6. DATA SOURCES › 6.3 CA MICS SMF Requirements and Considerations › 6.3.4 SYSOUT Considerations

6.3.4 SYSOUT Considerations

 
 Batch jobs, TSO sessions, started tasks, and APPC/MVS
 Transaction Programs (TPs) are all capable of producing
 SYSOUT data sets.  The following discussions and examples
 refer simply to "jobs," but unless specifically stated, apply
 equally to any of the above types of z/OS address spaces.
 
 One of the most difficult tasks for an SMF post processor,
 such as the CA MICS Batch and Operations Analyzer, is
 accounting for SYSOUT.  Each output data set printed from a
 JES2 or JES3 spool results in writing an SMF type 6
 output writer record.  CA MICS, in turn, creates a BATSPL
 observation for each SMF type 6 record that it encounters.  These
 SMF type 6 records contain information about printing
 the data set, such as the output device name, lines
 printed, pages printed, and other related items.  This
 information is easily transferred to the individual BATSPL
 observations.
 
 However, accountability  means that the consumed printer resources
 can be attributed to the user responsible for
 creating the SYSOUT.  In addition, if the creating job or
 session executed in a z/OS environment, the SYSOUT should be
 associated with that execution activity.  The basic problem
 with SYSOUT accountability is that some SMF type 6 output
 writer records do not contain the information that most sites
 use to identify the person or group responsible for the
 creation of the output.
 
 IBM IP PrintWay SMF type 6 records contain the account
 fields specified in the job card to provide accountability
 for its output.
 
 Each CA MICS unit merges its SMF input files so that all SMF
 record types for a given job are processed together.
 Accountability is achieved when CA MICS can associate
 the execution records for a job with the SMF type 6 output
 writer records from any of its generated SYSOUT.
 
 However, this association is not always possible.  Output remaining on
 the JES spool for long periods of time before printing, NJE
 SYSOUT transmitted to z/OS from non-MVS nodes, report
 distribution products that create their own nonstandard SMF
 type 6 output writer records, and the impracticality of
 feeding a single CA MICS unit with all SMF data from every
 z/OS node in an NJE network are some of the challenges that
 make SYSOUT accountability difficult.
 
 CA MICS employs a number of strategies to maximize SYSOUT
 accountability.  Three OPTIONS statements in
 prefix.MICS.PARMS(SMFOPS) allow unit level customization to
 further improve SYSOUT accountability.  These OPTIONS
 statements, fully explained in Chapter 7, are:
 
   o SUSPENDNJE/NOSUSPENDNJE option - Section 7.3.1.3
   o SPLLIMIT option                - Section 7.3.1.4
   o SFHLIMIT option                - Section 7.3.1.5
 
 In order to choose the correct CA MICS option values that
 will maximize SYSOUT accountability at your site, you need to
 understand the various SYSOUT scenarios encountered by
 CA MICS.  These scenarios are discussed in the following
 sections.
 
     1 - Local and Remote SYSOUT
     2 - NJE SYSOUT
     3 - "Late" SYSOUT
     4 - "Lone" Writer Records
     5 - Report Distribution Products