Overview

A z/OS JES batch job consists of one or more steps defined by JCL EXEC statements. The JCL EXEC statement identifies the program that the step is to execute. During job execution, steps are executed sequentially under conditions defined by the JCL statements.

When a task ends in a failed state, some or all of the job steps may need to be re-run. The set of steps that should be re-run (if any) may vary depending on how and where the task failed. If the task is defined with Auto-Restart Option = Use Restart Criteria, the Restart Criteria is used to select the appropriate steps to restart based on a particular failure scenario.

Note

If Use Restart Criteria has been selected for Auto-Restart Option, and you then select a different option, a confirmation pop-up displays to warn that any defined Restart Criteria will be removed.

Creating Restart Criteria

Step 1	From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > z/OS Tasks. The z/OS Tasks list displays.
Step 2	Select the task for which you want to create one or more Restart Criteria. The z/OS Task Details for that task displays.
Step 3	In the Auto-Restart Option field, select Use Restart Criteria from the drop-down list and then click the Update button.
Step 4	Click the Restart Criteria tab. The Restart Criteria list displays.
Step 5	Click New. Restart Criteria Details displays.
Step 6	Using the field descriptions provided below as a guide, complete the fields as needed.
Step 7	Click a Save button to save the record and return to the Restart Criteria list.
Step 8	If appropriate, repeat these steps for any additional Restart Criteria that you want to add.

Restart Criteria Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields and buttons in the Restart Criteria Details.

Field Name	Description
Step	Job step name to match. A blank value or an asterisk ( * ) will match any job step name. Generic matching characters asterisk ( * ) and question mark ( ? ) match zero or more characters and one character, respectively.
Procedure	Procedure step name to match. A blank value or an asterisk ( * ) will match any procedure step name. Generic matching characters asterisk ( * ) and question mark ( ? ) match zero or more characters and one character, respectively.
Program	Program name to match. A blank value or an asterisk ( * ) will match any program name. Generic matching characters asterisk ( * ) and question mark ( ? ) match zero or more characters and one character, respectively.
Condition Codes	Conditions codes are integer return codes from the program or ABEND codes. Integer return codes are specified as a comma-separated list of integer values or ranges. Ranges are specified with a dash ( - ) separating the lower and upper bounds of the range. The z/OS job step return code range is 0-4095. ABEND codes are specified directly as either a user ABEND or a system ABEND. The ABEND code must be specified verbatim including leading zeroes. For example: 1,6-4095,Sxxx,Unnnn,JCLERR
Auto-Restart Option	Method of step selection to perform for the restart. See Restart Criteria Logic, below, for an explanation of the options.
Directives List	(See Restart Criteria Details - Directives, below.)
Metadata	This section contains Metadata information about this record.
UUID	Universally Unique Identifier of this record.
Updated By	Name of the user that last updated this record.
Updated	Date and time that this record was last updated.
Created By	Name of the user that created this record.
Created	Date and time that this record was created.
Buttons	This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Restart Criteria Details that let you perform various actions.
Save	Saves a new record in the Controller database.
Save & New	Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record.
Save & View	Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record.
Update	Saves updates to the record.
Delete	Deletes the current record.
Refresh	Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details.
Close	For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this record.

Restart Criteria Logic

Restart Criteria are processed when a task transitions to a Failed status, provided that:

Auto-Restart Option = Use Restart Criteria.
Maximum Retries = greater than zero.

When Restart Criteria processing begins, the Controller will search the list of Restart Criteria definitions to find a match for the current failure scenario. Matching is based on job step name, procedure step name, program name, and the step condition code. The search stops when the first definition is found. If a matching Restart Criteria is found, the Auto-Restart Option for that Restart Criteria is performed. If no matching Restart Criteria is found, the Controller takes no action and no job steps will be selected for restart.

Note

The Controller searches Restart Criteria definitions based on their order in the Restart Criteria list; the definition at the top of the list is searched first. To change the order of the definitions in the list, drag and drop them to any location.

The Restart Criteria Details Auto-Restart Option specifies how steps will be selected for restart.

The following Auto-Restart Options are supported:

Restart From First Job Step	All restartable job steps, from first to last, will be selected for restart.
Restart From Matching Job Step	All restartable job steps, from the step that matched the Restart Criteria to the last job step, will be selected for restart.
Restart Using Directives	Job steps will be selected for restart based on the directives specified in the Restart Criteria directive table.

Restart Criteria Details - Directives

The following table describes the fields and button in the Directives section of the Restart Criteria Details.

Field Name	Description
Directive	Specifies a directive for step selection. Options: Start - Directive used to specify the starting step in a range of steps selected for restart. The directive table can contain zero or one Start directives. If a start directive is not specified, the first job step will be used as the starting step. Skip - Directive used to specify a step that should be skipped. Skipped steps will not be restarted. The directive table can contain zero or more Skip directives. End - Directive used to specify the ending step in a range of steps that will be selected for restart. The directive table can contain zero or one End directives. If an end directive is not specified, the last job step will be used as the ending job step.
Step	The directive step optionally specifies: A relative step number. Relative step numbers begin with + or -, followed by some number of steps to offset from the step matched by the Restart Criteria. A value of -0 or +0 indicated that the directive is referring to the job step that matched the Restart Criteria. Relative step numbers are mutually exclusive with the Procedure field. If a relative step number is specified, no matching is performed. The directive will apply to an explicit offset from the job step that matched the Restart Criteria definition. The job step name to match. A blank value or an asterisk ( * ) will match any job step name. Generic matching characters asterisk ( * ) and question mark ( ? ) match zero or more characters and one character, respectively.
Procedure	The procedure step name to match. A blank value or an asterisk ( * ) will match any procedure step name. Generic matching characters asterisk ( * ) and question mark ( ? ) match zero or more characters and one character, respectively.
Add button	Adds the directive defined by the fields above to the directive table.