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| MQ support on windows vs Z/OS |
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| Al Pacino |
 Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:52 am Post subject: MQ support on windows vs Z/OS |
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Centurion
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
Posts: 114
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Hello folks ,
This is just a general question and I'd appreciate any advice. I have about 5 years of experience as MQ admin for Windows and Unix platforms environments. I am being to ask to take another position of providing MQ administrations on Z/OS . I dont' have any experience working on Z/OS . I was wondering how hard/different will it be for someone coming from Windows/Unix environment to provide the support for MQ on Z/OS environment. The support will include installation , upgrades , troubleshooting .. etc. If not that easy , How hard will it be to pick up that?
thanks
Al
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| Vitor |
| Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:12 am Post subject: Re: MQ support on windows vs Z/OS |
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Grand High Poobah
Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 26093
Location: Texas, USA
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| Al Pacino wrote: |
I am being to ask to take another position of providing MQ administrations on Z/OS . I dont' have any experience working on Z/OS . I was wondering how hard/different will it be for someone coming from Windows/Unix environment to provide the support for MQ on Z/OS environment. The support will include installation , upgrades , troubleshooting .. etc. If not that easy , How hard will it be to pick up that?
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I've no wish to be negative, but there are 3 basic kinds of WMQ - z/OS, AS/400 & the distributed platforms. The implementation on z/OS is significantly different on z/OS; the clearest example I can think of is the storage of WMQ objects. On z/OS the contents of /var/mqm are widely spread across the disc farm, you'll have the new concepts of storage classes, page sets & buffer pools to contend with, and all of this in an unfamiliar environment. You say you've no expereince of working with z/OS; can I infer from that you've no experience with JCL, TSO or ISPF? IMHO that's going to be a more serious issue than WMQ; figuring out how everything works without a command prompt and no home directory!
Naturally all this will come to you in time. What I'm trying to get at is it's a significantly different environment; personally I like z/OS better than Unix but they're chalk & cheese architecually.
On the plus side, once you've got the mechanics sorted out (and got over the loss of runmqsc) WMQ is basically the same. A queue's a queue, a channel's a channel and CICS coders claim WMQ's lost their message just like everyone else.
Hope this helps. 
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| PeterPotkay |
| Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 11:25 am Post subject: |
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Poobah
Joined: 15 May 2001
Posts: 7722
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How successful you would be would also depend on how technically good and willing the z/OS guys are going to be at the new place. Its very rare for one guy to be responsible for or have the access to everything that needs to be done to install MQ on a z/OS system.
Once its installed though, if you are very good with MQ on distributed, if you understand how and why MQ does what it does, it won't be impossible for you to pick on the few new concepts that are z/os specific. Using MO71 you can admin 95% of the time thru one common GUI for day to day stuff. But rest assured you will have to navigate TSO panels when things go wrong. Having said that, properly set up things rarely go wrong! Certainly less than on distributed.
Once its time to upgrade you will again have to rely on the other z/OS guys.
Having a LAB environment where you can take things up and down all day long, purposely break stuff and fix it, will be a huge plus in the job offer.
You always get top notch immediate support when you open a PMR for a z/OS MQ problem. Not always the case for distributed PMRs.
Personally, I think its a wise career move to be savvy in anything z/OS related. There's more people learning UNIX and Windows than z/OS. And z/OS ain't going away. But old timers than know z/OS are every day. 
Becoming more of a z/OS MQ expert is on my agenda this year. If only work would stop getting in the way.....luckily I have an MQ z/OS guru on my team to teach me.
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Peter Potkay
Keep Calm and MQ On |
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| Al Pacino |
| Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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Centurion
Joined: 19 Aug 2005
Posts: 114
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Thanks guys , great info
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| bruce2359 |
| Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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Poobah
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 9469
Location: US: west coast, almost. Otherwise, enroute.
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Mainframes are different - no doubt about it. The skills required to work with mainframes are different from Windows and UNIX.
80% or more of WMQ administration is platform-neutral; 20% is platform-specific.
If you have no mainframe skills (JCL, TSO, etc.), AND your organization is offering you an opportunity to acquire these skills, take it. Take some classes from IBM.
Good classes to start your adventure:
ES155 z/OS Facilities. This is an introduction to mainframe concepts.
ES10A Fundamental Skills in z/OS. This is the first hands-on lab class. In it, you will learn JCL, TSO, ISPF utilities, etc.
. JCL (Job Control Language) is the mainframe batch scritpting language.
. TSO (Time Sharing Option) is similar to Windows and UNIX command prompt interaction.
. ISPF (Interactive System Productivity Facility is the mainframe menu-driven, interactive environment. ISPF provides data management, editing, job-submitting, output viewing, and so on.
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| csmith28 |
| Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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Grand Master
Joined: 15 Jul 2003
Posts: 1196
Location: Arizona
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I agree with all of the above. On many occasions in my career administering WMQ on Distributed Platforms I have been called upon to help troubleshoot issues WMQ on z/OS, AS/400 and even Tandem having no access and only limited exposure to z/OS and zero exposure to the Tandem platform but with the help of an Adept Administrator on those platforms, being equiped with a solid understanding of how WMQSeries works we always seemed to be able to muddle our way through.
Or fake it.
PS: the least intuitive of them for me was,... z/OS.
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| Toronto_MQ |
| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Master
Joined: 10 Jul 2002
Posts: 263
Location: read my name
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My biggest challenge moving from distributed to z/OS was trying to get my head around SMP/E.
Not to mention if you're using shared queues, the required knowledge of DB2, which I until then had been fortunate enough to avoid.
I think it's a good move to make, and there certainly is a lot to learn.
Good luck!
Steve |
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| rtsujimoto |
| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:25 am Post subject: |
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Joined: 16 Jun 2004
Posts: 119
Location: Lake Success, NY
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| I often wondered whether it's easier for someone to come from the distributed world to the MF world, or the other way around. I took the latter route and, IMHO, I think it's easier. But, that aside, I just wanted to point out a couple things you'll (probably) have to learn which might not have been mentioed by other. First, MQ on the MF usually means that it's going to be used in conjunction with some sort of transactional system, such as CICS or IMS. A working knowledge of the subsystem will be needed. Second, part of the configuration process involves specifying parameters on assembler macros and assembling and linking them. Third, it may be necessary to assemble and linkedit sample code, support packs and/or exits. Working knowledge of building these sort of resources will be needed (and knowing some assembler wouldn't hurt). Last, a good understanding of MVS (e.g. APF, subsystems, storage systems, etc.) will be needed. It's a lot to learn, but that's part of the fun. |
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| Bill.Matthews |
| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 10:56 am Post subject: |
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Master
Joined: 23 Sep 2003
Posts: 232
Location: IBM (Retired)
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Add to the above advice - you need to have an understanding of the security product (RACF, ACF 2, Top Secret, etc) used on the MF. Security is stressed in this environment.
In a similar vein, on the iSeries (OS/400) - security is there from the start.
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| bruce2359 |
| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:18 am Post subject: |
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Poobah
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
Posts: 9469
Location: US: west coast, almost. Otherwise, enroute.
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"The longest journey begins with the first step."
- Confucious, or someone.
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