MICS

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  • 1.  MICS RMF/SMF, z/OS V2R3 exploitation support undetermined

    Posted Feb 07, 2020 12:34 PM
    Hello Fellow MICS-Community subscribers and to all MICS client-sites --

    Although z/OS V2R3 was GA in Sep 2018, MICS RMF and SMF components as of yet do not provide exploitation/full support for this now current-release, that being for those existing record types/subtypes (not considering new-function as well)....  Also, it is sounding like MICS exploitation support for z/OS V2R4 (at least RMF and SMF) will be lumped together, unfortunately - possibly leading to further delayed delivery.

    It appears that the MICS user community is expected to canvas/review changes and then provide input to Broadcom / MICS R&D and product management -- in order to make it be known about interest with seeing MICS basic-function support enhanced with new / changed metrics.

    One obvious method would be to open a SUPPORT CASE and/or reply to this POST which would be seen by Broadcom MICS staff.  Another less-interesting method would be to wait for Broadcom to "canvas" clients/users, which may not be all-inclusive with concern to IBM's z/OS delivery and existing-function or new-function change to various SMF record types.

    I would encourage all interested parties to help enlighten Broadcom MICS product management with interest and information requirements, sooner rather than later.


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    Regards,

    Scott Barry
    Principal Consultant
    SBBWorks, Inc.
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  • 2.  RE: MICS RMF/SMF, z/OS V2R3 exploitation support undetermined

    Broadcom Employee
    Posted Jun 05, 2020 11:30 AM
    Hi Scott.  Thanx for your post

    Hello Fellow MICS-Community subscribers and to all MICS client-sites --

    Although z/OS V2R3 was GA in Sep 2018, MICS RMF and SMF components as of yet do not provide exploitation/full support for this now current-release, that being for those existing record types/subtypes (not considering new-function as well)....  Also, it is sounding like MICS exploitation support for z/OS V2R4 (at least RMF and SMF) will be lumped together, unfortunately - possibly leading to further delayed delivery.

    • MICS exploitation maintenance was delivered via PTF(s) for z/OS V2R3 since this OS went GA September 2017
    • SMF and RMF record changes that were documented in the SMF reporting manual for z/OS V2R3 in the initial release communication were in scope of the MICS PTF(s)
    • There were SMF and RMF updates between z/OS V2R3 and z/OS V2R4, MICS released PTFs to support these SMF and RMF changes as indicated per the IBM initial planning publication of z/OS V2R3 documentation
      • IBM documentation does not highlight changes in their documentation other than publishing dates on the front cover with no indications of any changes
      • The MICS development and Product Management teams periodically check reference guides and announcements for any impactful updates with SMF and RMF
      • MICS development released APARs that keep current with SMF and RMF changes impacting MICS
    •  The MICS development and Product Management teams continuously monitor and review IBM APARs between z/OS releases
      • The MICS team is actively working on releasing additional PTFs for past z/OS V2R3 changes that will roll into z/OS V2R4
    •  Some of the above activity was not documented in MICS KB or UPGRAD documentation
      •  As part of continuous improvement MICS Development the MICS team will
        • Document the z/OS release number where applicable
        • Document the related APAR number
        • Update and provide the following links below

    MICS Release level enhancements and product notes:

    https://techdocs.broadcom.com/content/broadcom/techdocs/us/en/ca-mainframe-software/traditional-management/ca-mics-resource-management/14-2/release-notes/complete-list-of-enhancements-in-this-version.html

    https://techdocs.broadcom.com/content/broadcom/techdocs/us/en/ca-mainframe-software/traditional-management/ca-mics-resource-management/14-3/release-notes/product-changes-ptfs/complete-list-of-enhancements-in-this-version1.html

    https://techdocs.broadcom.com/content/broadcom/techdocs/us/en/ca-mainframe-software/traditional-management/ca-mics-resource-management/14-2/release-notes/product-changes-ptfs/hardware-and-scp-analyzer-rmf-ptfs.html

    https://techdocs.broadcom.com/content/broadcom/techdocs/us/en/ca-mainframe-software/traditional-management/ca-mics-resource-management/14-2/release-notes/product-changes-ptfs/batch-and-operations-analyzer-smf-ptfs.html

     

    It appears that the MICS user community is expected to canvas/review changes and then provide input to Broadcom / MICS R&D and product management -- in order to make it be known about interest with seeing MICS basic-function support enhanced with new / changed metrics.

    • MICS Product management, development features and road map are driven by our customers.  Development's focus is maintaining technical currency, reducing technical debt and researching new function and feature opportunities.  Aside from ensuring we provide Day-One support for new IBM hardware and software technology, soliciting feedback from our customers is a key factor with determining our product road map, priority of our backlog and ranking with our PI  development planning that includes Sprints, Story and Features for publishing PTFs and major release. 

    One obvious method would be to open a SUPPORT CASE and/or reply to this POST which would be seen by Broadcom MICS staff.  Another less-interesting method would be to wait for Broadcom to "canvas" clients/users, which may not be all-inclusive with concern to IBM's z/OS delivery and existing-function or new-function change to various SMF record types.

    • We have recently issued a MICS Product survey to all of our MICS customers the top requested features derived from previous customer requests and recent updates from IBM and communicate back to our customer base as we continue vetting our MICS R14.3 commitments scheduled for GA Q2 2021. 
    • In addition, we aggressively increased the number of customer meetings the last 18 months to solicit direct and transparent feedback from as many customers as possible with our development plans, including any other suggestions and opportunities for consideration.
    • Just as the current process is today, If customers have a suggestion for a change (other than contacting MICS Product Management directly) outside of our development plan, they should continue to open a Case as any item will be investigated and if warranted, created as a feature entry into our MICS backlog.





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    Product Leader
    Broadcom
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