Rocket Mainframe DevOps

In order to optimize Db2 performance for both, ChangeMan ZMF customers running the Db2 or ERO options should schedule regular RUNSTATS and re-binds of their ZMF Db2 tablespaces and packages, respectively. This is especially important when the Db2 tables are initially loaded with data or when, for example, the data is moved to a new location. As mentioned in the ZMF ERO Getting Started Guide, which is available here, failure to ensure that the defined Db2 indexes are actually being used could lead to unacceptable performance in this functionality.#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF#DB2

In StarTool FDM 7.8.3 for a dataset that is a load library, from the Primary Option menu selecting ‘3’ (Utilities), then ‘1’ (Library), then typing ‘copy’ next to the first member displayed in the MEMBER list results in the error:  ISPP169 Panel 'PDSMLCP' error Invalid IF logical expression (not a dialog or control variable or VER statement construct). Note:  Problem does not occur with a non-load library. Full article: https://portal.microfocus.com/s/article/KM000009482#StarTool#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#Comparex

I have been asked a couple of times as to where to find files that are created by the ZMF Explorer.  This is a standard VSCode extension and as such all files are under VSCode control and located in VSCode managed folders. A key file is settings.json - this is edited directing with VSCode when you go into Settings - Extension - then select the extension in question and is shared by all installed extensions.   However, if you need to find the file for some other reason, it can be found in your <homedir>. On Windows this would be  <homedir>/AppData/Roaming/Code/user/settings.json If you experience a problem when running the ZMF Explorer, you may be asked to turn DEBUG logging on. This is done again via Settings- Extension- ZMF Explorer and scroll down to the logging option.  Logging should generally be left on the default of INFO when not specifically asked to turn on debug due to the amount of debug data logged.    The first thing to do is

Status: DeliveredWe are receiving 'SER1005E CMN Invalid TCP/IP protocol header received:' and 'SER8104E CMN Unidentifiable message received, header is' errors in our Changeman started task due to port scans. However, after discussed with Micro Focus we learned that these messages will not cause any problems and those are working as designed. Since, these messages are not causing any problems, is it possible for an enhancement to represent these messages as ‘Warning’ instead of ‘Error’?#Notification

ZMF Explorer V2.0.2 is now available on the VSCode Marketplace. Following on from ZMF Explorer V2.0.1, this version adds further support for tracking batch jobs arising from Recompile from Baseline requests. See the details supplied in the ZMF 2.0.1 announcement regarding the need for z/OSMF to be configured on the LPAR where ChangeMan ZMF is running and a z/OSMF profile has been configured in the zowe.config.user file.   (3) ZMF Explorer V2.0.1 is now available - ChangeMan ZMF Tips & Information - ChangeMan ZMF (microfocus.com) In addition, this release also provides  the ability to create  a profile by right clicking on the "Packages" indent in the tree structure.  - 2 types of Package are catered for:         - Simple ALL site Package         - Simple D / DP site Package To make use of this feature, you can set default parameters in settings.json by clicking on the ZMF Extension in VSCode  and editing the

Is any one running ChangeMan ZMF v8r2p02 on zOS 2.5? We are working to upgrade to ZMF v8r2p06 but they want to upgrade the zOS before our scheduled upgrade. Any issue found running ZMF v8r2P02 on zOS 2.5? #ChangeManZMF

Customer upgraded from ZMF 8.2 Patch 3 to 8.2 Patch 6 and is now seeing the following messages in the ZMF task. Note: the messages are not always for the same 'tsoid' :SER8005E tsoid SEROSTRM change direction failed with receive rc=00000008What do they mean? Full article: https://portal.microfocus.com/s/article/KM000009325#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF

When doing batch freeze in ZMF4ECL 8.2 Patch 6 and selecting 'Show user variables' the 'NEXT' button is not enabled. The User Variable panel is therefore never displayed resulting in the user variables not being set properly (via HLLX) in the submitted JCL. Full article: https://portal.microfocus.com/s/article/KM000009266#SupportTips/KnowledgeDocs#ChangeManZMF

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

This week I started to get this error on two of my systems - different locations so non-shared dasd:fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/xxxx/test.git/1: error setting certificate verify locations: CAfile: /u/xxxx/conda/envs/git226/bin/ca-bundle.crt CApath: noneHas something changed?  I have not updated git since 2.26 came out, nor have I updated any of the miniconda managed components.Thanks

Hi all, We have a version of vim from several years ago, which was obtained from the download site as a .tgz and installed in the pre-conda days. We've been happily using this on a daily basis for some time, but recently there has been some more interest in some of the other tools such as Python. I've now installed all the free packages from the anaconda site via conda, which obviously includes the latest vim. I've noticed a difference in behaviour of vim between the two packages. The original vim was compiled in 2017: VIM - Vi IMproved 8.0 (2016 Sep 12, compiled Jun 7 2017 07:22:47)Included patches: 1-22Compiled by PDKUZM@RS12.rocketsoftware.comBig version without GUI. Features included (+) or not (-):+acl +cmdline_hist +ebcdic -gettext +listcmds +mouse_sgr +persistent_undo +smartindent +textobjects +wildmenu-arabic +cmdline_info +emacs_tags -hangul_input +localmap -mouse_sysmouse +postscript +startuptime +timers +windows+autocmd +comments +eval -iconv -lua +mouse_urxvt

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