Release 6.07

October 31, 2002

USS Action (beta product)

Action Software International introduced a new product, USS Action with Change Action 6.05.

Clients using USS Action should review the USS Action Summary document sent with this release.

Change controls for HFS and zFS files are now available under USS Action. The Change Request process for USS Action is similar to the Change Action process except that dataset and member are replaced by directory and file name. Of course certain Change Request options will not be available, e.g., Change Request by Job.

Two OID-Level-Only options have been added for USS Action to communicate ‘Control events’ within USS. The options, “User Group for sending Email for Control events” and “Send Email to a user for Control event” are available on the panel “Options to be used at OID Level only (1/4)” (follow OID primary command from the Primary Selection Panel of Change Action).

In addition, part of the External Logging feature has been added to USS Action to record all ‘control events’ as sub-type 50. These records will be recorded to the database.

The Reference Tracking feature now supports a sub-directory (SubDir) option on the Directory Level definition panel. With this sub-directory option new line commands SSEL, SREF, and SUREF are available to display the list of sub-directories under a defined Directory.

As well, commands LD (List Directory) and LDA (List Directory All) have been added as line commands to the Reference Tracking feature. After an LD or LDA line command has been issued a list of sub-directories is displayed. Use the DEF line command to start tracking any of these directories. This process provides a means of adding selected sub-directories to Reference Tracking instead of adding all of them with the SubDir parameter.

Product Execution Control (PXC)

As a result of a client request, Action Software has developed the Product Execution Control (PXC) feature within Change Action. The PXC feature has been developed for sites with multiple CPUs or LPARs where some products may be licensed only to select CPUs. In addition, there may be select LPARs where the site does not want their users to run certain products (or programs). A product can be defined to Change Action, along with the Smfids of the appropriate CPUs / LPARs on which the product/program is licensed or is allowed to run.

For Change Action V6.07, option PXD (define dataset which contains the product) is available. In Change Action V6.08, option PXP (define the main program name of a product) will be available.

For each product, you specify what action to take when an attempt is made to run the product on an Smfid that has not been defined on the Product Execution Control: Dataset panel. This is referred to as the MODE of operation (NOTIFY, WARN or FAIL).

If a defined product attempts to run on an undefined Smfid, then appropriate action will be taken based on the value specified for MODE for the product. The event will be logged to the Change Action database. There is also an option to send Email for every event. The log can be viewed by using External Logging (Subtype 0F) or by using the primary command LG on the Product Execution Control: Dataset panel.

If you want to remove a product completely from your site and see who is still using the product, then you can define the product to the PXC feature, without any SMFID defined. This would be useful even if you only have just one CPU.

External Monitor

NEW FEATURE: Change Action now provides a monitoring task that runs in a separate address space from the main Change Action address space. This monitoring task:

checks the utilisation of Change Action resources, such as queues, buffers and storage pools;
enlarges Change Action queues when appropriate; and
sends notifications for any resource constraints it observes.

In sites that do not use the Change Action subsystem, the monitoring task runs in a system address space named MZ1ZMON.

This address space is intended to continue to run at all times, even when the main Change Action address space is stopped. Do not define MZ1ZMON to your automated operations product.

The MZ1ZMON address space does not access any data sets.

However, depending on your security system's configuration, you may need to create a security userid that allows MZ1ZMON to run as a started task.

External Logging

Whenever messages from Change Action Controls (i.e., Change Request, Blackout, etc.) are sent to a user, the event will be recorded to the database as subtype=03. Previously, this was recorded only externally (to SMF or a dataset), depending upon the recording options. The email option is also added to send an email to selected users when the control event occurs.

Please Note: Now there are a few sub-types (i.e. 03,08-0E) that are automatically recorded to the Change Action database whether you are recording externally or not. When you select one of these sub-types (via the line command S) from the External Logging Options panel, you are given an option to display the records from the database or a dataset. The resultant panel formats the display records for the selected subtype. The display panels have extensive selection criteria, as well as a PRT primary command.

Catalog Alias Tracking and Control

NEW FEATURE: This feature allows you to track and control the definition and deletion of aliases for user catalogs. To activate this feature:

Specify PARM=CATALIAS when starting Change Action, e.g.,

S MZCA,PARM=CATALIAS

Define data set options for the master catalog that will contain the aliases for user catalogs. If you wish to control the creation and deletion of aliases, specify "YES" for "Change request required?". The catalog name must be fully specified, i.e., no masking may be used.

Tracked changes can be viewed in Datasets Changed under the name of the catalog containing the aliases. The aliases appear as member names. Please note that only single-level aliases are supported.

NOTE: This feature is currently under Beta test and is subject to further change. Please notify Action Software International if you wish to test this feature, and provide feedback regarding the results of your testing.

VSAM controls

ENHANCEMENT: Change Action will now optionally control changes to VSAM data sets. To activate this support:

Specify PARM=VSAMCTL when starting Change Action, e.g.,

S MZCA,PARM=VSAMCTL

Define dataset options for the VSAM datasets you wish to control. Use the base cluster name, not the name(s) of individual component(s). For control and backup purposes, the cluster name must be fully specified, i.e., no masking may be used. Masked names can be used to specify VSAM datasets for change tracking.

DFSMSdss tracking

NEW FEATURE: Change Action will now optionally track changes made using DFDMSdss. Full volume actions are tracked using pseudo data set names:

.VOLUME.RESTORED - for a volume that has been restored from a backup.
.VOLUME.COPIED - for a volume that has been copied.
.VOLUME.REPLACED - for a volume that has been overlaid by a restore or copy.

Data set level actions are tracked under the affected data set names as usual.

To activate this support:

Specify PARM=DFDSS when starting Change Action, e.g.,

S MZCA,PARM=DFDSS

Define dataset options for the above pseudo data set names.

Global Administrators

The Global Parameters panel allows you to specify up to 10 userids or masks for Global Administrators. Sites that wish to define more Global Administrators can now define a RACF general resource "MZCA.GLOBAL" in the "FACILITY" class. Give users update access to this resource, and they will be Global Administrators.

The Global Parameters panel has additional features, see Alerts and Daily Job below for details.

Alerts

NEW FEATURE: Major errors and warnings can now be sent to Global Administrators or system programmers, depending on the error. This feature is enabled by default, but may be disabled via the Global Parameters panel. You can also CC: these alerts to Action Software to assist with debugging by enabling this option on the same panel.

Use the primary command EMail ALert SYSprog or EMail ALert Global to set which users will get the alerts.

Daily Job

NEW FEATURE: An alert is issued if the Daily job has not run successfully in the last 10 days. An alert is also issued if the Offline step is trying to backup a dataset larger than 100 megabytes. This dataset should be suspended or at least have the backups set to 0. The 100Mb limit can be changed in the Global Parameters panel.

PRT command

ENHANCEMENT: Most panels allow the PRT command to send table data to SYSOUT, dataset, or FTP to Action Software. By entering Go Email in the PRT panel, the report will be sent as an email attachment, rather than FTP.

Compare Facility

ENHANCEMENT: When comparing load modules between two libraries, it is often the case that the only difference is the compile and link edit dates; you may not want to consider this a difference since execution of the module is not affected by this difference.

There is now an option on the main Compare Utility panel called "Ignore IDR Date Info" which, when set to YES, will ignore all IDR records in load modules (these records contain the date information related to compile and link) and also ignore the eye-catcher area at the beginning of each CSECT; the eye-catcher area must be located immediately following the first instruction which must be a branch around the eye-catcher area. On the Data Output display you will see the eye-catcher area denoted with the Ignored indicators (round brackets) in the separator fields.

When using the quick compare with this new option, the CRC's generated will exclude the IDR records and the eye-catcher area. Also now included in the CRC values is linkage editor information obtained from the directory entry for a load module so that if link attributes are changed then these will generate a different CRC value because they can affect the execution of the load module.

Scheduling Facility

Altered Process: When the scheduler wants to submit JCL for a batch job, it now creates an address space instead of issuing the START command. This allows for better control of the submission function. Operationally, the only difference is that you will not see a START command in SYSLOG for each submission.

Reports

Reference Tracking by Members: Sort options have been added to the RTM report function. The user will be able to select one of the five available sorting sequences provided.

RTDS (Reference Tracking By Dataset) Option>

An ALL GDG option has been added to the RTDS definitions panel to indicate how to record references to GDG's. Set to NO (the default), uses only the high level index, there will be only one entry, irrespective of how many different generations are referenced. Set to YES, records each and every generation that is referenced. Please note, if there are hundreds or thousands of generations, then hundreds or thousands of records on the database will be used (which could potentially fill up the database).

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