Switch Operations Facility › SOF Features

SOF Features

The SOF component of CA OPS/MVS automates I/O configuration management through the following features:

Automatic discovery

Running as a separate address space on each z/OS image in your complex, the SOF server performs the following tasks on each z/OS image:

• Interrogates the channel set hardware and z/OS I/O Subsystem (IOS), and directly queries ESCON/FICON switches using channel programming.
• Discovers the I/O configuration, identifying all connected hardware devices, control units, CHPIDs, switches and ports, and the defined connections between them all.
• Records all device numbers and Node Element Descriptors (NEDs).

Automatic continuous monitoring

After initial discovery, SOF continually monitors and records any changes to the I/O configuration of each z/OS image, always keeping itself up-to-date.

Automatic cross-system resolution

Using the CCI services of CCS for z/OS, each SOF server running on its own z/OS image communicates with all other SOF servers running on all other z/OS images to share I/O configuration information.

Using the NEDs of all known hardware devices, each SOF server automatically resolves any differences in device numbering across systems to create a single, correlated, global view of the shared I/O configuration. This view is in contrast to the unique, isolated, local view of the shared I/O configuration from each connected z/OS image.

Single point of display and control

Each SOF server can be used as a single global point of display and control of the shared I/O configuration. This eliminates error-prone manual operations and analysis on multiple z/OS images.

The SOF display commands include information from all connected z/OS images, not just the local system from which the command is issued.

If necessary, the SOF connectivity control commands automatically build and issue local z/OS VARY commands on multiple z/OS images.

For easy device identification, SOF displays provide a descriptive 24-character global name assigned to each ESCON/FICON switch and each port within each switch, which eases SOF end-user operations.

ISPF Interface

OPSVIEW option 3.5 provides an ISPF user interface to an SOF server running on any CCI-connected z/OS image. This interface lets you do the following:

• Navigate the entire shared I/O configuration, displaying connectivity from the vantage point of any specific system, device level, or single device, and controlling all connectivity using simple line commands.
• At the level of port devices within a single ESCON/FICON switch, display a port matrix of connectivity between any individual port and all other ports within the switch.
• Display and control each port-to-port connection using single characters.

OPS/REXX Host Environment

The OPS/REXX ADDRESS SOF host environment command lets user-written OPS/REXX programs issue SOF commands directly to an SOF server running on any CCI-connected z/OS image. Command output is returned in OPS/REXX stem variables for interrogation by the calling program. This lets you build site specific I/O connectivity automation.

Saved Switch Configurations

Switch configurations that contain the connectivity status of each port in the switch can be saved in the switch itself. SOF lets you work with these onboard (local) saved switch configurations, as well as save switch configurations outboard (external) in z/OS data sets. You can use SOF to save, delete, update, and activate switch configurations.