CATALOG_IMBED_REPLICATE

Description:

Check collects all catalog names in the users environment that are defined with obsolete attributes IMBED and/or REPLICATE. You can then redefine the catalogs without these attributes.

In order to run this check, the user must have RACF® read access to all the catalogs on the system. If you do not have the correct RACF access, you will receive 100-8 catalog errors.

Once you have identified all the catalogs you need to redefine without IMBED and REPLICATE attributes, IBM® suggests that you turn the check off. This is recommended because:

Users can no longer define catalogs with the obsolete IMBED or REPLICATE attributes. That means that once you have identified any existing catalogs that were defined with IMBED and REPLICATE and redefined them, it is no longer useful to run this check.
Leaving the check on after you have identified and/or redefined any catalogs defined with IMBED or REPLICATE attributes, the check can cause a performance issue. the check does a sequential search of the active Master Catalog, which means it reads all the records in the master catalog. This I/O to the master catalog to read all the records can impact performance.

You can turn the check off temporarily using F HZSPROC command or permanently using the HZSPRMxx parmlib member.

Reason for check:

No supported releases of z/OS® honor either the IMBED or REPLICATE attributes for new catalogs, they are obsoleted by newer, cached DASD devices. Using the IMBED and REPLICATE attributes can waste DASD space and degrade performance, in some cases causing unplanned outages. In addition, servicing catalogs with these attributes is very difficult.

If the check finds instances of IMBED or REPLICATE attributes, the system issues exception message IGGHC104E and generates a report in message IGGHC106I in the message buffer to describe the check’s findings. IBM suggests that you use the EXPORT/IMPORT command to remove the attributes:

Use the EXPORT command to create a back up and later to recover.
Use the IMPORT command for the exported copies.

Ideally, you should do this during system down time, when the catalogs cannot be accessed by any users.

z/OS releases the check applies to:

z/OS V1R11 and later.

User override of IBM values:

The following shows the default keywords for the check, which you can override on either a POLICY statement in the HZSPRMxx parmlib member or on a MODIFY command. This statement may be copied and modified to override the check defaults:

UPDATE
CHECK(IBMCATALOG,CATALOG_IMBED_REPLICATE)
ACTIVE
SEVERITY(LOW)
INTERVAL(TIMER) HOURS(24)
REASON('Your reason for making the update.')

Debug support:

Verbose support:

Parameters accepted:

Reference:

To use the EXPORT and IMPORT commands, see z/OS DFSMS Access Method Services Commands for information on the EXPORT and IMPORT commands.

Messages:

This check issues the following exception messages:

IGGHC104E

See z/OS MVS System Messages, Vol 9 (IGF-IWM).