INTRODUCTION TO MAINFRAMES

What is Mainframe?
Mainframe: A highly secured computer system designed to continuously run very large, mixed workloads at high evels of utilization meeting user-defined service level objectives. System/360: The first general purpose computer, introduced in 1964.

Evolving architecture

Early/New

Characteristics
Centralized control of resources. Hardware and operating systems that can share access to disk drives.

work with hundreds or thousands of simultaneous I/O operations.

Parallel Sysplex. Perform large-scale transaction processing. Handle large-bandwidth communication Support thousands of users and application programs concurrently

z/OS and other mainframe operating systems

z/Virtual Machine (z/VM). z/Virtual Storage Extended (z/VSE). Linux for S/390 (uses 31-bit addressing and 32-bit registers). Linux for zSeries (uses 64-bit addressing and registers). The z/Transaction Processing Facility (z/TPF).

Mainframe Hardware
central processor complex(CPC).
CPC The physical collection of hardware that includes main storage, one or more central processors, timers, and channels.

Parallel Sysplex configurations.

logical partition (LPAR) defined as an image or server.

Early system design

Current Design

System control and partitioning

Continue
The IBM mainframe can be partitioned into separate logical computing systems. System resources (memory, processors, I/O channels) can be divided or shared among many such independent logical partitions (LPARs) under the control of the LPAR hypervisor, which comes with the standard Processor Resource/Systems Manager (PR/SM) feature on all mainframes. The hypervisor is a software layer to manage multiple operating systems running in a single central processing complex.

Continue
The mainframe uses a Type 1 hypervisor. Each LPAR supports an independent operating system (OS) loaded by a separate initial program load (IPL) operation. Many years there was a limit of 15 LPARs in a mainframe; Todays machines can be configured with up to 60 logical partitions. Practical limitations of memory size, I/O availability, and available processing power usually limit the number of LPARs to less than these maximums. Each LPAR is considered an isolated and distinct server that supports an instance of an operating system (OS).

Processor Resource/Systems Manager (PR/SM)

Characteristics of LPARs

Logical partitions are, in practice, equivalent to separate mainframes. Each LPAR runs its own operating system. The system administrator can assign one or more system processors for the exclusive use of an LPAR. here is an implementation using a SYStem comPLEX (SYSPLEX) where LPARs can communicate and collaborate sharing resources.

Clustering
Clustering has been done on mainframes since the early S/360 days. A clustering technique can be as simple as a shared DASD configuration where manual control or planning is needed to prevent unwanted data overlap. three levels of clustering: Basic Shared DASD. CTC rings. Parallel Sysplex.

Basic shared DASD

RESERVE/RELEASE: commands to protect their data sets for the duration of the application.

CTC rings

CTC connection A connection between two CHPIDs on the same or different processors, either directly or through a switch.

What is a sysplex?
A Systems Complex, commonly called a sysplex, is one or more (up to 32) systems joined into a cooperative single unit using specialized hardware and software. It uses unique messaging services to exchange status information and can share special file structures contained within Coupling Facility (CF) data sets. Parallel Sysplex A sysplex that uses one or more Coupling Facilities. Coupling Facility A special logical partition that provides high-speed caching, list processing, and locking functions in a sysplex.

Sysplex

Parallel Sysplex

z/OS is designed to take advantage of the IBM System z architecture, or z/Architecture, which was introduced in the year 2000. The z in the name was selected because these systems often have zero downtime. Hardware resources used by z/OS:

z/OS

Controla blocks they keep track of As programs execute work on z/OS system,
this work in storage areas called control blocks. Controls blocks contain status data, tables,or queues.
In general, there are four types of z/OS control blocks: System-related control blocks Resource-related control blocks Job-related control blocks Task-related control blocks Central storage Physical storage on the processor. Auxiliary storage Physical storage external to the mainframe, including storage on direct access devices, such as disk drives and tape drives.

z/OS operating environment

Virtual storage
z/OS uses both types of physical storage (central and auxiliary) to enable another kind of storage called virtual storage. In z/OS, each user has access to virtual storage, rather than physical storage. This use of virtual storage is central to the unique ability of z/OS to interact with large numbers of users concurrently, while processing the largest workloads. There is another form of storage called expanded storage (ESTOR). Expanded storage was offered as a relatively inexpensive way of using high speed processor storage to minimize I/O operations. Since the introduction of z/OS with 64bit addressing, this form of storage was not required anymore, but other operating systems, such as z/VM, still use it.

Continue.
An address space describes the virtual storage addressing range available to a user or program.

The address space is an area of contiguous virtual addresses available to a program (or set of programs) and its data requirements. The range of virtual addresses available to a program starts at 0 and can go to the highest address permitted by the operating system architecture. This virtual storage is available for user code and data.
The auxiliary storage manager controls the use of page and swap data sets. z/OS moves programs and data between central storage and auxiliary storage through processes called paging and swapping.

How virtual storage addressing works in z/OS:

64-bit addressability

 Security system. Compilers.

Additional software products for z/OS

Relational database.

Transaction processing facility.

Sort program. A large variety of utility programs. Java virtual machines. XML processing functions.

Batch and Online

Batch processing
Batch processing The running of jobs on the mainframe without user interaction.
Batch processes have the following characteristics:

Large amounts of input data are processed and stored (perhaps terabytes or more), large numbers of records are accessed, and a large volume of output is produced.
A scheduled batch process can consist of the execution of hundreds or thousands of jobs in a preestablished sequence.

Batch use

Continue
At night, numerous batch jobs running programs and utilities are processed. These jobs consolidate the results of the online transactions that take place during the day. The batch jobs generate reports of business statistics. Backups of critical files and databases are made before and after the batch window.

To enable the processing of a batch job, z/OS professionals use job control language or JCL to tell z/OS which programs are to be executed and which files will be needed by the executing programs.

Online Processing
Online transaction processing (OLTP) Transaction processing that occurs interactively with the end user. Online transactions have the following characteristics:

A small amount of input data, a few stored records accessed and processed, and a small amount of data as output.
Immediate response time, usually less than one second. Large numbers of users involved in large numbers of transactions.

Continue

Transaction A unit of work performed by one or more transaction programs, involving a specific set of input data and initiating a specific process or job.

How do we interact with z/OS

z/OS is ideal for processing batch jobsworkloads that run in the background with little or no human interaction. However, z/OS is just as much an interactive operating system as it is a batch processing system. By interactive we mean that end users (sometimes tens of thousands of them concurrently in the case of z/OS) can use the system through direct interaction, such as commands and menu style user interfaces. TSO(Time Sharing Option)

Continue
Time Sharing Option/Extensions (TSO/E) allows users to create an interactive session with the z/OS system. TSO provides a single-user logon capability and a basic command prompt interface to z/OS.

Most users work with TSO through its menu-driven interface, Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF).
3270 emulation: The use of software that enables a client to emulate an IBM 3270 display station or printer, and to use the functions of a host system.

Native Mode: Using TSO without its complementary programs, such as ISPF.
Native TSO is similar to the interface offered by the native DOS prompt. With native TSO, it is possible to place a list of commands, called a command list or CLIST. Another command language used with TSO is called Restructured Extended Executor or REXX. Both CLIST and REXX offer shell script-type processing.

Using TSO commands in native mode

ISPF ISPF: A facility of z/OS that provides access to many of the

functions most frequently needed by users.

z/OS UNIX interactive interfaces

ISHELL,OMVS

Record Formats

What is a PDSE?
A PDSE is a partitioned data set extended. It consists of a directory and zero or more members, just like a PDS. It can be created with JCL, TSO/E, and ISPF, just like a PDS, and can be processed with the same access methods. PDSE data sets are stored only on DASD, not on tape. The directory can expand automatically as needed, up to the addressing limit of 522,236 members. It also has an index, which provides a fast search for member names. Space from deleted or moved members is automatically reused for new members, so you do not have to compress a PDSE to remove wasted space. Each member of a PDSE can have up to 15,728,639 records. A PDSE can have a maximum of 123 extents, but it cannot extend beyond one volume.

What is a VTOC

VTOC A structure that contains the data set labels.

JES: A collection of programs that handles the batch workload on z/OS.

JES

JES handles the following aspects of batch processing for z/OS: Receiving jobs into the operating system. Scheduling them for processing by z/OS. Controlling their output processing.
Spooling The reading and writing (by JES) of input and output streams on auxiliary Storage devices, concurrently with job execution.

Continue

Spool

JES2 compared to JES3

common run-time environment

Program compile, link-edit, and execution