Managing Operations › Recommendations for Test Environments › When Separate Test Systems or LPARs are Not Available › How You Test Without a Separate Test System

How You Test Without a Separate Test System

When you do not have a separate test system, you can still test a new release or service pack . You can run the test subsystem without changing the TEP modules in your production environment. This is necessary because there can be only one set of open, close, and end-of-volume (TEP) routines active on the system at any time.

To test when a separate test system is not available

1. Configure a new BES subsystem, for example BES8, to use as a test subsystem, with a STEPLIB that uses the new service pack or release load modules for this subsystem only.

   This specifies alternate libraries that you can use on the test subsystem so that the libraries you are testing do not affect your production system.

   Note: Ensure that TMSUpdate=N is specified in the test parmlib.

2. Start the test subsystem on your production system.

   This starts the test subsystem, which by default, will run with the new load modules, but will not change the TEP or SAF Interface modules that are in place on your production system.

3. Run the CTAPJCL library BESAMIVP test job.

   This lets you test most of the product functionality.

4. If your testing is satisfactory, bring in the new versions of the TEP and SAF Interface modules if there are any, by issuing the following command:

   RELOAD=TEP
   RELOAD=SECURITY
   

   Note: You need to update the TEP modules because there is considerable communication between them and CA Tape Encryption. The SAF Interface reload should be performed to update all of the CA Tape Encryption internal pointers and control flags.

   This updates the TEP and SAF Interface modules on your test subsystem and your production system.

5. Run tests on the test subsystem using the new TEP and SAF Interface modules.

   This determines that the new TEP and SAF Interface modules are functioning correctly with the test subsystem.

6. Check encryptions performed by your BES1 subsystem.

   This ensures that there are no incompatibilities between the new TEP modules and the old load modules.

   Note: If any problems are detected, immediately issue the RELOAD=TEP and RELOAD=SECURITY console commands to one of your production BES subsystems to reestablish the production TEP intercept and SAF Interface processing.

7. If all testing is successful, you can migrate to the new release or service pack by specifying it in your system linklist.

   This allows the new service pack or release load modules to be accessed by all BES subsystems.