Workload Manager Fundamentals

IBM's Workload Manager (WLM) is a vital tool for all systems administrators working with large and complex systems, particularly those with workloads from a varity of different server systems (e.g. database, printer, general user and TP systems). An extensive knowledge and understanding of your current systems and their performance, as well as WLM itself is essential for an efficiently performing system.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the Workload Manager functions. All the key features are described during this course, and details of the migration process to Goal mode are also covered. The course also includes a number of realistic practical hands-on exercises.

This course is also available for one-company, on-site presentations and for live presentation over the Internet, via the Virtual Classroom Environment service.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

define WLM service policies, service classes and classification rules
describe the mechanisms for managing and balancing any workload in a WLMPlex
explain the implications of using Workload Managed Batch and Resource Affinity Scheduling
describe the changes required to migrate to a Workload Manager Goal mode environment
carry out a migration to Goal mode and maintain the environment thereafter.

Who Should Attend

Systems programmers and technical support personnel responsible for the performance tuning of z/OS MVS.

Prerequisites

A good general knowledge of how a z/OS MVS system works and how it is maintained and configured is a prerequisite for attending this course.

Duration

2 days

Fee (per attendee)

£1200 (ex VAT)

This includes free online 24/7 access to course notes.

Hard copy course notes are available on request from rsmshop@rsm.co.uk

at £50.00 plus carriage per set.

Course Code

3067

Workload Management Overview

IEAOPTxx special options; IEAOPTxx special assist processor options; IEAOPT adjusting constants; WLM concepts; Service Policies; Multi-system workload management; Workload reporting; Building the service definition; Service Policy; Creating workloads; Creating resource groups; Creating service classes; Goal types; Creating Service Classes; Application environments; IBM specified subsystems; Work qualifiers; Subsystems and work qualifiers; Classification Groups; System-provided Service Classes; Defining service policy overrides; Specifying overriding Goals for a Service Class; Service Definition; Classification rules for subsystems; Implementing WLM; VARY WLM command; Manuals on WLM.

How WLM works

WLM components; WLM Considerations; Dispatchable Units (DUs); SRB types & priorities; SRB scheduling; SRB Enclaves; Dispatcher queues; Performance Index (PI); PI evaluation; Response Time calculation; Velocity calculation; Donor and receiver determination; Dispatching Priority Control; Dispatching Priority Assignment; INITTMP; Swap control; Storage Critical; Work Requests to WLM; Server Topology; Monitoring environment - CICS & IMS; Enclave management; DASD I/O priority management; Sysplex I/O Priority Management; Parallel Access Volumes (PAV); Policy Adjustment Function; Resource Adjustment Function; Workload management services.

Workload Manager Applications

TSO workloads; Emergency TSO Service Class; WLM Batch Initiators; Scheduling Environment; WLM or JES Initiators?; Batch workloadsBatch workload Goals; Special Service Classes; STC default Service Classes; STC Service Class considerations; SYSSTC Service Class; DB2 Address Spaces; DDF enclaves; Classification rules for DDF; DDF Goal types; DB2 Stored Procedures; Sysplex Query Parallelism; CICS - Types of Goals; CICS Region Management Goal; CICS Transaction Management Goal; Transaction goal rules; Unix System Services (USS); Why USS uses WLM; UNIX Services fork and spawn function calls; USS Service Classes; USS Classification rules; Definitions for OMVS subsystem type work.

Understanding RMF Reports

Resource Measurement Facility; SMF Records; Monitor II; Monitor III; Postprocessor Reports; Workload activity report reporting options; Workload activity report - Goal mode; RMF monitor I service class period report Goal mode; Monitor I workload group and service class period report; CACHE - Cache subsystem summary report; CHAN - Channel path activity report; DEVICE - Device activity report; Monitor I shared DASD activity; Monitor I shared tape activity report; FCD - FICON Director activity report; IOQ - I/O Queuing activity report ; HFS - Hierarchical File System global statistics report; HFS - Hierarchical File System statistics report ; OMVS - OMVS kernel activity report; PAGESP -Page/Swap data set activity report; PAGING - Paging Activity report; VSAM RLS activity by storage class; VSAM RLS activity by data set.

What the students say

Good mix of notes, theory and practical with expansion of subjects as required

Senior Systems Programmer

Royal Air Force