Defining all consoles in the CONSOLxx member of the first system to Join the sysplex

In Figure 1, all consoles are physically attached to SYA, and all consoles are defined in CONSOLxx for the first system that is to join the sysplex (which is SYA):

Figure 1. Console Configuration in a Sysplex with Four MCS Consoles Attached to One System

Although SYB joins the sysplex with a different INIT statement, its CONSOLxx member does not define additional MCS consoles.

The following are the CONSOLxx statements for each system in the configuration:

The first system to join the sysplex (SYA) is the focal point of console operations for the sysplex configuration in Figure 1. Thus, you are able to define all your MCS CONSOLE statements for the entire sysplex in one place, in this example CONSOLxx for SYA.

SYB uses an INIT statement with a specific MPF value that applies to that system. Because MPF has system scope, the value applies only to SYB.

If SYA in Figure 1 fails, the sysplex is unable to use any MCS consoles because SYB does not have any CONSOLE statements defined in its CONSOLxx member. Using the system console, SMCS consoles, or extended MCS consoles (EMCS) are ways to resolve the problem.