Mainframe Hosting The N.C. Department of Information Technology provides managed mainframe hosting solutions for mission-critical z/OS applications for state and local governments, municipalities and school systems. Our zSeries server offers the ultimate protection for your data while simplifying compliance to regulations. It also allows you to apply machine learning to your most valuable data to create deeper insights. NCDIT's zServer single-frame model can process monthly daily average of 27 million encrypted transactions. The Mainframe Hosting services team is responsible for making available software, hardware and operating system environments that enable fast and reliable processing. Virtual disk and tape storage provides a complete system for the customer to execute batch or real-time job streams. Scroll below to find out more about the features and benefits of Mainframe Hosting services, along with the next steps to use it: z/OS System Software & Performance Mainframe Disaster Recovery Other Hosting Services Service Features z/OS System The z/OS system maintains currency n-1 (level of maintenance current – 1), reviews software costs and software duplications and forecasts and plans z/OS requirements such as encryption, system configuration changes and new features. Hardware Support IOGen Control units HMC Thin client consoles The Mainframe Hostingteam provides technical support for the following: File transfer: sftp, FTPS, Connect:Direct CSSMTP (mainframe email) Maintenance of the latest supported encryption level The Mainframe Hosting team performs these activities: Monitoring External system-to-system connections (i.e., EE and NJE) DIT network connections to the mainframe and control units Analysis Reviews the network infrastructure to ensure proper design for disaster recovery and customer needs Ensures encryption requirements are met Proactively handles z/OS upgrade/migration requirements Manage hardware configurations: HMC, control units and thin client consoles Service Level Agreements Ensure supported software maintains n-1 levels Resolve customer incident and service request tickets in a timely manner Monitoring and Automation NCDIT Mainframe Hosting uses a Microsoft Windows-based event monitoring solution. It monitors mainframe systems to enable event correlation within your corporate computing environment. Additionally, rules and scripting capabilities enable you to consolidate events and automate the systems from a consolidated source. It also contains an alert management interface to manage critical events that require human decision making and intervention, escalating them with a policy-based notification component. This automation helps increase the efficiency of IT operations and enables you to redirect human capital toward value-added activities. Job alert automation can help you manage risk, control costs, improve service, align IT processes with business needs and move a step closer to realizing a fully autonomic computing environment. Benefits Monitoring alerts sent by email and text Monitoring of infrastructure internal and external network connections Monitoring of daily system batch and online processes Automation Support OPS/MVS Automation and Zeke Scheduler Automated batch job restart and recovery by ASG-Zebb Automated system alert notification via AutomationPoint and SOI Schedule batch jobs in Zeke CA SYSVIEW® Performance Management Security A multifactorial authentication segment is added to the RACF user ID profile and indicates which sign-on method will be used. MFA is configured for use by TSO/ISPF, DB2, IMS and CICS. Manage system security support Encryption Strong, current cyphers Maintain state encryption standards Customer support to maintain encryption requirements Yearly certificate renewals Printer Support NCDIT software streamlines printing in the mainframe environment by efficiently routing output from the JES2/JES3 spool to the most appropriate printer or output destination for your agency. Printers can be quickly and easily added to the system without the need for IPLs, JES definitions or JCL changes. While some products specialize in converting print data streams, NCDIT software addresses the end-to-end processes of printing and delivery of the required data stream. Document transforms handle popular data streams such as AFP®, PCL®, PDF, IPDS, LCDS and XES® over any network. Software & Performance COBOL Optimize performance: Reduces CPU utilization and operating costs by utilizing the COBOL compiler's leading edge optimization technology and ability to exploit the latest mainframe hardware and middleware. Improve productivity: Leverages new usability features to simplify programming techniques, problem determination, and support tools supplied by IBM and other ISVs. Modernize applications: Modernizes your environment with proven features extended to support web, cloud, and mobile infrastructures, while reducing cost, risk, and cycle time. RESTful Java™ Script Object Notation (JSON) services with traditional XML web services Native UTF-8 that enables COBOL applications to efficiently communicate across applications via RESTful APIs and to directly process UTF-8 data AMODE 64 (64-bit) batch applications development, which enables processing large data tables over 2 GB zOS Db2 12 Db2 12 for z/OS extends the core capabilities of Db2 and empowers its scalability, security, reliability and efficiency. Db2 12 was created to empower the next wave of applications in the cloud, mobile and analytics spaces. Db2 12 provides users with the continuous delivery of new capabilities and enhancements. Db2 12 allows for managing core business data across your enterprise while supporting key business applications. Db2 12 provides database management through the use of structured query language (SQL), the industry-standard database manipulation language. Db2 12 allows for up to 11.7 million inserts per second and 256 trillion rows per table. These big data management capabilities ensure enterprise database systems are prepared for today's and tomorrow's database challenges. Benefits Installation – Build and install Db2 environments at current database software levels as well as associated Db2 related vendor tools (e.g., CA/Broadcom, IBM) Migration – Perform Db2 version migrations to maintain software currency Monitoring – Perform day to day monitoring of DB2 subsystem performance and control Maintenance – Apply Db2 software maintenance as needed to maintain subsystem Performance and tuning – Optimize Db2 workloads and resources to improve the subsystems' overall performance Job Scheduling NCDIT provides an automated job scheduler that dynamically schedules, dispatches events and monitors every aspect of your job schedule. The job scheduler provides a wide range of functionalities, including system command scheduling, automatic variable calculation and substitution, step-level condition code validation, workload balancing, schedule forecasting and simulation, SAF security, optional SMP/E support, simultaneous support for multiple JCL libraries, electronic vaulting capabilities, prebuilt calendars and other utilities. Differentiators Optimizes your workload through real-time, logical, and physical resource control to automatically check condition codes at every step and to react in real time Creates schedules, performs backups and maintains calendars without interrupting service Manages enterprise-wide scheduling Presents all schedule information for every supported platform on a single screen and highlights all exceptions (e.g., abends, late jobs) Supports concurrent schedules within the same job names (versioning) Schedules and manages from one location to an infinite number of systems, across operating systems worldwide or just across the room Provides perpetual calendars that allow you to define dates as far into the future as needed Benefits Schedules and submits events at machine speed Responds automatically to messages and continuously monitors every aspect of job schedules Reduces human error by operating with minimal user intervention Improves system efficiency and throughput by checking physical and logical resources before job dispatching Checks step-level condition code through the use of the IBM SMF facility and allows job cancellation based on condition codes Performance The Capacity and Performance Management team within the Hosting Services Software and Performance section has overall responsibility for the capacity management process, which provides a point of focus and management for all capacity and performance related issues. The purpose of the Capacity Management team is to ensure that capacity is in place and is performing sufficiently to meet current and future needs of NCDIT customers and IT infrastructure. The scope of CAPM’s Capacity Management process is management and manipulation of data, capacity planning, performance management, availability management, storage capacity, revenue analysis and reporting. Capacity Management processes can be divided into two services: Workload capacity management – Monitors and controls the performance of the customer’s IT services through examining relevant data. Resource capacity management – Monitors the performance of components within the IT infrastructure. The activities of workload capacity management and resource capacity management are: Demand management – Transfer resource demand to prevent customer and infrastructure components from becoming overloaded Monitoring – Measure and ensure that customer and infrastructure components are achieving an acceptable service. Examples of resources that are monitored are CPU utilization, DASD utilization, response times and storage utilization. Analysis – A study of workload and resource capacity components used to forecast future needs. This component analysis may initiate efficiency improvements and the acquisition of additional IT resources. Tuning – Optimize system workloads and resources to improve the customers performance and costs Data modeling and reporting – Provide and secure data models used for the development of BI reports and visualizations Transaction Services (CICS, IMS & MQSeries) The Transaction Services team within the Mainframe Hosting Services section has overall responsibility for access to the z/OS online applications written and supported by various N.C. state agencies. The Transaction Services team's purpose is to ensure that the z/OS online environment is available for all state agencies utilizing the various applications running on the z/OS platform. The scope of the Transaction Services group is as follows: z/OS online access NCDIT offers traditional (CICS and IMS) online processing time, available by the minute, and online Web and Middleware Services running under z/OS. CICS and IMS, defined below, are the predominant online transaction managers used by DIT for z/OS. The Customer Information Control System is a general-purpose mainframe-based data communication system that supports a network of thousands of terminals. CICS provides an environment for the execution of online application programs, including interfaces to files and database products, such as VSAM, DB2 and IMS. CICS can also be accessed by MQSeries via MQClient and MQServers and CICS Transaction Gateway. The Information Management System is a database/data communication system that allows NCDIT customers to access IMS-defined databases and Db2 databases through attached communication terminals. IMS controls the terminals and allows the customer to communicate with IMS databases utilizing high-level programming languages. IMS can also be accessed by MQSeries via MQClient or MQServers. Provides 24 x 7 support for transaction services systems CICS, IMS, Middleware MQ/FTE (MQSeries File Transfer Edition), MQSeries, Host On Demand (Web based 3270 emulation), CA products and utilities, multiple OEM products and others 117 CICS customer regions 75 + IMS control and dependent regions WMQ and MQ/FTE subsystems (MQ has 18 subsystems supported, including nine managed file transfer.) Duties – Customer configuration, troubleshooting and support, system installation and maintenance Mainframe Disaster Recovery We utilize the Hitachi Universal Replicator to perform data mirroring to our disaster recovery center. We mirror mainframe data 24/7 in an asynchronous manner with data current to within 5 minutes or less. Data mirroring allows us to shorten recovery time and minimize both mainframe recovery time objective and recovery point objective. The data is secure in its transmission (encrypted in flight) between data centers. Other Hosting Services Middleware Learn more about Middleware Hosting services. Storage Management Learn more about Distributed Hosting services. NCXCloud Learn more about NCXCloud services. Benefits Encrypt application data at rest and in flight – Simplify compliance and protect your critical data from internal and external threats at low cost, with high performance and without application changes. Pervasive encryption on NCDIT's zServer offers a data-centric approach to information security. It encrypts data in flight, in use and at rest to help meet complex compliance mandates while reducing the risks and financial losses of a data breach. Deliver exceptional service – Our zServer delivers more performance so you can deliver quality service – even at peak transaction rates. This server rapidly responds to changes in business demands by reallocating resources automatically based on priorities and by quickly and efficiently deploying new services. Gain business continuity with a reliable platform – Ensure the continuity of operations with availability built into every element of the system. NCDIT's zServer delivers 99.99 percent application availability and powerful disaster recovery capabilities. Create value through secure application and data innovation – Discover and expose existing code for rapid and efficient new service creation. Optimize resource utilization, and simplify management to drive efficiency. Enable flexible deployment of micro-services, increase services reuse and deliver efficiency through new economic models. Using the Service Next Steps The Hosting Services Coordinator is available to assist you by: Providing ongoing project management and communication between NCDIT staff and the customer organization Managing project plans, helping mitigate risks and provide escalation when required Managing purchase order requisitions and coordinating with hardware and software vendors for equipment delivery The Mainframe Hosting Services team participates in monthly Techshare meetings and shares the updates on mainframe systems (z/OS, transaction services, network systems and Db2 z/OS) and capacity and performance management. The Mainframe SharePoint site is up to date with the latest information: Hosting Services – Home. The NCDIT Mainframe Techshare group on Microsoft Teams group shares the latest information about: Upcoming training and digital events, exciting digital news, internships, apprenticeships and more All the services supported by Mainframe Hosting Services team (e.g., Z/OS, Transaction) Any ongoing project (e.g., Cobol 6 migration) Communication & Status Customers can contact the NCDIT Service Desk at 919-754-6000, or create a ticket in the NCDIT Service Portal for any Mainframe Hosting related service. Related Documentation Mainframe Hosting Service Level Agreement
Mainframe Hosting The N.C. Department of Information Technology provides managed mainframe hosting solutions for mission-critical z/OS applications for state and local governments, municipalities and school systems. Our zSeries server offers the ultimate protection for your data while simplifying compliance to regulations. It also allows you to apply machine learning to your most valuable data to create deeper insights. NCDIT's zServer single-frame model can process monthly daily average of 27 million encrypted transactions. The Mainframe Hosting services team is responsible for making available software, hardware and operating system environments that enable fast and reliable processing. Virtual disk and tape storage provides a complete system for the customer to execute batch or real-time job streams. Scroll below to find out more about the features and benefits of Mainframe Hosting services, along with the next steps to use it: z/OS System Software & Performance Mainframe Disaster Recovery Other Hosting Services Service Features z/OS System The z/OS system maintains currency n-1 (level of maintenance current – 1), reviews software costs and software duplications and forecasts and plans z/OS requirements such as encryption, system configuration changes and new features. Hardware Support IOGen Control units HMC Thin client consoles The Mainframe Hostingteam provides technical support for the following: File transfer: sftp, FTPS, Connect:Direct CSSMTP (mainframe email) Maintenance of the latest supported encryption level The Mainframe Hosting team performs these activities: Monitoring External system-to-system connections (i.e., EE and NJE) DIT network connections to the mainframe and control units Analysis Reviews the network infrastructure to ensure proper design for disaster recovery and customer needs Ensures encryption requirements are met Proactively handles z/OS upgrade/migration requirements Manage hardware configurations: HMC, control units and thin client consoles Service Level Agreements Ensure supported software maintains n-1 levels Resolve customer incident and service request tickets in a timely manner Monitoring and Automation NCDIT Mainframe Hosting uses a Microsoft Windows-based event monitoring solution. It monitors mainframe systems to enable event correlation within your corporate computing environment. Additionally, rules and scripting capabilities enable you to consolidate events and automate the systems from a consolidated source. It also contains an alert management interface to manage critical events that require human decision making and intervention, escalating them with a policy-based notification component. This automation helps increase the efficiency of IT operations and enables you to redirect human capital toward value-added activities. Job alert automation can help you manage risk, control costs, improve service, align IT processes with business needs and move a step closer to realizing a fully autonomic computing environment. Benefits Monitoring alerts sent by email and text Monitoring of infrastructure internal and external network connections Monitoring of daily system batch and online processes Automation Support OPS/MVS Automation and Zeke Scheduler Automated batch job restart and recovery by ASG-Zebb Automated system alert notification via AutomationPoint and SOI Schedule batch jobs in Zeke CA SYSVIEW® Performance Management Security A multifactorial authentication segment is added to the RACF user ID profile and indicates which sign-on method will be used. MFA is configured for use by TSO/ISPF, DB2, IMS and CICS. Manage system security support Encryption Strong, current cyphers Maintain state encryption standards Customer support to maintain encryption requirements Yearly certificate renewals Printer Support NCDIT software streamlines printing in the mainframe environment by efficiently routing output from the JES2/JES3 spool to the most appropriate printer or output destination for your agency. Printers can be quickly and easily added to the system without the need for IPLs, JES definitions or JCL changes. While some products specialize in converting print data streams, NCDIT software addresses the end-to-end processes of printing and delivery of the required data stream. Document transforms handle popular data streams such as AFP®, PCL®, PDF, IPDS, LCDS and XES® over any network. Software & Performance COBOL Optimize performance: Reduces CPU utilization and operating costs by utilizing the COBOL compiler's leading edge optimization technology and ability to exploit the latest mainframe hardware and middleware. Improve productivity: Leverages new usability features to simplify programming techniques, problem determination, and support tools supplied by IBM and other ISVs. Modernize applications: Modernizes your environment with proven features extended to support web, cloud, and mobile infrastructures, while reducing cost, risk, and cycle time. RESTful Java™ Script Object Notation (JSON) services with traditional XML web services Native UTF-8 that enables COBOL applications to efficiently communicate across applications via RESTful APIs and to directly process UTF-8 data AMODE 64 (64-bit) batch applications development, which enables processing large data tables over 2 GB zOS Db2 12 Db2 12 for z/OS extends the core capabilities of Db2 and empowers its scalability, security, reliability and efficiency. Db2 12 was created to empower the next wave of applications in the cloud, mobile and analytics spaces. Db2 12 provides users with the continuous delivery of new capabilities and enhancements. Db2 12 allows for managing core business data across your enterprise while supporting key business applications. Db2 12 provides database management through the use of structured query language (SQL), the industry-standard database manipulation language. Db2 12 allows for up to 11.7 million inserts per second and 256 trillion rows per table. These big data management capabilities ensure enterprise database systems are prepared for today's and tomorrow's database challenges. Benefits Installation – Build and install Db2 environments at current database software levels as well as associated Db2 related vendor tools (e.g., CA/Broadcom, IBM) Migration – Perform Db2 version migrations to maintain software currency Monitoring – Perform day to day monitoring of DB2 subsystem performance and control Maintenance – Apply Db2 software maintenance as needed to maintain subsystem Performance and tuning – Optimize Db2 workloads and resources to improve the subsystems' overall performance Job Scheduling NCDIT provides an automated job scheduler that dynamically schedules, dispatches events and monitors every aspect of your job schedule. The job scheduler provides a wide range of functionalities, including system command scheduling, automatic variable calculation and substitution, step-level condition code validation, workload balancing, schedule forecasting and simulation, SAF security, optional SMP/E support, simultaneous support for multiple JCL libraries, electronic vaulting capabilities, prebuilt calendars and other utilities. Differentiators Optimizes your workload through real-time, logical, and physical resource control to automatically check condition codes at every step and to react in real time Creates schedules, performs backups and maintains calendars without interrupting service Manages enterprise-wide scheduling Presents all schedule information for every supported platform on a single screen and highlights all exceptions (e.g., abends, late jobs) Supports concurrent schedules within the same job names (versioning) Schedules and manages from one location to an infinite number of systems, across operating systems worldwide or just across the room Provides perpetual calendars that allow you to define dates as far into the future as needed Benefits Schedules and submits events at machine speed Responds automatically to messages and continuously monitors every aspect of job schedules Reduces human error by operating with minimal user intervention Improves system efficiency and throughput by checking physical and logical resources before job dispatching Checks step-level condition code through the use of the IBM SMF facility and allows job cancellation based on condition codes Performance The Capacity and Performance Management team within the Hosting Services Software and Performance section has overall responsibility for the capacity management process, which provides a point of focus and management for all capacity and performance related issues. The purpose of the Capacity Management team is to ensure that capacity is in place and is performing sufficiently to meet current and future needs of NCDIT customers and IT infrastructure. The scope of CAPM’s Capacity Management process is management and manipulation of data, capacity planning, performance management, availability management, storage capacity, revenue analysis and reporting. Capacity Management processes can be divided into two services: Workload capacity management – Monitors and controls the performance of the customer’s IT services through examining relevant data. Resource capacity management – Monitors the performance of components within the IT infrastructure. The activities of workload capacity management and resource capacity management are: Demand management – Transfer resource demand to prevent customer and infrastructure components from becoming overloaded Monitoring – Measure and ensure that customer and infrastructure components are achieving an acceptable service. Examples of resources that are monitored are CPU utilization, DASD utilization, response times and storage utilization. Analysis – A study of workload and resource capacity components used to forecast future needs. This component analysis may initiate efficiency improvements and the acquisition of additional IT resources. Tuning – Optimize system workloads and resources to improve the customers performance and costs Data modeling and reporting – Provide and secure data models used for the development of BI reports and visualizations Transaction Services (CICS, IMS & MQSeries) The Transaction Services team within the Mainframe Hosting Services section has overall responsibility for access to the z/OS online applications written and supported by various N.C. state agencies. The Transaction Services team's purpose is to ensure that the z/OS online environment is available for all state agencies utilizing the various applications running on the z/OS platform. The scope of the Transaction Services group is as follows: z/OS online access NCDIT offers traditional (CICS and IMS) online processing time, available by the minute, and online Web and Middleware Services running under z/OS. CICS and IMS, defined below, are the predominant online transaction managers used by DIT for z/OS. The Customer Information Control System is a general-purpose mainframe-based data communication system that supports a network of thousands of terminals. CICS provides an environment for the execution of online application programs, including interfaces to files and database products, such as VSAM, DB2 and IMS. CICS can also be accessed by MQSeries via MQClient and MQServers and CICS Transaction Gateway. The Information Management System is a database/data communication system that allows NCDIT customers to access IMS-defined databases and Db2 databases through attached communication terminals. IMS controls the terminals and allows the customer to communicate with IMS databases utilizing high-level programming languages. IMS can also be accessed by MQSeries via MQClient or MQServers. Provides 24 x 7 support for transaction services systems CICS, IMS, Middleware MQ/FTE (MQSeries File Transfer Edition), MQSeries, Host On Demand (Web based 3270 emulation), CA products and utilities, multiple OEM products and others 117 CICS customer regions 75 + IMS control and dependent regions WMQ and MQ/FTE subsystems (MQ has 18 subsystems supported, including nine managed file transfer.) Duties – Customer configuration, troubleshooting and support, system installation and maintenance Mainframe Disaster Recovery We utilize the Hitachi Universal Replicator to perform data mirroring to our disaster recovery center. We mirror mainframe data 24/7 in an asynchronous manner with data current to within 5 minutes or less. Data mirroring allows us to shorten recovery time and minimize both mainframe recovery time objective and recovery point objective. The data is secure in its transmission (encrypted in flight) between data centers. Other Hosting Services Middleware Learn more about Middleware Hosting services. Storage Management Learn more about Distributed Hosting services. NCXCloud Learn more about NCXCloud services. Benefits Encrypt application data at rest and in flight – Simplify compliance and protect your critical data from internal and external threats at low cost, with high performance and without application changes. Pervasive encryption on NCDIT's zServer offers a data-centric approach to information security. It encrypts data in flight, in use and at rest to help meet complex compliance mandates while reducing the risks and financial losses of a data breach. Deliver exceptional service – Our zServer delivers more performance so you can deliver quality service – even at peak transaction rates. This server rapidly responds to changes in business demands by reallocating resources automatically based on priorities and by quickly and efficiently deploying new services. Gain business continuity with a reliable platform – Ensure the continuity of operations with availability built into every element of the system. NCDIT's zServer delivers 99.99 percent application availability and powerful disaster recovery capabilities. Create value through secure application and data innovation – Discover and expose existing code for rapid and efficient new service creation. Optimize resource utilization, and simplify management to drive efficiency. Enable flexible deployment of micro-services, increase services reuse and deliver efficiency through new economic models. Using the Service Next Steps The Hosting Services Coordinator is available to assist you by: Providing ongoing project management and communication between NCDIT staff and the customer organization Managing project plans, helping mitigate risks and provide escalation when required Managing purchase order requisitions and coordinating with hardware and software vendors for equipment delivery The Mainframe Hosting Services team participates in monthly Techshare meetings and shares the updates on mainframe systems (z/OS, transaction services, network systems and Db2 z/OS) and capacity and performance management. The Mainframe SharePoint site is up to date with the latest information: Hosting Services – Home. The NCDIT Mainframe Techshare group on Microsoft Teams group shares the latest information about: Upcoming training and digital events, exciting digital news, internships, apprenticeships and more All the services supported by Mainframe Hosting Services team (e.g., Z/OS, Transaction) Any ongoing project (e.g., Cobol 6 migration) Communication & Status Customers can contact the NCDIT Service Desk at 919-754-6000, or create a ticket in the NCDIT Service Portal for any Mainframe Hosting related service. Related Documentation Mainframe Hosting Service Level Agreement
