In this post, I will give you six reasons why now is the time to start using Realtime Dataset Metrics (RDM). This modern Zowe-based web user interface (UI) enhances user experience by providing a streamlined way to manage and visualize mainframe tasks.
Here is the list of points that set the RDM apart from other OMEGAMON Storage UI’s:
- Support for Zowe 2.18+ & 3.0+
- Simplified enablement
- Comprehensive access to all available data
- Extensive data filtering capabilities
- Reduced CPU usage
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Continuous Improvements
Support for Zowe 2.18+ & 3.0+
Currently, RDM works on versions 2 and 3 of the Zowe Application Framework – Zowe Desktop. When integrated with RDM, Zowe Desktop offers IBM Z Mainframe Storage specialists a fast and efficient solution for managing and visualizing mainframe storage.
Simplified enablement
In this release (IBM Z® OMEGAMON® AI for Storage 6.1*), to enable the RDM, you only need to define the value for the KS3_RDM_PORT parameter in either Configuration Manager or PARMGEN. This will specify the HTTP port on which the RDM-related server should start.
As mentioned before, Zowe is a prerequisite for RDM. Recently, there have been some improvements in Zowe’s installation processes and documentation. Here is a starting point for installation - Zowe z/OS components installation checklist.
After Zowe is installed and configured, RDM installation requires running the following command:
zwe components install -c /path/to/zowe.yaml -o #rte_home/RDM/rdm_plugins/dadb
Comprehensive access to all available data
- RDM Has the capability to retrieve and process all the data within the tables, allowing advanced filtering, sorting, and summarizing.
- The 'ALL Dataset View' consolidates datasets from the DASD farm, Tapes (DFSMSrmm or CA1), and HSM (Migrated and backed up) into a single table, enabling users to customize it to their specific needs by creating personalized column sets, ensuring only the most relevant attributes are displayed.
New DASD Volumes views
You can access all DASD statistics in the DASD Volumes view, where both space and performance metrics are available. It is possible to tailor the view to your preferences by selecting the appropriate 'Column Set' or creating a custom set of attributes.
Extensive data filtering capabilities
RDM offers a range of filtering options to enhance data management. Starting with basic filtering, you can choose comparison operators and validate input values before applying them to specific attributes. Additionally, RDM supports the creation of filters with multiple values, providing greater flexibility. To further improve usability and maintainability, users can also leverage previously saved filters, making it easier to manage larger, more complex filter sets.
Versatile but compact summaries
The 'ALL Dataset View' allows you to summarize data simply by opening a summary dialog. It is capable of processing already filtered data, this way summarizing only the needed part of the data.
The view allows us to summarize HLQ data from various sources: DASD, Tapes (CA1 and DFSMSrmm), and DFSMShsm (Migrated and backed up).
It provides dataset information from a Catalog perspective. Here are a few examples of how this new view improved the visualization of data:
Example 1: A VSAM dataset with DATA and INDEX components, which would typically appear separately from the VTOC view, is now displayed as a cluster name with combined statistics from both components.
Example 2: When managing multiple GDG datasets, you can now view storage usage for the entire GDG Base, with summarized statistics. Users can also drill down to see individual datasets linked to the cluster.
Reduced CPU usage
- CPU usage for the RDM “All Datasets” feature has been lowered, with some tasks offloaded to zIIP.
- The Dataset Attribute Incremental Collection for “DASD dataset Views” is also partially offloaded to zIIP.
- The amount of data transferred between the RDM plugin in Zowe and IBM Z OMEGAMON AI for Storage 6.1* in the TEMS has been reduced, minimizing network activity and CPU usage.
Continuous Improvements
In the near future we plan to add the new View By "Catalogs", where you will be able to see the Catalog's Dataset Attributes.
*Note. It is always recommended to install the most recent version. At the moment of releasing this post, it is IBM Z® OMEGAMON® AI for Storage 6.1 PTF UJ96869
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