Configurations

You can configure Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS to control virtually any combination of operating environments. Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS can automatically schedule, submit, and track batch jobs, started tasks, and write-to-operator (WTO) messages. You can also use it to coordinate manual activities in your production workload.

Your configuration can include:

Planning your configuration explains connections between Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS systems and shows examples of configurations.

Controlling system

A controlling system requires both a tracker and a controller. If you install only one system, this is the controlling system. The controlling system can communicate with controlled z/OS® systems using shared DASD, the cross-system coupling facility (XCF), network communication function (NCF) , and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

Controlled systems

A controlled z/OS system requires a tracker. Communication with the controlling system is through shared DASD, XCF, NCF, or TCP/IP. The tracker writes event records to an event data set, and transfers the records to the controlling system if connected using XCF, NCF or TCP/IP. NCF uses ACF/VTAM to link Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS systems.

If you use XCF for communication, you can include a standby controller on one or more controlled systems. A standby controller is started in its own address space. It can take over the functions of the controller if z/OS fails or if the controller itself fails. It cannot perform the functions of a tracker while in standby mode.

The controller also controls the workload in distributed environments:

Tivoli® Workload Scheduler for z/OS: Customization and Tuning describes in detail how to control other operating environments.

Integration with Tivoli Workload Scheduler

Integration with Tivoli Workload Scheduler is provided by activating either of the following features:

End-to-end scheduling with z-centric capabilities
This feature is designed to let you schedule and control workload from the mainframe to distributed systems through z-centric agents, in a very simple architecture of the end-to-end scheduling framework. Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS becomes the single point of control, providing you with all the mainframe capabilities to manage distributed workload. Communication between the z-centric agents and Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS controller is direct, through the HTTP or HTTPS protocol.

For detailed information about the end-to-end scheduling with z-centric capabilities, see the Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS: Scheduling End-to-end with z-centric Capabilities manual.

End-to-end scheduling with fault tolerance capabilities
This feature is based on the Common Agent Technology and it enables Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS to be the master of a Tivoli Workload Scheduler distributed network. This configuration is implemented by connecting a Tivoli Workload Scheduler domain manager directly to Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS.

Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS receives events from the Tivoli Workload Scheduler distributed network and updates the current plan (CP) according to these events. Conversely, every time the current plan is updated, an event is sent to the distributed network to update local plans on the distributed agents.

Being fault-tolerant, the distributed agents can independently continue scheduling when communications with Tivoli Workload Scheduler are interrupted due to network problems. At the same time, the distributed agents are prevented from acting on Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS jobs because these are viewed as running on the Master, the only node authorized to operate on those jobs.

A new type of CPU, named fault-tolerant workstation, has been added to Tivoli Workload Scheduler to logically define, both in the database and in the plan, the distributed agents that will be running jobs for Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS. For detailed information about end-to-end scheduling with fault tolerance capabilities, see the Tivoli Workload Scheduler for z/OS: Scheduling End-to-end with Fault Tolerance Capabilities manual.