Using the Interactive Storage Management Facility

The Interactive Storage Management Facility (ISMF) provides a series of applications for storage administrators to define and manage SMS configurations. You can use these applications to:

Define SMS base configuration information.
Define, alter, delete, or copy individual SMS classes, storage groups, aggregate groups, optical libraries, optical drives, and tape libraries.
Display parameters and values of individual SMS classes, storage groups, aggregate groups, mountable optical volumes, optical drives, mountable tape volumes, tape libraries and optical libraries.
Generate, save and manage lists of SMS classes, storage groups, aggregate groups, mountable optical volumes, optical libraries, optical drives, mountable tape volumes and tape libraries.
Edit ACS routines.
Define, alter, and execute ACS test cases.
Validate the correctness and completeness of an SMS configuration.
Activate an SMS configuration.
Display, define, alter, or delete storage group information pertaining to specific volumes using AUDIT, EJECT, ALTER, and RECOVER (RECOVER is for optical volumes only).
Produce data set, volume, or capacity planning measurement data.
Maintain mountable optical volumes and mountable tape volumes.
Use DFSMSrmm to maintain tape volumes.
Use the DFSMS NaviQuest tool to perform enhanced testing of your ACS routines, and to perform many storage management tasks in batch, such as:
- Updating and testing your base configuration
- Translating and testing your ACS routines
- Generating test cases from previously collected DCOLLECT data
- Defining, altering, and displaying information for management classes, data classes and storage classes
- Defining or altering information for storage groups
- Defining, altering, and displaying information for the base configuration, as well as for aggregate groups
- Generating data set and volume lists and reports
- Diagnosing data set and volume problems
See Using NaviQuest for more information on the DFSMS NaviQuest tool.

Figure 1 shows the ISMF Primary Option Menu for storage administrators.

Figure 1. ISMF Primary Option Menu for Storage Administrators

   Panel  Help
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   ISMF PRIMARY OPTION MENU - z/OS DFSMS V1 R12
 Selection or Command ===>

 0  ISMF Profile              - Specify ISMF User Profile
 1  Data Set                  - Perform Functions Against Data Sets
 2  Volume                    - Perform Functions Against Volumes
 3  Management Class          - Specify Data Set Backup and Migration Criteria
 4  Data Class                - Specify Data Set Allocation Parameters
 5  Storage Class             - Specify Data Set Performance and Availability
 6  Storage Group             - Specify Volume Names and Free Space Thresholds
 7  Automatic Class Selection - Specify ACS Routines and Test Criteria
 8  Control Data Set          - Specify System Names and Default Criteria
 9  Aggregate Group           - Specify Data Set Recovery Parameters
 10 Library Management        - Specify Library and Drive Configurations
 11 Enhanced ACS Management   - Perform Enhanced Test/Configuration Management
 C  Data Collection           - Process Data Collection Function
 G  Report Generation         - Create Storage Management Reports
 L  List                      - Perform Functions Against Saved ISMF Lists
 P  Copy Pool                 - Specify Pool Storage Groups for Copies
 R  Removable Media Manager   - Perform Functions Against Removable Media
 X  Exit                      - Terminate ISMF
 Use HELP Command for Help; Use END Command or X to Exit.

This primary option menu differs from the one that end users see. To the options found on the ISMF Primary Option Menu for end users, this primary option menu adds the following:

Storage Group
Automatic Class Selection
Control Data Set
Library Management
Data Collection
Enhanced ACS Management
Copy Pool

Additionally, the management class, data class, storage class, and aggregate group applications available through the ISMF Primary Option Menu for Storage Administrators allow you to define, alter, copy, and delete SMS classes. End users can list the available SMS classes, display the attributes of individual SMS classes, and list or display volumes and data sets.

To learn how to use the ISMF Data Collection application, see Space utilization and capacity planning.