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Collecting and importing data with HCL Z Asset Optimizer
HCL Z Asset Optimizer includes programs that collect system and usage data, import, filter, and match this data, update the Repository tables, and make the data available for review and query.
Collecting UNIX files with the Inquisitor for z/OS UNIX
The Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX™ is a program that collects information about executable software existing in HFS and zFS data sets currently mounted and accessible to z/OS UNIX. The Inquisitor Import program takes the collected data as input to form the basis of your z/OS UNIX software inventory.
PLX parameter of the z/OS® UNIX® Inquisitor program

Collecting and importing data with HCL Z Asset Optimizer
HCL Z Asset Optimizer includes programs that collect system and usage data, import, filter, and match this data, update the Repository tables, and make the data available for review and query.
- Updating the Global Knowledge Base
  HCL provides monthly updates to the Global Knowledge Base (GKB) so that you can keep your product inventory definitions up-to-date. You can also submit items to HCL support for inclusion in GKB updates.
- Collecting scanned libraries with the Inquisitor for z/OS
  The Inquisitor is a program that scans and collects information about partitioned data set (PDS) and partitioned data set extended (PDSE) program libraries. The Inquisitor Import program takes the collected data as input to form the basis of your software inventory.
- Collecting UNIX files with the Inquisitor for z/OS UNIX
  The Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX™ is a program that collects information about executable software existing in HFS and zFS data sets currently mounted and accessible to z/OS UNIX. The Inquisitor Import program takes the collected data as input to form the basis of your z/OS UNIX software inventory.
  - Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX® overview
    The Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX® produces a set of record types which are different from those produced by the Inquisitor for z/OS. However, both programs collect the same types of information about installed software.
  - Running the Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX® program
    The HZASINQU job in the JCLLIB library performs the Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX® collection. This job is generated from the HZASCUST post-installation customization job.
  - PLX parameter of the z/OS® UNIX® Inquisitor program
  - Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX® program parameters and files
    The Inquisitor for z/OS® UNIX® program has mandatory and optional parameters that affect how data is collected. The program uses some mandatory files as well as some optional files.
  - z/OS® UNIX® Inquisitor example
    In this example, the requirement is for a full scan of the file system, but it is known that the DEPLOY 1 product has a vast subdirectory structure containing thousands of files, with the actual software for the product being confined to its bin subdirectory. Accordingly, to reduce unproductive processing the decision is made to exclude the product’s files from the z/OS® UNIX® Inquisitor scan except for its bin subdirectory. The main DEPLOY 1 directory is called deploy1 and it is a subdirectory of the system’s root directory.
  - Security considerations
    If you want to collect all relevant z/OS® UNIX® data, you must have access to all UNIX directories, including the root directory. This access ensures that all z/OS UNIX data is collected.
- Collecting usage data with the Usage Monitor
  The Usage Monitor is a server address space that runs as a started task. Work is queued to the Usage Monitor from all address spaces where programs are used. The Usage Monitor moves captured program usage data into the collection repository and periodically writes the accumulated data to a sequential file. The Usage Monitor runs APF authorized and is non-swappable.
- Importing Inquisitor data
  The Inquisitor Import reads data from Inquisitor scans, where the data is filtered and matched to products. The filtered, matched data is then copied to the Repository tables where it can be viewed and queried by the Analyzer reporting utility.
- Importing usage data
  The Usage import job imports data generated by the Usage Monitor and aggregates usage data for discovered or identified modules in the Repository tables in the database.
- Aggregating usage and discovery data
  The Aggregator is a program that populates the Asset tables.
- Activating the Automation Server
  The Automation Server discovers new data sets and processes them by starting a set of predefined actions that associate the data with data set name masks that form a catalog search. This search determines if any data set names matching the mask are to be processed.

PLX parameter of the z/OS® UNIX® Inquisitor program

While the earlier discussion about the PLX parameter setting for the z/OS Inquisitor program is also broadly applicable to the z/OS UNIX Inquisitor, it is important to understand that using PLX=Y for one program does not imply that PLX=Y should be used for the other program.

For the z/OS Inquisitor (which scans PDS and PDSE libraries), PLX=Y should only be specified when all the relevant systems have access to all the same libraries, and for this it is usually sufficient to share the DASD and catalog configurations.

For the z/OS UNIX Inquisitor, PLX=Y should only be specified when all the relevant systems have access to all the same UNIX files. Sharing DASD and catalogs is not sufficient to achieve this. Systems in a sysplex must be explicitly configured to share the same UNIX file system before it is suitable to use the PLX=Y setting of the UNIX Inquisitor program.

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