What's new in V1.6.0

IBM Z® Service Management Suite V1.6.0 provides various new automation and performance management features and components, including the IBM® Service Management Unite V1.1.7 customizable dashboard interface. From this version, IBM Service Management Suite for z/OS® is officially renamed to IBM Z Service Management Suite.

This topic contains the new functions and features of the following items:

• IBM Service Management Unite V1.1.7
• IBM Z System Automation V4.2
• IBM Z NetView® V6.3

IBM Service Management Unite V1.1.7

IBM Service Management Unite V1.1.7 provides the following key new features:

New SMU NetView dashboards for operations

New SMU NetView dashboards are provided to show statistics and graphics about overall NetView domains, tasks utilization, and the distribution of sysplex IP connections for distributed dynamic virtual IP addresses (DDVIPAs) and ports. See Overview of SMU NetView dashboards.

New SMU NetView dashboards for automation administrators

New dashboards are provided to enable administrators to create, validate, and test automation statements, as wellas manage NetView automation tables.

Enhancements to SA group management (with IBM Z System Automation V4.2 installed)

New options View Group Details and Group Actions are available for you to easily understand and modify the behavior of an automation group. You can view detailed group information, move group members, change roles, include, avoid, or exclude systems with the new easy-to-use user interface.

Enhancements to SA event and message management (with IBM Z System Automation V4.2 installed)

A new dashboard — Exceptional Messages and WTORs is provided for you to view and manage all exceptional messages and Write to Operator with Reply (WTOR) messages. You can delete messages, view canzlog, and reply to WTORs directly from the dashboard.

Enhancements to the SMU Docker image

A Docker image that can be deployed to an IBM z/OS Container Extension (IBM zCX) environment in z/OS V2.4 on IBM z14® and z15 systems hardware is provided. You can run SMU natively on a zIIP processor in a native z/OS address space without extensive Linux® skills or distributed server hardware.

Enhancements to the web configuration tool

With the enhanced Configure Service Management Unite dashboard, you can configure the multiple Tivoli® Enterprise Portal Servers (TEPS), System Automation data provider, Operations Analytics - Log Analysis server, Zowe connection, and IBM Z NetView REST server from a single console.

Support for multiple TEPS/TEMS environments

Multiple TEPS/TEMS is supported. You can view consolidated event and data in SMU dashboards from up to six multiple OMEGAMON TEPS/TEMS monitoring environments.

Enhancements to the authentication of the functional user ID

By specifying eez-functional-authentication = false in the System Automation End-to-End adapter configuration file, the functional user ID that is used for the SMU Automation dashboards can be defined as a non-interactive system account that does not require a password. See The Automation Adapter Master Configuration File.

For more information, see New in IBM Service Management Unite V1.1.7. You can also watch the videos about the key new features on SMU Video Gallery.

IBM Z System Automation V4.2

IBM Z System Automation V4.2 provides the following key new features:

Improved Group Management

IBM Z System Automation V4.2 provides an intuitive and modernized operator experience for application groups by introducing the application group model 2 to distinguish them from existing application groups that are referred as model 1 groups. With the new application group model 2, the administrator can choose from a set of predefined scenario-driven behaviors and can assign roles to the group member, instead of defining complex preference values as in previous releases. The operator can use enhanced INGGROUP command to trigger different model 2 group actions without the need to understand and manipulate the preference values.

• The group model is defined when creating a new application group. Policy items, for example, APPLGROUP INFO Policy Item and RESOURCES Policy Item, are adapted for groups with different models and natures.
• INGLIST, INGFILT, INGINFO, DISPAPG, INGDATA, INGWHY, INGMOVE, and INGGROUP commands are updated to support the group model.
• The AOFEXC13 exit is changed to provide group model itself and model 2 specific attributes.
• The MEMBERS panel layout within the INGGROUP command is changed to simplify management of availability and satisfactory targets.
• Rolling recycle for SERVER groups is improved:
  • Recycle process will skip inactive groups and continue if multiple groups are recycled using a single INGGROUP request.
  • For SERVER groups of model 2, new INGGROUP BOX and UNBOX parameters allow to force the group to select the same members after recycle without activation of backup ones.

Enhanced Event Management

IBM Z System Automation V4.2 introduces new capabilities in the Customization Dialog to more efficiently and intuitively define messages and their criteria related to alerting and event management. Along with the modernization on the customization side, V4.2 features new capabilities that streamline management of captured messages, such as for delete operator message (DOM) and for alerting.

• Enhanced capabilities in the Customization Dialog's MESSAGES/USER DATA policy that enable the administrator to consolidate definitions, and that provide flexibility especially when dealing with messages that are captured with a certain severity for the operations team to act on. The capabilities include:
  • Enhanced code matching options for the ISSUEACT command that now supports the definition of a message severity.
  • A new dialog that facilitates the definition of captured messages and at the same time enables the administrator to specify not only the severity, but also the options regarding alerting and deleting obsolete messages.
  • Support for defining an arbitrary number of exceptional messages that can be captured for the operations team.
• Improved manageability of messages, thresholds, and WLM-resources in schedule environments for resources that are suspended for automation.
• Improved INGMSGS command that can display an unlimited set of exceptional messages; removed the potential for accidental deletion of write-to-operator-with-reply (WTOR) messages; and provided new command line options to display and manage messages.
• Improved AOFCPMSG command that can avoid capturing messages related to resources that are suspended for automation, and that provides more flexibility when working with messages that need to be deleted (such as DOM).
• Improved INGALERT command that can alert on behalf of critical messages if defined as such in the automation policy. In addition, INGALERT enables the administrator to determine exactly the characteristics and behavior of a clearing event, including the specification to generate no event at all.
• Enhanced exit AOFEXC17 that enables customization of the event that is produced by INGALERT based on jobname.

Automated Deployment of Dynamic Resources

IBM Z System Automation V4.2 introduces the concept of dynamic resources, which enable dynamic provisioning and de-provisioning of applications, such as CICS® regions or IMS message processing regions.

• A new TEMPLATE object type is introduced when defining a new application. It enables administrators to specify the basic shape and form of a dynamic APL-type resource.
• INGLIST, INGDATA, and INGFILT commands are extended to support the dynamic attribute of a resource.
• A new INGDYN command is introduced to provide the capability to view existing templates and their instances, as well as create or delete dynamic instances.
• A new INGDYN exit AOFEXC28 is introduced for programmed actions, such as rejecting creation or deletion of a dynamic resource.
• A new INGDYN exit AOFEXC29 is introduced for programmed actions, such as resuming the new dynamic resource after it's created.

Service Management Unite Automation Enhancements

See the enhancements for Service Management Unite V1.1.7.

Other Miscellaneous Enhancements

• The INGWHY diagnostics is improved to explain new reasons for application groups that cannot be stopped.
• The INGPAC command introduces a new DETAILS parameter to display the resources that are currently being paced by a single pacing gate, and a new RELEASE parameter to release a specific resource from the command line or from a script rather than using panels.
• The INGINFO command introduces a new RSTAT parameter to display the statuses for the resources that are listed as backward and forward relationships.
• The INGCNTL command introduces a new SDF_PARALLEL_UPDATE parameter. It allows users to turn SDF Focal Point Parallel Update on or off dynamically without policy change and configuration refresh.
• The MDFYSHUT command is enhanced to allow users to control which specific shutdown pass to be processed to speed up shutdown.
• A new INGAUTO exit AOFEXC27 is introduced that allows to reject the change of agent flags for a resource.
• More granular security controls for the following functions or commands:
  • Capability to override resource schedules or general schedules by using INGSCHED.
  • Capability to override the next start or shutdown command sequence of a resource by using INGMDFY.
  • Capability to release resources waiting in a pacing gate by using INGPAC.
  • Capability to manage variables by using INGVARS.
  • Capability to modify options in commands INGLINK, INGNTFY, and INGSTOBS.
  • Capability to turn logging on and off or to modify the log data sets as specified in the Customization Dialog.
• Tertiary configuration support is added into the Customization Dialog so that three distinct configurations can be built using the same policy database.
• The size of the Info Link and Owner fields is increased in entry types APL, APG, MTR, and REF, which enables administrators to store more information about a given resource and subsequently display that information on the INGINFO, DISPINFO, DISPMTR, and DISPAPG panels.
• Users can now add a description for a new policy database, which makes it easier to distinguish between multiple policy databases.
• A new Message Override Report is introduced to list all messages that use a message override and avoid cumbersome search in an enterprise-wide flat file or HTML report.
• A Cleanup Delay value for APLs will now be honored independently from the specified Monitor Routine.
• Extended system shutdown

  Resources can be automated after the termination of OMVS without any user-written REXX scripts. It is now possible to record and encrypt the SMF data of an OMVS shutdown and afterwards terminate the SMF recording process and subsequently the ICSF address space.

• End-to-end automation enhancements
  • Improved time to value for configuring the end-to-end automation adapter by supporting system symbols in the configuration files.
  • The SSL configuration file can now be customized using an alternative way, that is, creating certificates residing in RACF®.
  • System Automation V4.2 now supports network isolation for E2E Automation components via multiple TCP/IP stacks
• Processor Operations enhancements
  • Toleration of IBM z15 hardware.
  • IBM z15 exploitation support for activating a temporary capacity record in support of System Recovery Boost to add reserved zIIP processors through the System Automation Base Control Program Internal Interface (SA-BCPii) via GDPS® or through Processor Operations and automated triggering of System Recovery Boost at the beginning of a system shutdown phase initiated with the INGREQ command or via GDPS.
  • Exploitation of System Recovery Boost in Processor Operations that provides GETIBOOST common command with the System Recovery Boost status.
  • Performance improvements for LPAR ACTIVATE and DEACTIVATE commands that reduce IPL and shutdown time, and hence recovery times in case of unplanned outages.
  • Using the ISQCCMD common command PROFILE, users can now update up to 5 profile variable and value pairs at one time, instead of previous one pair.
  • Two concurrent SA-BCPii sessions (INTERNAL and ISQET32) to the same CPC can now run in parallel.

Removed Functions

The following functions are no longer supported with IBM Z System Automation V4.2:

• IBM zEnterprise® BladeCenter Extension (zBX) hardware management and IBM zEnterprise Ensembles.
• Support for collecting automation data by using the Tivoli System Automation for z/OS Monitoring Agent (TEMA) and feeding that data into the Tivoli Enterprise Portal (TEP).
• System Automation resource and relationship discovery by using the System Automation Discovery Library Adapter.
• Automated System Resource Discovery (autodiscovery) of started tasks to define application policy objects.

For more information, see What's New in IBM Z System Automation V4.2.

IBM Z NetView V6.3

IBM Z NetView V6.3 provides a modernized user experience through the integration of technologies that make it easier and faster to become productive when using the NetView program. This is accomplished by:

• Introducing an OpenAPI-conforming NetView server that handles front-end requests from applications and providing RESTful APIs that are suited for industry standardization to interact with automation and network resources. The server can be accessed within Zowe™, hosted by the Open Mainframe Project, or independently from an application. The server runs in UNIX System Services (USS). The following APIs are provided with this support:
  • API documentation that is accessed through the Zowe API Mediation Layer or directly from the server
  • A sample NetView application to be used in Zowe to retrieve NetView task health information
  • New APIs that are available in the following areas:
    • Canzlog messages and message attributes
    • Automation table statements and automation members
    • Sysplex connection distribution statistics for distributed dynamic virtual IP addresses (DDVIPAs) and ports
    • NetView task health
    • NetView domains accessible to an Enterprise Master NetView program or a Sysplex Master NetView program
    • NetView commands
• Providing modern user dashboards in IBM Service Management Unite, a service management dashboard tool that is now available with IBM Z NetView. See the enhancements for Service Management Unite V1.1.7.
• Providing integration with IBM Common Data Provider for z Systems® to enable analytics in modern tools such as Splunk or Elasticsearch for resource usage statistics about NetView commands (Command Statistics). Logging SMF records for Command Statistics can be started at NetView initialization, as well as dynamically.
• Introducing regular expression (pattern matching) support for the following NetView components:
  • REXX function called MATCH
  • Automation table function (ATF)
  • PIPE LOCATE and NLOCATE stages

IBM Z NetView V6.3 provides the following additional enhancements:

• Canzlog dynamic archive data space size. IBM Tivoli NetView for z/OS, V6.2.1, with APARs OA55071 and OA55074, introduced the capability to limit the size of the active Canzlog data space by allowing the data space size to start at 128 MB and dynamically grow in increments of 8 MB if NetView automation is falling behind. Version 6.3.0 of IBM Z NetView introduces a similar capability for the sizes of Canzlog archive data spaces that are used when browsing archived Canzlog data. The data space sizes start at 128 MB and dynamically grow in increments of 8 MB to a user-defined maximum size.
• Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) support for changing passwords or passphrases. The NetView program currently has the capability to perform MFA authentication. This enhancement provides the capability to change MFA passwords and passphrases from the NetView program.
• Network management enhancements:
  • z/OS Encryption Readiness Technology (zERT) support. z/OS Communications Server V2.3 provided the capability for the TCP/IP stack to act as a focal point in collecting and reporting the cryptographic security attributes of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol version 6 (Ipv6) application traffic that is protected using the TLS/SSL, SSH, and IPSec cryptographic network security protocols. The NetView program provides information about whether a connection is encrypted, and if so, information about the encryption methods, algorithms, and certificate information including cryptographic key length.
  • Packet trace data in sniffer format. The NetView program currently has the capability to format packet trace data in a CTRACE format. This enhancement provides the capability to format packet trace data in a sniffer format.
  • Intrusion detection. This enhancement updates NetView program's intrusion detection capabilities with current probe IDs that z/OS Communications Server supports.
  • OSA-Express 7S support.
• The LISTA command is enhanced to show where members reside even if a user does not have read access to all data sets. Additionally, if a user does not have read access to a data set, a new error status is displayed in the data set DISP column.
• Capability to synchronize processing between different NetView tasks that are similar to the z/OS ENQ and DEQ functions. The function is called SEQUENT.

For more information, see New and Changed Functions in the NetView V6R3 Program.