Rocket Mainframe DevOps

The ChangeMan ZMF 8.2 Patch 3 & Patch 4 Readme files included the following type of information in the Installation section of the documents: "Format of Distributed Libraries Planned for ChangeMan ZMF Version 9 Currently all distributed libraries are shipped in PDS format. This is still true in 8.2 Patch 4. However, in order to support modern language features and executable module formats, from Version 9 all distributed libraries will be shipped in PDSE format. We are including this information in this document to provide customers with the maximum time to plan for any changes they may need to make to cater for this forthcoming change." After the changes to the forthcoming ChangeMan ZMF releases that are documented here we can confirm that this change to the format of the distributed libraries will now be included in the ChangeMan ZMF Version 8.3 release. Customers should plan accordingly for this change.#ChangeManZMF#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs

Ever wondered what's next for ChangeMan ZMF 8.2? Or when to expect ZMF 8.3 to GA? If so, take a look at Product Manager Jimmy O'Rourke's latest update here.#ChangeManZMF#Announcement#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#roadmap

ZMF Explorer V2.0.1 is now available on VSCode Marketplace. This version enhances the Package Component Build process and now provides the submitted batch job number allowing users to track the jobs status. In addition, if you have z/OSMF configured in your environment and have a Z/OSMF profile defined on the LPAR in the zowe.config.user then you can include that profile name within each ZMF profile as shown in this example:  "u820all": {    "properties": {    "basePath": "/zmfrest",    "port": 9992,     "protocol": "https",     "zosmfProfile": "zosmf"     },     "type": "zmf"}, If you are unsure as to the z/OSMF status in your environment , contact your Systems Programmer. If  you are using a Team's supplied zowe.config.user file supplied by your administrator and have them republish a new zowe.config.user file.  If you are already using Zowe cli or Zowe Explorer then most likely y

Version 2.0.2 of ChangeMan ZMF plugin for zowe cli is now available on the Micro Focus Marketplace.  This version has added the REST api to retrieve Event log entries. For command syntax, please refer to zowe --hw to generate the web help.  #Mainframe#CLI#ChangeManZMF#zowe#z/OS#Announcement#plugin

Please read the UPDATES at the end of this post. Last summer, I had socialized the idea with many of our customers, to slow down the patch update release cadence for 8.2. Although it was appreciated customers had the opportunity to take new changes every 6 months, the release cycle often felt like a foot race. As soon as you were done with an upgrade, you immediately had to plan for the next upgrade to take place. To help alleviate the burden of having to upgrade every 6 months, we developed patches to only include executable components and to deliver customizable components as part of a release rather than include them as part of the 8.2 patch update releases. We also began to deliver patches within a 9-12 month window to give customers more time to plan an upgrade and to slow down the urgency having to upgrade. Since we introduced this new patch update cadence, we have been hearing from many customers with positive feedback. Oddly enough, rather than see a dip in customer upgrades, w

Need information regarding ChangeMan ZMF (or ChangeMan SSM, Comparex, StarTool FDM, and StarTool IOO) compatibility with the host machine hardware on which it runs? This can be found in KM000006539.#hardware#ChangeManZMF#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#compatibility

Ever wondered on how frequently we plan to GA new releases of ChangeMan ZMF? Or when and where the defect you reported will be resolved? If so, please review KB article S142697 to gain some insight.#ChangeManZMF#fix#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#HotFix#ReleaseCadence

Hi, good morning. We would need certain users (developers) to be able to DEMOTE a package from a second promotion level even though they were not authorized to PROMOTE it to that environment. The point is that in ChangeMan ZMF it is a single RACF entity that manages both functions/actions (PROMOTE/DEMOTE). And while for the PROMOTE it is necessary for the QA team to pass certain controls and checks before executing the PROMOTE, if the tests in that environment by the developer teams determine that some component of that package must be modified again (which is audited and frozen) it would be necessary not to have to ask again, or depend on, the QA team to do the DEMOTE. That would be the objective, not to depend on the QA team, which is the one who does the PROMOTE to that environment, in order to DEMOTE it. Has anyone come across this scenario? Have you been able to give it any alternative, any solution? Thank you very much. Best regards.#ChangeManZMF

So far the ZMF explorer v2.0.0 has been working, but today (I think for the first time since I installed it) I tried to display the build listing for a component and got this message: Error cannot open file:///c%3A/users/carstenm/ChangeMan/tempzmf/ChangeMan/PTCH001377/COBMAIN/COBMAIN.txt. Detail: File seems to be binary and cannot be opened as text undefined#ChangeManZMF

I'm using Zowe CLI to create a ChangeMan package.  The package creator phone number is a string (U1 panel equivalent), but the contact and alt contact phone numbers (U7 panel equivalent) are numbers, so I can't use any separators. #ChangeManZMF

Fixed a type definition for package create phone number fields from 'number' to 'string'. Change tempChangeDuration from 'string' to 'number'.   #Announcement#z/OS#ChangeManZMF#zowe#CLI

This new release of the Changeman ZMF plugin for zowe cli is now available for download from the Micro Focus Community page ChangeMan ZMF plugin for zowe cli V2.0.0. Note that this zowe 2 cli must first be installed before installing this plugin.  zowe 1 'old style' profiles are no longer supported with this new ZMF cli plugin.  You must create a zowe 2 'Teams profile' before attempting to use any zowe 2 functionality.#CLI#ChangeManZMF#ZMF#zowe

Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF V2.0 is now available. This version requiries zowe 2 format profile to exist in the zowe.config.json file as outlined in previous posts.  Generating the initial zowe.config.schema and the skeleton zowe.config.json is normally done using zowe cli commands.  If you are not a zowe cli user and have not been provided with a zowe.config,.json or the zowe.schema.json for your specific environment, here is a zowe.schema.json supplied as a zip file that you can unzip and drop into the same folder as your zowe.config.json file. Do not modify the zowe.schema.json file. .community.microfocus.com/.../zowe.schema.zip #ZMF#ChangeManZMF#z/OS#zowe

In ZMF 8.1.1 until 8.1.4, the CMN$$STP skeleton was imbedded in skeletons CMN21 and CMN49. OCTCR46A20804 changed this and as of ZMF 8.2.0 removed the CMN$$STP skeleton from skeletons CMN21 and CMN49, and imbedded CMN$$STP in skeletons CMN20, CMN20I, CMN50 and CMN50I.The 8.2 Patch 6 'ZMF DB2 Getting Started Guide', on page 141, still show skeleton CMN$$STP as being imbedded in skeletons CMN21 and CMN49. Full article: https://portal.microfocus.com/s/article/KM000006369#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF

Are your audit jobs running longer than expected? Perhaps this is a new application or you have added a new baseline library containing load modules or program objects to an application? If so, have you run the CMNFIXMN utility against the appropriate libraries? Failure to do so may result in functions that use SETSSI data, such as audit, continually regenerating the same information on every execution. Full details on the CMNFIXMN can be found in the ZMF Customization Guide. The 8.2 Patch 6 version of this manual is currently located here.#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#audit#ChangeManZMF#CMNFIXMN#Performance

We have installed Rocket Python 3.7 and ZOAUtils 1.1.1Im getting an error when trying to import the utilities into Python. The core modules in ZOAUtils seem to expect Enterprise Python 3.8 / 3.9 though documentation mentions Rocket Python 3.6. Do we need particular versions of Python ZOAUtils  to get this working ? -------- $ python Python 3.7.0 (tags/python-3.7.0-28-dirty:ea20976056, Dec 22 2020, 01:20:53) [C] on zos >>> from zoautil_py import datasets CEE3501S The module libpython3.8.so was not found.          From compile unit RS12:/u/tsport/abs/BUILD/packages/python/work/Python/dynload_shlib.c at entry point_PyImport_FindSharedFuncptr at statement 132 at compile unit offset +00000000322C7AF0 at entry offset +00000000000000E8 at address          00000000322C7AF0. LEAID201I - LEAID64 ENTERED (LEVEL 12/05/2016 12.37 PTF-PT00159). LEAID207I - LEAID64 RETURN FROM ABEND-AID, RC=0. [1] + Done(137) python   84041375      Killed  /usr/local/rocket/bin/python------------------------

As we announced at last week's webinar,  for users who are familiar with the zowe cli, Micro Focus have now released the ChangeMan ZMF Plug-in for Zowe CLI.This plugin can be  found on the Micro Focus Marketplace, where you will find a description of the plug-in..ChangeMan ZMF Plug-in for Zowe CLI | AMC Marketplace (microfocus.com)Note,, for all questions relating to the ChangeMan ZMF Plug-in for Zowe CLI, please use this ChangeMan ZMF Community Discussion  page. As new updates become available, they will be posted in this discussion forum.#ChangeManZMF

This new release is now available for download in the Micro Focus Marketplace -  Dashboard | AMC Marketplace (microfocus.com)  A minor change was made to resolve an issue with the license file not being displayed correctly. This release also contains some restructuring of the code to prepare for a number of  breaking changes that are being introduced in the upcoming release of zowe V2 in early 2022. For more information on the upcoming Zowe V2, please refer to the information posted  here - Zowe#z/OS#zowe#CLI#ChangeManZMF

As we announced at last week's webinar,  for users who are familiar with  Microsoft VSCode,  Micro Focus have now released the Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF. The Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF, is a VSCode extension and can be located in the Micro Focus Marketplace, where you will find a description of the Explorer.Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF | AMC Marketplace (microfocus.com)Note,, for all questions relating to the Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF, please use this ChangeMan ZMF Community Discussion  page. As new updates become available, they will be posted in this discussion forum.#ChangeManZMF

An update to the ChangeMan ZMF Plug-in for Zowe CLI has now been published . Version 1.0.1 addresses a problem found during internal testing when running the plug-in  in a Linux environment.#ChangeManZMF

The Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF has moved to to the VSCode Marketplace. This has a number of advantages, not least of which all new versions of the extension can be automatically installed as they become available. To find the extension in the VSCode Marketplace, open the Extensions link within VSCode and search on "ZMF". Then click the link to install the extension.   #ChangeManZMF

A new release of the ChangeMan ZMF plug-in for Zowe CLI is now available. Included in this new release:  Added support for a persistent session to be established. This is achieved by issuing:  zowe zmf session zl command. This will return a 200 if successful and a token generated.  followed by some number of intervening commands. Token usage is transparent. finally terminate the session with a zowe zmf session zf command.      A persistent session reduces the time taken to perform the logon, invoke command, logoff sequence that occurs for every command issued. Creating a persistent session might be of value when you run a number of ZMF cli commands in sequence in a short running script e.g. within Python etc.&nbsp

An update to the Explorer for ChangeMan ZMF V1.0.1 has now been released and is available on the Micro Focus Marketplace..  This version now r supports File Icon Themes that may be enabled within VSCode.  ZMF Explorer makes use of 2 icons - the 'Folder' icon and a 'File' icon. However the default VSCode File Icon theme "Seti' does not provide an icon for a Folder, so no folder icon will be displayed if using the 'Seti' File Icon Theme. You can check which File Icon theme is in use by clicking 'View' 'Command Palette' and searching on 'File Icon'. Switching for example to the 'Minimal' icon th

Ever wondered what your current ZMF Server started task parms actually do or what other parms are available? Or exactly which MVS modify commands can be issued against an active ZMF Server started task? All of this is answered in Appendices within the ChangeMan ZMF Installation Guide. The 8.2 Patch 6 version of this manual can currently be found here.#ServerParameters#ModifyCommands#ChangeManZMF#InstallationGuide#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs

In the SERALREP process, the LICRPT1 step that executes SERLICRP ended with RC=08 and these messages: Job Step Parameter. : ALL Named Token service failed Reporting terminated due to error The ZMF task displayed these related messages: SER9776I Invoking SERALREP for activity log monthly reporting SER9772E Start of SERALREP failed - check SYSLOG And in SERPRINT: 00009000 SER0840I Midnight crossover; Applications notified; It is now WED 31FF8000 SER9776I Invoking SERALREP for activity log monthly reporting 31FF8000 SER9772E Start of SERALREP failed - check SYSLOG Full article: https://portal.microfocus.com/s/article/KM000008036#ChangeManZMF#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs