Sharing a RACF parameter library on a multisystem node

Although the member systems of a multisystem node do not communicate with each otherby way of RRSF, each system must issue TARGET commands to define all of the systems in the multisystem node, and to identify the main system on the multisystem node. (RACF® requires these commands to allow you, at a later time, to reconfigure the multisystem node with a different main system.) The commands can be issued using a single RACF parameter library that is shared by all of the systems on the multisystem node, and that contains all of the TARGET commands required by all of them. When RACF executes a TARGET command for the local node that includes the SYSNAME keyword, it compares the SYSNAME specified on the TARGET command with the CVTSNAME for the system the command is to run on. If the SYSNAME does not match the CVTSNAME, RACF does not process the OPERATIVE or DORMANT keyword. In addition, RACF issues an informational message and places it in the SYSLOG. This message might help diagnose why an expected conversation was not established.

For example, in the example shown in Configuring a multisystem node, a multisystem node named NODEAB has two member systems, MVSA and MVSB. MVSA is the main system. This node communicates by way of RRSF with a single-system RRSF node named NODEX. MVSA and MVSB could share a RACF parameter library containing the following member, to initialize their RRSF communications:

TARGET NODE(NODEAB) SYSNAME(MVSA) PROTOCOL(APPC(LUNAME(LU0A)))
       LOCAL WORKSPACE(VOLUME(MVS001)) PREFIX(SYS1) OPERATIVE MAIN

TARGET NODE(NODEAB) SYSNAME(MVSB) PROTOCOL(APPC(LUNAME(LU0B)))
       LOCAL WORKSPACE(VOLUME(MVS001)) PREFIX(SYS1) OPERATIVE

TARGET NODE(NODEX) PROTOCOL(APPC(LUNAME(LU0X)))
       WORKSPACE(VOLUME(MVS001)) PREFIX(SYS1) OPERATIVE

When this parameter library member runs on MVSA, the SYSNAME on the first TARGET LOCAL command matches the CVTSNAME of MVSA, and the local connection for MVSA is made operative. The SYSNAME on the second TARGET LOCAL command does not match the CVTSNAME of MVSA, so the OPERATIVE keyword is not processed, and the connection state from MVSA to MVSB is set to defined. RACF writes a message to the SYSLOG indicating that the OPERATIVE keyword was ignored. This message is expected, and you do not need to take any action. The TARGET command for NODEX runs and initiates an operative connection between MVSA and NODEX.

When this parameter library member runs on MVSB, the SYSNAME on the first TARGET LOCAL command does not match the CVTSNAME of MVSB, and the connection state from MVSB to MVSA is set to defined. RACF writes a message to the SYSLOG indicating that the OPERATIVE keyword was ignored. The SYSNAME on the second TARGET LOCAL command matches the CVTSNAME of MVSB, and the local connection for MVSB is made operative. The TARGET command for NODEX runs and an operative connection is initiated between MVSB and NODEX.

To share the RACF parameter library between systems, you must define it on shared DASD.