Configuring Advisors in a subplexing environment

When you are using subplexing, there can be more than one Advisor active in the sysplex at any given time. In fact, there should be one Advisor active for each subplex in the sysplex that you want to participate in load balancing through the Load Balancing Advisor. Each Advisor reads configuration data from a file, which can exist as a z/OS® UNIX file, a PDS or PDSE member, or a sequential data set. In the configuration file for each Advisor, the sysplex_group_name statement specifies the TCP/IP sysplex group name, in the form EZBTvvtt, where vv is the VTAM® subplex group ID specified on the VTAM XCFGRPID start option, and tt is the TCP/IP subplex group ID specified by the XCFGRPID parameter on the GLOBALCONFIG statement in the TCP/IP profile. If no VTAM subplex ID is specified when VTAM is started, then vv is CP. If no TCP/IP subplex ID is specified in the TCP/IP profile, then tt is CS. If you have a default subplex in your sysplex (that is, a subplex in which both the VTAM and TCP/IP subplex IDs are not specified), configure the Load Balancing Advisor for that subplex with a sysplex group name of EZBTCPCS.

Requirement: In a subplexing environment, the IP address of the Advisor's listening socket must exist on a TCP/IP stack belonging to the subplex that corresponds to the TCP/IP sysplex group name specified in the Advisor's configuration file. If there is more than one TCP/IP stack in a subplex, the IP address must be a DVIPA defined within a VIPARANGE statement on each of the stacks in the subplex. This enables the Advisor to connect regardless of the order that the TCP/IP stacks in the subplex are started.

Tip: In a subplexing environment, if you will have more than one Advisor started on the same z/OS system (in different subplexes), create unique start procedures for them or ensure that they have unique job names when they are started (for example, S LBADV.ADV0105 or S LBADV,JOBNAME=ADV0105).