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z/OS is a very complex operating system that consists of many different components. These components make z/OS difficult to install and maintain because they can be interdependent. Your site can use several processes to install z/OS. One process is a system generation (SYSGEN) that selects, assembles, and link edits these components together. IBM has created other processes to make the installation much easier. IBM can create and ship to you one of the following:
With these processes, many of the z/OS components that you order are custom built and can be copied directly to your system. When you add other products, user modifications, exits, and maintenance, the process of installing and maintaining z/OS becomes increasingly complex and unmanageable.
SMP/E helps you install and maintain products by tracking the changes made to your system. SMP/E processes changes packaged as a system modification or SYSMOD. A SYSMOD can be a function, an Authorized Program Analysis Request (APAR) fix, a program temporary fix (PTF), or a user modification (USERMOD). IBM and other vendors use function modification identifiers (FMIDs) to distribute and track new or enhanced function SYSMODs.
SMP/E uses the consolidated software inventory (CSI) to control the installation of changes to your system. The CSI consists of target, distribution, and global zones that describe the construction of your system. The SMP/E CSI zones contain the control information that tracks all of the changes to the system libraries.
SMP/E installs SYSMODs on two types of libraries: target and distribution. Target libraries contain the executable copy of code that your system runs. Distribution libraries contain a master copy of all programs on the system. You can create or back up your system with distribution libraries. The contents of each set of libraries, ideally, should match what each set of CSI zones records but, occasionally, this is not the case.
The integrity of your operating system depends on the accuracy of the CSI. When you apply product maintenance and install new features using SMP/E, the accuracy of the CSI determines whether the installation is successful. If SMP/E is used faithfully, the CSI is the only system-managed repository detailing the construction of the components of the system. However, despite the importance of accuracy, common systems programming practices can invalidate this information.
Because using SMP/E is optional, SMP/E is aware of only the maintenance and SYSMODs that it applies. Systems programmers sometimes apply critical fixes without SMP/E, usually for the sake of expediency. Additionally, some sites might implement local exits that significantly impact the operation of the system. Often, SMP/E does not manage these exits. In fact, you must define several IBM exits, including the TSO Preprompt exit, to SMP/E before the exit can be brought under SMP/E control.
You can also affect the accuracy of your CSI by executing copies of system load modules rather than the versions that SMP/E maintains. Over time, changes can be made to SMP/E-managed versions that make them different than the copies. Copies are often introduced into the system for the following reasons:
CA Auditor can validate the accuracy of the SMP/E CSI by comparing it to the production libraries. This lets you:
Many of these analyses are potentially long-running because of the large volume of information being compared. Depending on the criteria you select, your system’s configuration, and the time of day, some of the displays can run from five to ten minutes. We recommend that you use the batch facility to run the more time-consuming functions. Also, if you limit your searches by using the program mask fields on the displays, CA Auditor usually takes less time to process.
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