[z/OS]

Product usage recording with IBM MQ for z/OS products

To determine the product usage, the z/OS® system records the amount of processor time that is used by the product when it processes.

z/OS can measure how much processing time is spent in doing work on behalf of the IBM® MQ queue manager that is handling MQI calls, executing MQSC commands, or performing some other action to support the messaging and queuing functions that are used by your application programs. The amount of processing time is recorded in a file at hourly intervals, and the hourly records are totaled at the end of a month. In this way, the total amount of time used by the IBM MQ for z/OS product on your behalf is computed, and used to determine how much you pay for your use of the IBM MQ for z/OS product that month.

Product usage recording is implemented as follows:
  • When IBM MQ for z/OS is installed, it identifies itself to z/OS and requests that the System Management Facilities (SMF) mechanism within z/OS is to automatically measure how much processor time is used by the IBM MQ for z/OS product.
  • [V9.0.3 May 2017]The default product used by registration must be overridden at run-time for particular software execution instances which are processing under the license provided by a particular software bundle.
    For example, if you are licensed to use IBM MQ Advanced for z/OS, Value Unit Edition (VUE), then:
    • Queue manager
    • Advanced message security, and
    • Managed file transfer
    instances must be identified as using the ADVANCEDVUE product identifier, so that month end usage reports correctly identify the product used.
  • When enabled, the z/OS usage measurement facility collects usage figures for each hour of the day, and generates usage records that are added to a report file on disk.
  • At the end of one full month, these usage records are collected by a program, which generates a report of product usage for the month. This report is used to determine the charge for the IBM MQ for z/OS product.

For more information about product usage recording and the Sub-Capacity Reporting Tool (SCRT), see Preparing to use the Sub-Capacity Reporting Tool. For information about the MULCCAPT parameter see, Using CSQ6SYSP.

[V9.0.3 May 2017]

Over-riding the default product associated with usage

IBM MQ 9.0.3 introduces an improved method for associating IBM MQ usage with the licensed Product ID (PID) so that workload reporting tools, for example, SCRT and MWRT, correctly reflect usage.

Each of the following products uses a different PID:
  • Base IBM MQ
  • Advanced Message Security
  • Managed File Transfer
  • IBM MQ for z/OS Value Unit Edition (VUE)
  • IBM MQ Advanced for z/OS, Value Unit Edition
There are two alternative mechanisms to associate the correct PID with a running instance of IBM MQ:
  1. Most useful for a long term deployment of IBM MQ - The CSQ6USGP macro selects the correct PID, and is built into the queue manager zPARM parameter.
  2. Most useful for a test system which needs to run for short times under different PIDs - Parameters on the START QMGR command select the PIDs. These run-time parameters, QMGRPROD and AMSPROD, can be entered on the command, or coded into the MSTR JCL.

    Note that a value entered on a START command overrides any values encoded into ZPARM.

In all cases, the selected PIDs are shown in startup messages CSQY036I and CSQ0619I.

For Managed File Transfer, the PID is selected using an fteSetProductId command.

If no value is set by the preceding mechanisms, a default PID is used.

Sample scenarios
You have MLC IBM MQ for z/OS and have purchased Advanced Message Security
No changes are necessary, the default PIDs are correctly recorded, 5665-MQ9 for IBM MQ use and 5665-AM9 for Advanced Message Security usage.
You are migrating a single queue manager from MLC to VUE
Use either the ZPARM or START QMGR mechanism, to select QMGRPROD=VUE
You have installed a new IBM MQ Advanced for z/OS, Value Unit Edition on a new LPAR
Use either the ZPARM or START QMGR mechanisms to select both QMGRPROD=ADVANCEDVUE and AMSPROD=ADVANCEDVUE.

For MFT deployments use fteSetProductID ADVANCEDVUE