New Features › Improved Job Feedback Notification

Improved Job Feedback Notification

The Improved Job Feedback Notification enhancement lets customers use the IBM Cross-System Coupling Facility (XCF) to send SMF feedback data from ICOM to CA Workload Automation SE instead of using the communications data set (COMMDS). The following are the benefits of using XCF:

• Reduced DASD contention on the volume where the COMMDS resides. This reduction becomes increasingly important as the number of ICOMs increases.
• Decreased time in getting the SMF data from ICOM to CA Workload Automation SE for processing.

An alternative use of XCF is the Notify Option. This feature uses the COMMDS to send SMF data to CA Workload Automation SE, but uses XCF to notify CA Workload Automation SE that SMF data is waiting in the COMMDS. This wakes up CA Workload Automation SE more frequently to read waiting data.

Only SMF extract data is currently sent through XCF. Trailer data and NCF data must be communicated through the COMMDS.

This release introduces two new data sets used for recoverability:

• The XCF data set (XCFDS), one for each individual ICOM, contains copies of records sent through XCF to CA Workload Automation SE.
• The XCF checkpoint data set (XCFCKPT), used by CA Workload Automation SE, keeps track of the XCF records processed from each ICOM.

The installation process generates and formats these data sets. They must be formatted before the first use.

The SMF initialization file statement is new. To invoke XCF when starting CA Workload Automation SE, code the keyword SMFXCF=Y|YES on the SMF statement.

To invoke XCF when starting ICOM, perform one of the following:

• Set the value of the new X parameter to X=',XCF=SMF' if you are using the ICOM PROC generated during an r11.3 SYSGEN (CA7ICOM).
• Add the keyword parameter XCF=SMF to the initialization parameter list if you already have ICOM JCL.

The new online command, LXCF, displays the XCF group and member name of the running CA Workload Automation SE. As a list option, the SMF records from the XCFCKPT data set can be displayed.

The new online command, /XCF, deletes records from the XCFCKPT data set.

The CAL2ENVR environment report displays active CA Workload Automation SE XCF group and member names running on the system.

For more information about the new commands /XCF and LXCF, see the Command Reference Guide.

For more information about the SMF initialization file statement, the changes to ICOM and the environment report, and the CA Workload Automation SE XCF group and member names, see the Systems Programming Guide.

For more information about formatting the new XCFDS and XCFCKPT data sets, see the Installation Guide.

For more information about the new security rules for the /XCF and LXCF commands, see the Security Reference Guide.