Customizing and Programming Considerations

SA z/OS also allows you to inquire the value of the automation manager suspend flag from within a message trap using the automation table function ING$QRY.

INGSUSPD provides the same level of security compared to INGREQ. For more information, see INGSUSPD command in IBM Z System Automation Operator's Commands and Security and Authorization in IBM Z System Automation Planning and Installation.

Exit routine AOFEXC26 is invoked by INGSUSPD, if applicable, to determine whether to proceed with the command or not. If all you want is to enforce that the user provides a comment along with the request, copy the sample out of SINGSAMP into your DSICLD dataset concatenation. For more information, see Command Exits in IBM Z System Automation Customizing and Programming.

Other considerations

  1. An MTR can always be suspended by itself. However, in most cases, you want to suspend monitoring automatically at the same time when the monitored APL or APG is suspended. So, to ensure that you do not have to perform this extra step, make sure that you also specify a HasParent relationship from the MTR to the related APL or APG and use the SCOPE=ALL parameter to propagate the request to the MTR.
  2. If an APL is suspended while Job Log Monitoring is active, that function is turned off for this resource. Also, the function is not turned on automatically upon resuming the resource. To enable Job Log Monitoring again, you must do it manually using INGJLM, or make sure that the resource is first resumed and a start request or vote exists for SA z/OS to start it.
  3. While suspended, with one exception, setting any status or flag using INGSET or SETSTATE is prohibited. Note: Both commands should be used with care, anyway, and only by users who understand their implications as they might confuse the internal status bookkeeping of SA z/OS.
  4. On the automation agent side, when a resource is suspended, all automation flags (Automation, Initstart, Start, Recovery, Terminate, and Restart) are set to 'S' and that setting is also propagated down to minor resources, if applicable. While being suspended, DISPFLGS and DISPSTAT will not allow you to change the status of any of these automation flags. You must first resume the resource before you can change the status of a flag.
  5. It is not recommended to use the INGSUSPD for resources running on an automation agent that has been suspended by the INGAMS command. Otherwise, it may cause mismatches of a resource's suspended status between the automation manager and the automation agent.
  6. When you also use the Application Restart Manager (ARM) to manage resources, note that SA z/OS will tell ARM to not perform an action on behalf of a suspended resource. Also note that the use of ARM is no longer necessary these days as SA z/OS offers sysplex-wide MOVE groups.
  7. Note that the following capabilities stay in place, even while a resource is suspended:
    • OUTREP processing takes place to save the reply ID, if a WTOR was received that is normally handled for the resource.
    • Exit routines registered at the Status Observer by a user script or registered internally by SA z/OS are called when the resource changes.
    • The status of a Workload Scheduler (ZWS) special resource follows any status change of the resource.
    • Message capturing, threshold handling, and WLM resources management are done by default. You can control these behaviors in the Customization Dialog > System Defaults > AUTOMATION OPTIONS policy. For more details, see System Defaults Entry Type in IBM Z System Automation Defining Automation Policy.
    • The resource is not exempted from IPL-complete monitoring, which means that posting completion is likely to be delayed unless such a resource is started manually.
  8. Refer to IBM Z System Automation Customizing and Programming for further details on the commands mentioned in this section and to IBM Z System Automation Planning and Installation for details on the services you can use in your own commands and scripts.