Developing OTMA routing rules for IMS Connect

To route OTMA workloads in IMS Connect, you'll need to create one or more OTMA routing rules that depend on several supporting definitions in the IMS Connect Extensions repository. The definitions you build will depend on the routing scenario you would like to create.

OTMA routing rules in IMS Connect Extensions are flexible in that they allow you to configure your systems in a variety of ways. Whilst building a set of OTMA routing rules will ultimately depend on an understanding of the nature of your workload, you will essentially use the following procedures to configure your rules:
  1. Create an OTMA routing rule to route workload to one or more IMS data stores.
    Use this procedure first to create your initial routing rule and its supporting definitions for a single IMS Connect, a group of IMS Connect systems, or all systems. This procedure will help you achieve the following routing outcomes:
    • Route OTMA workloads dynamically to a pool of IMS data stores based on the IMS data store destination ID in the request message.
    • Redirect OTMA workload intended for a specific IMS data store to a different data store.
    • Redirect OTMA workload for specific message types or specific transactions only.

    To create an initial routing rule, see Routing OTMA workload to one or more IMS data stores.

  2. Optional: Configure your routing rule with fallback IMS data stores.

    After you have created your initial routing rule, use this optional procedure to configure the rule to route workload to a list of fallback IMS data stores if primary target data stores in the rule are unavailable. This can be useful as a backup for your primary data stores, or when you need to perform maintenance of the primary IMS data stores.

    To configure a rule with fallback data stores, see Routing OTMA workload to a list of fallback IMS data stores.

  3. Optional: Set the relative capacities of each of your IMS data stores.

    After you have created your initial routing rule, use this optional procedure to balance workload across multiple IMS data stores based on the data stores processing capacity. This procedure will help you set the initial capacity weight rating (CWR) for an IMS data store which allows you to reduce (or increase) the processing capacity of a data store, or set a custom configuration that balances workload accordingly. Once an initial value has been set, you can dynamically adjust the capacity weight rating using the Operations Console for IBM® Explorer for z/OS®.

    To set capacity weight ratings, see Setting the capacity of an IMS data store for OTMA workloads.

  4. Recommended: Group your routing rules by assigning them to a routing plan.
    After you have created your initial routing rule, use this recommended procedure to establish multiple rule sets bound together by a routing plan. Use a routing plan to create sets of rules that work together. The routing plan can then be activated in the following ways:
    • Manually by an operator via the IMS Connect Extensions ISPF dialog or Operations Console for IBM Explorer for z/OS.
    • Automatically using the IMS Connect Extensions host command environment for REXX and the automation tool of your choice.

    To create routing plans, see Assigning OTMA routing rules to a plan.

Routing rules will not take effect until they are activated. To activate your routing rules, see Activating OTMA routing rules in IMS Connect.
Important: You can also control the default routing behavior of IMS Connect Extensions when a request is received but there is no matching OTMA routing rule. For more information, see Controlling OTMA routing behavior via CEXCTLIN control options.