Controlling the system

Controlling the operating system effectively, includes the following tasks:

Display current system status, such as the number of active jobs and teleprocessing functions, so you can take appropriate actions to operate the system efficiently and to correct potential problems
Display the status of devices and availability of paths.
Communicate among several consoles.
Communicate within a sysplex. In a sysplex, several MVS™ systems function together to process work, and you might need to know about the operations of more than one system in a sysplex.
Set the time and change the system parameters.
Use the system restart function to control certain system functions.
Respond to message IEA502A.
Respond to message BLW004A.
Activate a workload management service policy for a sysplex.

MVS provides system and subsystem commands that display job and system status either when requested or continually at a regular interval. Other commands route status information to one or more consoles and provide communication among operators in a multiple-console environment, as well as communication with time-sharing users. Many commands let you display information about all the systems in a sysplex, and some commands allow you to control any target system in the sysplex.