Mainframe to Oracle EBS migration and creating Test Environments

[ANIL KUMAR]

Respected members,

Current application landscape of a client:
1) 2 applications in Oracle ERP Suite
2) 3 critical applications in MF (JCL Cobol VSAM DB2 CICS ADSO IDMS CA7)

Future landscape - Planning to do:
1) All applications in Oracle ERP Suite will be as is.
2) Move all the applications currently in MF to Oracle EBS.

So in this regard , I would like to know if there have been any similar use
cases or scenario's and if at all it is possible.
Also , point me to specific documents , steps , plans etc that I may refer
to get into the details.

In mainframe I would like to know if there is a way where-in a UAT
environment can be created which is a copy of the production. Creating Test
Environment's based on the production (Copy of production LPAR and restore
with data masks) etc. If there is a way , kind request to point me to the
right direction.

Thanks
Anil

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Re: Need to review the HIPER - How best to do

[ANIL KUMAR]

Thanks much Kurt.

On Thu, Mar 15, 2018 at 6:19 PM, Kurt Quackenbush <ku...@us.ibm.com> wrote:

> On 3/14/2018 11:48 AM, ANIL KUMAR wrote:
>
> I need your valuable inputs to know how to review these HIPERs.
>>
>
> 2) But I understand that IBM support website can be used to review these
>> HIPERs. Could you please assist in this case.
>>
>
> Go to https://www.ibm.com/support/home/ and enter the APAR id in the
> Search field.
>
> Kurt Quackenbush -- IBM, SMP/E Development
>
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Need to review the HIPER - How best to do

[ANIL KUMAR]

Hi All,

In a new set-up MF environment , it has been decided to go ahead with the
new proactive maintenance strategy . As a part of which we need to review
the HIPERs which the z/OS sysprog have generated(in text pad). These
include for DB2 , CICS, MQ ,z WAS etc.

The HIPERs need to be classified as below based on the environment.

1) ADVISORY
2) CRITICAL
3) NA

I need your valuable inputs to know how to review these HIPERs.

1) We have the CSI for each DB2 , MQ, CICS etc. Do we need to login to MF
to check these.
2) But I understand that IBM support website can be used to review these
HIPERs. Could you please assist in this case.
3) Any document pertaining the same , will also help.

Steps on how to check these (either from MF , or IBM support site) etc will
be really useful

Anticipating replies.
Thanks very much
Anil

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Re: z/OS MF environment - effort estimation.

[ANIL KUMAR]

Hi Elardus - Thanks very much for your support.

I was specifically looking at effort / man hours estimate for supporting
standard z/OS MF infrastructure which does not include H/W support.
Basically wanted to
how many FTEs does the industry standard recommend for no of LPARs. etc.,
for DB2 sysproc activities , cics sysprog activities etc.

Any one has any further inputs please advise.
have nice day.

On Mon, Dec 18, 2017 at 4:23 PM, Elardus Engelbrecht <
elardus.engelbre...@sita.co.za> wrote:

> Anil Kumar wrote:
>
> >Good day. I needed expert advise on how do we calculate the numbers
> (effort estimation )
>
> What numbers / effort? Costs? Man-hours? CPU estimate? Licenses?
> Infrastructure? etc.?
>
>
> > ... provided that we have the infrastructure that we support.
>
> Are these things in place: Power (Main and UPS), Room space, Physical
> security?
>
>
> >... Assuming that I have the below:
>
> >1) # of LPARs.
> >2) # of ISV products.
> >3) Automation on z/os on all LPARs.
> >4) Storage
> >5)MIPS
> >6) # of CICS regions
> >7) # of DB2 subsystems
> >8) MQ regions
> >9) # of WAS
> >10) # of IMS subsystems
>
> More things to add...
>
>  11) Network infrastructure including remote connection.
>  12) Security product(s)
>  13) PPRC and what else too for your storage...
>  14) You forgot about DRP. This will certainly double (sort off) your
> 'effort'.
>  15) Workstations to access above things ...
>  16) XCF, Sysplex Timers
>  17) Add more toys and tools including having a 'Sandbox' LPAR for
> SMP/E and testing out products.
>
>
> >I understand that different shops have different strategy in calculating
> the same. However I needed valuable inputs on how to start estimating.
>
> Ask first, how much staff do you have and how much are you willing to pay
> or pulling in contractors.
>
> How many clients / users do you have for each of those listed systems?
>
>
> >Is there any industry standard or best practice available.
>
> Yes, there is only ONE standard, it is named 'No Standard'. You will have
> to figure out yourself what is the best for you. Perhaps there are IBM-MAIN
> members who can help you or supply you a product which can do those
> estimates...
>
>
> >I really appreciate all your inputs in this regard. Please let me know
> for any further information required from my end.
>
> Ask your vendors. They know their products and can give you a ball-park
> figure of everything.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Groete / Greetings
> Elardus Engelbrecht
>
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z/OS MF environment - effort estimation.

[Anil Kumar]

Hi All,

Good day. I needed expert advise on how do we calculate the numbers (effort 
estimation ) provided that we have the infrastructure that we support. Assuming 
that I have the below:

1) # of LPARs.
2) # of ISV products.
3) Automation on z/os on all LPARs.
4) Storage 
5)MIPS 
6) # of CICS regions
7) # of DB2 subsystems
8) MQ regions 
9) # of WAS
10) # of IMS subsystems 

etc.

I understand that different shops have different strategy in calculating the 
same. However I needed valuable inputs on how to start estimating. Is there any 
industry standard or best practice available. How are shops deducing #'s given 
the infrastructure that is available.

I really appreciate all your inputs in this regard. Please let me know for any 
further information required from my end. Thanks.

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Re: RSU maintenance strategy - Need expert suggestions

[ANIL KUMAR]

Hi All,

Thanks very much for your timely and quick response. Yes have proposed a
strategy to the customer and will be reviewed by early next year. I will
have some follow-up questions regarding the same and will post to get some
advise. Thanks again.

On Tue, Dec 12, 2017 at 1:32 AM, Edward Gould 
wrote:

> Mark,
>
> > On Dec 9, 2017, at 12:32 PM, Mark Zelden  wrote:
> >
> > And then you just apply everything that turns up in MISSINGFIX for
> > FIXCAT(*) along with the RSU maintenance?
> >
> > Why install a 100% of missing maintenance specific to some hardware or
> hardware
> > feature you don't have or for some function you aren't using or planning
> to use
> > ahead of the time it has been fully tested via CST and shows up with an
> RSU sourceid?
> > What's to gain? To me it just seems more likely you could install a PTF
> that will end
> > up PE'd.
> >
> > Yes, RSU incorporates a "lot of PTFs that are not necessarily critical"
> - but that's the
> > point of putting on general preventive maintenance.   However, it also
> does
> > include critical maintenance as well - PE fixes, HIPERs and security /
> integrity.
> >
> > I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
> >
> > Regards,
>
> I will go along with you on this one. Once in a while you will find a
> chain so long it makes you ill. A long time ago, I chased a chain that had
> 3500 (thats right) 3500 ptfs waiting to go on because of one fix.  I think
> that is when my hair color started to turn gray. I can see chasing 3 or 4
> PTF’s but 3500 was out off the park for me.
> To get to your other points, I do not lay back and wait, everyday I am
> working I look for the hipers and the security/Integrity fixes on IBMLINK.
> I like to be proactive in this area as one time we had an auditor that
> thought he would get one over on me. He sent an email to the VP and asked
> if we had this specific PTF on as he thought it was important. The VP
> passes it on down the line to me. I looked it up and it didn’t even pertain
> to our system, so I thought I would do him one better and found the PTF in
> question and told him in English that the PTF did NOT involve our system
> but this PTF did. I did a cut and paste into the email of the cover letter
> and the pre’s and Co’s and that PTF had been on the system for 6 months. I
> then said to him in the future please call or email me directly so we
> didn’t tie up management in issues that we could handle quicker and more
> completely via email/phone call as we were there to serve him. That stopped
> the ambush’s. A few weeks later I get an email and didn’t reply to him the
> same day but the next day I replied again that the fix was not for our
> system but this one was and again I told him it had been on for 7 months.
> He tried it once more and I told him the same story except this one had
> been on a year. I smelled something fishy, I dropped by his desk when he
> wasn’t there and asked his team mate what was going on with these requests
> and he told me that VP of Auditing had become friends with another auditor
> in another shop and the *other* auditor was trying for a promotion and that
> he had some MVS sysprog feeding him these PTF numbers.
>
> Ed
>
>
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RSU maintenance strategy - Need expert suggestions

[ANIL KUMAR]

Hi All,

I needed expert suggestions on following the RSU maintenance strategy for
z/OS , associated ISV products , DB2 etc. Could you please let me know

1) How many times in a year do we need to apply the maintenance to z/os ,
ISV products , DB2 etc.
2) How to decide which ones to be applied. (latest RSU)
3) Whether the HIPERs included also be applied , even though we have not
encountered the specific issues in out shop.

So far in the account I was working for , it was not a strict rule to apply
maintenance be it z/OS or DB2 or associated ISV product. Infact I do not
remember any maintenance being applied to DB2 unless it was a major upgrade
for which the pre-req was needed. Even for ISV's if they are running fine,
then no action was taken.

However for a different shop , we have been asked to come up with the best
approach on whats needs to be done. If we keep updating the maintenance
then 1 FTE job will be consumed for the work for a year.

Hence needed some advise on what strategy is being used by different shops
and what is the best practice. Please advise.

If any documents etc are available please point me to them and I shall
read. Sincerely hoping to get some advise. Thanks.

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Mainframe Command Center - consolidating monitoring views

[Anil Kumar]

Hi All,

Good Day. Being part of the command center we provide monitoring services to 
various regions. This includes
console monitoring , batch support , hard ware monitoring , escalation , 
following checklist activities etc.
This is across z/OS(OS , online - DB2 , IMS , MQ , Batch suport etc), 
Applications , Storage. Currently we have
several different LCD's to monitor each one of these separately. There is no 
single view to check how are the various systems doing. 

What is required? We would like to understand :

If there is a way of automating / consolidating these LCD's into single view 
each for each zos , storage , applications etc.
For e.g. if DB2 has some issues or goes down then a dashboard can show 
corresponding as red and the corresponding application should alos be red. 
Basically the health of each of the category we would like to get in the form 
of dashboard (Green - all well, yellow - alert, red - p1 incident etc). This 
can be a URL where sr mgmt can login and check the status of the systems.

Any case studies , or tools available for any isv , any such information would 
really be appreciated.

Please provide inputs on any ideas if any of them as currently set-up in 
respective shops.

If any further information required , I shall provide.

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Consolidated LPAR monitoring solution

[Anil Kumar]

Hi All,

I needed some expert advice by the group.

Current situation: We have different regions and each one of them have their 
own products(1 - CA7 , CA OPSMVS , etc AND 2 - TWS , SA-ZOS , NETVIEW and so on 
so forth). Each of these regions have multiple LPARs and corresponding 
consoles. These consoles are monitored by the console monitoring team. Mainly 
the online (CICS, DB2 , IMS etc) and BATCH jobs are monitored by the monitoring 
team. Along with the STCs. If they are not in their expected state , then they 
would action them as per the instruction given by the respective teams (MVS 
systems team or Online CICS/DB2/IMS teams etc). 

What is needed : We would like to know if we can consolidate or have each of 
these LPARs talk to each other and provide a status in the form of a dashboard.

For eg. = Region A has 4 LPARs – 2 DEV and 2 PROD and same set of tools. Is 
there a way that we can produce a dashboard (one consolidate view ) of any 
exception seen during monitoring with ONLINE , BATCH or STC. Green would 
represent all good , Red – would represent immediate monitoring team action etc.

Region  BATCH   commentsONLINE  commentsSTC comments
 
 

Now Region B can have different set of tools for e.g. TWS , SA ZOS , Netview. 
Would like to have a similar dashboard as above

Finally , we would like to merge each of these dashboards for each regions into 
1 single consolidate view so that anyone can take a look into the dashboard and 
see the current status of the system.

If there are any tools that can be used for the above purpose available from 
any vendor , please do share the information.

If any of the shops had a similar situation and have a solution in place , kind 
request to please provide inputs.

All your inputs would really be greatly appreciated. If you require any further 
information please do let me know so that I can provide the same.

Thanks
Anil.

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