/
Creating and Running a z/OS Task

Creating and Running a z/OS Task

Mar 22, 2023

Before You Begin

The z/OS task allow you to run a platform-specific application on a z/OS machine. To run a z/OS task, you must first complete the following tasks:

Built-In Variables

The following built-in variables can be used in a z/OS task to pass data where appropriate:

Creating a z/OS Task

Step 1

From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > z/OS Tasks. The z/OS Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined z/OS tasks.
 
To the right of the list, z/OS Task Details for a new z/OS task displays.
 

Step 2

Enter/select Details for a new z/OS task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.

  • Required fields display an asterisk ( * ) after the field name.

  • Default values for fields, if available, display automatically.

To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:

  • Use the scroll bar.

  • Temporarily hide the list above the Details.

  • Click the 

     button above the list to display a pop-up version of the Details.

Step 3

Click a 

 button. The task is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in the Task Details are enabled.

Note

To open an existing record on the list, either:

  • Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the

     button that displays above and below the Details.)

  • Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.

  • Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).

z/OS Task Details

The following z/OS Task Details is for an existing Linux/Unix task.

Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the z/OS task has ever been launched, more (or less) fields may display. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the z/OS Task Details.
 

z/OS Task Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the z/OS Task Details.
 

Field Name

Description

Field Name

Description

General

This section contains general information about the task.

Name

Version

Description

Member of Business Services

Resolve Name Immediately

Time Zone Preference

Hold on Start

Hold Reason

Virtual Resource Priority

Hold Resources on Failure

Mutually Exclusive With Self

Agent Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the Agent / Agent Cluster selected for this task.

Agent

Agent Variable

Credentials

Credentials Variable

z/OS Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the task.

JCL Location

Use JCL Override Library

Allows the task to work with a JCL override library on the target system. If this option is selected, the Agent will check the JCL override path (specified in JCL Override Location) before submitting the job from JCL Location.
 
If a JCL member is found at the override path, the job is submitted from there. Otherwise, the Agent will look to the JCL Location path for submission.
 
The task instance will display the actual path that was used for job submission in Submitted JCL Location.

JCL Override Location

Required if Use JCL Override Library is selected; Specifies the file and member name potentially containing an override JCL script.  
The Agent will check this location for JCL before looking in the standard JCL Location. If JCL is found in this location, the job will be submitted from there. If JCL is not found in this location, the Agent will submit the job from the standard JCL Location.
 
Missing override JCL is not considered an error condition.
 
As with JCL Location, when you are using the JCL_LIBRARY feature, you can substitute the name of the library with a string starting with "&" that names the library specified in the uags.conf file with the JCL_library definitions.

Delete Override JCL

Optional if Use JCL Override Library is selected; Allows the task to define criteria that will control the automated clean-up of the override JCL. If this option is not selected, the Controller and Agent will take no action to delete the override JCL from the target system.

Override Instance Count for Deletion

Required if Delete Override JCL is selected; Specifies the number of successful override instances that must occur before the override JCL library member is deleted.
 
When the deletion criteria has been satisfied, the Controller will instruct the Agent to delete the member specified in JCL Override Location.
 
An override instance is considered successful only if the ending state in the controller is SUCCESS.
 

Note

Manual resubmissions of a task instance do not increment the tracked number of successful override instances that go towards satisfying the deletion criteria.
 
If a task is not submitted from the override location (that is, no override member was found), the task's "successful override instance count" is reset to 0.

Last Override Deletion

If Delete Override JCL is selected; system-supplied. Displays after the specified override JCL member is deleted. The date and time the last override JCL deletion occurred.

Number of Override Instances

If Delete Override JCL is selected; Read only; system-supplied. Indicates the number of successful override instances that have occurred for this task. This number is checked against the deletion criteria to determine when the override JCL member should be deleted.
 

Note

This number is automatically reset to 0 by the system if a task instance does not submit from override JCL (that is, no override member was found).

New Jobname

New Jobclass

New Msgclass

Procedure Library

Schedule ID

SYSTEM or SYSAFF Override Parameter

Specifies the SYSTEM or SYSAFF Override Parameter using the following syntax:

SYSTEM={SystemName}
                {(SystemName,SystemName, ...,SystemName)}
                {(-SystemName,SystemName, ...,SystemName)}
                {-SystemName}
                {ANY} 
                {JGLOBAL} 
                {JLOCAL} 

SYSAFF={MemberName}
              {(MemberName,MemberName, ...,MemberName)}
              {(-MemberName,MemberName, ...,MemberName)}
              {-MemberName}
              {(MemberName,...,IND)}
              {(-MemberName,...,IND)}
              {ANY} 
              {(ANY,IND)} 

Value must conform to documented IBM JCL syntax.

Parameters

Result Processing Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about result processing for this task.

Exit Code Processing

Note

If Step Conditions has been selected for Exit Code Processing, and you then select a different option, a confirmation pop-up displays to warn that any defined Step Conditions will be removed.

Output Type

Scan Output For

Output File (for Exit Code Processing)

Exit Codes

Automatic Output Retrieval

Wait For Output

Failure Only

Start Line

Number of Lines

Scan Text

Output File (for Automatic Output Retrieval)

Retry Options

This section contains specifications for retrying the task.

Auto-Restart Option

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.

Maximum Retries

Retry Indefinitely

Retry Interval (Seconds)

Suppress Intermediate Failures

Wait / Delay Options

This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task.

Wait To Start

Wait Time

Wait Day Constraint

Wait Duration

Wait Duration In Seconds

Delay On Start

Delay Duration

Delay Duration In Seconds

Workflow Only

Time Options

This section contains time-related specifications for the task.

Late Start

Late Start Type

Late Start Time

Late Start Day Constraint

Late Start Nth Amount

Late Start Duration

Late Finish

Late Finish Type

Late Finish Offset Type

Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + )

Late Finish Duration Offset ( + )

Late Finish Duration Offset Unit

Late Finish Time

Late Finish Day Constraint

Late Finish Nth Amount

Late Finish Duration

Early Finish

Early Finish Type

Early Finish Offset Type

Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - )

Early Finish Duration Offset ( - )

Early Finish Duration Offset Unit

Early Finish Time

Early Finish Day Constraint

Early Finish Nth Amount

Early Finish Duration

User Estimated Duration

Critical Path Options

This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task.

CP Duration

CP Duration (Resolved)

CP Duration Unit

Workflow Execution Options

This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow.

Execution Restriction

Restriction Period

Before Date

Before Time

After Date

After Time

Date List

Statistics

This section contains time-related statistics for task instances of the task.

First Execution

Last Execution

Last Instance Duration