User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

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User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby kikimann » Sat 30 Apr 2016, 05:17

hello, and thank you very much for providing access to this system. I am a mainframe COBOL programmer with more than 35 years' experience on systems including DEC, IBM, and Unisys (formerly Burroughs). I was recently terminated from my previous (non-programming) position, and it has been about seven years since I have been in the mainframe/programming environment. I am hoping to use this environment to upgrade a few utility programs (COBOL) as well as become acquainted with release changes that have gone in since I was last programming. I hope that this is a reasonable, acceptable use of this system, as I am not using it for corporate training (I do not have a job ... ). Neither am I able to afford formal training as you suggest, which would be largely superfluous in any case since I probably already know most of what I would be paying for. I was given access on 4/26 and have been using the system fine until about an hour ago, I was logged off. Now when I attempt to log on to TSO I'm receiving the message, "IKJ56420I Userid KIKIMAN not authorized to use TSO". I attempted to reset my TSO ID from the support site, and received emails saying "Welcome back, KIKIMAN,
You have requested to resume your TSO userid KIKIMAN in DeZhi mainframe system.
Now your TSO userid has been resumed now. " However, I am still receiving the " ... not authorized ... ".
Is this a system issue, or have I been "banned forever?"
Many thanks in advance -- whatever allowances may be made will be greatly appreciated during this difficult time,
Kiki Mann
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby steve-myers » Sat 30 Apr 2016, 06:54

kikimann wrote:... and it has been about seven years since I have been in the mainframe/programming environment ...

It appears the admins believe you have absolutely no experience with IBM mainframes. No IBM mainframe programmer with experience with z/OS or its ancestor operating systems would write -
Code: Select all
//KIKIMANX JOB (KIKIMAN) , 'KIKIMAN' , CLASS=A , MSGCLASS=A,
//         MSGLEVEL=(1,1) , NOTIFY=&SYSUID

In a technical sense, this JCL statement violates Fandezhi standards - the "account ID" in (KIKIMAN) is invalid, though this issue is moot because Fandezhi does not validate it or use it - and a few seconds of reading about the JCL JOB statement syntax in z/OS V1R6.0 MVS JCL Reference would demonstrate a number of other syntax errors in the statement. There is a completely valid JOB statement in KIKIMAN.JCL.CNTL. I have been using the one in "my" JCL.CNTL data set for more than 6 years, altering only the job name from time to time.

In addition, MSGCLASS=A, while it is syntactically valid, should not be used in the Fandezhi environment; the MSGCLASS=H in the "standard" JOB statement should be used. Data sets in output class A are not "held" for TSO users to view, though since there are no "real" printers in the Fandezhi environment to "print" the data set this, too, is moot.
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby kikimann » Sat 30 Apr 2016, 17:22

hello Steve -- and thank you for your candid response.

My first acquaintance with an IBM mainframe was for about a year in 1982 when I converted a manufacturing system from an IBM DOS/VS system to a Burroughs system using JCL, Panvalet, Easytrieve, COBOL, and RJE3780. That was a "few" years ago. My next experience with the IBM platform was in 2002, when I took a one-week class in OS/390 Fundamentals, TSO/ISPF, and JCL - a "few less" years ago. My position from 2007 until recently was as an IBM user -- but not using JCL/COBOL/DB2/CICS etc. So you are unfortunately correct -- my total JCL experience on the IBM platform is barely one year, and pre-dates zOS by a "few" years. The bulk of my experience has been on the Unisys MCP platforms, dating between 1974 and 2007, and includes significant analysis, design, development, and maintenance of ISAM (IBM=VSAM) and DMSII (IBM=DB2) batch and online applications in the manufacturing, educational, and financial industries. However, I am now searching for employment, and in addition to finding a job, had hoped to complete a "bucket list" item of becoming as fully capable on an IBM platform as I am in the Unisys environment.

Your system provided an excellent opportunity to begin filling that gap, but as you are well aware, my JCL skills and knowledge are minimal. To fill in the gaps I am reviewing my 2002 training (OS/390) as well as referencing the abundant resources on the internet. In particular, I have found resources in the ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter to be extremely comprehensive, and I've been going through release notes from 2002 forward to become familiar with what has developed since then; the "redbooks" are also helpful, as is my copy of "zOS JCL, Fifth Edition" (Gary DeWard Brown). I sense your agitation in thinking that " ... a few seconds of reading about the JCL JOB statement syntax in z/OS V1R6.0 MVS JCL Reference would demonstrate a number of other syntax errors in the statement." I, too, become annoyed at people who do not take the time to find out what can be learned on their own -- including myself. While I've attempted to fully understand what is needed, I'm not sure how any of what I've read would tell me whether or not Fandezhi was set up not to use the "account ID". But I understand from your context that my first error was in not using the job statement in my JCL.CNTL - my apologies for that oversight. Your response was educational for me -- I would greatly appreciate if you should be able to point out other syntactical issues with this statement. I was also having an issue with some other statements - receiving at the last attempt a JCL 533 error - any additional help you or anyone might provide would be greatly appreciated.

I was building these from examples from my previous training and other resources, and was not aware of the impacts that the parameters I was using might have in the Fandezhi environment. I believe that just a minimum of tolerance and friendly guidance (such as using my JCL.CNTL - thanks) would put me on the right track. Being able to go through ISPF menus, using edit, allocating and creating COBOL and JCL data sets, and managing workspace according to your requirements (I even corrected block sizes to BLKSIZE=27920, and was careful to purge and compress data sets) has been very helpful! However I sense your agitation at "novices" using your system, and I understand if access is not allowed.

I wish to thank you for allowing me to use your system for the past two days -- it has been very helpful towards realizing my hope to become a fully-capable IBM developer. As a favor -- could you please show me the contents of my JCL.CNTL so that I can learn from my mistake?

MANY thanks! Kiki :-)
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby kikimann » Sat 30 Apr 2016, 17:49

PS - does the Fandezhi group still accept donations? I would like to make a contribution -- albeit not large, unfortunately -- to cover my usage of the system for the past few days. Please advise / direct me to the link where a Paypal contribution can be made -- thanks!
Kiki
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby steve-myers » Sat 30 Apr 2016, 20:14

I would not be too hyper about sending in a donation. As far as I know, donations are still accepted, but you have not received anything of real value from using Fandezhi as yet, and there is still a need for the money. As an example, just a few months ago some hard drives needed to be replaced. I'm sure the organization that hosts Fandezhi needs money for the internet access and the electricity used to run the system.

What we truly need are skills the admins do not possess, like DB2 expertise.

I make no promises; I will see if the admins will reinstate KIKIMAN.

For what it's worth, the job statement has scarcely changed in all the time you have used MVS, which you can find in your notes from 1982 and OS/390 in the 1990s.
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby kikimann » Sat 30 Apr 2016, 20:47

Thank you, Steve, for your kind response.

I'm offering a contribution as a gesture of good will, and in appreciation, since what I have received so far from just a few days' access has been of value to me to begin refreshing basic familiarity with the OS environment. And as a "peace offering" -- in apology for not following protocol as well as I should have :roll:

I'm aware that JCL statements are largely intact. It seems the issue may have more to do with matching the particulars of the Fandezhi environment, and my first mistake was not using the JCL.CNTL(JOBCARD). From what I can see, the syntax I used in the JOB statement was correct ( ? ) -- at least according to what I'm seeing in IBM manuals: //jobname JOB ( acct-no, info), name, keyword-parameters - except the acct-no was wrong (/not used), and the wrong classes were used (mea culpa! - but I can understand that there's necessarily a low tolerance for mea culpa's here). I'm sure there are issues in some of the other statements that I need to correct (JCL error 533 ?).

So while I may qualify as an experienced mainframe programmer (I have extensive experience on other mainframes - DEC, Unisys), it is not on an IBM mainframe. I also have "DBA" experience (DMSII) -- but not DB2. It would take a while before I could ramp on that, so I'm afraid I will be of little immediate value in that realm.

What I'm hoping to do is replicate/translate my mainframe experience in the zOS environment -- if nothing else simply to peruse TSO/ISPF screens and functions. I do not necessarily need to submit JCL's, although I would like to get to the point where I'm successful at that as well.

Thank you so much for your kind offer to approach the Admins for reinstatement -- I will hope for the best!

Thanks,

Kiki
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby steve-myers » Sun 01 May 2016, 02:02

Finding the correct documentation can be difficult. When I transitioned from 7040 IBSYS to OS/360 the volume seemed to increase by 2 orders of magnitude, which was much greater than the relative speed of the machines! Now, compared to the late 1960s, the volume has gone up by another 2 orders of magnitude!. The good news is you rarely need paper manuals any more. Start here, here, and here. Most of the error messages you're likely to encounter are in the first set of manuals as well as the JCL Reference manual. I find the JCL Users Guide to be essentially useless. The second set includes the Utilities manual which I use from time to time. The third set includes the ISPF manuals, which I rarely need since the online help in ISPF is superb.
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby kikimann » Sun 01 May 2016, 04:15

hello Steve -- and thank you! It appears that you have unicorn super-powers in this realm, and I greatly appreciate your help! And good lord!-- you’re talking about transitioning from 7040 IBSYS to OS/360? Now I know I’m talking with a true IBM icon.
OK -- the first thing I did was to look at the jobcard, then updated my JCL with the *correct* parameters and values! I'm going to quit there while I'm ahead, for now. The online help in ISPF has been good, and there are copious manuals, tutorials ( ... of varying degrees of quality and applicability …) plus the links you provided will be great. But I will still need to learn the specifics of the Fandezhi environment -- reading thru your posts is helping with that. My current challenge is finding specific JCL errors (such as 447, 533) as opposed to program abends, but hopefully using the right job parms will get me a little further down the pike. I've also been pleased with IBM’s KnowledgeCenter resources here http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ which includes the current V2 releases, but the last IPL I saw shows Fandezhi is V1R6, so no need for v2.
Btw -- does "FandeZhi" have the meaning "Fan of Z". Or is it "fantasy" ? ;) ( ... either one works for me).
Thanks again, and immensely, for your help – I’ll try to walk a straight path from here and not give the Admins any additional concerns …
Kiki
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Re: User ID KIKIMAN is no longer working - 20160430 00:24

Postby steve-myers » Fri 06 May 2016, 00:25

kikimann wrote:... But I will still need to learn the specifics of the Fandezhi environment ...

For the most part Fandezhi is plain vanilla z/OS.

JCL is little changed from late OS/390 (which had been mostly superseded by z/OS at that point anyway) that you picked up in 2002. Some of the major improvements that had some impact in JCL happened in z/OS 1.7 through 1.10. Though you can't possibly know this, of course, system changes that have differentiated installations have been slowly disappearing over the years. Like most reasonably current installations, Fandezhi has just one DASD type - 3390, though far more 3390-9 than you will encounter elsewhere, but no "3390-27," which 1.6 does not support. We have no tape at all, and no ability to physically print output.

Printing accounts for a large part of the site to site differentiation that you do see. At my last real job, in fact, printing was a confused mess with little real documentation. Most printing was on 8 1/2 x 11 inch cut sheet on machines that also served as copiers and local printers. Finding the routing codes and form definition codes was often difficult in that shop.
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