Release 7.02

May 03, 2005 For a printable version of Release 7.02 highlights select this pdf.

V702 Database Conversion - Change Request Selection Templates

Since Version 6.01, selection templates have been used to standardize the format for accessing various types of information stored in the eventACTION database, whether online via the ISPF panels or in the background under various batch functions. Until now this facility did not apply to change request information. With eventACTION Version 7.02, change request selection templates are available.

With this enhancement you can create a permanent selection template for change request information under the Scan Templates facility (option SCT), and specify this same template on a report or other batch job definition (eg ELI). This facilitates using the exact same criteria both online and under batch. Saved templates are available for use by other users as well. If you choose not to use a pre-defined template on a report, the selection criteria available in the Report option is the same as with an SCT template.

The facilities affected by this enhancement are:

· Reporting (Option R)

Change request reports

· External Language Interface (Option ELI)

Change request information

· Scan Templates (Option SCT)

Change request (CR) templates

· Change Requests (Option C)

Selection criteria internal processing

Primary command SEL for extended selections

A small database conversion is required to implement this enhancement. Refer to V702 Database Conversion in the Planning & Installation Guide.

Suppression Of Messages From eventACTION

You can now choose whether to receive selected messages from eventACTION. Use Command MSG from the "User Information" panel (option “U” from the main panel) to see the list of affected message categories. For each message category, you can specify whether you wish to receive messages.

Dynamic Dataset Definition Facility

Support for concatenated parmlib has been added to the Dynamic Dataset Definition Facility such that all datasets allocated to parmlib at IPL time will be defined to eventACTION with their corresponding volume serial numbers as is done with datasets in the other lists previously supported. The dataset name SYS1.PARMLIB will be added if no dataset names are in the concatenated list. Note also that the dataset SYS1.IPLPARM is not part of this list and should be defined manually if change tracking is desired for this dataset.

OID Panel

The defined/changed columns now include ussACTION entries. ussACTION records are also included with the SIZE line command.

There are 3 new line commands to help show the defined/changed entries.

DSC goes to the Datasets Changed panel.

DIR goes to the USS Directories Defined panel.

DIRC goes to the USS Directories Changed panel.

DSns already exists and goes to the Dataset Options panel.

Only those entries for the selected OID will be shown.

Compare Utility Option Change

When comparing a single member or dataset to itself, the "Changed Records Only" option will be ignored. The option has no meaning in such an instance since no changed records can possibly exist.

Compare Utility

Whether under TSO/ISPF or in batch mode, you can now compare a series of backups for a single member or group of members with their earlier recorded backup copies. This facility provides a convenient means of displaying the history of changes to the specified files.

The backup number specified for the first dataset must be masked (typically using an asterisk), and the backup number for the second dataset is specified as some relative number. The syntax for the second backup number is “+n” where n is the number to be added to any backup number processed in the first dataset. In other words, as a backup is processed for the first dataset then its backup number will be added to the relative number in the second to determine the backup number to be selected for the second dataset.

For example, to compare each backup for a group of members in SYS1.PARMLIB with its previous backup so that you can see how the data has been altered from change to change:

   First Dsname => SYS1.PARMLIB
          Member => IEA*           Bkup # => *
          Volser => RES001

   Second Dsname => *
          Member => =              Bkup # => +1
          Volser => *

Sample results on the member list output panel would look like this:

                         Bk    Records                        Bk
          Member      #      Changed      Member      #
          ----------        ---     ---------          ----------       ---
          IEAICS00     1                      IEAICS00      2
          IEAICS00     2                      IEAICS00    3
          IEAIPS00   1                      IEAIPS00      2
          IEASYS00    1                     IEASYS00     2
          IEASYS00    2                     IEASYS00     3
          IEASYS00    3                     IEASYS00     4
          IEASYS01    1                     IEASYS01     2

Batch Reporting Facility - Compare Reports

The DCSUMMRY and DCDETAIL compare reports now support specifying the relative backup number, as described above for the online compare utility. This enhancement allows you to report on the data differences for all changes that have occurred for a dataset/member since the last time the report job was run via the automatic scheduling facility of eventACTION.

In these same two reports, you may also now mask the Volser field when comparing backup copies for a dataset name. This now allows you to report on all occurrences of a single dataset name that resides on multiple volumes under one report without having to edit the job if the volsers change periodically.

For example, if you have three systems, each with their own SYS1.PARMLIB, each on their own volume (i.e. RES001, RES002, RES003), specifying

   First Dsname => SYS1.PARMLIB
          Member => *
          Volser => *
          Bkup # => *

will perform three separate compares for SYS1.PARMLIB on volume RES001, SYS1.PARMLIB on volume RES002 and SYS1.PARMLIB on volume RES003.

Batch Compare Utility

The batch compare utility has been enhanced to support the same new option of specifying BKUP1=* and BKUP2=+n as described above for the online compare utility. Until now, the batch utility has not supported multiple data sets when comparing backup copies; in other words, a dsname mask could only be used for generating a list of data sets from either a VTOC or the catalog. Now, a dsname mask and a volume mask may be used when processing change/backup records in the eventACTION database.

A new control keyword “CHGSINCE” that allows you to specify a date and time since which the dataset/member must have changed to be included in comparisons.

This allows you to run a report similar to the DCSUMMRY and DCDETAIL reports. It also allows you to use all the options available in the batch compare utility, whereas only defaults are used in the reporting facility.

The syntax of the control option is:

CHGSINCE=<(<date><,time>) | LASTJOB>

(date,time) are in the eventACTION format, i.e.,
(31JAN05,7:30) or (20050131,7:30).

LASTJOB denotes the last date and time this scheduled job was run. To use this keyword, the three job identification fields must be specified in the PARM field, i.e.,
EXEC PGM=MZCCMPB1,PARM='MYJOB1,USER047,USER047'.

This job must be scheduled under option B of eventACTION, where the date and time of the last run will be maintained.

Dataset Options Panel

To avoid unnecessary overhead, you should ignore temporary datasets created by SMTP.

For example, add *SMTP*.NOTE and *SMTP*.ADDRBLOK to the Dataset Options and SUSPend them.

RTM

RTM has been rewritten (originally introduced as a Beta with Version 7.00). With V702, the 'new RTM' is generally available. Clients who want to use the 'new RTM' should contact Action Software.

Program Execution Tracking (PET)

A new option "AutoRTM" has been added. This option if set will create a new entry in RTM for each new module that is executed and does not exist in the PET database records. This option should be used carefully as it could add hundreds of RTM entries which will then be tracked. This option can be accessed through the "CON" primary command on the Program Execution Tracking Counts panel.

FTP

The IP address for 'ftp.actionsoftware.com' has changed, and some DNS servers on the Internet have been slow to pick up the change. If you are unable to reach the FTP site by name, you can specify the IP address. The new address is 64.34.72.80.

When using the PRT command to send information to Action Software, the GO IP command will use this IP address automatically.

Change Request By Job

A change request by job can now be forced for blackout.

Change Blackout

If a dataset being changed is in warn mode, then the change will be allowed with a warning. Prior to this release, the dataset options were not being checked for warn mode for blackout.

ussACTION Change Requests

PROBLEM: In a multiple host environment, change requests were not being added or updated properly on other hosts. This has been fixed.

ussACTION

The ussACTION main panel is now scrollable just like eventACTION's main panel.

CHMOD, CHOWN, and CHGRP are now supported and will cause a backup to be taken. Using the compare option will show the different values.

Specifying Startup Options

Traditionally, the startup options for eventACTION have been specified as EXEC statement parameters, for example:

PARM='USS,DFDSS,REFRESH'

A new EXEC statement parameter can now be specified to read all the startup options from a PDS member.

The format of this new parameter is:

PARM='INIT=xx'

where xx is the suffix of a PDS member MZCPRMxx.

This PDS member can be placed in any of the libraries in the system’s logical parmlib concatenation. Alternatively, a new DDname MZCPRMLB can be added to the MZCA startup PROC to allocate a PDS that contains MZCPRMxx.

Following is a sample MZCPRMxx member:

/* MZCPRMLB VERSION=1.0 */
/* PROD */
REFRESH=YES|NO
DFDSS=YES|NO    /*DFDSS INTERFACE*/
DSRV=YES|NO    /*DESERV EXIT*/
CATALIAS=YES|NO /*CATALOG TRACKING AND CONTROL*/
VSAMCTL=YES|NO    /*VSAM TRACKING AND CONTROL*/
USSSTART=USS|USS+ /*USSACTION START*/

Please note that this is a Beta feature, and the syntax of the statements may change in the future. Additional options will also be added as required.

New Primary Commands for Reports, LUB and ELI

Two new primary commands have been added to the List of Functions panel:

CHGUSR newvalue

changes all userids to a new value for the entries currently displayed.

CHGGRP newgroup

changes all groups to a new value for the entries currently displayed.

These primary commands can only be issued by a Global Administrator.

To use these commands, use masking in the User/Group columns to list only the entries you want to change. Then use the new commands to make the changes.