Operations personnel
It is important that you identify the operational requirements for IMS, and identify the people responsible for performing the various operations tasks. After assigning responsibilities, you are ready to set up the procedures necessary to coordinate the operations task.
Many people are involved, directly or indirectly, in the operation of a successful IMS system. To help you understand who needs operating procedures and what it is they are responsible for operating, these topics look briefly at the various functions performed by these people. This topic also gives you an understanding of the context in which MTOs operate the system, and users or remote terminal operators use it. A fundamental understanding of the MTO is important because the subsequent topics describe the procedures you develop for the MTO and user.
An IMS DBCTL environment includes no IMS terminals, so the DBCTL operator must use a z/OS® console. Throughout these topics, this DBCTL operator is called the IMS MTO.
The following groups of people represent functions often defined at an installation:
- z/OS and JES system
operators. This group is responsible for operating z/OS and JES.
If the IMS MTO does not have access to a z/OS console, you need to establish procedures so the MTO can communicate with the z/OS operator in case of a failure. This is particularly important when the MTO is physically distant from the z/OS console.
- Network support group. This group is responsible for operation
of the network, including: VTAM®,
physical telecommunications lines, and modems.
You must establish procedures for communication between the MTO and network support personnel for initializing the online system and isolating and correcting errors related to the IMS network.
- DASD and tape pool operators. This group is responsible
for managing tape and disk media.
The MTO must communicate with DASD and tape operators when mounting archive tapes, and when creating image copies, change accumulations, and so forth. Communication is also required when the MTO is analyzing and correcting I/O errors.
- User liaison group. This group is the primary interface
for the end user.
The user liaison group needs procedures for answering user questions relating to both IMS and individual application programs. The user liaison group also needs procedures for problem determination and correction, and for communicating with the MTO when unable to solve a problem. The user liaison group might also need to communicate with application support groups when a user problem relates to a specific application program rather than to the IMS subsystem.
- Application support groups. This group develops and maintains IMS application programs.
You need to identify representatives for the support of each application running on the IMS subsystem. You should give the user liaison group and the IMS MTO procedures for contacting this group in case of application problems.
- IMS system administrator,
system programmer, or recovery specialist. This person (or group)
is responsible for installing IMS and
designing the system configuration.
There are certain error conditions the MTO cannot correct. For such errors, the MTO needs instructions on how to contact the IMS system administrator, system programmer, or recovery specialist. This person (or group) will help resolve the more complex recovery problems.
The following figure provides an overview of the relationships between these functional groups.
Depending on the size of your installation, some of these functions
might be performed by the same person or group. In large installations,
the same function might be performed by many different people. The IMS MTO, for example, might have
access to a z/OS system console.
This access would allow the MTO to enter z/OS START commands.
In this information, operations procedures are classified into two types:
- Those for operating IMS, which are generally performed primarily by the MTO and secondarily by the system administrator or recovery specialist
- Those for use by an end user
Developing procedures for an end user is not applicable in an IMS DBCTL environment, which has no DBCTL terminal end users. References to end users for a DBCTL environment actually refer to the CCTL end users.