SMF Logs

sakthisiga · New User Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 60 Location: Chennai

Hi Everyone,

SMF - logs the records into the dataset at every initiation of event, end of event and every interval. Who is crete that dataset?. I was read that ,we should use two dataset to log the informations, so what is the use of the two dataset? Who are all can able to access that dataset and if every body can to access means where can we find that dataset?

expat · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 11:32 am

1) Two is the minimum number of SMF dump datasets that are needed.
2) The dump datasets are usually created by the systems programmers.
3) Do you really need someone to explain the use of these datasets.
4) Access - purely site specific.
5) Location and naming - purely site specific.

You have had two or three topics regarding SMF datasets in the last day or two, so please define exactly what you need to know and why you need to know it, and unless your questions have not been answered in previous threads we will endeavour to help you more.

sakthisiga · New User Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 60 Location: Chennai

Hi expat,

Thanks for your reply...

Thing is, i had 4 months of training in mainframe but they teach me the fundamentals in JCL, COBOL, DB2, etc.,

But now i'm in performance engineering department, i need to know SMF and its functionality.

So i downloaded IBM's SMF text book. I couldn''t get clear idea frow that book.

Now i need to know how to work with SMF and all the stuffs.

Can you please help me in this regard?

expat · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:26 pm

For performance and capacity planning, you do not really need to know too much about how SMF works. You need to be aware of the record types that are collected, which your sysprogs can easily tell you.

If you have a product such a MXG or MICS, the SAS code which is processed should give you a very good idea of the records required. Once the required records are being collected, that in effect ends your involvement in the collection process.

The most involved that you should get in the collection process is to ask the sysprogs to include any record types that you need and are not being collected. In 99.99% of sites, all of the required records are collected by default.

From now on in all you need to know is the names of the dumped SMF datasets, usually kept on tape, and how to process them. Unfortunately these are site specific and there is not too much that we can tell you about that.

sakthisiga · New User Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 60 Location: Chennai

Expat,

Can you able to give JCL to dump the dataset?

expat · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:49 pm

NO, absolutely not !!!

The SMF datasets will be dumped automatically either by a time driven procedure, or by an SMF switch event triggering a dump job.

Unless you are a systems programmer responsible for SMF data, you do not need to perform a dump, you do not need concern yourself with the live SMF datasets. Forget about them. Forget that they even exist.

You need to talk to either the sysprogs or the production support people who will know the names of the datasets created by the SMF dump process. It is these, and only these that you need concern yourself with.

You will probably find that the SMF data once dumped is accumulated into weekly, monthly (or both) accumulation tapes. These will also be helpfull in your job. This dumped data is the only SMF data that will be of any use to you in a capacity and performance position. Forget about the live SMF datasets, for you, they do not exist.

sakthisiga · New User Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 60 Location: Chennai

Thanks for your informations expat,

Can you explain me about the "Summary Activity Report". How to create the above report. Is any JCL available to create?

expat · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:10 pm

Again NO. I know absolutely nothing about your requirement, what is required, what the timescales are, any target threshholds.

The best people to ask about this would be your peers, or the requestor of the report.

Does your site have either MXG or MICS installed.

Robert Sample · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:46 pm

There is a Summary Activity Report automatically created by the dump of the SMF live data file into the accumulation file. If this is what you need, you need to contact your site support group to find out the details. The time interval for dumping, the input file name, the output file name, and which specific SMF records are captured to be dumped are all things that are site specific and nobody outside of your site will be able to provide you with any information. This is not something you want to do yourself with your own JCL since you could affect any number of existing processes that depend upon the interval data.

It sounds like you really, really need to spend some time with your systems programmer(s) to get more information from them. Sites invariably have all the SMF requirements established before they go into production, and there are many, many possible ways for the SMF data capture process to be set up. You've been told multiple times, and I repeat for emphasis, that only your site support people can provide you answers to the types of questions you are asking.

dick scherrer · Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2009 9:02 pm

Hello,

By way of an anology. . .

When one processes db2 data, one uses SQL (i.e. an external interface). One never actually processes the physical data in the tablespace.

Similarly with SMF. One does not reference the actual SMF live data. The dumped data is all that is needed for your requirement.

As has been previously mentioned - Do not even attempt to create your own dump jcl.