z/OS Foundation Fast Track (ZOS, TSO, JCL)

This course will introduce delegates to the z/OS operating system and the IBM systems on which it runs. It covers common z/OS terminology and explains the main concepts employed by z/OS in performing its functions, before moving on to the TSO functionality and JCL Commands that are essential for all users of the z/OS Operating system.

This course is designed for anyone requiring a complete Technical Introduction to the z/OS operating system - including TSO/ISPF and JCL.

It provides the perfect starting point for any staff moving into the world of the IBM System z from other technical backgrounds as well as those completely new to IT. Delegates requiring more in-depth training can move on to operator or developer courses but this course is always the best way to start out.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Delegates will:

• Understand the history and make-up of the IBM System z and z/OS operating system.
• Log-on to TSO and control the TSO session.
• Navigate the ISPF panels.
• Create, edit and view data sets and members within PDS and PDSE libraries.
• Perform general utility functions from within ISPF.
• View and manage job output using SDSF.
• Code JCL to perform general tasks within the z/OS system.
• Understand the Job listings and associated messages.
• Diagnose and resolve JCL problems.
• Analyse Job failures, correct and re-start jobs.
• Code JOB, EXEC, and DD statements.
• Create data sets of different types.
• Improve programmer efficiency and reduce program test time.
• Decrease the number of job failures.

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.

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 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 etc...
TCP/IP.
Network management.
On-line processing.
CICS overview.
Databases.
DB2 plus others.
Applications Development.
Programming Languages.
Compile stages.
CICS and DB2 requirements.

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.

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.

TSO/E Environment
TSO and z/OS relationship.
Initial logon process and screens.
The role of Session Management software.
Native TSO (Line Mode).
TSO with ISPF (Panel mode).
RACF Profiles.
Data set naming conventions.
Batch TSO.

ISPF/PDF Overview
Relationship between ISPF and TSO.
The 4 panel types described.
Primary option menu.
Program Functions Keys.
General ISP Commands.
Jumping between panels/functions.
Scrolling.
Split screen mode operation.
HELP information described (TSO and ISPF).
FIND and CHANGE commands introduced.
END versus RETURN.
RETRIEVE commands.
Keyboard customisation overview.

ISPF Interface (a.k.a. ISPF Option 0)
Terminal settings.
Log data set settings.
List data set settings.
Default JCL set up.
Function Key customisation.

ISPF View (a.k.a. ISPF Option 1)
Entry Panel described.
Member list panel described.
Data panel described.
Summary of View/Browse Commands.
FIND Command described.
Difference between Browse and View.

ISPF Edit (a.k.a. ISPF Option 2)
Panel descriptions.
Edit profile and commands described.
Edit Primary versus Line commands.
Using Line commands (A, B, C, D, I, M, O, and R).
Comprehensive line command overview.
Shift commands.
Comprehensive Primary command overview.
TAB Control descriptions (3 types).
BOUNDS command.
CHANGE command described.
COPY and MOVE described.
CREATE and REPLACE described.
CUT and PASTE described.

ISPF Utilities (a.k.a. ISPF Option 3)
Library Utility (ISPF Option 3.1).
Data Set Utility (ISPF Option 3.2).
Including VSAM capability.
COPY / MOVE Utility (ISPF Option 3.3).
Data Set List Utility (ISPF Option 3.4).
Output Display Utility (ISPF Option 3.8).
Compare Utility (ISPF Option 12).
Search Utility (ISPF Option 14).

TSO/E Commands (a.k.a. ISPF Option 6)
Command panel described.
TSO/E Command overview.
Scripting overview (CLIST and REXX).
Allocating own ISPF Libraries.
Emulator interaction.
PC File Transfer.
Keyboard mapping.

SDSF
Security Controls (role of RACF and ISFPARM).
SDSF Primary Menu.
Display active tasks.
Displaying input queues.
Displaying held output currents.
Displaying the current status.
Display the initiators.
Displaying the SYSLOG.
PREFIX and OWNER commands.
Displaying a specific job's output.
Submitting a job from the output queue.
Capturing output to a data set.
Entering z/OS and JES commands.

Introduction to JCL
Evolution of JCL.
JCL syntax.
Statement types.
Operand types.
JCL Error points.
Comprehension quiz.

JOB Statement
Influences on the JOB statement.
CLASS and its role in JOB selection.
GROUP.
JOBRC.
MSGCLASS and output affected.
MSGLEVEL.
NOTIFY.
PASSWORD.
REGION.
MEMLIMIT.
TIME.
TYPRUN.
USER.

EXEC Statement
Influences on the EXEC statement.
PGM / PROC.
COND.
PARM.
REGION.
TIME.

DD Statement Basics
Influences on the DD statement.
DDNAMES sources.
User programs.
Utilities.
Reserved DDNAMES.
z/OS.
JES2.
In-stream data sets.
*.
DATA.
DLM.
Spooled data sets (SYSOUT).
DSN.
Permanent data sets.
Temporary data sets.
DISP.

Using Data Sets
Data set organisations (DSORG).
Non-VSAM types.
VSAM types.
Defining a new permanent data set.
LRECL.
RECFM.
BLKSIZE.
SPACE.
UNIT.
VOL.
Defining a new cartridge data set.
EXPDT.
RETPD.
LABEL.
Defining a temporary data set for this step.
Defining a temporary data set for another step.
Referencing a previous temporary data set.

Impact of SMS
DATACLAS.
MGMTCLAS.
STORCLAS.
AVGREC.
LIKE.
REFDD.

JCL Miscellany
RESTART.
RD.
Concatenated data sets.
Deferred data sets.
DUMMY data sets.
DSN=NULLFILE.
Backward references.
OUTPUT statement.