Conceptual Overview

This chapter includes the following topics:

Overview

This conceptual overview describes how certain basic console management concepts are handled during conversion to Control-O. If you are not already familiar with Control-O concepts, it is highly recommended that you review the introduction chapter of the Control-O User Guide.

The Control-O Conversion Tool currently processes input from the following console automation products:

  • CA-OPS

  • CA-AUTOMATE

  • MVS Message Processing facility (MPF)

The Conversion Tool also recognizes the following types of input, and copies the relevant members to specified output datasets and members.

  • NetView AOC

  • Documentation members

  • MVS JCL

  • Native TSO REXX

  • Native TSO CLIST

  • Certain high level languages (for example, C, PL/I)

  • A program in ASM/370 or ASM/390

Future versions of the Control-O Conversion Tool will contain support for additional products and features as required.

Space management members (for example, $$$SPACE for PDSMAN) are ignored by the Control-O Conversion Tool.

The following pages describe how certain console automation issues are handled during conversion to Control-O. Special attention is given to the way in which information from current console automation definitions is converted to Control-O format.

Automation Rule Definition

The rule definition is the basic automation unit in Control-O. Each Control-O rule contains instructions that describe the action to be taken under specific circumstances.

The Control-O Conversion Tool accepts input consisting of various types of automation definitions and scripts of your current automation definitions. Batch utility CTOFANCI (provided with the Control-O Conversion Tool) uses this input to generate Control-O rules that perform similar functions. Control-O rules produced by the utility are stored in partitioned dataset (PDS) members called Rule tables. Control-O rules can be viewed and modified using the Control-O Rule Definition screen (Screen OR).

Rule Conversion

Conversion to Control-O consists of extracting automation information from your currently used product and translating it into Control-O rules that perform similar functions. The automatic step of the conversion process is performed by conversion utility CTOFANCI.

The basic component of automation information used as input for the conversion is the input rule. Each rule describes actions to be performed in a specific circumstance. One or more input rules may exist in a single input library. Input rules defined for multiple automation products can be processed in a single run of the conversion utility.

The main output of the conversion utility consists of Control-O rules and Rule tables. The Control-O rules produced as part of the conversion process are referred to as "output rules" throughout this guide.

Below is a description of the basic components of Control-O rules and how they are automatically generated from information in the input libraries by conversion utility CTOFANCI.

Rule Selection Criteria

Selection criteria of a rule determine the event (or events) that must trigger the actions specified in the rule. In Control-O these criteria are specified in ON statements. ON statements in output rules created by utility CTOFANCI are derived from event definitions in members specified as input for utility CTOFANCI. Input rules (that is, rules from other products) that are activated at a specific time are converted to Control-O EVENT rules (that is, triggered using an ON EVENT statement) with appropriate scheduling and TIME parameters.

Rule Description

Each Control-O rule contains a DESCRIPTION field of one or more lines. The DESCRIPTION field of rules created by utility CTOFANCI contains the following elements:

  • Indicator of the degree to which the rule was converted. The following symbols may be displayed:

Table 1 Symbols for Indicating Degree for Rule Conversion

Symbol

Description

<<<<

This output rule is a complete translation of an input member. The rule must be reviewed to ensure that the result of the automatic rule creation accomplishes the desired action.

<<<-

A substantial amount of translation was performed. However, certain lines of the input script contained elements that were not converted by utility CTOFANCI. These elements must be converted manually.

<<--

Less than half the input member was translated by utility CTOFANCI.

<---

Very basic transformation was performed (for example, only ON statements were automatically generated).

After you manually adjust a rule, you can replace the indicator described above with an indicator that reflects the rule’s new status. The updated indicators can help track the progress of your conversion effort.

  • Identification of the input rule from which the output rule was created. The following information is supplied.

  • Name of the input dataset.

  • Name of the input member.

  • If more than one rule was generated from an input member, a sequence number is specified for the rule.

  • Intended output name (if a duplicate name was generated). For more information about duplicate names, see Output Member Names.

  • Date and time the Control-O rule was created.

  • Line with blank fields to be filled in by the reviewer (for example, to indicate the date and time the rule was reviewed).

Rule Scheduling

Powerful scheduling capabilities are a key feature of INCONTROL and Control-O. Most other console automation products provide time-driven rules. However, they do not allow specification of generalized schedules (calendars) that determine which automation rules must be applied to which dates, days, and calendar functions.

The Control-O Conversion Tool translates time dependent functions to Control-O scheduling parameters. In the manual adjustment phase of the conversion, you can enhance automation definitions using additional scheduling parameters and user-defined calendars, described in the online facilities chapter in the Control-O User Guide.

Rule Actions

Actions performed by Control-O rules are specified using DO statements. Future versions of the Control-O Conversion Tool will recognize action statements of other console automation products and translate them into DO statements in the output rules. In the current version, only message suppression is recognized and automatically translated by the Conversion UtilityConversion Tool.

For more information about the various DO statements, see the rule parameters chapter in the Control-O User Guide.

Rule Owner ID

An owner ID is associated with each Control-O rule. This ID is specified in parameter OWNER of each Control-O rule definition. Parameter OWNER in Control-O rules is set to the value specified for parameter RULEOWNER of utility CTOFANCI.

To specify different owner IDs for rules created by utility CTOFANCI, run the utility more than once. For each run of the utility, specify different input members and different values for parameter RULEOWNER.

Rule Operation Mode

An operation mode is associated with each Control-O rule. This mode is specified in parameter MODE of each Control-O rule definition. The following modes can be specified:

Table 2 Rule Operation Modes

Mode

Description

PROD

Normal operation mode.

LOG

Same as normal operation mode, but descriptive messages are written to a log file.

TEST

Test mode. Operations are not performed, but messages are written to a test log describing what Control-O would have done if the rule was in PROD mode.

Parameter MODE in Control-O rules is set according to the value specified for parameter RULEMODE of utility CTOFANCI.

Rule Comments

Statements of the input member used to create a Control-O rule are included as comments in the output Control-O rule. Optionally, the comment lines in the input member can also be copied to the output rule.

Utility CTOFANCI handles input members stored in a variety of file formats (for example, FB or VB) and record lengths. While inserting lines from an input member as comments in a Control-O rule, the CTOFANCI utility may adjust the lines to fit in the rule. This adjustment may split an input line into one or more comment lines, or truncate strings of identical characters (for example, blank, ‘*’ or ‘-’).

Active and Inactive Rules

Control-O rules created during the conversion process can be organized in a number of different Rule tables (PDS members). Control-O determines which Rule tables must be activated by referencing Rule Table List member RULELIST when Control-O is initialized.

If you do not want to activate the rules contained in a specific table or tables, ensure that these tables are not listed in member RULELIST.

For more information about the Rule Table list, see the INCONTROL for z/OS Administrator Guide.

Automation Rule Interdependencies

Although many automation rules are independent of other rules, the implementation of some rules depend on actions performed using other automation rules. In Control-O, these interdependencies can be defined using the following mechanisms.

Table 3 Mechanisms for Defining Automation Rule Interdependencies

Mechanism

Description

Prerequisite conditions

A condition or conditions set by a rule to enable execution of another rule.

DO RULE statement

When specified in a Control-O rule, this statement can trigger another rule (in which a corresponding ON RULE statement is specified).

DO TSO statements

When specified in a Control-O rule, this statement can invoke a TSO, REXX procedure or CLIST program.