z/OS Foundation Skills Programme - Part 3

This five-day course is Part 3 of RSM's newly designed and built z/OS Foundation Skills programme.
The previous two parts have introduced students to the Z Systems computing environment at a conceptual and terminological level, the use of TSO/ISPF, the use of z/OS JCL and to z/OS and JES2 from an operational perspective.
This part of the programme now examines the System Z mainframe environment at a technical level, introducing the architecture and explaining the z/OS operating system. This is followed by an overview of z/OS security with RACF. The course concludes with an introduction to networks in a Z Systems environment.
A number of theoretical and practical hands-on exercises are included throughout the course.
This course is available for exclusive, one-company presentations and for live presentation over the Internet, via RSM's Virtual Classroom Environment service.

What you will learn

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

describe the mainframe hardware components
explain how I/O components are configured and used
describe the main features of z/OS and its associated system software
explain the relationship between the hardware and software
explain the relationship between MVS and its associated components
understand how to use an MVS system via TSO and batch jobs
describe how data is managed by SMS
identify the need for security in business information systems
explain all major RACF commands
explain dataset and general resources
connect users to groups
list the dataset related commands to manage both discrete and generic profiles
list the commands to manage general resources
describe the audit facilities available in RACF
use and explain the operation of the setropts management commands
understand the concepts of SNA/VTAM/APPN
understand and use the terminology of SSCP, CP, EN, NN. LEN, LU and PU
describe addressing in SNA/VTAM/APPN and TCP/IP
explain how TCP/IP fits into z/OS, especially for VTAM and TCP/IP applications
stop and start VTAM, TCP/IP and TN3270
use the z/OS commands to interrogate an SNA/VTAM/APPN and TCP/IP network
use the TSO commands to interrogate a TCP/IP network (e.g. NETSTAT, PING, etc.).

Who Should Attend

RSM's z/OS Foundation Skills programme is suitable for all new and trainee operators and technicians who will be working in a z/OS-based production environment.

Prerequisites

Prior attendance on z/OS Foundation Skills - Part 1 and z/OS Foundation Skills - Part 2 or equivalent knowledge and experience.

Duration

5 days

Fee (per attendee)

£2550 (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

ZFS3

The z/OS Platform

The components of a mainframe computer; Real Storage; Central Processing Unit (CPU); Channel Subsystems (CSS); What is a computer program?; A computer program needs memory; A Control Program; Multiple programs in memory; Multiprogramming; The concept of Interrupts; The purpose of an Operating System - summary; Middleware; The System z/architecture; MVS - z/OS operating systems; The history of MVS; Release cycle for z/OS; IBM zSeries processors; PR/SM; Logical Partitioning (LPAR); CF partition; Logical Partitions; Resource distribution in LPAR mode; Parallel Sysplex; Coupling Facility (CF).

I/O Devices in a z/OS Environment

Input/Output devices; Storage devices: Non-storage devices; The I/O configuration; I/O processing in principle; The channel concept; FICON; Control units, Device numbers, One control unit - many channels; Shared DASD; Tape devices; Tape robots; Virtual Tape; I/O devices - disk; Mainframe disks (DASD); RAID devices; I/O configuration in an IBM-type mainframe; Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD).

z/OS Overview

What hardware can do; Software responsibilities; z/OS - an operating system; z/OS components; z/OS - always in storage; Getting real work out of it; Initiators; The application program; Program Execution Environments; Running 'real' programs; Job Management; Resource Control; Allocation; Task Management; Program Management; Supervisor Services; Storage Management; I/O processing; Access Methods; IOS drivers; I/O Supervisor (IOS); I/O processing; Workload Manager (WLM); Recovery Termination Manager (RTM); Abnormal termination - application; Sysplex; Using sysplex; z/OS components that exploit sysplex; Other components that use sysplex; Parallel sysplex; Exploiting the parallel sysplex.

z/OS Data Handling

Data access methods; Data structure: VSAM, OAM, QSAM, BPAM; Batch systems access; Utilities: Text editor, Assembler, Compilers, Binder, Interpreters; Networks; Teleprocessing definition; Development of teleprocessing systems; Types of teleprocessing systems; Elements of a teleprocessing system; Application program; Teleprocessing access method; Communications controller; Mainframe networking protocols; SNA; TCP/IP; How is z/OS communications software packaged?; Importance of a teleprocessing system.

The Total Mainframe Software Package

Mainframe software control; A typical z/OS system; IBM system software; System Software in the z/OS environment; Required add-on products; DFSMS/MVS; Important operating system software; Communications system software; Network support in z/OS: SNA, TCP/IP; Transaction Managers and Data Base Systems; Terminal Monitor (TM) systems; Database systems; Application development tools; High level languages; Other z/OS related products.

Working with z/OS

Starting a TSO session; VTAM application selection; TSO logon panel; TSO logon procedures; ISPF primary options; UNIX support in z/OS; The Kernel address spaces; Using UNIX services; File systems; UNIX Shell; ISHELL ISPF panels; Batch processing; JCL statements; One or more jobs in a JCL stream; Getting a batch job into the system; Batch job queues.

Data Management

ICF catalogs; ICF components; ICF catalog layout; HSM functional overview; HSM working with SMS; SMS managed data

Introduction to RACF

What is required of a security system?; IBM's Resource Access Control Facility (RACF); Main RACF/MVS components; How does RACF work?; RACF Profiles; RACF classes; Controlling access; RACF commands.

Planning for RACF

Management commitment; Selecting a security planning and implementation team; Responsibilities of the implementation team; Deciding what to protect; Deciding how to protect data; Establishing ownership structures; Establishing who needs access.

RACF Group Structure

RACF group structure; Group types; Dataset owning groups; Users owning groups; General Resource groups; Concept of group and profile ownership; Administration delegation; Benefits of RACF groups; Defining RACF groups; Group CONNECT authority; Group profile contents; Group related commands.

Defining Users to RACF

Information on users; RACF user information; DFP segment information; TSO segment information; OPERPARM segment information; NETVIEW segment information; CICS segment information; OMVS segment information; Defining a new User; Prepare to create the user profile; Create the User Profile; Give user access to any RACF-protected areas; User-related commands; User attributes; Classifying users and data; Security categories and levels; Security labels.

Defining Datasets to RACF

Dataset related commands; Dataset protection; Discrete profiles; Generic profiles; Rules for defining dataset profiles; Naming Convention; Dataset profile ownership; Defining Generic Profiles; Access authority for datasets; Adding dataset profiles - ADDSD; Permitting access (PERMIT command).

Defining General Resources

General Resource related commands; Class Descriptor Table (CDT); IBM-defined Resource Classes; Steps for defining General Resource profiles; Granting access to a General Resource; Global Access Table (GAT).

Maintenance & Housekeeping

Maintenance and housekeeping activities; SETROPTS command options; Options for initial setup; In-storage profiles; SETROPTS REFRESH Option; Maintaining the RACF database(s); Maintenance utilities; Maintaining the Started Task Table; Data Security Monitor (DSMON).

Introduction to SNA

What is SNA?; Pre-SNA networks; SNA hardware and software; SNA elements; Sessions; SNA layers; SNA message units; Session establishment sequence; Why APPN?; APPN node types; Resource registration; Resource location; LU-LU session activation; Locating resources.

Network Addressable Units

SNA Network Addressable Units (NAUs); SSCP/CP functions; PU types; Message flow; Address awareness; Subarea network addresses; APPN network address; Local addresses; Address conversion.

SNA Sessions

Sessions and half-sessions; half session layers; session types; setup flows; initiation sequences; logon request processing; LU-LU session types.

Console Commands

The START command; The DISPLAY command; The VARY command; The MODIFY command; The HALT command.

TCP/IP Overview

What is TCP/IP?; Why are we interested in TCP/IP?; What does TCP/IP comprise?; Internetworking principles; IPv4 addressing; IPv4 subnetting; IPv4 variable subnetting; Network Address Translation; One to One NAT; Network Address Port Translation (NAPT); TCP/IP protocol stack; IPv4 Address Resolution Protocol; IPv4 Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol; Why IPv6?; IPv6 addressing; IPv6 prefixes and address types; Global unicast address format; Anycast address; Multicast address; Required host information; Port numbers; IPv4 Transport Protocol message formats; IPv4 Internet Protocol: message format, packet format, header format; Extension Headers.

An Overview of TCP/IP on z/OS

TCP/IP for z/OS; TCP/IP access to SNA applications; How the gateway works; SNA access to TCP/IP applications; Communications Storage Manager ; Device connectivity and attachments; Direct vs indirect attachment; Direct attachment problem; Virtual IP addressing - the solution; Sharing attachments across LPARs; UNIX Systems Services considerations.

TCP/IP for z/OS - Command Overview

Available TCP/IP commands; The START and STOP commands; The MODIFY command; The DISPLAY command; The VARY command; The OBEYFILE command; The NETSTAT and onetstat commands; NETSTAT command options.