IMS Agents

The AI-powered IBM® IMS™ Agents can answer general questions about IMS, command descriptions and syntax, and provide real-time information into the operational state of IMS systems. The IMS Agents software runs as part of a simple user interface that is provided by IBM® watsonx Assistant™ for Z.

The IBM watsonx Assistant for Z solution offers conversational AI that provides accurate answers to questions related to IBM Z® and other assistants such as IMS Agents. Conversational AI is based on a Large Language Model (LLM) coupled with domain-specific Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) that augments the LLM with domain-specific knowledge.

After you install and configure watsonx Assistant for Z, you can deploy domain or product-specific assistants (or agents) for IMS, Db2 for z/OS®, CICS®, and other IBM Z products. Each product requires a separate configuration and entitlement key.

To use IMS Agents, you must have IMS 15.5 or later installed, and z/OSMF 3.1 or later installed and configured with a valid TLS certificate. For additional requirements and installation instructions, see Installing and deploying IMS Agents.

The IMS Agents can assist any IMS user but can be especially helpful to system programmers and database administrators, whether they are new to IMS or experienced professionals looking to streamline tasks and improve efficiency. These are just some of the benefits of using IMS Agents:
  • Get context-specific answers in seconds, not minutes or hours
  • Use natural language to converse with the agent
  • Troubleshoot problems more quickly by getting IMS system information in real time
  • Assist junior system programmers and database administrators to work more independently
  • Build IMS skills for new staff
For the IMS Agents software, this is some of the information that the agent can provide:
  • Answers to general questions about IMS
  • Syntax for IMS type-1 and type-2 commands
  • Status of a specified database
  • System logging, error status, and other diagnostic information that is provided by z/OSMF APIs
  • Information on OTMA transaction pipes (tpipes), pools, user structures, and user IDs
Restriction: Real-time system information and status can come from only a single IMS, not an IMSplex.
Important: Accuracy of generated answers can vary. You should verify the responses.