NetView Replacement: VitalSigns for Network Automation and Control (VNAC)
VNAC is an Ideal NetView™ Replacement
- Install, configure, and use VNAC in 2 hours, not 2 days.
- Panel-driven install requires 3 batch jobs, max.
- Automate any message (system, application, or network) that goes to the system console.
- Easily port existing NetView REXX scripts to VNAC.
- VNAC is simple to use--no additional training needed to educate users.
- Instant links to on-line help for IBM messages.
- Automate network alerts by interfacing VNAC with VIP or any other IP monitor.
- SNA session information is easy to understand and fully customizable.
- SNA session monitoring includes reporting bind failures, writing SMF records.
- Simple, precise filtering for system logs and session data.
- The VNAC Server frees-up mainframe cycles by running outside the mainframe.
- Superior performance compared to NetView: Independent user benchmarks show the processes running significantly faster on VNAC.
Software Diversified Services' latest offering is an ideal NetView™ replacement. It replaces legacy mainframe network and system monitors with easier use, higher performance, and significantly lower cost.
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VNAC improves on the most-used components of NetView™ and NetMaster™, providing...
> Full Network and System Automation
> Versatile REXX Support
> Network-Wide Command Interface
> Easy Search of Mainframe System Logs
> Instant Help for Mainframe Messages
> Simple Viewing for Datasets and Members
> Real-Time System and Network Monitoring
> CPU-Saving Agent-Server Architecture
> Superior Performance
> Versatile Security
> Instant Messaging
Full Network and System Automation
VNAC can respond to any system or network message. Configure VNAC to listen for messages by job name (TCPIP,VTAM, CICS, IMS,JES, etc.) and/or message ID (EZZ*, IST*,DFH*,HASP*, etc.). Exploit VNAC's REXX interface to automatically respond to messages and events harvested by the console listener.
VNAC provides robust REXX scripting support. You can easily migrate existing REXX scripts to VNAC with little or no change required.
Network-Wide Command Interface
VNAC users can issue commands and execs to control and manipulate mainframe systems and networks. The VNAC command interface improves on NetView's NCCF function by providing access to all systems and networks from a single product log in, startup, and console window. The VNAC command interface remembers previous commands, so they are easy to select from a menu later. The menu sorts the most-used commands to the top for you.
Easy Search of Mainframe System Logs
VNAC users can browse the logs from one selected mainframe system, or consolidate logs from any number of systems. Consolidated logs can dramatically speed the task of learning where and when a problem occurred, and provide a huge advantage over NetView. Easy-to-specify filters select log messages for the previous day, the previous 5 minutes, or any other time span. The filters can select messages that include specific text strings. They can select messages by message ID, severity, user, job, and/or sysplex.
Instant Help for Mainframe Messages
For all messages in mainframe system logs, VNAC provides direct links to the IBM documentation. Thus VNAC provides instant help for VTAM IST* messages, sense codes, return codes, and feedback. If a user has enabled the VNAC console listener to monitor CICS messages, the online help will explain the DFH* messages on the VNAC system log.
Simple Viewing for Datasets and Members
VNAC users can easily find and view any member or dataset on their z/OS systems. If you don't know a fully qualified dataset name, just specify a member name and VNAC will perform a search for you. Sensitive members and data can be protected with SAF security measures.
Real-Time System and Network Monitoring
VNAC users can monitor system and network logs in real time, immediately as messages arrive at system consoles. With easily defined and robust filters, VNAC's log monitor serves as a "Targeted System Console."
CPU-Saving Agent-Server Architecture
VNAC can bring you significant cost savings and delay costly CPU upgrades. A VNAC Server can run on almost any platform. CPU cycles previously consumed by network monitoring can devoted to production applications.
VNAC uses Agents residing on z/OS LPARs to communicate with VNAC Server(s). The Server(s) can run on z/OS USS, but they run just as well or better on Windows, zLinux, Linux, and/or UNIX.
It is common knowledge that legacy network management products are intense consumers of CPU resources. VNAC, on the other hand, offers superior performance and improved functionality. Benchmarking and tests show that VNAC outperforms legacy network management products.
VNAC offers two different security configurations to suit your situation. The VNAC Server can be secured with standard mainframe user IDs, typically IDs defined in RACF. Or the VNAC Server can hold its own list of allowed users, as defined by the Server administrator.
Once logged into a VNAC Server, users can communicate with one another with VNAC's instant message facility. This tool greatly simplifies collaboration to solve mainframe and network problems.