z/OS System Operators

This course is for IT personnel with little or no theoretical background of z/OS and little or no general practical in IS experience.

You should have:

• An Introduction to the z/OS Environment (ES05)

• Describe System z usage of z/Architecture
• Identify System z servers and their major components
• Name z/OS functional groups and base elements
• Describe the concept of virtual storage and its exploitation in z/OS
• Issue z/OS commands with the correct syntax
• Identify z/OS display commands that can be used to determine device and channel path status
• Describe the use of VARY and CONFIG z/OS operator commands
• Interpret the results of z/OS commands
• Identify the differences between JES2 and JES3
• Describe JES2 usage
  • SPOOLs and checkpoint data sets
  • Cold, warm, and hot starts
  • Commands to control resources and display job status
• Describe the purpose and use of the following:
  • TSO
  • ISP/PDF
  • Allocating, displaying, and editing data set information with ISP/PDF panels
  • SDSF
• Describe the naming rules for z/OS data sets
• Describe the z/OS catalog structure
• Describe the functions performed by DFSMS, DFSMSdss, DFSMShsm, and DFSMSrmm to help manage the data sets in a data center
• Describe the function of JCL cataloged procedures
• Identify the difference between MCS consoles and extended MCS consoles
• Issue commands to determine the status and parameters of any console
• Describe major console enhancements at z/OS 1.8 and z/OS 1.10
• Identify HMC to CPC communication path
• Describe the HCD process and its purpose
• Identify the initial program load process and sequence
• Describe the functions performed by the nucleus initialization program (NIP) to initialize the system
• Respond to NIP messages
• Describe the process for starting online and batch systems
• Identify system shutdown steps and considerations

This course contains six discussion units and nine exercises.

Review of System z servers and z/OS

• This unit reviews the basic facts and concepts of the z/Architecture, System z servers, and the z/OS operating system.

z/OS MVS commands

• This unit describes the various z/OS MVS commands can may be used to change and display channel path and I/O device status.

JES and TSO

• This unit briefly introduces the concept of job entry and time sharing. It discusses the basics of JES2, TSO/E, ISPF/PDF, and SDSF.

z/OS data sets

• This unit introduces the z/OS MVS data set types, the system catalog, the DFSMS family of products, and cataloged procedures.

z/OS console operation

• This unit describes the operations console of a z/OS system.

z/OS IPL flow

• This unit describes the steps required to perform a successful initial program load (IPL) of a z/OS system.

There are a total of nine lab exercises available. These exercises consist of the following:

• Two exercises to set up lab access to z/OS MCS console, TSO console, and SDSF. These exercises demonstrate logon, logoff, and disconnect procedures and access to online documentation to look up commands and messages.
• One exercise using basic z/OS commands to display various system and I/O status.
• Two exercises to demonstrate how JES2 can be controlled and monitored using JES2 type commands.
• One exercise using TSO to allocate a data set, code a few lines of job control language (JCL) to submit, and view a simple job.
• One exercise to identify use and control of the MCS console, change console characteristics, and perform basic console recovery actions.
• One exercise to perform z/OS shut down, IPL a z/OS system, and issue the appropriate commands to start JES2, VTAM, and other subsystems that might be required.
• One optional exercise to use z/OS commands to display and modify system or device status.