HCL Workload Automation for Z Small Programming Enhancements released in December 2020

The following features were provided with HCL Workload Automation for Z small programming enhancements (SPEs) released for Version 9.5, in December 2020 (APAR HC00002).

Deploying Docker containers on IBM z/OS Container Extensions (IBM zCX)
You can import and deploy HCL Workload Automation for Z containers on IBM z/OS Container Extensions (IBM zCX).

For details about how to configure the required properties on the z/OS Management Facility and how to import and deploy the HCL Workload Automation for Z containers, see Deploying Docker containers on IBM zCX.

Entitlement to Db2 V11.5
With APAR HC00002, you are entitled to use Db2 V11.5 Standard Edition.
Setting the user field named SUBJOBUSER to cause a job or started task to be submitted with a specific user ID

With APAR HC00003 you have an additional method to determine the authority given to a job or started task. By setting the user field named SUBJOBUSER you can decide that a job or started task be submitted by a specified user ID. For detailed information, see Normal production jobs.

Deploying with Docker on Linux on Z and IBM z/OS Containers Extensions (zCX)
The deployment of HCL Workload Automation is easier and faster with Docker containers.

Applications on mainframe systems are at the core of most systems but rewriting and refactoring them for a different platform is expensive and time-consuming. The combination of standardization of your workload scheduling environment with the performance and resiliency of mainframe systems allows you to safely run the most critical applications at a very large scale.

Docker is a state-of-the-art technology which creates, deploys, and runs applications by using containers. Packages are provided containing an application with all of the components it requires, such as libraries, specific configurations, and other dependencies, and deploy it in no time on any Linux on Z workstation, regardless of any different settings between the source and the target workstation.

Docker adoption ensures and provides an easy method to replicate environments quickly in development, build, test, and production environments, speeding up the time it takes to get from build to production significantly. Install your environment using Docker to improve scalability, portability, and efficiency.

With just a few, simple commands you can install one or more of the out-of-the-box packages provided. The provided packages are as follows:
  • HCL Workload Automation Server
  • HCL Workload Automation Console
  • HCL Workload Automation Agent, both dynamic and z-centric.

Requires Docker to be installed on your local workstation.

For detailed information about the deployment with containers on Linux on Z, see Deploying with containers.

Listing the critical successors of an operation (RFE 115332)
You can learn if an operation in the current plan might have an impact on other operations defined as a critical path target (flagged as CRITICAL=P) by using the LIST CRITSUCS request that is available through:

Find how easy is to use this feature through the REST APIs and Dynamic Workload Console in the video Listing Critical Successor Jobs available on the https://www.youtube.com/user/workloadautomation2.

Setting how HCL Workload Automation for Z uses the IA date and time of an operation (RFE 55445)
You can decide how HCL Workload Automation for Z uses the operation IA date and time to determine the predecessors, by setting JTOPTS OPIADEP as follows:
YES
Operation IA is used to determine the matching predecessor (default).
TIME
If the operation is time-dependent, the operation IA is not used to determine the matching predecessor; the occurrence IA is used instead.
NO
Operation IA is not used to determine the matching predecessor.

The MODIFY commands DOPIADEP and SOPIADEP are also available to respectively display and set the value for JTOPTS OPIADEP. For details, see Modifying the scheduler.

Creating the EQQADMIN class to associate a RACF® user ID (RFE 138916)
You can use the resource class EQQADMIN to:
  • Associate a RACF user ID to the Dynamic Workload Console user ID with which you connect to the Z connector.
  • Automatically obtain a RACF user ID based on the Dynamic Workload Console user ID with which you connect to the Z connector.

For detailed information, see Creating the EQQADMIN class to associate a RACF user ID. The video Single sign-on by RACF integration is also available on the https://www.youtube.com/user/workloadautomation2.

Keep current job submit status after controller recycle (RFE 105074)
You can have HCL Workload Automation for Z use the latest values that were set for job submission by setting the SAVEJSUB parameter of the JTOPTS statement.
EQQEVDS data set not shared between tasks (RFE 137868)
To prevent that the same data set is configured as the event data set on different subsystems, (in this case the second subsystem would not start), the following message is issued on MLOG and SYSLOG:
EQQZ076E THE EVENT DATA SET IS ALREADY IN USE. IT CANNOT BE SHARED.
Setting up EQQJOBS installation aid
To be able to run EQQJOBS, you can now use the following alternative method:
  • From the SEQQCLIB library, invoke the EQQ#JOBS CLIST (where the symbol # depends from the code page you are using, this is related to code page 1047) by issuing the EXEC command.
In this way, the required libraries are automatically allocated, and EQQJOBS is automatically invoked.

Sending an email when the alert conditions HIGHRISK and POTENTRISK occur
In addition to the existing alert conditions, you can now set that an email is sent when the following conditions occur:
HIGHRISK:
The risk level of a critical operation in CP has become High.
POTENTRISK:
The risk level of a critical operation in CP has become Potential.
For more details, see the MAIL parameter of the ALERTS statement.
Supporting authentication through Zowe JWT token
The JWT secret that signs the JWT token is a private key that is generated during Zowe keystore configuration. Support for authenticating through JWT is now provided. For detailed information, see Supporting authentication through Zowe JWT token.
Enabling jobs submission on z-centric and dynamic agents
For jobs that you submit on z-centric and dynamic agents, use the license computation model to keep track of your license usage and maintain compliance. For more information, see License computation model.

To configure the Z controller to enable you to schedule jobs on those agents, see Enabling jobs submission on z-centric and dynamic agents.

With the Dynamic Workload Console V9.5, Fix Pack 3 the following enhancements have been implemented.
Optimized file transfer operations
With the enhanced version of the File Transfer integration, you are granted a consolidated and coordinated approach to scheduling and automating transfer of files. The highlights of the enhanced integration are as follows:
  • Integrated dashboard for monitoring file transfer operations
  • Completion time estimate
  • Parallel file transfer
  • Rerun from point of failure
  • Selective re-transfer
  • Improved multiple selection
  • File transfer status and details on files transferred
  • Post-processing of transferred files: delete, rename, move
  • File transfer to and from Z systems

For a detailed description about creating a file transfer job, see Automation Hub. The video Discover the new file transfer integration is also available on the https://www.youtube.com/user/workloadautomation2.

Filtering jobs according to their task type
From the General filter for z/OS jobs window you can browse the jobs according to their task type, which is the identifier specified as the TASKTYPE in the job JCL. You can specify more than one value, separated by commas. This filter is valid if you are connected to a controller v9.5.0.3.
Automatic SSL configuration
You can now configure your environment in SSL mode at installation time, by providing the path to the certificates and the password you want to define for the keystore and truststore in the sslkeysfolder and sslpassword parameters respectively. HCL Workload Automation for Z automatically generates the keystore and truststore with the specified password and configures your environment in SSL mode. For details about these parameters, see Dynamic Workload Console installation - dwcinst script.