IMS DB/DC for Technical Support

Objectives
On successful completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• describe the role of the Systems Administrator, and the terms, activities, and functions specific to the role
• describe the process of a Control Blocks generation, and implementation via Online Change
• follow the path of a Transaction through an Online IMS system identifying supporting buffer pools, datasets, and parameter definitions
• explain the internal functions for effective selection of system definition and tuning options
• identify problem areas and assist in resolution efforts with appropriate functional specialists
• maximize IMS performance to meet critical application requirements within the scope of available resources.

Who Should Attend
Systems personnel who will participate in the support of system maintenance, problem determination and tuning in the IMS environment.
Prerequisites
A general understanding of MVS, ISPF, VSAM and at least one year of experience in providing technical support to MVS, CICS, COBOL, WebSphereMQ, or a similar area.
Duration
5 days

Course Code
DISB
Contents
IMS and the System Administrator
The System Administrator; Useful skills; Tasks; keep it running; Configuration updates; Resources; Machine readable; Other players; IMS System Programmer; MVS Systems Programmer; VTAM System Programmer; DBAs; Security System Programmers; Security Administrators; Storage Management Administrator; Applications Programmer.


Overview and Definitions
IMS configurations - batch and online; The Control Region (CTL); The DLI Separate Address Space (DLISAS); The Database Recovery Control Region (DBRC); The IMS Resource Lock Manager (IRLM); The Message Processing Region; The Batch Message Processing Region (BMP); The IMS Fast Path region (IFP); IMS configurations - DB/DC, DBCTL or DCCTL; Extended Recovery Facility (XRF); Remote Site Recovery; IMS and the MVS environment; IMS and the network; Extended Terminal Option.


The Life Cycle of a Message
Message arrival and queuing summary; Operational datasets, Program Scheduling; Database access; Output queuing.


Message Scheduling
IMS message scheduling & processing; Driving factor for MPR environment; Transaction-related scheduling attributes; Transaction-related advanced scheduling attributes; Transaction-related scheduling attribute limits (continued); Region scheduling attributes; Quick reschedule; Pseudo wait-for-input; Ruling factors; Other MPR scheduling factors; BMP scheduling and processing; Fast path regions; Scheduling & processing summary.


Control Blocks
Database macro function; Application definition macro function; PSB handling; Dynamic PSB option; DBD handling; VTAM control blocks.


PROCLIB Definition
How IMS uses PROCLIB; DBRC and DLISAS; MSDB specification; Use of Disabled Reference; Page fixing areas of storage; Activating XRF; Pre-initialization routines; Module pre-load list; Control region execution parameters; Buffer definitions; Virtual fetch; OSAM specifications; VSAM specifications; Sequential buffering; Logging datasets; Trace and serviceability options; LU 6.2 device descriptors.


Commands
IMS command entry methods; IMS command format; Altering IMS parameters;


Setup and Execution
Control region START command; DLISAS and DBRC startup; True batch; On-call functions; Starting IMS; The workers; Shutting down IMS components; Shutting down IMS.


IMS Logging
Concepts; Logging entities; OLDS - Online Log Data Set; OLDS recording characteristics; WADS - Write Ahead Data Set; SLDS & RLDS; Restart Data Set; Record layout; Logical/physical logging; Functions; Reading the log records.


DBRC Considerations
DBRC overview; RECON initialization and structure; RECON records; Maintaining the RECONs; Migrating RECONs to new release; Skeletal JCL; Log maintenance JCL; Entering commands online; Batch command support; Database registration; RECON maintenance.


Storage Manager
Storage pools; Fixed storage pools; Storage manager pools; Pool structure; Buffer pool definitions; DFSSPMxx PROCLIB member; Execute parameter changes; Pool allocation; Storage usage; Storage manager trace facility; /DISPLAY POOL command; System checkpoint statistics; Log record contents; Tuning.


Installation
Planning for IMS; System Modification Program Extended (SMP/E); IMS distribution libraries; IMS target libraries; Installation SYSGEN; The system generation process; INSTALL/IVP dialog.


MVS Considerations
System integration; IMS libraries; Updating MVS for IMS; MVS modules & tables.


VTAM Considerations
VTAM considerations; Multiple System Coupling (MSC); Intersystem Communication (ISC).


System Definition
Base system definition; Macro coding requirements; The system definition file; System Configuration; Application and Database; Data Communications; The IMS parameter pyramids; Application parameters; SYSTEM parameters.


Extended Terminal Option
Overview; Benefits; Static terminal definition; Dynamic (ETO) definition; Implementation; Exits in support of ETO; Dead letter queue; Session establishment; Sign-on processing; Sign-on information sources; AUTOLOGON; AUTOLOGON processing; ETO compatibility options.


Exits
Why use exits?; Basic coding requirements; How exits are invoked; Commonly used exits.


External Subsystem
External Subsystem Attach Facility (ESAF); External Subsystem Attachment Package (ESAP); ESAP resources; External Subsystem Module Table (ESMT); Resource Translation Table (RTT); Basic ESAP processing; Subsystem connections; External subsystem considerations; The IMS attachment; Installing the IMS attachment; Make the DB2 libraries available to IMS; IMS subsystem member; Resource Translation Table (RTT); IMS/DB2 batch; IMS dependent region; associated subsystems & functions: WebSphere MQ, CICS, ODBA, IMS Connect.


Security
Overview of IMS security; Security-related SYSGEN macros; Security Maintenance Utility (SMU); SMU job stream; SMU statements; Security examples; Requiring sign-on; Application control; Security for ETO terminals; Security for APPC.


Problem Determination
Overview; DB/DC; ESTAE; Corollary address spaces; MVS failures; Control region failures; System DS failures; Log errors; Dependent region failures; Application program failures; Region controller failure; Data base failures; Write errors; Read errors; IRLM failures; IRLM restart; Database problems; Scheduling failures; Operational dataset problems; DB2; DBCTL/CCTL.


Establishing a Performance Baseline
Define service levels; Establish performance objectives; Establish transaction profiles; Develop a monitoring strategy; Establish monitoring techniques; Continuous monitoring; Monitoring for performance tuning; Establish base profiles; Guideline numbers.


IMS Monitor Reports
Using the IMS monitor; Starting the IMS monitor; Run profile report; Reports report; Region summary report; Region occupancy report; Region IWAIT report; Program elapsed time; Program I/O report; Program summary report; Message format buffer pool report; Message queue pool report; Data base buffer pool report; VSAM buffer pool report.


IMS General Tuning Considerations
Address space dispatching priorities; Library and DASD allocations; Fixing buffer pools; MFS general tuning considerations; MPR loading programs; Overview of VLF/LLA; External trace facility; Trace data sets; External trace activation.


IMS Time Controlled Operations
TCO overview; TCO capability; TCO command source; TCO exit routine; TCO verification utility; TCO operator control.


Parallel Sysplex Overview
Parallel sysplex; Sysplex timer; Coupling facility; Cross-System Extended Services (XES); Hardware components; Cross-System Coupling Facility (XCF); CF structures; Parallel sysplex services.


Shared Databases
Data sharing: then and now; Block Level Data Sharing (BLDS); Required for data sharing; BLDS setup (IMS); BLDS setup (IRLM); BLDS setup (CFRM policy); Benefits of BLDS.


Shared Message Queues
Shared databases; Shared queues; Common Queue Server (CQS); Shared queue setup (IMS); Shared queue setup (CQS); Shared queues setup (sample CQS job); Shared queues setup (CQS CHKPT DS); Shared queues setup (SRDS); Shared queues setup (CFRM policy); Shared queues setup (logger policy).


Common Service Layer
IStructured Call Interface; Operations Manager; Single Poiint of Control (SPOC); Resource Manager.


Some Base Enhancements
IMS and APPC; APPC VTAM definitions; APPC parm member APPCPMxx; LU descriptor definition (DFS62DTx); APPC uses; APPC commands; IMS and OTMA; OTMA definitions; OTMA commands.