z/OS Concepts & Facilities

Virtual Classroom Environment dates - click to book!

UK Start Times

What do I need?

• webcam
• headphones with microphone
• sufficient bandwidth, at least 1.5 Mb/s in each direction.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• describe the mainframe hardware components
• explain how I/O components are configured and used
• describe the main features of z/OS and its associated system software
• explain the relationship between the hardware and software
• explain the relationship between MVS and its associated components
• understand how to use an MVS system via TSO and batch jobs
• describe how data is managed by SMS.

Who Should Attend

All programmers, senior operations staff and other IS personnel requiring an understanding of z/OS.

Prerequisites

Attendance of the course IBM Z Systems - Introduced & Explained or equivalent knowledge is recommended, as is an understanding of TSO and JCL.

Duration

2 days

Fee (per attendee)

£1100 (ex VAT)

This includes free online 24/7 access to course notes.

Hard copy course notes are available on request from rsmshop@rsm.co.uk

at £50.00 plus carriage per set.

Course Code

1011

Contents

The z/OS Platform

The components of a mainframe computer; Real Storage; Central Processing Unit (CPU); Channel Subsystems (CSS); What is a computer program?; A computer program needs memory; A Control Program; Multiple programs in memory; Multiprogramming; The concept of Interrupts; The purpose of an Operating System - summary; Middleware; The System z/architecture; MVS - z/OS operating systems; The history of MVS; Release cycle for z/OS; IBM zSeries processors; PR/SM; Logical Partitioning (LPAR); CF partition; Logical Partitions; Resource distribution in LPAR mode; Parallel Sysplex; Coupling Facility (CF).

I/O Devices in a z/OS Environment

Input/Output devices; Storage devices: Non-storage devices; The I/O configuration; I/O processing in principle; The channel concept; FICON; Control units, Device numbers, One control unit - many channels; Shared DASD; Tape devices; Tape robots; Virtual Tape; I/O devices - disk; Mainframe disks (DASD); RAID devices; I/O configuration in an IBM-type mainframe; Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD).

z/OS Overview

What hardware can do; Software responsibilities; z/OS - an operating system; z/OS components; z/OS - always in storage; Getting real work out of it; Initiators; The application program; Program Execution Environments; Running 'real' programs; Job Management; Resource Control; Allocation; Task Management; Program Management; Supervisor Services; Storage Management; I/O processing; Access Methods; IOS drivers; I/O Supervisor (IOS); I/O processing; Workload Manager (WLM); Recovery Termination Manager (RTM); Abnormal termination - application; Sysplex; Using sysplex; z/OS components that exploit sysplex; Other components that use sysplex; Parallel sysplex; Exploiting the parallel sysplex.

z/OS Data Handling

Data access methods; Data structure: VSAM, OAM, QSAM, BPAM; Batch systems access; Utilities: Text editor, Assembler, Compilers, Binder, Interpreters; Networks; Teleprocessing definition; Development of teleprocessing systems; Types of teleprocessing systems; Elements of a teleprocessing system; Application program; Teleprocessing access method; Communications controller; Mainframe networking protocols; SNA; TCP/IP; How is z/OS communications software packaged?; Importance of a teleprocessing system.

The Total Mainframe Software Package

Mainframe software control; A typical z/OS system; IBM system software; System Software in the z/OS environment; Required add-on products; DFSMS/MVS; Important operating system software; Communications system software; Network support in z/OS: SNA, TCP/IP; Transaction Managers and Data Base Systems; Terminal Monitor (TM) systems; Database systems; Application development tools; High level languages; Other z/OS related products.

Working with z/OS

Starting a TSO session; VTAM application selection; TSO logon panel; TSO logon procedures; ISPF primary options; UNIX support in z/OS; The Kernel address spaces; Using UNIX services; File systems; UNIX Shell; ISHELL ISPF panels; Batch processing; JCL statements; One or more jobs in a JCL stream; Getting a batch job into the system; Batch job queues.

Data Management

ICF catalogs; ICF components; ICF catalog layout; HSM functional overview; HSM working with SMS; SMS managed data.