run z/OS 2.3 and which are currently z/OS 2.1 (don't ask). We could use our current z/OS 2.2 system but it has a number of usermods, and products, that are not needed for those boxes so we would like to order a clean z/OS 2.2 set of media. Any suggestions? This is just another example of IBM removing something that should have left alone - just like the z/OS 2.1 documentation that now seems semi-fixed. Except for fairly short periods of overlap, we have *always* withdrawn the prior operating system release when we make the new release available, going back as far as I can recall. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Would SHARE kindly kick IBM in the ass for what the've done with their web content?
Does this link not work for everyone? https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zosv2r1-pdf-download?OpenDocument I fully recognize that this is not the full complement of what was available before, but my (only) point is that the 2.1 documentation seems to be available. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Would SHARE kindly kick IBM in the ass for what the've done with their web content?
I don't think it's actually the case that it was all removed, even though I will agree that it is more difficult to find. I thought someone posted this link a few days ago, but it has been working fine for me: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zosv2r1-pdf-download?OpenDocument This is what I see one page level up from that: z/OS Library Search using IBM Knowledge Center | V2R3 | V2R2 | V2R1 | * Search at the element or book level | V2R3 | V2R2 | V2R1 | * Download books in PDF format| V2R3 | V2R2 | V2R1 | Download Adobe Indexed PDF collection | V2R3 | V2R2 | V2R1 | Download content for use with (KC) | V2R3 | V2R2 | V2R1 | (I hope the formatting survives!) Of those options, I see that there are no V2R1 links for the first two (the search options), and no V2R2 link for the last one as I write this. The biggest problem with this is the unavailability of release-specific search for 2.1, and in not necessarily knowing what things documented in KC and in the the PDFs for 2.2 and 2.3 are implemented on 2.1. For all practical purposes, with limited exceptions, though, all the information you need for 2.1 is probably in the 2.2 books, too. Behind the scenes, I know that people *are* working on this, even if the fruits of their efforts have not yet become apparent. I am pretty far removed from those efforts, so I won't try to summarize status or predict anything, but I can tell you that the issue has caught some fairly high-level attention. All that said, on behalf of IBM I can only apologize for the current state of affairs. Like you, I hope it is short-lived. Tom Conley wrote: Years ago IBM spent many millions of dollars to convert all their documentation to KC. The rationale was largely to make the doc searchable by Internet search engines like Google. A week ago, someone at IBM unilaterally decided to remove this doc, immediately making Google searches against IBM doc completely worthless. It's not just one or two documents or links. ALL z/OS V2R1 CONTENT WAS REMOVED FROM THE INTERNET BY IBM!! DO A GOOGLE SEARCH, AND NONE OF THE LINKS WORK!! Peter's anger is justified. IBM has screwed up royally here, and as far as I can tell, they're not lifting a finger to fix the situation. Regards, Tom Conley -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: AW: Re: CFSIZER no longer available?
Peter Hunkeler wrote: Not attacking you personally, not at all, but do you have any information about all the other broken links, such as the WLM tools page, etc? I am sorry, but I do not. IBM is restructuring its website, and making this particular omelet has unfortunately broken a few eggs. In some cases, I know who to engage (notes and IMs are cheap), and in some I have no idea who to ask (finding the right person can take days). -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: CFSIZER no longer available?
I am told the redirects have been fixed to make CFSIZER available again. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: CFSIZER no longer available?
Kenneth J. Kripke wrote: Hello; I wanted to use the IBM WEB BASED tool CFSIZER at http://www.ibm.com/systems/support/z/cfsizer/ and specifying SMF. After filling in the criteria and depressing the SUBMIT I am directed to https://www.ibm.com/it-infrastructure/z This is a recent change in behavior. Has this tool been withdrawn? Not intentionally! People are looking into this now. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: FTP performance problem.
How are you using the FTP client? Batch? TSO/E? Gadi Ben-Avi wrote: Hi, I have the following problem. I need to transfer a very large file (3.7 GB) from a ftp server to z/OS. First, I tried transferring the file using the z/OS ftp client. It took forever, and then timed out. The average transfer rate was somewhere between 500 and 100 KB/sec. The transfer kept abending. I transferred the file to my pc. That took about 10 minutes. The transfer rate was about 5 MB/sec. I next transferred the file to z/OS using the windows ftp client and the z/OS ftp server. It took 71 seconds. Where should I look to find the problem? We are running z/OS v2.2 -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: File transfer Red Alert
Reposting to the list server for Rick. rs1...@gmail.com wrote: Updated post with new FAQ site: The Support File Transfer Details page has been updated and the Support File Transfer ID link is live. Please see http://public.dhe.ibm.com/SupportFileTransferDetails.html for all the details needed. We will continue to keep this page up to date with the latest process. We have created a FAQ blog post to help answer some of the commonly seen questions that we are getting in order to provide help and guidance through this process. Please review and follow the blog post, which will be continuously updated as new questions arise. If you have any questions, leave a comment on the page for review: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/6ff23732-02d4-481a-9e4d-dbe8559e1fd1/entry/GDPR_related_Changes_to_ECuREP_and_Testcase_FTP_File_Uploads?lang=en_us -Rick Schoonmaker IBM Z and Linux Worldwide Client Care Manager -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: File transfer Red Alert
Reposting to the list server for Rick. rs1...@gmail.com wrote: The Support File Transfer Details page has been updated and the Support File Transfer ID link is live. Please see http://public.dhe.ibm.com/SupportFileTransferDetails.html for all the details needed. We will continue to keep this page up to date with the latest process. -Rick Schoonmaker IBM Z and Linux Worldwide Client Care Manager -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [SUSPECTED SPAM] smp/e question - PTF relinks, but missing CSECTs.
Tom Marchant wrote: On Thu, 24 May 2018 13:30:20 -0500, John McKown wrote: On Thu, May 24, 2018 at 12:40 PM Seymour J Metz <sme...@gmu.edu> wrote: Have you looked at the MOD entries for the missing csects? Yes, they look correct to me. The entries for each MOD (missing & not missing) points to AOSBN as where it resides. That's fine, but what LMODS are listed as containing those MODs? It's the MOD entries that have subentries for the LMODs in which they are included. So, let's assume for the moment that none of the members of AOSBN are packaged as ++PROGRAMs, which would not be relevant in this context. You have to LIST the MODs for all the members of AOSBN to see which target library load modules and program objects are made up using one or more of the MODs from that DLIB data set. Note that those load modules and program objects thus identified might also include MODs that represent members from other DLIB data sets. Probably more to the point, if you want to know which MODs are associated with a particular LMOD, then LIST LMOD(name) XREF will tell you. Each of those MODs can point to a different DLIB data set; it's not unusual for a load module to include MODs from several different DLIB data sets. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [SUSPECTED SPAM] smp/e question - PTF relinks, but missing CSECTs.
A MOD entry represents a member of a DLIB data set. Each DLIB data set member may contain one or more sections, like CSECTs. (Those CSECTs residing in a particular DLIB member might or might not be known to SMP/E, depending on how the product was packaged. But SMP/E really acts on the MODs.) To create a load module (in a PDS) or a bound program object (in a PDSE), one or more MODs are included to create the output member. Which ones are included is specified using LMOD keywords on the ++MOD statement and JCLIN for "linkedit" steps, and the LMODs in which a MOD is included are stored in its MOD entry. Now you have load module (or PO, but for convenience just load module hereafter) in a target library. When an FMID has been applied and accepted without any of its PTFs, the sections in the load module are identical to the content of included DLIB members. Now, you put on a PTF that affects one of the MODs but not all of the MODs in the load module. If SMP/E included all of the MODs from the DLIB, and the new MOD in the PTF, that would be OK...the first time. But now, a second PTF comes along. It affects a different MOD in the load module. If SMP/E includes the MODs from the DLIBs and the new MOD from the PTF, it will regress the first MOD's content in the load module. We hate it when this happens. So SMP/E instead cleverly includes the new MOD from the PTF and the load module from the target library instead. This reuses the other content of the load module and prevents regression. Does that answer your question? Finally, if you are missing CSECTs in the output load module that were present in the input load module after installation some PTFs, and they were not explicitly deleted in the PTF packaging, Something Is Very Wrong. What it might be is difficult to say without more information. John McKown wrote: No, but why would IBM do INCLUDE statements for some MODS but not others in the same distribution library (AOSBN)? Yeap. I did all that. There is a CALLLIBS for SCEELKED and a SYSLIB for LINKLIB. What seems missing to me are the LKED "INCLUDE AOSBN(csect)" statements. There are some a number of those for other CSECTs. But none for the missing CSECTs. To my way of thinking, if you INCLUDE some MODS from AOSBN, then it is reasonable to INCLUDE other, used, MODS which are refereced and exist in AOSBN. And the "missing" CSECTs are indeed in the target zone with AOSBN as the library in which they reside. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Replaceing IEBGENER
Paul Gilmartin wrote: On Wed, 23 May 2018 10:17:48 -0400, John Eells wrote: Vernooij, Kees - KLM , ITOPT1 wrote: Because IT creates the alias IBMGENER to the old IEBGENER and so it knows how to invoke it. Quite some time ago, DFSMSdfp started to ship an IEBGENR alias of IEBGENER so that DFSORT could call it when ICEGENER encountered IEBGENER control statements. Thanks for saving customers a couple installation steps and for moving to a uniform configuration across sites. You're welcome, of course, but this is pretty old news. If I recall correctly, this was in the early OS/390 timeframe. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Replaceing IEBGENER
Vernooij, Kees - KLM , ITOPT1 wrote: Because IT creates the alias IBMGENER to the old IEBGENER and so it knows how to invoke it. Quite some time ago, DFSMSdfp started to ship an IEBGENR alias of IEBGENER so that DFSORT could call it when ICEGENER encountered IEBGENER control statements. The sample job in SYS1.SICESAMP(ICEGAREC) has an SMP/E USERMOD that creates a copy of ICEGENER in the SICELPA data set, with aliases of IEBGENER and SORTGENR. When the USERMOD is applied and SICELPA is in the LPA list (as it should be if you are using DFSORT) the IEBGENER alias of ICEGENER is found before the copy of IEBGENER in LINKLIB. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Old School Maintenance Philosophy -- Never ACCEPT?
As others have pointed out, it makes RESTORE a lot harder if you never ACCEPT PTFs. Why? To RESTORE, SMP/E requires the needed levels of the parts to be in the DLIBs. Here is a simple example. Suppose you have Part A, and the DLIB level of Part A is 001. You have installed six PTFs that replace Part A, so now the target level of Part A is, in this example, 007. There's a problem with the last PTF, and either the PE fix is not available or perhaps you're not comfortable with its age. So, you want to take off just the last PTF that replaced Part A. But, SMP/E does not have level 006 of part A in the DLIB, it has level 001. So, you must either back off all six PTFs to back off the last one, and then put five of them back, *or* ACCEPT the first five before backing off the sixth. In the first case, SMP/E restores Part A back to level 001, and then updates it to 006. In the second (after the ACCEPT for the first five PTFs), it simply restores Part A to level 006. Now, think about what happens with PTFs that PRE and IF other PTFs, and those that ship overlapping multiples of some parts. This stuff can get really complicated to untangle, fast. The RESTORE process tends to be iterative, and can be quite time-consuming, if you never or rarely run ACCEPT. So most thoughtful people, after seeing how this all works, decide how far forward to ACCEPT, and when, and do it as a matter of course to keep the plate of sticky spaghetti down to a manageable level of complexity in case they have to RESTORE a PTF later on. I hate stories that start with "when *I* did that," but I'll tell one anyway. We used to ACCEPT all non-PE PTFs ahead of each preventive service cycle, which seemed to keep it under control reasonably well because we did it quarterly (which is now pretty much the current recommendation, as it happens). If you do it less often, the amount of applied but not accepted service will be greater, and the chains to be resolved before RESTORE will be correspondingly more complex. You might want to ACCEPT by PTF age (PUT) in that case, for example. Other people have other strategies, but you should think about the complexity of RESTORE preparation and the time it will take if you have to RESTORE a PTF to resolve a severe problem. Also, not running ACCEPT on some regular basis makes your SMPPTS data sets grow forever, though this is a far smaller concern today than it was historically. This is the current state of SMP/E RESTORE processing. The requirement to "Please, *please* just let me take off this PTF and anything that PREs or IFs it without having to figure this stuff all out" is, believe me, *very* well understood. In other words, more RFEs won't hurt, but neither will they help much. Ed Jaffe wrote: z/OS Sysprogs, ISTR a maintenance philosophy from "eons" ago where PTFs would be applied but never accepted. What was the rationale for this? Does anyone still use this philosophy? If so, why? Thanks, -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
z/OSMF Data Directory Location
On May 1st (when I wasn't looking), the PTF for z/OSMF APAR PI92211 closed. This PTF moves the default location for the z/OSMF data directory from under /var (a system-specific directory) to under /global (a sysplex-wide directory) with updated samples and documentation. This move puts the data repository for z/OSMF's sysplex management applications to a spot where it can be mounted on whichever system z/OSMF happens to start on, making it more likely to be congruent with other repositories that are usually sysplex-wide (like the security database and TCP/IP profile). Also, it simplifies moving the server between systems, including for recovery. If you run more than one z/OSMF in a sysplex concurrently, there's a bit more to the story; in that case, you'll need one directory under /global for each autostart group. An updated z/OSMF Configuration Guide was posted a few days after the PTF became available. If you are setting up z/OSMF for the first time, use the updated book and the new samples for setup. If you've got it set up already, I recommend you review your setup and (most likely) move the z/OSMF data repository from /var/zosmf to /global/zosmf when you get around to it. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OS 1.13 maintenance concern.
Steve Cross wrote: I have inherited a z/OS 1.13 system that has not had any maintenance applied since mid-2015 and I need to bring it up to date before upgrading to 2.2 (ordered ready for installation). All but one of the required toleration/fall-back ptfs have been applied. Is it safe just to order maintenance excluding superseded ptfs ? I was thinking of the size of the download and subsequent RECEIVE / APPLY. Whatever PTFs you get, the size of the order will in all probability still be a *lot* smaller than a z/OS ServerPac order. Also, SMP/E won't put on the superceded PTFs and then the superceding PTFs; it's very good at figuring it all out and then putting on only what's needed in the right order. Finally, if one or more superceding PTFs are PE with no available resolving PTF, installing the superceded PTFs might prevent problems you would otherwise experience. I'm firmly in the camp of "APPLY SOURCEID(RSU*,PRP,HIPER,SECINT) GEXT and let SMP/E sort 'em all out." -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: [EXTERNAL] Re: IEFA107I when pointing to dataset alias
Sankaranarayanan, Vignesh wrote: Hi Dave, I wouldn’t dare change the structuring at this point without fully understanding why it is the way it is; which may very well be because of something that happened twenty years ago. For testing stuff like this, ZONECOPY can be your friend. Make a copy of the zone. Play with things like UCLIN, ZONEEDIT, etc. to your heart's content and see what happens. But don't use the copy to actually install anything (that is, no APPLY or ACCEPT), since the intent is "play with it now, delete it afterward." Right after the ZONECOPY, a ZONEEDIT to point the DDDEFs in to Outer Space before playing with things further is not a terrible idea, in fact. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IEFA107I when pointing to dataset alias
John Eells wrote: Previously, I wrote: (* Let's leave SYMBOLICRELATE out of it for now, until we all understand the basics. Likewise, we can work our way up to what happens before Catalog processes aliases and PATHENTRY entries for VSAM data seats, if necessary.) So now, let's look at what happens before Catalog is completely initialized. During Catalog address space (aka "CAS") initialization, the alias table (called the MLA table) is built. Before it's built, all searches are oriented to the master catalog. After it's built, they are oriented depending on whether there is an alias entry for the HLQ or HLQs represented in each MLA table entry. (This is a logical view, not necessarily how the code works in detail.) The implication of this is that you can have *both*: - One or more data set entries in the master catalog with a particular HLQ. - An ALIAS entry for that same HLQ. (If you are using MLA, of course, this can be more than one qualifier.) Then, before the MLA table is built, the data set entries will be used to find the data sets, but after it's built, the alias entry will be used to reorient the search to the user cataog, and the data set entries in the master catalog will be ignored. While I am sure this can be construed to be "handy" to some, it is pretty much guaranteed to confuse those who follow later, so I can't really recommend that anyone actually do this. So I'll leave the order in which such entries must be defined as an "Exercise to the Astute Reader." (Still up...if I get to it...SYMBOLICRELATE and catalog orientation.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: IEFA107I when pointing to dataset alias
Data set aliases have confused people for a long time. There are two basic kinds of aliases, user catalog connector aliases and data set aliases. Let's start with user catalog connector aliases. These are the ones where what is specified on RELATE is a user catalog. User catalog connector aliases in the master catalog are used to establish "catalog orientation." That's a fancy way of saying, "Which catalog will be searched for this data set?" It's important to understand that z/OS has a 2-level catalog structure at most. Thus, only those user catalog connector aliases that are in the system's current *master* catalog will be used. You can have all the user catalog connector aliases you want in user catalogs; the system will cheerfully ignore them all. Back to orientation. Suppose I have alias ABC and I point it to MY.USER.CATALOG by running this IDCAMS command: DEFINE ALIAS(NAME(ABC) RELATE(MY.USER.CATALOG)) to define it in my master catalog. Now, any search for ABC."anything" will be directed to MY.USER.CATALOG; if the data set entry cannot be resolved within the entries found in that same catalog, the attempt to locate the data set will fail.* OK so far? Now, let's suppose I want to find ABC.SOME.THING by the name DEF.SOME.THING via the catalog structure. I can define a data set alias named DEF.SOME.THING and related it to ABC.SOME.THING. However, since the data set entry for ABC.SOME.THING is in MY.USER.CATALOG, the data set alias entry has to be there as well for me to find it--because once Catalog gets to MY.USER.CATALOG, it won't search in other places. So, I will need to issue: DEFINE ALIAS(NAME(DEF.SOME.THING) RELATE(ABC.SOME.THING) CATALOG(MY.USER.CATALOG)) I will also need MY.USER.CATALOG to be searched for names starting with DEF to set the scope of the search (the "orientation") so that the ABC.SOME.THING entry can eventually be found. So, I will *also* need to issue: DEFINE ALIAS(NAME(DEF) RELATE(MY.USER.CATALOG)) So now, when I look for DEF.SOME.THING, Catalog finds the alias named DEF, and uses it to orient the search to MY.USER.CATALOG. Catalog finds DEF.SOME.THING and sees that it's an alias. Because the search *remains oriented to* MY.USER.CATALOG, it looks for (and finds) the related-to entry for ABC.SOME.THING and all is well. (* Let's leave SYMBOLICRELATE out of it for now, until we all understand the basics. Likewise, we can work our way up to what happens before Catalog processes aliases and PATHENTRY entries for VSAM data seats, if necessary.) I hope this helps, a bit. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OSMF, was How far out of date are my skills
Gibney, Dave wrote: -Original Message- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of John Eells Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2018 12:49 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Re: z/OSMF, was How far out of date are my skills Jousma, David wrote: You can configure zosmf to NOT come up. There will just be some new functions that wont work without it. I'm guessing that over time that list will get longer. NOTIFY=your.email.address is just one of those new thing. One of those new functions that won't work without it is z/OSMF Software Management which, strategically speaking, we want to be our software product installer in a couple of years. What is your answer to folks like me, running severely capped for z/OS software charging and no access to specialty engines? And, is it very much easier now to do an initial configuration of z/OSMF than it was when I first looked and decided that at that time, it wasn't worth my effort? Which probably it's first release. z/OSMF is a lot easier to configure now than it used to be. I've been through the entire setup, and it's not bad in my opinion. The most common sticking point seems to be security system setup. You can find the pertinent samples in SAMPLIB with names like IZUSEC (the main one) and IZUxxSEC, where xx is an abbrevation for the application name. For historical reasons, Software Management's sample is named IZUDMSEC. A rewritten configuration chapter should hit the streets soon, too, which I think will help. z/OSMF was rebased on WebSphere's Liberty Profile in z/OSMF V2.1, which dramatically reduced its CPU, memory, and disk footprints. The idle CPU consumption of the z/OSMF server is pretty low. It only chews up significant cycles if you use it to do things. That said, you can stop the server when you're not using it. You can also lower its priority in WLM, but if you go *too* far in that direction, you might experience browser timeouts if your other workloads yield high overall CPU utilization for long-ish periods of time. I have not done a comparative measurement of a ServerPac-based installation and a Software Management Deployment operation CPU consumption, but I would expect broad swaths of both to be fairly similar. ServerPac uses GIMGTPKG to get the package, and so does Software Management. Likewise, both use GIMUNZIP to load the files and data sets from the GIMZIP archives. The things that will eventually require using things unique to z/OSMF Software Management are acquiring the package (or pointing at it, if you don't have internet connectivity to IBM), doing the customization you want (data set names, catalog environment, etc.), the job management done by the final step of the ServerPac dialog, and (eventually) managing the setup workflows that we want to have replace the ServerPac product-specific batch jobs. If you want to model after something existing, which I expect most will, you will also have to define the thing to be modeled after as a "software instance" first. It's probably worth mentioning that not all of the aforementioned processing is zIIP-eligible. The z/OSMF proper part of it is mostly eligible (I'd guess about 80-85%), but many of the system services used by Software Management (DADSM, CVAF, Catalog, VSAM, etc.) are not. Those things cost the same whether we drive them from a PLI-based ISPF dialog or from a z/OSMF application. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OSMF, was How far out of date are my skills
Jousma, David wrote: You can configure zosmf to NOT come up. There will just be some new functions that wont work without it. I'm guessing that over time that list will get longer. NOTIFY=your.email.address is just one of those new thing. One of those new functions that won't work without it is z/OSMF Software Management which, strategically speaking, we want to be our software product installer in a couple of years. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: OAM and Object Tape Support with an MTL
John McKown wrote: On Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 9:18 AM, John Eells <ee...@us.ibm.com> wrote: John McKown wrote: I would argue about his, except that most electronic manuals are in PDF format and PDF does _not_ allow updating the PDF file itself to contain highlighting & notes. Or, if it does, I don't have any software which can do this. Adobe Acrobat DC offers the ability to comment and highlight, using the two icons that are rightmost (for me, anyway) on the task bar. I use these often when reviewing drafts of things, and I find them handy. Thanks, I'll look at that. Not bad. It costs some money, but I don't know if I'm willing to pay $15/month for it. Also, unfortunately, it is Windows based and I'm a Linux user at home. I do run Windows in a VM on Linux. But I'm not going to fire up Windows just to read and annotate a PDF. And, in reality, I prefer reading PDFs on my 10 inch Android tablet. But I may see if I can get it here at work. So, for me at least, this is a NO GO. Oops. I left an important word out of the name. It's Adobe Acrobat *Reader* DC. Sorry about that. Adobe says: "About: "Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software is the free global standard for reliably viewing, printing, and commenting on PDF documents." It appears to be available for Windows, Mac, and Android: https://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/ -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: OAM and Object Tape Support with an MTL
John McKown wrote: I would argue about his, except that most electronic manuals are in PDF format and PDF does _not_ allow updating the PDF file itself to contain highlighting & notes. Or, if it does, I don't have any software which can do this. Adobe Acrobat DC offers the ability to comment and highlight, using the two icons that are rightmost (for me, anyway) on the task bar. I use these often when reviewing drafts of things, and I find them handy. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: OAM and Object Tape Support with an MTL
Edward Gould wrote: On Apr 24, 2018, at 12:58 AM, Brian Westerman <brian_wester...@syzygyinc.com> wrote: OAM is pretty fast for SMS managed tape. For example, we have a client that uses literally thousands of really small tapes per day (it's a long sordid story as to why) with 512 virtual tape transports and an average of 156 in constant use, averaging 3 to 5 mounts per second, there is less than .25 second (wall clock) delay between the request for a tape and the mount being satisfied. Brian, Interesting comment thanks, This goes against what IBM seems to think as to what is happening out in the real world. This show why IBM must continue to support tape as a software delivery option. I know your system might be extreme but it does show there is still a demand for software delivery, in tape format. Ed What software delivery on tape might have to do with what sounds like a fairly active VTS is not, I must admit, terribly clear to me. (If Brian has an operator who can mount tapes in 1/4 second, at a rate of 3-5 mounts per second, he must wear a red cape.) The volume of actual, real-world tape orders for IBM software products is a matter of record. We know the volume of orders for each media type, and for downloads overall, by operating system platform, and by product. We need this data to project demand so we can purchase the media and bandwidth we need, and for cost accounting. I'm not sure how we could get a better picture of real-world demand than from order data and client requirements. The order data is pretty compelling, and I can't recall having seen new client requirements in this area in a long time--over a decade. All that said, if someone has a pertinent data source we've missed, I'm happy to listen and learn. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: One last question on TAPELESS delivery
If you want to download your software, then the PC you use needs to have enough disk space to contain what you order, and that PC (*not* the HMC) also needs access to the IBM servers via the internet while the order is being downloaded. The largest orders (those that include z/OS, typically) typically run 12-14 GB. If you want to get software on DVDs, you need a PC with an optical drive that you can connect to your *internal* network so you can upload the software to z/OS. Let me repeat some things: 1. You do NOT need an internet connection to the HMC to get software products or PTFs. 2. You do NOT need an internet connection to your PC to get software or PTFs. 3. You do NOT need to use the HMC *at all* to install software on an already-running z/OS system that meets the current documented driving system requirements for the software you are installing. To install z/OS V2.3, for instance, that means you are running any release of z/OS Version 2. Here are the links I posted previously again: See the topic, "Receiving a new order" on PDF p. 43 in ServerPac: Installing Your Order, for a list of the ways to transfer the data from your workstation to z/OS here: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zOSV2R3sa232278/$file/gima200_v2r3.pdf All the requirements for transferring products and PTFs from a laptop and to z/OS are documented in z/OS Planning for Installation. Start with the topic, "Choosing the delivery medium: tape, DVD, or Internet," in Chapter 2, on PDF p. 56, here: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zOSV2R3ga320890/$file/e0zb100_v2r3.pdf If online access is a problem I can e-mail you PDFs of the books. (For some reason, Ed's post was not shadowed via NNTP, so I'm replying to Paul's instead.) Paul Gilmartin wrote: On Thu, 12 Apr 2018 00:28:30 -0500, Edward Gould wrote: Anyone: I talked with my boss yesterday and he told me to get up a short presentation on DVD’s and maintenance from IBM over the internet. Since I still do not know some of the issues (PC SIZE etc) he shot me down in about 3 minutes. I could not answer most of his questions so he told me to get more knowledge and come back for another try. He also told me that a connection between the HMC and the internet was a gigantic security item that I will have to fight a lot as management does not want it ... Do *not* let him read this article: https://www.ece.cmu.edu/~ganger/712.fall02/papers/p761-thompson.pdf How can you be sure the tape control unit microcode contains no infectious malware? -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: One last question on TAPELESS delivery
Let me repeat that setting up an FTP server on a workstation is *not* required for installing IBM software. I will also repeat that access to the HMC is required *only* for the starter system, the Customized Offerings Driver (aka the COD). If you stay within the n-2 coexistence window, you will never need the COD, and thus you will never need access to the HMC for that particular reason. While it's true that an FTP or other server has to be set up "somewhere," chances approach 100% that an FTP server is already set up and ready for you to use on z/OS. Setting it up in one place is easier than setting it up on every workstation used by every person who needs to order and install software and PTFs, or dedicating one or more special workstations to this purpose. This is especially true if your team does not all work in the same place. You can just use the FTP client already built into your workstation's OS to upload the data to z/OS. Let's all try to do this the easy way, folks. A number of other alternatives would probably work, but the two we document are the one above and setting up an FTP server on your workstation. We neither document nor test other alternatives. Most likely because I did not take two steps backward quickly enough, I own the z/OS platform installation strategy for IBM. The decision to approve tape withdrawal was not mine alone, but one over which I had a great deal of influence. If my inbox is any indication, people know how to contact me at need. If Ed needs someone at IBM to talk to his data center management about IBM software delivery alternatives without tape, he can send me a note and we can set that up. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Enhanced HOLDDATA site down?
Pinnacle wrote: Trying to download FULL.BIN, and I keep getting Network Error. Anybody else having problems with http://service.software.ibm.com/holdata/390holddata.html? It's working for me internally, but of course I'm on the other side of the IBM firewall. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: One last question on TAPELESS delivery
Setting up an FTP server or NFS server is not required to get software from DVD to z/OS. A plain vanilla FTP client such as the one that comes with Windows, along with the FTP server built into z/OS Communications Server are all you need. You can, of course, choose to set up an FTP or NFS server on your workstation or use one if you've done it already, but it's really not needed, and in my opinion, it's not worth the effort just for this purpose. For example, see the topic, "Receiving a new order" on PDF p. 43 in ServerPac: Installing Your Order, for a list of the ways to transfer the data from your workstation to z/OS here: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zOSV2R3sa232278/$file/gima200_v2r3.pdf If you get a ServerPac, you will find that the README.pdf file on the first DVD includes information about copying the order from the workstation to your host system. If you get a service or CBPDO order you should, likewise, find similar instructions. Timothy Sipples wrote: Edward, Here's the basic process: 1. Order and receive physical DVD media containing the software products, via postal mail or courier. 2. Insert the DVD into the drive of any machine that your designated z/OS LPAR can reach. (Not necessarily *every* z/OS LPAR.) That machine might be the HMC (as far as I can tell), a PC, a Mac, etc. -- *any* machine the z/OS LPAR can reach, in network terms, that has a DVD drive. It could even be a "smart" DVD drive that has a NAS (Network Attached Storage) capability built-in, such as this 2U size rack mountable gadget (no endorsement implied): http://www.primearray.com/products/ArrayStor.php It could be a machine on a closed network or a machine on the moon. In principle, it doesn't matter. *Anything* that can read a DVD and transmit its contents across a network. It could also be a machine with a BD (Blu-Ray) or BDXL data drive since those are backward compatible with DVD data formats. 3. The machine should be running either a FTP server (e.g. ftpd) or a NFS server. If not, configure the machine's FTP server or NFS server and start it up. Make the DVD available to the FTP server or NFS server, directly. There's no requirement for an initial copy operation from the DVD to that machine's own hard drive or flash drive. 4. Using z/OS's FTP client or NFS client, load or copy the files from the DVD. That could be directly (SMP/E RECEIVE FROMNETWORK) or via an initial copy operation, onto z/OS attached storage. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: One last question on TAPELESS delivery
Edward Gould wrote: Hi, Before I go into a viper pit for telling the boss and his boss and his boss and be asked many questions that I am nowhere near qualified to answer. Is there an IBM book/manual or SHARE presentation that I can show to the management what will be needed, hardware (software) wise to be able to accomplish being able to read the DVD and download it to a disk drive on the mainframe? From what I have heard here the only thing that is needed is a PC with a large HD and some connection to the HMC (If I understand this correctly). There is NO connection outside the company AT ALL. I can’t believe there is no written down instructions on how this is done, I am sure the NETWORK people will be all over this, and I am not prepared to take the heat right now. I have to thoroughly understand and explain to management and technical types. Frankly, I am shaky on all of this. Ed, the *only* thing we use the HMC's DVD drive for is the starter system (the Customized Offerings Driver, or COD). If you stay within the driving system requirement window, you will never need a COD and access to the HMC will not be needed. All the requirements for transferring products and PTFs from a laptop and to z/OS are documented in z/OS Planning for Installation. Start with the topic, "Choosing the delivery medium: tape, DVD, or Internet," in Chapter 2, on PDF p. 56, here: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zOSV2R3ga320890/$file/e0zb100_v2r3.pdf For DVD, a network connection to the outside world is not required. Only a network connection between the workstation and z/OS is needed. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
Richards, Robert B. wrote: I may have missed it, but in all these posts, did anyone provide the drop dead date for ServerPac delivery on tape? I did. But, here it is again: "IBM plans to discontinue delivery of z/OS platform products and service on magnetic tape on July 1, 2018. This fulfills the statement of direction in Software Announcement A17-0134, dated February 21, 2017. IBM recommends downloading products and service over the internet. However, if you have a requirement for physical media, products and service remain available on DVD." -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Friday Conundrum (aka Soap Box)
Dyck, Lionel B. , TRA wrote: Has anyone else gotten frustrated when opened an IBM Service Request in having to select the Operating System, which should have been automatic after selecting the Product and the applicable operating system release level? For example, I just opened a SR to ICSF. I had to select the ICSF Version/Release. Then I had to select the level of z/OS. Shouldn't that have pre-populated the Operating System box? Am I the only one to see this user interface disconnect? I realize the SR's are for products that are across multiple operating systems and platforms and that a product may be available on multiple platforms BUT if the product selection includes selecting the operating system level then why not use that info to fill in the Operating System box? In the specific case of ICSF, it would not be possible to do as you suggest. ICSF has a minimum level for each given release of z/OS, but every time we release a new crypto card we typically have a new ICSF level. The highest level of ICSF generally runs on the lowest supported level of z/OS, and is often higher than the level included in the most recent release of z/OS. Sometimes two or three of them can be in play on the same z/OS release, and we've no way to know which one you have. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: UA94606
Jesse 1 Robinson wrote: Good advice for the sandbox. However, identifying the offender is only the first step. Fixing the problem may turn out to be a long and painful journey through the whole enterprise. Well, you might have more than one offender. Also, one or more offenders might not be running in your sandbox environment. Flipping the switch in production before knowing who the offenders are and getting them fixed first might be bad. Continuing to allow user key CSA to be used might also be bad. A friendly RSM developer (thanks, Steve!) tells me SMF30s can be used to identify any number of offenders after putting on the very same PTF you installed for OA53355, which also adds the SMF30_UserKeyCsaUsage field. This is in the APAR text, and I'm told it's in the DOC HOLD, but I didn't find it in the z/OS V2.3 SMF book (we will work on fixing that). It's hard to imagine anyone excluding the ever-useful SMF30 records from collection, but to process them you would need to turn them on, if they were off. Then, you have to run long enough to collect and process the records to show whether you will break something you care about when you flip the DIAGxx switch, and get the necessary offenders fixed before the flip. The risk avoidance aspect of this approach has to be balanced against the risk of allowing user key CSA until you finish. The APAR text is here: https://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=63=isg1OA53355 Happy hunting... -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Zconnect
Sasso, Len wrote: Does it include the ability to access and download a file from a REST API site? Yes. You can find it, read it, and write it, in fact (and much more). Please see Table 273 on PDF p. 508 in IBM z/OS Management Facility Programming Guide, here, for a list of what you can do with the z/OSMF data set and file REST API: https://www-304.ibm.com/servers/resourcelink/svc00100.nsf/pages/zOSV2R3sc278420/$file/izua700_v2r3.pdf -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Zconnect
Timothy Sipples wrote:
I probably should have also mentioned that z/OS Management Facility
(z/OSMF) provides REST APIs for such tasks as provisioning services,
submitting jobs, console interface services, and much more. z/OSMF is a no
additional charge feature in the base z/OS operating system, and it's now
(in z/OS 2.3) started automatically at IPL. More details are available here
(z/OS 2.3 link):
Just so nobody tries to order z/OSMF...
z/OSMF is a base element of z/OS starting with z/OS V2.2, not an
orderable feature. You will (or did) get it as part of z/OS itself.
Before z/OS V2.2, z/OSMF was a separate priced product with a price of
zero dollars per value unit and the same price for support. ("Priced"
at zero dollars/pounds/yen/euros, etc.? Yup. You can't make some
things up, but that's how our systems work.)
As Timothy says, it has a variety of REST APIs. One he didn't mention
is the file and data set API that some might find useful. Also these
APIs are pretty rich, functionally. For example, the jobs API lets you
submit jobs, check their status, and retrieve their output--all from a
browser-based application if you'd like. We also added Cloud
Provisioning support during z/OS V2.2 so you can set up templates that
allow authorized people (like application developers) to instantiate and
tear down their own CICS AORs, DB2 data bases, MQ connections, and such.
It's worth mentioning that we added e-mail notifications from JCL on
JES2 systems in z/OS V2.3. (I always threatened to put the z/OSMF
architect's e-mail address in the examples.)
--
John Eells
IBM Poughkeepsie
ee...@us.ibm.com
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Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
Andrew Rowley wrote: On 3/04/2018 9:21 PM, John Eells wrote: If you have a requirement for packages signed with strong algorithms, please open an RFE. Is the SMP/E package signed, or just checksummed? A stronger hash is no real value if the hash itself can be substituted because it is not cryptographically signed. They are not signed today. The point of my wording was that, if we do sign them eventually, we probably shouldn't sign them using SHA-1 or something equally weak. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
R.S. wrote: From the other hand why SHA-1, not something stronger? I guess IBM decided to use the most available algorithm in the z/OS. Even if you haven't set up ICSF. It seemed perfectly adequate at the time, there was an available Java class for those who did not have ICSF set up as you noted, and we just never happened to change it. I don't recall when GIMZIP/UNZIP/GTPKG were introduced but it was certainly in or before z/OS V1.4 (perhaps with a PTF) because it was in place for z/OS V1.6 exploitation in ServerPac. And, for its actual purpose of data integrity checking, SHA-1 still seems perfectly adequate. If you have a requirement for packages signed with strong algorithms, please open an RFE. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
Paul Gilmartin wrote: Can the HMC be configured, then, as an FTP server usable for RECEIVE FROMNETWORK given suitable SMPSRVR definition, and is the DVD in GIMZIPped format? If all these are true, then SMP/E can do it all in one RECEIVE step, as Ed hopes. Has IBM done PoC? GIMZIP format is protected by SHA-1 checksums. These might be delivered via an independent secure channel (voice phone call?) So, not necessarily in the order these things have come up: - SHA-1 checksums used by GIMZIP/GIMUNZIP/GIMGTPKG were not intended to be regarded as secure signatures. IBM packages cannot really be described as "signed." Also, NIST has deprecated SHA-1 for such a purpose for some time. Whether the SHA-1 hash value used to verify a package's integrity is just the one that comes with it or whether it's verfied by telephone, Registered Mail, or carrier pigeon truly matters not from a security point of view. SSL is more reliable for that purpose, as someone else suggested in this thread. The combination of SHA-1 for integrity and SSL for connection verification seems reasonably secure to yours truly, but I am not security guy so take my opinion for what it's worth. - We have not tested using the HMC functions for accessing the DVD drive for processing PTF orders, ServerPac orders, or CBPDO orders as far as I know (and, I would probably know). If sufficient interest develops, we might be convinced to, but we have no current plans. That said, I don't yet know of any reason it would not work. - SMP/E will allocate the same data sets it always did, and not allocate the data sets it never did, whether you use tape, DVD, or Internet to get an installable set of SYSMODs. So if you RECEIVE one or more products from a CBPDO order, for example, it will create the SMPTLIB data sets from the RELFILEs. But allocating the target and distribution library data sets will be up to you, as has been the case since the Beginning of Time. - ServerPac is insensitive to how things get to the z/OS UNIX file system. Its existing installation process will allocate all the data sets needed for the products in the order just as it has since its availability in 1996. - ServerPac and RECEIVE FROMNET both expect GIMZIP format packages. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OSMF hints needed
Mark Pace wrote: Thank you, Ronald and John. This system is not in a Plex, just a single z/OS. Should I still move it to /global? It's not at all necessary to move it to /global in a single-system environment. I looked into this a bit further, and found that common problems are unnamed Angels and security setup. From the configuration guide: "You can give an angel a name by coding the NAME parameter on the START command: START IZUANG1,NAME=proc-name. Or, you can specify the angel name on the NAME parameter of the PROC statement of the angel started procedure before you enter the command START IZUANG1." You should have a new PROC in the SMP/E-managed PROCLIB data set that includes the NAME parameter. The other common issue seems to be that IZUSVR1 does not have access to the BBG.* profiles in the SERVER class. You can find all the profile names in the IZUSEC sample in SAMPLIB. I also double-checked to be sure both actions above are in the z/OS Migration book for z/OS V2.3. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: z/OSMF hints needed
First, make sure that your IZUPRMxx member's JAVA_HOME points to the right Java path. z/OSMF requires Java 8 in z/OS V2.3. There should be two STDOUT and two STDERR data sets among the IZUSVR1 outputs. The second of each one is more likely by far to be useful than the first of each. Then check /var/zosmf/data/logs/IZUG0.log. The log files are space-limited, so if IZUG0 got full the messages of interest might have evaporated from IZUG0.log; if so you will have look for them in IZUG0.log-IZUG9.log. You will need to su to UID(0) to read the files. ISPF OPT3.17 is an easy way to read them using the VA (view ASCII) line command. If all else fails, of course, please open a PMR! If you do, I'd be grateful if you sent me the PMR number. I have a high degree of interest in z/OSMF setup issues, and I will be interested to know what the problem was. Finally, consider moving the z/OSMF data directory to /global from /var and doing the necessary update to the PROC (update USERDIR) before you actually do anything with z/OSMF. This will make z/OSMF use the same data repository no matter what system in the plex it starts on first, or gets moved to. This should work and play better with z/OSMF autostart and avoid some possible entanglements later on. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
We have had DVD-based delivery 2011 for z/OS platform PTFs and products. So, we're not quite 20 years behind z/VM (smile). Also, it's not that writing a *different* format would be that difficult, but that *adding* a format would be nontrivial. That requires ordering and process options to be created in all the service ordering portals, and then AWSTAPE support in the appropriate places to read the DVD. Also, of course, it requires optical hardware that can be z/OS-attached. At this point in the projected remaining lifetime for optical media, I can't justify adding a new format, and converting from one to another would be quite disruptive to customers, who would have to be able to consume the new one. Gary Eheman wrote: I have quite enjoyed reading this thread in the digest version over the last few days. For historical accuracy, I wanted to point out that service delivery on optical media from IBM is something that I personally was involved with in with IBM sofware delivery back in 1998-1999. Customers could first order service from IBM and request that the delivery media be CDROM instead of tape in early 1999. Preventive service (RSU) for VM could be ordered from IBM on CDROM in January 1999. Not sure why it could not be trivial for z/OS, but it, frankly, was trivial for VM. In March 1999, corrective service could be ordered on CDROM. So this really is not some new problem for IBM service delivery. Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Though the web page about ptf service on CDROM media was up for year into the 2000 decade, it is no longer up on the VM website. You can still find it on the web archive wayback machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20040822203309/http://www.vm.ibm.com:80/service/vmcd.html I found a hard copy on my book shelf of the IBM S/390 Bulletin Issue 24 April 1999 which had an article on page 14 about the availability of service on CDROM. These bulletin documents which were produced out of Boeblingen by the S/390 division in both glossy hardcopy and pdf format contained articles of interest for the entire S/390 product line were available in pdf format for download, but I cannot find them online any longer. I reckon that z/OS might finally exploit service delivery on optical media on demand one day, a mere 20 years later than VM first did it. I see little reason to reinvent the optical media wheel for service delivery, and I concur with John Eell's observation that optical media's days are numbered. This problem was solved at IBM long, long ago. Putting an emulated tape metadata file format on that media, whether OMA/2 or AWS, or a different metadata format should be trivial if it is really required. Emulated tape is not difficult. In our products at FSI, emulated tape was even extended across the Internet in encrypted format. Others have done it, too. The only way to avoid corrective service delivery is to write perfect code the first time to eliminate the need for corrective service. Good luck doing in that. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
David Boyes wrote: On 3/27/18, 9:48 AM, "IBM Mainframe Discussion List on behalf of John Eells" <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU on behalf of ee...@us.ibm.com> wrote: Ah, so that's what you meant. I hadn't inferred that from your earlier post. Sorry, replies crossed in the ether. As the original builder of the ADCD systems (originally created to support P390s) Didn't the P370 also support AWSTAPE? I don't remember -- that was a long time ago. Or were you just using P390 as a generic term? However, we do not, and have no plans to, deliver the DVD files in AWSTAPE format. I'd quite forgotten about P370, in part because I don't know that it was ever available external to IBM. It might well have been what the AWS* things were ogiginally written for, and if so, I stand (well, sit, at the moment) corrected. But in any event, we have no plans to support AWSTAPE format for software delivery in general. It's not at all clear to me that it would solve anything that is not already solved by retrieving the files from a workstation file system (hard drive or DVD), either, and until someone shows me how it would be, I don't know why I'd support the effort to do it. (And, as it happens, it's not actually trivial to implement it in the software delivery process.) -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
Vernooij, Kees - KLM , ITOPT1 wrote: Of course, a logical measure. Taking a laptop out of the building, do something with it and take it back in again is just as 'safe' as bringing in a usb stick you found on the street. Both should be fully blocked. I don't agree that both are equally insecure. Downloads from at least IBM's servers (and probably those used by any number of other software vendors as well) use SSL. Thus, you at least "know," via the certificate-based chain of trust, that you are downloading things from an IBM server. You can also use firewall software and make the "hole" in your firewall specific to an IP address, to provide further assurance that it's an IBM server to which you are connected. Perfect? No. But likely more secure than USB. Why? There is an architectural vulnerability in USB, and malware exploits are not detectable using AV software. I know that a number of clients ban the use of any USB-attached device outright for this reason. I'm told some even fill the USB ports with glue to assure compliance. The larger issue, though, is the continued availability of acceptable external attachment hardware. By "acceptable" I mean to both clients and software vendors. We are withdrawing tape because few people use it any more, not because of cost alone, or because "IBM doesn't care" (and, to be frank, I rankle at that last suggestion). We have no plans to support USB for z/OS platform software, and I would not support such a plan. Currently, I plan for us to support DVD for as long as it's viable; but, we foresee that optical drives will likely become unavailable for new builds on workstations (including laptops) in the next 5-10 years. This is not because of IBM, but because (surprise!) fewer people want to order them these days. While we have no current plans, I expect that when the DVD orders eventually drop low enough, we will withdraw that support too. If we are all lucky, someone will create something new that lacks the vulnerability of USB, has the near-universiality that optical drives once enjoyed, has a far-off obsolescence horizon, and allows us to continue to use something we can put in an envelope or a box and send clients. -- John Eells z/OS Platform Installation Strategy Owner IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
David Boyes wrote: Then, if you are willing to buy hardware as David Boyes outlined, you can perhaps do it that way. I have no knowledge about these products, and we have not tested that approach, so I do not know whether or not it works. If someone has tried it, I'd be (academically, I'll admit) interesting in knowing The “faketape” support for the ZPDT and friends is basically the same technology as the OMA/2, but done completely in software, so if you want to give it a whirl, find someone with a ZPDT. AWSTAPE files (a volume is a directory with files containing the same data as on physical carts and some metadata) were invented for the OMA/2, which looks like a really long 3422 volume to the host. The flexCUB box is able to emulate all sorts of devices, disk/tape/3270/etc. They’re really handy if you need to handle some obscure volume format on an older CPU - we recently reanimated a 4341 using one for all the I/O devices on that system. We bought a physical OMA/2 long long ago and kept running with a bus/tag to FICON converter. BusTech also made a similar box, but I don’t remember now whether there was ever an ESCON version. The OMA/2 supports CD and DVD media, albeit with a few manual hoops to select and mount the right “volume” on the emulated device. It’s one of the major reasons I wish ZPDT supported an emulated 3494 library controller device so I could finally retire that box. Today, I’d probably just try to find a desktop SCSI 3590, attach it to a stand-alone PC, and use the tape image utilities provided with Hercules to create a 3590 from AWSTAPE files on the DVD. Then, apply service as normal (or at least till IBM decides to remove the tape support code from SMP/E). It’d be really slick if IBM reanimated the OMA/2 device with a native FICON adapter, even if it was just for this purpose. The ability to emulate a range of mainframe devices on commodity hardware has been really, really useful over the years. Ah, so that's what you meant. I hadn't inferred that from your earlier post. As the original builder of the ADCD systems (originally created to support P390s), I do know about AWSTAPE support (which was originally written for the P390s). However, we do not, and have no plans to, deliver the DVD files in AWSTAPE format. Were there hardware available to read the files we do supply on DVD so they could be written to the z/OS UNIX file system, I would find that interesting. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
On Mon, 26 Mar 2018 13:33:23 -0500, Edward Gould wrote: "IBM plans to discontinue delivery of z/OS platform products and service on magnetic tape on July 1, 2018. ..." Congratulations to IBM. This sounds the death nell for z/OS at this install. What will you do instead? (I'm not sure why I can't see Ed's post, so I copied the above from another.) First, we are still delivering these things on DVD and have no current plans to stop doing that. So, if that was your concern, a connection to the internet from z/OS is not required. In addition to that, you can take a laptop outside your firewall, download stuff*, bring the laptop back in, connect to your internal network, and upload it to z/OS to be processed. A connection from z/OS to the internet is not required for this, either, and it's probably faster than waiting for a DVD to arrive. I don't have actual numbers handy, but the data volume for most orders is probably less than you need to download for a Netflix movie in SD. If you are ordering the gorilla in the room (z/OS itself), it's about what you need for a few Netflix HD movies. Then, if you are willing to buy hardware as David Boyes outlined, you can perhaps do it that way. I have no knowledge about these products, and we have not tested that approach, so I do not know whether or not it works. If someone has tried it, I'd be (academically, I'll admit) interesting in knowing about the outcome. * "Stuff" = Products, PTFs, HOLDDATA, etc. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: VIO SDWA logrec records
Pew, Curtis G wrote: On Mar 26, 2018, at 1:30 PM, Edward Gould <edgould1...@comcast.net> wrote: Are you doing CVIO at each IPL? We do CLPA but not CVIO. I can set it up to do that for our next IPL. Thanks for the hint. CLPA "implies" (i.e., includes) VIO. From Init & Tuning: "Note: If you want the auxiliary storage manager (ASM) to purge and reinitialize both the VIO data set pages and the PLPA pages, specify CLPA. CLPA always implies CVIO." So there should be no need to do another IPL to try to "clear things up." What do the formatted LOGREC records show? -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Software Delivery on Tape to be Discontinued
Perhaps some of you recall this from last October. If you missed it in the announcement: "IBM plans to discontinue delivery of z/OS platform products and service on magnetic tape on July 1, 2018. This fulfills the statement of direction in Software Announcement A17-0134, dated February 21, 2017. IBM recommends downloading products and service over the internet. However, if you have a requirement for physical media, products and service remain available on DVD." John Eells wrote: The problem everyone has with physical media is being able to ship something compatible with what people have today, and will continue to have tomorrow. Our tape drives cartridge formats are not, as far as I know, readable by other manufacturer's tape drives these days. (3480 was the last interoperable format.) On the workstation front, optical drives are falling out of favor on new machines. I personally want to stay away from USB memory sticks, and a number of very security-conscious clients do not allow their use at all. They disable USB ports entirely, which precludes all things that are USB-attached and not just memory sticks. We're starting to run shy of things we can send everyone that will remain usable for the foreseeable future. It's this, really, that might drive us toward Internet-only delivery at some future point. John Eells z/OS Platform Installation Strategy John, How are you going to handle the orders for Tapes? Our installation does not have *ANY* internet connection from the M/F. AFAIK that will never change. The place is hyper about security. I think its overblown, but the current upper management says NFW. When they say no they mean no. Myself I am happy with tape, I don’t have to worry about the SMPE creating datasets all over the place and having 5 volumes(or more) for simple maintenance. In addition to what I wrote above, we, like everyone else, are driven by client behaviors and available technologies. So let's talk about numbers for a minute. As of this March, 86% of our orders are being downloaded, and every time we get new numbers that percentage goes up. Of the remainder, the last year I pulled numbers to break down DVD vs. tape, about 2/3 of orders delivered on physical media were on DVD. That was a couple of years ago. If I extrapolate the trend we saw then, that 1/3 of the remainder is probably more like 1/6 today. In other words, tape orders are dwindling, and not slowly. At some point, we will almost certainly drop tape support for software delivery. It seems very likely to me that we simply will not be able to justify replacing the tape drives in the distribution centers once our current tape drives reach end of life. I hope nobody finds this surprising. We have, for example, discussed this before in IBM-MAIN. In a future without tape, if you do not have optical drives and cannot connect to the Internet, you will need to take a laptop outside the firewall, download your order, bring it back in, and upload it to your z/OS system. This is already supported and documented, and has been for well over a decade now. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Didn't we have this some time ago on some SLED disks? Multi-actuator
John McKown wrote: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/12/19/seagate_disk_drive_multi_actuator/ Basically splits the disk into two parts: upper & lower. Each part has the heads which reference it on separate actuators so the they can be on different cylinders. Whoever said, "Currently, operating systems read and write data to a single disk drive" is clearly out of touch. Any number of operating systems support more than one, including Windows. Then there are things like DS8Ks and SANs with arrays of more than one physical drive per logical volume. That said, it's interesting. I have to wonder whether load-leveling within and among arrays is more or less effective than this or whether the two will be someday combined. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: FW: SMPE receive order stuck
I'm told we had an ISP connection issue (not sure on which side) that's resolved now. When I asked about it after seeing your post, they already knew and they were on it. Jousma, David wrote: FYI...I sent the following email to IBM ShopZ support. Hopefully they find the problem... Anyone else seeing this behavior this morning? _ Dave Jousma Manager Mainframe Engineering, Assistant Vice President david.jou...@53.com 1830 East Paris, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 MD RSCB2H p 616.653.8429 f 616.653.2717 From: Jousma, David Sent: Monday, March 19, 2018 8:55 AM To: ShopzSeries and ShopzOS Subject: SMPE receive order Importance: High All, SMPE receive order seems to be stuck. Looks like the order was placed successfully, maybe e-factory is down? RECEIVE ORDER (CLIENT (CLIENT) CONTENT (ALL) ORDERSERVER (SERVER) FORTGTZONES (MVSTZN MVSCBT) WAIT(120)) DELETEPKG. GIM68700IORDER ORD00036 HAS BEEN SENT TO THE SERVER AT https://eccgw01.boulder.ibm.com/services/projects/ecc/ws/. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 15 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 30 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 45 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 60 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 75 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 90 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. GIM693ISMP/E HAS BEEN WAITING 105 MINUTES FOR ORDER ORD00036. SMP/E WILL WAIT A MAXIMUM OF 120 MINUTES. _ Dave Jousma Manager Mainframe Engineering, Assistant Vice President david.jou...@53.com 1830 East Paris, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 MD RSCB2H p 616.653.8429 f 616.653.2717 This e-mail transmission contains information that is confidential and may be privileged. It is intended only for the addressee(s) named above. If you receive this e-mail in error, please do not read, copy or disseminate it in any manner. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this information is prohibited. Please reply to the message immediately by informing the sender that the message was misdirected. After replying, please erase it from your computer system. Your assistance in correcting this error is appreciated. -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Having problem using LISTSERV.UA.EDU with thunderbird
Paul Gilmartin wrote: On Wed, 7 Mar 2018 22:40:59 +0200, Yaniv Rabi wrote: I will check the "news.eternal-september.org" Not the best approach. Follow instructions in the footer below: FSVO "best." Different people have different preferences. Some people use NNTP and newsreaders to keep their places and keep their inboxes under control. Some simply subscribe and deal with the volume of IBM-MAIN e-mail. Some use the Digest version. Some follow on Google. And so on. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Having problem using LISTSERV.UA.EDU with thunderbird
Yaniv Rabi wrote: Thank's Seymour, I don't think I have a newsgroup from my ISP but I have some free newsgroups I'm using and most of them work well, if you know of any free IBM related newsgroup's I will happy to know about. There's news.eternal-september.org if you want an NNTP server (what I use). -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
CA Root CA Certificates Redux
The WSC Flash has been updated, and you can find it here: http://www.ibm.com/support/techdocs/atsmastr.nsf/WebIndex/FLASH10884 The only change is that we recommend: 1. Getting both the DigiCert root CA certificates and installing them 2. Doing that before April 2018. If the short story works for you, here are the certificates we recommend you obtain and install: a. The “DigiCert Global Root CA” certificate, is available from https://www.digicert.com/CACerts/DigiCertGlobalRootCA.crt. For your reference, the certificate has this serial number: 083BE056904246B1A1756AC95991C74A. b. The “DigiCert Global Root G2” certificate is available at https://www.digicert.com/CACerts/DigiCertGlobalRootG2.crt, and its serial number is: 033AF1E6A711A9A0BB2864B11D09FAE5. Right now, this seems likely to let everyone to get on with their lives and not worry about the details. But currently understood dates are included in the Flash, for the curious. Some of them might change. Once they are carved in stone we can do one last update. Getting this to this point involved what seemed to be an incredible number of people working behind the scenes. Clearly, we should all have started on it sooner. Sorry for the churn. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Install z/OS from DVD
Beesley, Paul wrote: We are setting up a z/Next mainframe on a greenfield site and want to be able to install z/OS from a DVD. Back in 2016, Mark Post said.. “Coming soon will be the ability to IPL _and_ install directly from the HMC DVD drive. It'll be a slow as !@$$ but it won't require an installation server somewhere. You'll still need to connect _into_ the system over the network to complete the install (via SSH or VNC) of course. Even that could be avoided if you set up a custom DVD that points to an autoinst.xml file on the DVD itself and use VNC as the installation method. Completely unattended install without a net. :)” Has ‘soon’ arrived yet? Or are we still looking at using a Customised Offering Driver? You will need to use the COD. Although Linux and z/VM can be IPLed from DVD, z/OS must IPL from attached (ECKD) DASD. It does not now and will likely not any time soon support IPLed from anywhere in the HMC file system, including DVD. Based on that, the DVD-based installation process involves the Customized Offerings Driver (which we affectionately call the COD). Standalone DFSMSdss, which can be IPLed from the HMC's DVD drive, was changed a while back to support restoring disk volumes from DVD files. The COD z/OS system is restored using DFSMSdss and then IPLed. (You can optionally use standalone ICKDSF to verify target volume labels and INIT the volumes before restoring them, but we taught DFSMSdss to be a bit smarter a while back so this is no longer a required step.) The restores run reasonably quickly, though I don't have current numbers. When we first planned this support we thought it would take a lot longer than it actually does, because we--well, I (blush)--forgot that we dumped the COD systems with the COMPRESS keyword, which reduces the HMC-to-DASD data transfer time significantly. If I recall correctly, the entire process from DFSMSdss IPL to z/OS IPL only takes a few hours. In turn, the COD z/OS system supports installing the z/OS you actually want from direct download to z/OS (if you have connectivity at the site) or by transferring files from a workstation to the z/OS UNIX file system, whether they were downloaded or are also on DVD. You can install a new copy of z/OS using ServerPac (if you are sane) or CBPDO (if you aren't); the COD supports both. It might also be possible to use the FTP-based IPL available on z14 and later HMCs for DFSMSdss and FTP file access for the restores, with the files on your workstation (set up as an FTP server), which I am told should work, but which we have not explicitly tested. That might or might not be faster than restoring from DVD, depending on where the bottleneck is in the effective data transfer rate. Speaking for myself, though, restores from DVD would certainly have been done for quite a while while I was still fiddling with the FTP configuration and physical connections for this IPL path, but YMMV. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: DASD problem
Disclaimer: I am not a performance expert, so take this with a large grain of salt. I agree with what Ron wrote: That synchronously replicated disk I/O write response times are longer than those for volumes that are not replicated is not surprising. For basic PPRC it will be higher to start with, and distance makes things worse. For 30km separation, I get ~.2ms round trip time just to get there and back at the speed of light. Multiply that by the reciprocal of the fiber's velocity factor. Let's call that .7 (I don't know the actual number) which makes it about .3ms per PPRC exchange. I don't know how many exchanges it takes to replicate something over PPRC, but you'd have to multiply the .3ms by that number and add data transfer time to see the effect of distance. If anything else affects your PPRC replication traffic, these numbers can only go up. You might want to see whether HyperWrite, which starts I/O to both disk subsystems at more or less the same time, would help you enough to consider using it. There's an article about it here: http://ibmsystemsmag.com/mainframe/administrator/db2/zhyperwrite-zip/ It will mostly eliminate the initial PPRC write delays, which might be a significant chunk of your replicated disk I/O response times. But nothing can help you with the distance-imposed latency. We know how to slow light down, but speeding it up is "more difficult." This is one reason some people opt for a nonzero RPO when meaningful distances are involved. All the above are "back of a napkin" numbers. If I've got them wrong, I am sure someone will jump in. I think the basic problems, on the other hand, are well-understood. If you double-check the assumptions and math and the result explains what you are seeing within reasonable spitting distance, then there probably won't be much you can do (other than perhaps HyperWrite). On the other hand, if the latency due to distance does not explain what you are seeing, then (as Ron pointed out) there are a number of things you can check on (about which I personally know little or nothing). Tommy Tsui wrote: Hi, The distance is around 30km, do you know any settings on sysplex environment such as GRS and JES2 checkpoint need to aware? Direct DASD via San switch to Dr site , 2GBPS interface , we check with vendor, they didn't find any problem on San switch or DASD, I suspect the system settings -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Apply error WAS product
Matthew Stitt wrote: With WAS, I've encountered certain PTFs (fixpacks) which supersede other ones and create errors like this when both (or more) fixpacks are being applied at once. The solution I've found is to apply each fixpack separately. And indeed, there are some with HOLDs for ACTION for WebSphere PTFs for this very reason. The reason to open a PMR is for the OP to determine whether (a) we screwed up the PTF packaging or (b) a HOLD was missed. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: Apply error WAS product
Did you open a PMR? Please do, if not; and, please post the PMR number. Peter wrote: This time again it failed BPXF140E RETURN CODE 0090, REASON CODE 0549010C. A LINK FAILED FOR LINK NAME /usr/lpp/InstallationManagerRepository/HBBO850/IBM /../bbodrmak. -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
Re: zOSMF - remove plug-in
Jousma, David wrote: John, That would seem logical, but that’s not how it works. Once added to the list, removal does not remove it, sadly. As someone else mentioned, the only way to "remove" it, is to secure it in SAF. The ability to uninstall a plug-in has been discussed, I just don’t know where or if there are any development efforts under way to provide it. Remove it from the list of enabled plug-ins in IZUPRMxx. See PDF p. 48 in the Configuration Guide, here: http://publibz.boulder.ibm.com/epubs/pdf/izu23215.pdf -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com First, my apologies for the misinformation. I just tried this and, as you say, it does not work. Second, I will get this information added to the configuration guide, which appears silent on this particular issue. Just out of curiosity, why would you want to remove one, as long as unauthorized people could not use it? -- John Eells IBM Poughkeepsie ee...@us.ibm.com -- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
