Authored by : Chris Walker
We're delighted to announce new updates to Instana's support on z/OS to enable more transaction tracing coverage through detailed Db2 on z/OS flows and expanded coverage into CICS via CICS Transaction Gateway on z/OS. This is also complemented by expanded OMEGAMON integration with Instana to provide key operational metrics from z/OS subsystems into a single view and builds upon continual updates over the past year that includes inbound tracing via MQ on z/OS.
Inbound tracing to Db2 on z/OS via JDBC
Our support for Instana on z/OS is focused on expanding application visibility into IBM zsystems, increasing the scope for mobile-to-mainframe observability and eliminating blind spots in transaction tracing which impacts problem detection time. A common deployment pattern many customers have for hybrid cloud applications is direct calls into Db2 on z/OS via JDBC from front-end business apps deployed in the cloud or other distributed hardware. Many of these customers are making use of existing SQL and stored procedures within Db2 to manage data read and write updates to their system of record. It is critical for application delays to be detected and isolated quickly, and these latest updates allow an application owner to see the trace into Db2 on z/OS including details on the request and potential reasons for the delay enabling faster decision-making and engagement of the right subject matter experts.
The updated tracing capabilities capture these flows giving the ability to understand the time spent within Db2 on z/OS, identifying where there may be connection or timeout issues, or whether there are lock waiting issues, including deadlock. By having this visibility, initial triage of application performance issues can be detected and isolated faster, reducing the length of impact on users.
Inbound tracing to CICS via CICS Transaction Gateway on z/OS
Support already exists within Instana for tracing inbound flows to CICS through z/OS Connect EE, MQ on z/OS and HTTP/SOAP requests. This is now complemented by the ability to trace application flows via CICS Transaction Gateway on z/OS using the IPIC protocol. This opens up the opportunity to trace more applications on z/OS giving the opportunity for end-to-end views right through CICS to DB2 and VSAM databases.
Integration of infrastructure metrics direct from OMEGAMON
Application tracing within Instana has been complemented by the ability to also directly view infrastructure metrics about the z/OS environment and key subsystems via integration of data collected by OMEGAMON. Access to this information provides additional context when investigating application delays or problems, enabling multiple teams/users to consume information from the same source, and ensuring consistency across operation teams. New dashboards have been delivered in Instana to show information from MQ and JVM agents to build upon existing support for z/OS, CICS and Db2 agents. You can learn more about the integration of Instana with OMEGAMON in this blog article.
If you are not already using Instana to observe z/Os environment, sign up for a free 14-day trial today