z/OS for Beginners

This course is designed for anyone requiring a basic understanding of z/OS as an operating system.

This course is designed for anyone requiring a basic understanding of z/OS as an operating system. It also provides a useful introduction for delegates requiring more in-depth training in other areas of the IBM Mainframe including TSO, JCL, z/OS, COBOL, PL/1, Assembler, REXX etc...

There are no prerequisites for this course.

This course will introduce delegates to the z/OS operating system and the IBM systems on which it runs. It covers z/OS terminology and explains the main concepts employed by z/OS in performing its functions.

z/OS Introduction
Brief history.
What is z/OS:
• Basic processor resources.
• Storage development.
• z/OS and I/O Devices.
• Principal software components.
z/OS Objectives:
• Control of work.
• Control of resources.
• Operator communication.
• Support for Applications.
• I/O Processing.
• Task Processing.
• Security.

Hardware Platform
PR/SM and LPARs.
z/Series processors.
I/O Processing – Hardware perspective:
• ESCON / FICON.
• Cartridges / Disks.
• Other peripherals.
Modern disks versus old technology.

z/OS Structure
Task Management:
• Multi-tasking.
• Multi-processing.
• The dispatcher and dispatching priorities.
Input/Output - process z/OS perspective.
Virtual Storage Operation.
Address Spaces.
Common areas.
System Address Spaces.
Sub-systems:
• Started Tasks.
• Work-load Manager.

Data in z/OS
Internal representation.
Packed Decimal.
Error correction.
Data Sets:
• Data set composition.
• Data set naming and location.
Catalogue Structure.
VTOC structure.
Data Set Structures:
• Data organisations and access methods.
• Record formats.
• Buffering.
Portioned Data Sets and PDSE.
Virtual Storage Access Method:
• ESDS, KSDS, LDS, and RRDS.

Running Work in z/OS
Batch processing:
• JES2 versus JES3.
• JES2 Overview.
• JES2 Job Submission.
System Networks:
• SNA – VTAM.
• TCP/IP.
• Network management.
On-line processing:
• TSO and ISPF.
• CICS overview.
Databases:
• DB2 plus others.
Applications Development:
• Programming Languages.
• Compile stages.
• CICS and DB2 requirements.
• More modern languages.

JCL Overview
Sample job.
JOB statement explanation.
EXEC statement explanation.
Various DD statements explained.
Mention of IF/ELSE logic.

UNIX System Services
Rationale for Open Systems.
The UNIX Environment in z/OS:
• HFS Data Sets.
Accessing the UNIX environment.

z/OS Facilities
DFSMS family of products.
Aims of Storage Management.
ACS Routines.
HSM’s role.
SMS and non-SMS Allocation processes.
Global Resource Serializtion.
Data in Memory:
• LLA, DLF and VLF.
System Management Facility (SMF).
System Security:
• RACF and its database.

z/OS Commands
PR/SM Review:
• IPL, IML and HMC.
• Auomatic commands from Parmlib members.
Managing tasks.
Managing devices.
Starting and stopping z/OS.

JES2 Commands
Starting JES2.
Managing initiators.
Managing JOBs/Tasks.
Managing Input queues.
Managing Output queues.
Stopping JES2.

Diagnostic Aids
Quality approach.
Consoles and their functions and types.
Messages:
• Message Structure.
• Message Routing.
• Automated Operations.
Abend Codes:
• System Abends.
• Program interrupts.
• User Abends.
• Error handlers.
Dumps and their analysis.
EREP.

z/OS Maintenance
The installation process.
Maintenance terminology.
Maintenance application process.