Using system symbols to back-up your HFS or ZFS files on z/OS

On z/OS, your WebSphere Application Server cells, node agents and server information is stored in HFS (Hierarchical File Systems) or ZFS (z/OS File Systems).  ZFS is the new direction that IBM is wanting users to go with, but a lot of folks are still using HFS.

On my systems, I use the ADRDSSU utility to back-up my file systems daily, and I put a date in the output file name.  Now, putting the current date or time in an output dataset name is not an intuitive option on a z/OS system....but there is a TCP/IP installation and configuration utility that can be used for system symbol substitution, EZACFSM1.

This utility, EZACFSM1, can be placed as a surrounding job for your backup JCL

//STEP0100 EXEC PGM=EZACFSM1
//SYSOUT    DD SYSOUT=(A,INTRDR),DCB=(RECFM=FB,LRECL=80,BLKSIZE=800)
//SYSIN     DD DATA,DLM=@@


all your ADRDSSU jobs can go between STEP0100 and the end delimiter of @@

@@

So what we have is basically a shell where we can enter our backup JCL. I put every file system to be backed up in a separate job so that they all run at the same time.  The jobs entered between the SYSIN  DD DATA,DLM=@@ and the ending @@ will have system symbols substituted for variables in the JCL.  See example below:

//BUSYSAS  JOB (XXXX,9350),'J LANG',
//    CLASS=S,
//    MSGCLASS=G,SCHENV=SYSA,

//    NOTIFY=JLANG1
//STEP0100 EXEC PGM=EZACFSM1
//SYSOUT    DD SYSOUT=(A,INTRDR),DCB=(RECFM=FB,LRECL=80,BLKSIZE=800)
//SYSIN     DD DATA,DLM=@@
//BUSYSAD JOB (DDC06),'JLANG1    ',CLASS=S,MSGCLASS=G,NOTIFY=&SYSUID,
//     SCHENV=SYSA
//*
//DUMP1     EXEC  PGM=ADRDSSU
//SYSPRINT  DD    SYSOUT=*
//OUT       DD    DSN=&&TEMP,DISP=(,PASS),
//          SPACE=(CYL,(800,10),RLSE)
 DUMP OUTDD(OUT) ALLDATA(*) SHARE OPT(4) TOL(ENQF)  -
 DATASET (INCLUDE(OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS))
/*
//REST1     EXEC  PGM=ADRDSSU
//SYSPRINT  DD    SYSOUT=*
//IN        DD    DSN=&&TEMP,DISP=(OLD,DELETE)
 RESTORE DATASET (INCLUDE(OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS)) INDD(IN) -
 TOL(ENQF) -
 RENAMEU(OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS, -
 OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS.D&LYYMMDD)
/*
//DUMP2     EXEC  PGM=ADRDSSU
//SYSPRINT  DD    SYSOUT=*
//OUT       DD    DSN=&&TEMP,DISP=(,PASS),
//          SPACE=(CYL,(800,10),RLSE)
 DUMP OUTDD(OUT) ALLDATA(*) SHARE OPT(4) TOL(ENQF)  -
 DATASET (INCLUDE(OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS.D&LYYMMDD))
/*
//*   DELETE THE 'COPYTO' (NEWNAMED) FILE
//DELETE1   EXEC  PGM=IDCAMS
//SYSPRINT  DD    SYSOUT=*
//SYSIN DD *
  DELETE   OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS.D&LYYMMDD
/*
//*
//REST2     EXEC  PGM=ADRDSSU
//SYSPRINT  DD    SYSOUT=*
//IN        DD    DSN=&&TEMP,DISP=(OLD,DELETE)
//OUT       DD    DSN=OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS.D&LYYMMDD,
//          SPACE=(CYL,(800,10,1),RLSE,CONTIG),DISP=(,CATLG),
//          DSNTYPE=HFS
 RESTORE -
 DATASET (INCLUDE(OMVS.SYSA.WAS71.SYSADM.CONFIG.HFS.D&LYYMMDD)) -
 INDD(IN) TOL(ENQF) REPLACE
/*
@@

In the JCL listed above......2 jobs will be submitted.....the first, BUSYSAS (In Blue) will prepare the JCL for BUSYSAD by replacing the &LYYMMDD symbol with the current local date.  The symbols table can be displayed so you can see what options you have available for use.  In order to display the system symbols....you can add a REXX script, SYMDEF to your system REXX library (see below)

SYMDEF:

/* REXX *** */                                                          
SAY 'JOBNAME  = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','JOBNAME')                             
/* GMT TIME */                                                         
SAY 'YYMMDD   = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','YYMMDD')                             
SAY 'DAY      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','DAY')                                 
SAY 'HR       = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','HR')                                  
SAY 'JDAY     = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','JDAY')                                
SAY 'MIN      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','MIN')                                 
SAY 'MON      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','MON')                                 
SAY 'SEC      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','SEC')                                 
SAY 'HHMMSS   = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','HHMMSS')                              
SAY 'WDAY     = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','WDAY')                                
SAY 'YR2      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','YR2')                                 
SAY 'YR4      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','YR4')                                 
/* LOCAL TIME */                                                        
SAY 'LYYMMDD  = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LYYMMDD')                             
SAY 'LDAY     = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LDAY')                                
SAY 'LHR      = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LHR')                                 
SAY 'LJDAY    = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LJDAY')                               
SAY 'LMIN     = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LMIN')                                
SAY 'LMON     = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LMON')                                
SAY 'LSEC     = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LSEC')                                
SAY 'LHHMMSS  = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LHHMMSS')                             
SAY 'LWDAY    = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LWDAY')                               
SAY 'LYR2    = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LYR2')                                 
SAY 'LYR4    = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','LYR4')                                 
/* ADD YOUR OWN SYMBOLIC VARIABLES HERE */                              
SAY 'SYSR2    = 'MVSVAR('SYMDEF','SYSR2')                               

EXIT 0                                                                  

Now, executing the SYMDEF REXX script will produce a symbols report:

Note: If local date and time are needed, these are preceded by an “L”.

JOBNAME  = JLANG1

YYMMDD   = 070627

DAY      = 27

HR       = 14

JDAY     = 178

MIN      = 12

MON      = 06

SEC      = 52

HHMMSS   = 141252

WDAY     = WED

YR2      = 07

YR4      = 2007

LYYMMDD  = 070627

LDAY     = 27

LHR      = 09

LJDAY    = 178

LMIN     = 12

LMON     = 06

LSEC     = 52

LHHMMSS  = 091252

LWDAY    = WED

LYR2    = 07

LYR4    = 2007

SYSR2    = T7YTA2

This technique can be used for any job where you would like to have a date/time included in the output dataset name without having to change it every time......the substitution is done automatically by the EZACFSM1 utility.

Happy programming!!!