IBM® HourGlass is a clock simulator for testing mainframe applications. It enables you to simulate date and time—past, present or future—without changing application code or requiring a separate computing environment. You can coordinate functionality across time zones to strengthen the thoroughness of application testing and improve the accuracy and reliability of mission-critical applications.
Simulate any date and time that can be represented by the underlying computer hardware. Thoroughly test time-sensitive applications to help avoid costly issues after deployment.
Automate the date and time testing process to help deliver reliable applications without requiring changes to application code, re-IPLing the CPU or LPAR or making runtime JCL changes.
Identify applications that request the system date and time and resolve potential problems before they occur.
Enable testing at the end-of-period, a week, month, quarter or year processing—or simply testing across midnight or any other critical time period. A simple, online Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) interface allows you to specify testing on individual development jobs or create a random testing scenario across groups of programs. Security features enable you to define which programmers receive access, even specific to job groups or classes.
Alter the date and time returned to a z/OS® application when a time request is made (SVC 11 or PC Time Requests) by specifying patterns or specific applications, transactions, users and address space names. You can take advantage of IBM® CICS® Transaction Server in support of time-dimensional testing in IBM CICS Open Transaction Environment (OTE) and use the IBM HourGlass CICS Batch Time Management process to set the date/time for a CICS region.
Run tests simultaneously using a different system date. Maintain each user’s view of the system date without affecting other users.
You can set the IMS IOPCB date and time fields to any requested date and time without having to re-link the application.
Allow CICS users to set the EIBDATE field and extends accurate time and date functionality regardless of time zone.
Enables developers to create new applications in their language of choice – from Node.js to COBOL – with support for high-transaction workloads in a secure, scalable, cost efficient environment.
A solution that handles rapidly changing, diverse and unpredictable workloads while optimizing resource.utilization and investment.
Simplify workload management and tailor user access to applications.
Enterprise tools for z/OS application development.
Enhanced online and batch capabilities for partitioned data sets.