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Frequently Asked Questions

Contents:    SDS,    VitalSigns for IP,    Mainframes

SOFTWARE DIVERSIFIED SERVICES

Q: Where is SDS?
A: SDS is on Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, roughly 12 miles north from the center of Minneapolis, one of the founding cities of the computing industry.

Q: What does SDS do? What products do we offer?
A: SDS provides software tools for IBM mainframe computers.

Our principle products provide:

  • Network performance monitoring for HPR and IP traffic on z/OS. See VitalSigns for IP: www.sdsusa.com/vip
  • Performance monitoring for VTAM networks on z/OS, VM, and VSE. See VVitalSigns for VTAM: www.sdsusa.com/vsv
  • Security and monitoring for file transfers to and from z/OS. See VitalSigns for FTP: www.sdsusa.com/vftp
  • File control for CICS, VSE, z/OS. See IPCP: www.sdsusa.com/ipcp.htm

SDS is committed to ease of use, low CPU utilization, and delivering high value for the customers’ investment. We focus on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of mainframe resources—hardware, software, and human resources.

Q: How long has SDS been in business?
A: For 27 years, since 1982, SDS has been providing first-rate software solutions to the mainframe industry. Our development and customer support team provides deep and extensive experience, averaging 15 years work with mainframes per person.

Q: What is the future of SDS?
A: SDS is committed to the mainframe community for the long term. Fast, effective technical support is one of our chief priorities. Customer requests often guide our development schedule.

Q: How does SDS price its software?
A: The price of SDS software varies according to the MIPS or MSU of the environments will it resides. For details, call 763-571-9000 or write sales@sdsusa.com.

Q: What Java software do I need for VitalSigns for IP, for FTP? What version of Java?
A: VitalSigns for IP and FTP display their data at web browsers by means of Java Applets. So browsers require a Java plug-in, also called a JRE (Java runtime engine). VitalSigns for IP and FTP Servers use JSP (Java server pages), so they need access to a Java SDK (software development kit). The Java software is free of charge and simple to install. For links, detailed information, and up-to-date Java version information, see wwww.sdsusa.com/aboutJava.htm

Q: How do I get emergency product-activation keys?
A: SDS software products require up-to-date “activation keys.” A key allows a given product to run on a given CPU for one year. When a key expires, the software stops working. SDS is happy to provide short-term keys for trials, testing, crisis recovery, etc. Please call SDS technical support at 763-571-9000, or write to support@sdsusa.com

SDS VitalSigns for IP

Q: What platforms does VitalSigns for IP monitor?
A: On z/OS mainframe machines, VIP Agents monitor IP and HPR network traffic. Agents deliver monitoring data to VIP Server(s), which provide the data to users at standard web browsers.

Q: What platforms do VitalSigns for IP Servers run on?
A: VIP Servers can run on z/OS USS (Unix system services), z/Linux, Linux, Unix, or Windows systems. The Servers need access to a Java SDK (software development kit).

Q: What applications does VitalSigns for IP monitor?
A: VIP can monitor performance and workload of any z/OS application that opens an IP port. That includes Enterprise Extender, DB2, FTP, TN3270, for a few examples. VIP also monitors HPR network connections.

Q: Where does VitalSigns for IP get its monitoring information?
A: For most of the information it provides, VIP relies on the standard IBM Network Management Interface (NMI). The NMI is a formalized interface for retrieving IP management data and enabling management applications like VIP.

Q: Can VitalSigns for IP provide me with information regarding the response times of applications?
A: VIP provides real-time response information for all kinds of TCP applications, including HTTP servers, DB2, Websphere, IMS Connect and CICS Socket applications. VIP can also break response time into its component parts: IP network response time and Server host response time. Thus VIP precisely identifies bottlenecks in a the network.

Q: Does VitalSigns for IP have alerting and reporting capabilities?
A: Yes. VIP can send alerts regarding network problems to NetView, system consoles, desktop browser displays, and to e-mail addresses. VIP’s online displays report real-time and historical monitoring data, in numerical tables or graphic charts. VIP’s batch reporting tool can delivering daily graphic reports to file servers and e-mail addresses.

Q: Does VitalSigns for IP provide both real-time and historical information?
A: Yes. VIP reports real-time monitoring data and recent historical data to common desktop web browsers. Historical data is periodically off-loaded to archives, where it remains available to VIP batch reporting jobs.

Q: What products does VitalSigns for IP compare to? And how does it differ from the competition?
A. Compared to Netmaster, Implex, and TMON IP, VitalSigns for IP…

  • Is easier to install, learn, and use
  • Runs more efficiently, requiring fewer CPU and network resources
  • Provides more complete and centralized monitoring data, will all systems, LPARs, and applications available to single browser interface.

Q: What type of information can I get from the VitalSigns for IP OSA monitor? And what is required in the OSA environment?
A: VIP uses the standard MIB (management information base) supplied by IBM to provide detailed information about OSA physical channels, OSA usage, and LPAR utilization by OSA. To monitor an OSA device, one of the LPARs in contact with the device needs to implement OSA management software (typically IOBSNMP) and an SNMP daemon.

Q: Can VitalSigns for IP monitor Sysplex Distributor?
A: Yes. VIP monitors Sysplex Distributor performance, configuration, and workload.

Sysplex Distributor is a TCP/IP stack configuration that distributes workload by redirecting inbound requests among multiple other TCP/IP stacks (the targets). It also provides redundant service by means of backup stacks ready to take over service at designated addresses. A sysplex distributor employs dynamic distributed virtual IP addresses (DDVIPAs), addresses that are re-assigned from one stack to another as necessary. For more information, see www.sdsusa.com/dictionary/#sysplexdistributor.

VitalSigns for IP provides comprehensive information regarding distributors, targets, and backups: current and total connections, server responsiveness, the work load manager’s weighting values and connection establishment rates.

Q: What Java software do I need for VitalSigns for IP and FTP? What version of Java?
A: VitalSigns for IP and FTP display their data at web browsers by means of Java Applets. So browsers require a Java plug-in, also called a JRE (Java runtime engine).

VitalSigns for IP and FTP Servers use JSP (Java server pages), so they need access to a Java SDK (software development kit).

The Java software is free of charge and simple to install. For links, detailed information, and up-to-date Java version information, see wwww.sdsusa.com/aboutJava.htm

MAINFRAME COMPUTING AND NETWORKING

Q: Where can I find IBM’s manuals for z/OS?
A: IBM provides multiple on-line documentation libraries for z/OS.

Q: What is an OMVS segment?
A: OMVS and other mainframe terminology is defined in the SDS “Dictionary of the Mainframe World,” http://www.sdsusa.com/dictionary/#omvs

Q: What is Enterprise Extender?
A: Enterprise Extender (EE) integrates SNA applications into IP networks. It wraps SNA messages in IP packets and manages their transmission over IP networks, to and and from SNA applications at either end of the EE connection. EE is significantly superior to its predecessors, Data Link Switching (DLSw) and AnyNet, for example. VitalSigns for IP has two dashboards dedicated to Enterprise Extender and HPR monitoring.

Q: What is IP version 6 or IPV6.
A: Internet protocol version 6 is the next generation of the internet protocol for packet-switched networks. Currently, the dominant version is IPV4. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) designated IPv6 as its successor in RFC2460, 1998.

Q: What is zIIP?
A: The IBM System z Integrated Information Processor (zIIP) is a specialty mainframe processor designed to free-up general computing capacity. zIIP delivers increased computing capacity and throughput.

Q: What is zAAP?
A: The IBM System z Application Assist Processor (zAAP), previously known as the zSeries Application Assist Processor, is a mainframe processor introduced by IBM in 2004. zAAP engines are dedicated to running specific Java and XML workloads under z/OS, accelerating performance. zAAPs are available for zSeries 890 and 990 servers and all System z9 and System z10 servers.

Q: What is FTP and what types of FTP transfers are available to me?
A: The file transfer protocol (FTP) is used to transfer files among computers on a network. FTP is widely implemented, but does not provide the security of encrypted transmissions. Two common, more-secure variations of FTP are FTPS and SFTP.

  • FTPS (FTP Secure or FTP-SSL) employs Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptography.
  • SFTP (SSH FTP, Secure Shell FTP, or Secure FTP) provides file transfer and manipulation over any reliable data stream. It is typically used with version 2 of the SSH protocol.

For more information about FTP security, see www.sdsusa.com/vftp/ftpSecurity.htm

Q: What is IPsec?
A: Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) is a suite of protocols for securing IP communications by authenticating and encrypting each packet of a data stream.

Q: How do we use the IP trace? Capture entire payload or abbreviate data?
A: Too broad a packet trace can easily gather too much information and use too much CPU overhead. Effective traces use abbreviation and filters to select specific subsets of the traffic through a stack.

To abbreviate trace data is to collect the first nnn bytes of each packet. Often, it is sufficient to collect only packet headers, without any of the data payloads. The headers, typically the first 256 bytes or fewer, provide all the addressing, protocol, and routing information.

Along with abbreviation, VitalSigns for IP’s packet trace tool provides for selecting packets by IP address, port, subnet, protocol, and/or link name.