Winter 2024 Edition January 19, 2024
It’s been cold here in North Carolina for the last few weeks, and lots of rain (no snow so far). Being stuck inside because of the weather provides a great opportunity to think about zWorkload Scheduler. Even though it is bitterly cold many customers are coming out of their end-of-year freeze periods and beginning to catch up on maintenance, new releases, etc, so we are seeing an “uptick” in the number of new cases.
The major product changes since the last newsletter have been the SPE 3 for 10.1 (SPE10103), and fix packs 10.1 FP4 and 10.2 FP1. 9.5 FP7 is not available yet, but should be released in the first quarter of 2024.
Before going into more details on these major maintenance updates, there are a few other Items to cover.
First APAR of 2024
Year 2024 started with several reports of WAPL issue where time 24:01 and date 24/01/01 were being misinterpreted. This quickly let to an APAR PH58971 and a technote:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7104520
ZWSTECHNOTE : EQQ0025E VALID RANGE FOR TIME IS 00.00 – 24.00 : 2401 message seen running WAPL command after January 1, 2024
I thought this might end up as a FLASH but very few cases were opened for this.
Data gather / Must Gather
An improved and more proactive approach to collecting documentation at time of failure/issue has been published via technote https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/274921
ZWSTECHNOTE : Must gather ( MUSTGATHER / DATAGATHER ) collection for z Workload Scheduler ( zWS ) cases
Please give it a read. There are sections to help avoid some common issues and to document other issues the FIRST Time they occur, instead of having to wait for another occurrence (which sometimes never happens). This technote is mentioned when you open a case for zWS.
Notification for APAR opening
The way in which we notify our customers of APARs has changed since January 2024.
You can subscribe for notifications at
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/my-notifications-subscription-service
APAR notification will now be done when an APAR is put in OPEN state so you can review and decide if an APAR will impact you. (Previously notifications were made when an APAR closed.)
Virtual Assistant before opening a case
I was pleasantly surprised to see that on the ibm.com/mysupport site before you select “Open a Case” there is a chat icon in the lower right-hand corner. You can type something like “Does zWS 10.1 run on z/OS 3.1” and get a pulldown list of products that does not include zWS, so you can enter “none of these” and then enter “z Workoad Scheduler” for the product, and after a few seconds you will see the correct technote listed (ZWSTECHNOTE : Does z Workload Scheduler (zWS ) require any maintenance to run on z/OS 3.1 or z/OS 2.5?). If you click on this it takes you right to the technote. So it may be possible to avoid having to open a case. If you don’t get an acceptable answer you can respond NO to “Was that helpful” and get a “contact us” button that allows you to open a case.
If you try this and end up having to open a case anyway, please let us know – it may be possible to create or update a technote that the “virtual assistant” will find the next time.
Now for the major maintenance items:
10.1 SPE 3
APAR PH56381, PTFs UI94617 and UI94618 . This technote has the latest news and any ACTION HOLD
Items for this SPE:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7028205
Items covered by the SPE:
Integrating with IBM Z JCL Expert
Creating exits through the User Exits Workbench – uses z/OS MetalC language instead Assembler
Time-dependent operations hold on trackers: (JES HOLDUNTL parameter)
Increase default MAXREL size for EQQADDS and EQQLTDS from 131072 to 400000 – this will be useful for migrations to new releases, as it will be less likely that the “new” files are allocated with a smaller LRECL from the old ones.
Restore the CP at the moment just before a human error — APPLYUNTIL parameter
This last one is the biggest reason to apply this SPE, and even to migrate to the 10.1 release, as it will allow a much faster and accurate recovery of the correct state of the current plan if some incorrect action causes widespread problems, such as setting an occurrence complete and inadvertently causing hundreds or thousands of other jobs to be set complete.
Using the new JTOPTS APPLYUNTIL parameter you can decide upon the LAST JT record to be applied (i.e. the one before the problem occurred, and this can be specified to the TENTH of a Second (CCYYDDDHHMMSSTH), where CCYYDDDHHMMSSTH is the time stamp of the latest valid record to be applied from EQQJTARC.
I’m going to put this in my controller parms as a COMMENT in case it’s ever needed.
There is a revision to the 10.1 zWS manuals (December 2023) corresponding to SPE 3.
The 10.1 zWS manuals and 10. Workload Automation manuals are at:
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/workload-automation/10.1.0?topic=product-library-in-pdf-format
If you click on the “A newer version of this product documentation is available” It takes you to https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/workload-automation/10.2.1?topic=product-library-in-pdf-format which is the 10.2 FP1 level Workload Automation manuals but the same zWS 10.1 manuals.
One warning: Chapter 8 of the zWS Planning and Installation Guide (December 2023) – Installing the Dynamic Workload Console – has the correct instructions for installing a 10.2 Level DWC. If you want to install a 10.1 DWC either refer to the older level of the Manual (July 2023) or use a technote like https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7042280 ZWSTECHNOTE DWCZOS : Upgrade DWC without doing a complete new install (for example upgrade from 10.1 FP1 to 10.1 FP2)
If there is enough interest I will create a technote for 10.1 FP4, but I expect that most new installs will be for 10.2 FP1.
DWC 10.1 FP4
This new fix pack has many important changes, which are described in the README file https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7082391
Readme file for Dynamic Workload Console Version 10.1 Fix Pack 4
For installing the DWC on z/OS the file to download from FIX CENTRAL
https://www-945.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
is: 10.1.0.04-IWS-CONSOLE-Z_USS.pax
DWC 10.2 FP1
This is a major enhancement of DWC security, using p12 certificates and requiring a certificate to perform the INSTALLATION (certificates can be used after DWC installation of course). There are also many enhancements, which you can read about at
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7087537
Dynamic Workload Console Version 10.2.1 Release Notes
For installing the DWC on z/OS the file to download from FIX CENTRAL
https://www-945.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/
is: 10.2.1-IWS-CONSOLE-Z_USS.pax
Flashes
If you don’t receive notification for flashes, check your settings at www.ibm.com/support/mynotifications
No new FLASHes since October.
Hipers
The technotes listing HIPERS were all updated January 16, 2024:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6619651
(ZWSTECHNOTE : Need all HIPER maintenance for z Workload Scheduler 10.1.0 ( COMPID 5697WSZ01 ))
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/5694705
(ZWSTECHNOTE : Need all HIPER maintenance for z Workload Scheduler 9.5.0 ( COMPID 5697WSZ01))
These are the new HIPERs since October 2023: :
PH52871 HTTP TASK ENDED WITH MESSAGE EQQZ045E CORRELATED TO ABEND U4039 OR U4042
PTFs:
9.5: UI94295 and UI94296
10.1 UI94297 (superceded-by UI94617) and UI94298 (superceded by UI94618)
PH55458 MESSAGES: EQQZ373W EQQZ377W CAN BE IMPROPERLY ISSUED AT THE STARTUP OF CONTROLLER/TRACKER
PTFs:
10.1 UI94142 (superceded by UI94617)
PH58503 ABEND 878 OR 0C4 IN GS TASK when modifying a WS in the CP via DWC
PTFs:
9.5 UI94699
10.1 UI94700
Technotes
Revised technote:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/274921
ZWSTECHNOTE : Must gather ( MUSTGATHER / DATAGATHER ) collection for z Workload Scheduler ( zWS ) cases
New technotes:
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7047661
ZWSTECHNOTE : GSKIT ERROR 416 – Permission denied for HTTPS connection
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7058285
The list of external dependencies of an occurrence might randomly appear empty
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7104570
ZWSTECHNOTE: Shrinking the size of a zFS file to save disk space
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7104520
ZWSTECHNOTE : EQQ0025E VALID RANGE FOR TIME IS 00.00 – 24.00 : 2401 message seen running WAPL command after January 1, 2024
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7091906
ZWSTECHNOTE : Is there an EOS ( end of support ) announced for z Workload Scheduler 9.5 ( zWS ) ?
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7085863
ZWSTECHNOTE : Obtaining SLIP dumps for z Workload Scheduler abends or messages issued to the z/OS SYSLOG
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7085607
ZWSTECHNOTE : DWCZOS : Documentation to provide for issues involving DWC running on z/OS
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7069143
ZWSTECHNOTE: USING OVERCOMMIT PARAMETER WITH PARALLEL SERVER
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7068093
ZWSTECHNOTE : DWCZOS : Messages CWWKO0221E and CWWKE0701E are seen in messages.log ( MSGLOG ) when DWC task is started
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7068072
ZWSTECHNOTE : DWCZOS : Message java.io.IOException: EDC5124I Too many open files. in messages.log for DWC task
https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/7062015
ZWSTECHNOTE: Job using HOLDUNTL parameter runs twice (once before the scheduled time)
Ideas (formerly RFE)
Many new ideas have been added for both Workload Automation and z Workload Scheduler. You can add your own requests or vote for the ones you would like to see implemented at https://ideas.ibm.com
Z Workload Scheduler:
Ability for zcentric agents to flow through a gateway to the Z Controller [ZWS-I-226]
Relief IZWS PIF LIST Memory Storage Limitation [ZWS-I-223]
zSort Support for zWS [ZWS-I-221]
ServiceNow or JIRA Adhoc Job Submission to the CP [ZWS-I-220]
Dynamic Workload Console : allow to customize job columns for a jobstream task [ZWS-I-219]
Possibility to execute procedures in Snowflake and other plugins [ZWS-I-218]
EQQ messages for jobs NOPed and SR availability change [ZWS-I-217]
PIF function enhance [ZWS-I-216]
2FA access to DWC or RestAPI [ZWS-I-215]
Replace Workload Scheduler exits with build in functionality [ZWS-I-214]
Allow calculation of “OCLASTC” variables for months in the future [ZWS-I-213]
Support $ as first Character for variables when using WAPL [ZWS-I-212]
Enable dynamic activation of CDP logging function after it was disabled [ZWS-I-209]
Improve the interface between zWS and CDP so that CDP continues to work with zWS if the USS filesystem is moved or restarted on a different LPAR (AUTOMOVE) [ZWS-I-208]
Cross Dependency: “Real Time” status in shadow Job [ZWS-I-207]
Options to reduce report created by LTPMA or LTP extend [ZWS-I-206]
Workload Automation: I selected a few that may be of interest to zWS customers:
TWS user id is unable to impersonate to job user on NFS v4 [WAO-I-461]
Support for containerized MDM and BKMDM on two different networks [WAO-I-463]
Configure Default Time-Zone for all DWC users. [WAO-I-464]
Auto start netman when it goes down abruptly [WAO-I-467]
Add feature that would allow the DWC to capture in a log the last time a user logged into the client. [WAO-I-468]
Ability to filter objects listed in the Workspace area on DWC Workload Designer screen [WAO-I-470]
News Banner on IWS DWC portal after user login [WAO-I-471]
Server and Agent SSL certificate management through the DWC [WAO-I-479]
BLOGs
You can see all the BLOGS related to workload automation (distributed workload scheduler, DWC and zWS) at http://www.workloadautomation-community.com/blogs
New BLOG:
https://www.workloadautomation-community.com/blogs/performance-metrics-that-matter-evaluating-workload-automation-102
Performance Metrics That Matter: Evaluating Workload Automation 10.2
Wrap Up
I hope to see you at ASAP University 2024 :
Dates: 5/19/24 – 5/22/24
Location: Miami, FL – Embassy Suites Miami International Airport
Not officially announced yet, but you can expect a new zWS release (10.2) to be announced.
later this year and a corresponding announcement that 9.5 will go out of support (probably not earlier than September 2025). 10.1 should remain in support until sometime in 2027.
Final Warning if you missed it last time:
Be sure to order 10.1 PDO if you don’t have it already – 10.1 will be removed from marketing when
10.2 becomes available, and you won’t be able to order 10.1 from SHOP zSERIES after that.
