When MVS™ is removing a system from a sysplex, the cleanup interval is the maximum number of seconds that MVS waits for members of a group to clean up their processing before putting the system on which they reside in a wait state. (Note that this is not a required protocol — some groups, such as the global resource serialization group and the console services groups, delay cleanup until the expiration of the cleanup interval. When all members finish their cleanup or when the cleanup interval elapses, MVS puts the system in a non-restartable wait state.

For example, there are two systems in a sysplex (SYS1 and SYS2). On SYS1 the VARY XCF,SYS2,OFFLINE command is issued. MVS on SYS2 notifies the group members on SYS2 that SYS2 is going to be removed from the sysplex and then waits until the members have performed cleanup, or until the cleanup interval elapses, whichever comes first, before putting the system in a wait state.

You specify the cleanup interval on the CLEANUP keyword of the COUPLE statement of the COUPLExx parmlib member or, after IPL, using the SETXCF COUPLE command.