The tools on the operations desk
An operations desk combines consoles that talk to z/OS and the hardware, SDSF or IOF for jobs and output, a scheduler for batch, automation that answers routine events, monitors that raise alerts, and a ticketing system that records everything.
Consoles
| Console | What it is |
|---|---|
| MCS and SMCS consoles | Operator consoles defined to z/OS that show system messages and accept commands |
| Extended MCS (EMCS) | Consoles opened by programs such as SDSF or automation, so a TSO user can issue commands and see responses |
| HMC | The Hardware Management Console: LPAR activation, Load (IPL), hardware messages and the last-resort system console |
| OPERLOG and SYSLOG | The log of console messages, searchable afterwards (OPERLOG covers the whole sysplex) |
Messages that need an answer (WTORs) stay outstanding until someone replies with R nn,text, where nn is the reply number. D R,L lists everything outstanding.
Jobs and output
SDSF or IOF show the job queues, running work, initiators, the spool and job output, and let authorised people hold, release, cancel and purge jobs. Many operators work in SDSF all day.
Schedulers
A workload scheduler decides when each batch job runs, based on time, dependencies and resources. Common products are IBM Z Workload Scheduler (formerly Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS), Broadcom CA 7 and BMC Control-M. Schedulers show the plan, what is late, and what is waiting for what.
Automation
Automation products, such as IBM System Automation for z/OS (with NetView), Broadcom OPS/MVS and BMC AMI Ops Automation, react to messages and events: they answer routine replies, restart failed tasks, start and stop subsystems in order, and page people when a human is needed.
Monitors and tickets
- Monitors such as IBM OMEGAMON, BMC AMI Ops and Broadcom SYSVIEW show performance in real time and raise alerts (see the Monitoring tools course).
- Ticketing systems, such as ServiceNow, record incidents, problems and changes, so there is one history of what happened and who did what.
- Run books and knowledge articles say what to do for each known alert or failure.
- Chat and bridge calls connect the people working on an incident.
Which console command lists the messages waiting for a reply?
Show a hint
D followed by R.
Show the solution
D R,L.
Common mistakes
Read the whole message and the run book entry first; the reply number changes each time.
Automation only handles what it was written for. Check that the expected action actually happened.
If it is not in the ticket, the next shift and the review will not know it happened.
What you will see at work
- Each site combines these tools differently; the job advert usually names the scheduler and monitor they use.
- Operators often have read access to many tools and authority for a defined set of commands, controlled by RACF.
- The Command Center console drill uses the same display commands: D R,L, D A,L, $D SPL.
Key terms
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