Specifying the System from which You Gather the Information

Depending on how you code the IXCMG macro, you can gather information from the following:

Local system (GATHERFROM=LOCAL)
Some other system in the sysplex (GATHERFROM=OTHER)
To use GATHERFROM=OTHER, the requester needs to provide the XCF system ID of the system from which the data is to be gathered and a timeout value. An optional ECB can be provided if the requester wants to be posted when the results arrive. If not posted, the requester is expected to poll for the results. If the request is accepted, the output DATAAREA contains a request token (AMDAGFO_REQTOKEN) that is used to obtain the results of the asynchronous data. Use this token as input to a subsequent IXCMG GATHERFROM=TOKEN request to retrieve the results. If the user does not gather the results before the timeout, XCF discards the results.

When you request information using GATHERFROM=LOCAL or GATHERFROM=TOKEN, the data returned includes the following:

A header record (AMDAGFD), which includes:
- Areas mapped by AMDAREA
- Length of the header
- IXCMG return and reason codes
- XCF system ID and name of the system that collected the data
- TOD when data gathering started
- AMDALEVEL requested
Two Gatherer Level Infomation records (AMDGLI) that indicate the AMDALEVEL of the data records returned, and the maximum AMDALEVELs that can be returned.
The requested data records (AMDPATH, AMDMPEND, AMDSYS, AMDSD, and AMDMEM).

When you request information using GATHERFROM=OTHER, the data returned includes the following:

A header record (AMDAGFO), which includes the following:
- Length of the header
- IXCMG return and reason codes
- Maximum PLISTVER and AMDALEVEL supported by the target system
- A request token, if the request was accepted

See IXCYAMDA in z/OS® MVS™ Data Areas in the z/OS Internet library for complete information on field names and lengths, offsets, and descriptions of the fields mapped by the IXCYAMDA mapping macro.