IMS installation overview

Installing IMS includes planning steps, ordering hardware and software, and running the installation verification program (IVP).

Prerequisites

It is assumed that you have experience working with the following products or environments:

  • Product installation and service using SMP/E
  • The z/OS® environment:
    • Job Entry Subsystem (JES2 or JES3)
    • Job Control Language (JCL)
    • Utilities
    • Operations
    • System Display and Search Facility (SDSF)
  • The Time Sharing Option (TSO) environment:
    • CLISTs and REXX EXECs
    • Interactive Systems Productivity Facility (ISPF)
  • The Virtual Storage Access Method (VSAM) and the Integrated Catalog Facility (ICF)

Installation process

The following categories provide the end-to-end steps and processes that are recommended in order to install IMS and migrate the new version into production.

  1. Release planning
    There are several things to consider before you order the software and hardware that is appropriate for a particular business. Most companies have a business plan that is used to address these issues and answer important questions. Some of these questions include:
    • Which release of IMS are you upgrading to?
    • Which release provides enough value to your company to warrant a migration?
    • When do you upgrade to the next release?
    • What are the hardware and personnel requirements that you need in order to upgrade?
    For help with these business decisions, consult the edition of IMS Release Planning specific to the version of IMS that you are considering for your migration. For the IMS and DB2® Tools requirements, go to z Systems software website.
  2. Ordering the hardware and software

    After you determine your particular needs, you can order the products specific to your business plan. IMS Version 15 Release Planning, the product announcement letter, and Program Directory for Information Management System Transaction and Database Servers provide the hardware and software requirements specific to each release of IMS. You can order IMS by using the following distribution media:

    • Custom-Built Product Delivery Offering (CBPDO)

      The CBPDO product package consists of one logical tape (multiple volumes). A CBPDO package that includes IMS can also include other products in the same System Release (SREL). CBPDO also provides service for the products included with the product order.

      The service includes all PTFs available within one week of order fulfillment. All PTFs are identified by one or more SOURCEIDs, including PUTyymm, RSUyymm, SMCREC, HIPER, and SMCCOR.

      See the CBPDO DBS Memo to User Extensions (shipped with the CBPDO package) for more information.

    • ServerPac

      ServerPac is an entitled software delivery package. It consists of products and service for which IBM® performed the SMP/E installation steps and some of the post-SMP/E installation steps. To install the package on your system and complete the installation of the software it includes, use the CustomPac Installation dialog, which is the same dialog that is used for all CustomPac offerings, including SystemPac (dump-by-data-set format), ProductPac®, and RefreshPac.

      ServerPac provides the following:
      • Allocates, catalogs, and loads all the data sets
      • Sets up the SMP/E environment
      • Supplies a job to update PARMLIB (IEFSSNxx, PROGxx, and IEASVCxx)
      • Directs you to start the IVP

      Your ServerPac order includes the latest unintegrated service that is available at the time your order is created. Read the accompanying ServerPac: Installing Your Order document for information about the service included in your order and any preventive maintenance that you should perform after the installation. You must review Appendix C, "Using the Package Reports" in the document for the SMP/E reports. You might need to resolve FMIDs that are not included in your order, or PTF-in-errors (PEs) that cannot be integrated in your order because no fixes are currently available. Check to see whether the errors affect your system and if fixes are available. If fixes are not available, contact IBM Software Support for assistance.

  3. Installation planning

    Before you install IMS, keep in mind the following considerations that are specific to each IMS customer. Determining these items are important to ensure successful installation and subsequent administration of IMS. The installation and planning tasks include:

    • Hardware requirements for the IMS product
    • Software requirements for the IMS product
    • Tools requirements for both IBM and non-IBM tools
    • Migration and compatibility requirements for the current release
    The following lists sources of installation and release planning information:
    • IBM IMS announcement letters (RFAs) on the IMS website
    • IMS Version 15 Release Planning
    • Preventative Service Planning (PSP bucket)
    • Program Directory for Information Management System Transaction and Database Servers
  4. Installing the IMS product

    Installation of IMS and any preventive maintenance uses the SMP/E APPLY and ACCEPT processes. You then run the IVP to define and validate a sample IMS system by specifying your environment options and testing the sample applications.

    Multiple sources of documentation are available that describe installation procedures and currency of IMS maintenance. Some of this information is more current than others. The recommended order to obtain the most current information, from least to most current, is:

    1. CBPDO and ServerPac documentation
      You can get this information from:
    2. Preventive Service Planning (PSP bucket) information
      You can get this information from:
    3. Program Directory for Information Management System Transaction and Database Servers
      You can get this information from:
    4. IMS Version 15 Installation

    It is important to install the available IMS service, which is packaged in SMP/E format, for any new installation of IMS.

  5. Running the IVP.

    The installation verification program is provided by IBM to test the product installation of IMS and verify that the major functions and features are working. The jobs and tasks of the IVP build a sample IMS system and provide several sample applications that verify specific components of IMS.

  6. Deployment of your own system for test or production.

    After you install IMS and verify the installation by using the IVP, consider how to upgrade the new IMS system into a test system and eventually into production. Each customer has individual requirements and plans for rolling out their new IMS systems.

  7. Testing the new test or production system.

    After the new version of the IMS product is implemented, test various functions to verify that the implementation is successful. The specific testing varies for each customer, but should include testing in both online and batch systems (as appropriate).