Specifying workstation fixed resources

Some workstations have limited resources:
  • A computer workstation has a limited number of JES initiators.
  • A printer workstation has limited number of printers.
  • A job setup workstation has a limited number of people able to edit JCL.

HCL Workload Automation for Z can keep track of these limited resources and take account of them in its plan for jobs on z/OS® systems.

When you set up a workstation, you can specify the quantity of two resources available to operations at the workstation, R1 and R2. You can also assign a 2-character name to these resources.

If you are new to HCL Workload Automation for Z, you are recommended not to use these fixed resources, but to use the special resources described in Creating special resources instead, because these do not have the restrictions associated with workstation fixed resources, the most important being that:
  • You might have no more than 99 of each resource.
  • The name is limited to 2 characters.
  • Workstations cannot share the resources.

To specify workstation fixed resources, enter the R command from the CREATING GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT A WORKSTATION panel (EQQWCGEP - Creating general information about a workstation). The RESOURCES FOR A WORKSTATION panel, shown in EQQWMREP - Resources for a workstation, is displayed.

Figure 1. EQQWMREP - Resources for a workstation
 EQQWMREP --------------- RESOURCES FOR A WORK STATION -------------------------
 Command ===>

 Enter/change data below:

 Work station          : CPU1             Main JES processor

 Resource 1
  NAME              ===> R1
  PLANNING          ===> Y         Used at planning, Y or N
  CONTROL           ===> N         Used at control, Y or N

 Resource 2
  NAME              ===> R2
  PLANNING          ===> Y         Used at planning, Y or N
  CONTROL           ===> N         Used at control, Y or N

Workstation resources can be used for scheduling purposes. When you create an operation, you can specify how many of the workstation resources (R1, R2, or both) the operation will use. If that quantity of the resources is not available, the operation will not be started by HCL Workload Automation for Z (see Specifying workstation fixed resources for exceptions to this rule).

R1 and R2 can represent any physical resource in your system that is significant to you for scheduling purposes. For example, if you create computer workstation CPUA, which represents a z/OS® system in your configuration, you can make R1 represent the tape drives on that system. If, when you create an operation, you also specify the number of tape drives (that is, how much of R1 the operation will use), HCL Workload Automation for Z will not schedule the operation unless its required number of tape drives is available.

Note: HCL Workload Automation for Z does not check the actual availability of resources. It reaches its scheduling decisions based on information contained in its database. From this information, it can decide whether HCL Workload Automation for Z-controlled operations are using a resource. If a resource is being used outside the control of HCL Workload Automation for Z or you have not specified to HCL Workload Automation for Z that an operation uses a resource, HCL Workload Automation for Z has no means of knowing that the physical resource is not available.

When HCL Workload Automation for Z builds the current plan, it uses information from the databases, and considers the workstation resources and their availability. If you do not want workstation resources to be considered when the plan is built, specify N for the PLANNING option.

The plan contains the best estimation of when operations will start. If something unexpected happens (for example, a job exceeds its expected run time or a tape drive needs repair) HCL Workload Automation for Z might need to reassess the start time of some of its operations. At this point, the HCL Workload Automation for Z CONTROL option becomes important. If you specified Y for this option, HCL Workload Automation for Z considers the workstation resources when rescheduling its operations. Otherwise, the workstation resources are ignored.