Collaboration Brings Success and a Stronger Platform
This platform we love is always evolving. Continuing to expand to keep up with our growing digital world. Through product development, community involvement, and advocacy, Phoenix Software International has always taken a leadership role in leveraging the latest technology to keep this platform relevant and viable because we care about performance, reducing customer costs, and we just flat out care about the platform.
Listening to our clients and working closely with them to provide functionality that brings real value to their businesses is key to keeping this platform strong and viable for them today and going forward. When that kind of collaboration occurs, it equals client success. A recent example came from the implementation of the new System Events display and enhancements to the Sysplex Members display, both released in (E)JES V6R3.
What is (E)JES?
(E)JES is a systems management tool that provides all the information you need to monitor, manage, and control your z/OS® JESplex—whether you are running JES2, IBM JES3, or PSI’s JES3plus. (E)JES panels provide up-to-date information on jobs, printers, queues, and resources in a z/OS JESplex. You can enter (E)JES commands directly from these panels to manage job processes and the operation of system resources.
What is the new Systems Events display?
The System Events display helps you understand various instrumented system events occurring over time across the sysplex. These events are captured, using standard z/OS Event Notification and System Measurement Facility (ENF and SMF) interfaces as well as some system exits, into a high-virtual (64-bit) wraparound buffer allocated at CAS server startup.
What is the Sysplex Members display?
The Sysplex Members display helps you manage the connected images in your z/OS sysplex. In a monoplex, you manage the current system only (i.e., the image on which your (E)JES session is executing).
The Collaboration
After experiencing an unforeseen system issue that involved a real storage frame shortage, a client requested an (E)JES enhancement to provide in-depth reporting of 24, 31, and 64-bit real storage frame utilization. PSI implemented the client's suggestion in (E)JES V6R3 as 15 new columns on the Sysplex Members display. Several weeks after (E)JES V6R3 was implemented at the client site, they observed a level-4 event on the new System Events display that indicated a shortage of preferred real frames was occurring. They immediately consulted the (E)JES Sysplex display where the new real storage frame utilization columns the client themselves had requested gave them the reason for the level-4 event.
The Client Reactions
- “Without this visibility into z/OS RSM storage frames using (E)JES, I would never have been able to figure out what these storage frame allocations looked like!! But as of today, on this PLEX using (E)JES V6R3, it’s trivial!”.
- “By the way… those new storage frame columns are just fantastic—love it!”.
Conclusion
There is no better feeling for your team than getting amazing positive feedback from your clients. Knowing that what you have provided has made a difference and brought value to the client’s business is the highest of compliments. It is what we strive for every day. In the end, that is only truly possible through collaboration. Collaboration = Success and a Strong Platform