PATROL® Enterprise Manager Connect
OS/390
- Data Sheet
PATROL® Enterprise Manager Connect
OS/390
PATROL® by BMC Software
Key benefits
- Rapidly integrates management and automation of your OS/390 systems into a central point of control
- Offers full alert management, console emulation and automation for all OS/390 systems to provide high availability for critical applications spanning multiple components and various system technologies
- Saves time and reduces errors by automating the mainframe IML and IPL processes
- Reduces implementation time and effort with pre-defined rules for managing the most critical OS/390, JES and standard subsystem messages
Business challenge
In today's high-pressure IT environment, advanced automation is pivotal to service-level management, reduced complexity and, most important, cost control. An enterprise-wide central point for automated problem identification, prevention and recovery is required to meet these demands.
The BMC Software solution
BMC Software's PATROL Enterprise Manager Connect OS/390 product option for the PATROL Enterprise Manager product gives you the benefits of full alert management, console emulation and automation for your OS/390 systems. It complements the functions of established point solutions such as MAINVIEW® by BMC Software or third-party offerings.
Through its advanced automation capabilities, PATROL Enterprise Manager Connect OS/390 delivers key functions typically provided by outboard OS/390 automation platforms such as:
- Automating the OS/390 master and service processor consoles
- Automating IPL and IML processing
- Enabling host automation "heartbeat" checking
- Providing full remote console support
In addition, PATROL Enterprise Manager Connect OS/390:
- Ensures synchronization between onboard automation and a central point of control with tightly coupled integration of PATROL Enterprise Manager and host automation
- Consistently and efficiently filters messages from the OS/390 or system processor console and issues appropriate commands in response, either manually or through automation scripts
- Improves productivity through native console emulation for the OS/390 master, alternate and 3270-type system processor consoles
- Reduces costs by consolidating multiple OS/390 consoles into a single display
- Increases scalability by enabling OS/390 consoles to be shared by multiple operators
- Supports 967x CMOS and Hitachi Skyline processor hardware consoles (HMC processors) for receiving console messages and initiating automation procedures
Key functions and benefits
- Direct OS/390 and console processor message filtering
- Native OS/390 and mainframe console consolidation, sharing and emulation
- Rapid implementation
- Close integration with AutoOPERATOR™
- One-step, stand-alone dump initiation
- Mainframe IML and IPL automation
- Automated OS/390 system clock synchronization
- Automatic notification of personnel
PATROL Enterprise Manager OS/390 capabilities
- Receives and filters any message directly from the OS/390 or system processor console and issues OS/390, JES or other subsystem commands in response
- Provides native console emulation for the OS/390 master, alternate and 3270-type system processor (hardware) consoles
- Ensures rapid implementation with predefined filters including rules and alerts
- Automates the mainframe IML and IPL processes
- Automatically synchronizes the OS/390 system clock during IPL
- Automatically notifies personnel using advanced telephone support features, and issues commands to the host system for triggering programmed actions
Direct OS/390 and console processor message filtering
- Processes and filters messages from any OS/390 master or alternate console including:
- OS/390 system messages
- JES messages from other subsystems (such as CICS, IMS and DB2®)
- Messages from key systems and user applications
- Filters and processes messages from system processor consoles that provide important information about events such as hardware failures, abnormal processor state conditions and cooling system failures
- After Connect OS/390 receives and filters a message, it can issue commands back to the OS/390 system through console emulation either manually or automatically.
Native OS/390 and mainframe console emulation
- Helps significantly reduce costs and streamline operations by consolidating multiple OS/390 consoles onto a central display
- Accesses multiple 3270-type consoles concurrently via emulator windows or icons from the same workstation
- Receives the benefits of full 327x emulation including graphics support and TSO/ISPF accessibility
- Enables multiple operators to share OS/390 and hardware consoles
- Offers remote console access enabling users to execute emergency system actions – such as system or subsystem shutdown and restart – without support staff onsite
Rapid implementation
- Includes predefined filters containing rules for processing incoming messages from OS/390-based systems and generating the appropriate alerts
- Contains rules for responding to hundreds of the most critical OS/390 and subsystem messages and AEWS exception messages from MAINVIEW for OS/390, providing immediate focus on the most critical situations and events
Close integration with AutoOPERATOR
- Easily directs alerts generated on the host by AutoOPERATOR to the PATROL Enterprise Manager system via a TCP/IP interface and automatically generates a PATROL Enterprise Manager alert
- Displays alerts on PATROL Enterprise Manager with their associated severity as preset within AutoOPERATOR
- Automatically changes the associated AutoOPERATOR alert to a "closed" status on the host system upon resolution of the problem and closure of the PATROL Enterprise Manager alert
- Allows requests from the PATROL Enterprise Manager telephone paging services directly from any AutoOPERATOR host
- Provides "heartbeat" checking between PATROL Enterprise Manager and AutoOPERATOR, ensuring both systems are fully available
One-step stand-alone dump initiation
- Provides sample scripts and triggers required for initiating and successfully completing a stand-alone dump, saving time and ensuring accuracy
Mainframe IML and IPL automation
- Includes automation scripts to implement a one-step IPL process for each connected OS/390 system or LPAR
- Provides sample scripts to start the IPL process from the service processor console for standard OS/390-based processors or the hardware management console for CMOS-based processors
- Allows PATROL Enterprise Manager scripts to automatically issue the system and OS/390 console commands required for continuing the IPL process during the Nucleus Initialization Processing (NIP) phase to the appropriate consoles
- Saves time by eliminating manual intervention and human error
Automated OS/390 system clock synchronization
PATROL Enterprise Manager automatically calls a service, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology or the Naval Observatory, to obtain the correct time. This information is then used to update the PATROL Enterprise Manager clock as well as the host system time.
Automatic notification of personnel
- Uses PATROL Enterprise Manager to automatically contact the required support person when critical situations are detected while the system is unattended, such as:
- When a host "heartbeat" stops
- When other critical host alerts need immediate attention
When PATROL Enterprise Manager detects critical situations, it may trigger an automation procedure to page the appropriate technician using native PATROL Enterprise Manager paging capabilities, or by using the more comprehensive notification capabilities offered by the PhonePoint product option.
Hardware and software requirements
- Supports the following OS/390 processors:
- IBM® 3090
- IBM 308x
- IBM ES/9000 (3270-type system console)
- IBM 967x CMOS processors
- Hitachi Skyline GX processors
- Supports the following operating system releases:
- OS/390/SP 2.x
- OS/390/SP 3.x
- OS/390/SP 4.x
- OS/390/SP 5.x
- OS/390 1.x
System configuration requirements
- Software (minimum):
- PATROL Enterprise Manager V4.1 or later
- Hardware:
- Token ring attachment for CMOS support
- TCP/IP connection to AutoOPERATOR
- System Point/CF or CAI required for Hitachi support
Use the PhonePoint product option for automated notification via phone, pager or voice mail.
OS/390 connectivity requirements
- Software (optional):
- Hardware:
- Hardware console port for each hardware console to be monitored
- 3x74 controller port for each OS/390 image