Monitoring transaction response times

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Start of changeThis example shows you how to use the WUI to monitor the response times of a particular transaction (PAY1), in a single CICS® system (CICSPA01), which is a local MAS in CICSplex PLXPROD1. In this example, the monitoring is temporary: that is, it is started in response to a particular problem, and stopped again when enough monitor data has been gathered. The CICS system CICSPA01 is currently running.

  1. Ensure that both CICS monitoring and CICS performance class monitoring are active in CICS system CICSPA01.

    CICSPlex® SM can gather detailed, transaction-related monitor data only if CICS monitoring and performance class monitoring are switched on. You can check whether they are active using the CICS region view as follows:

    1. From the WUI main menu, click CICS regions to open the CICS regions tabular view.
    2. If the current context is not PLXPROD1, specify PLXPROD1 in the Context field and click Set.
    3. Click on CICSSPA01 to open a detailed view showing the current trace, dump, and statistics settings for of this region. Scroll down to the Monitor status field and ensure that it is set to ON. If it is not, change the setting using the drop down menu.
    4. Scroll to the bottom of this screen and click on Monitoring, dump and trace details. Scroll down to the Performance class monitoring status field, which you will find in the Monitoring values section, and ensure that it is set to PERF. If it is not, change it.
    5. If you have changed either of the values, click the Apply changes button at the bottom of the creen
  2. Create a monitor definition.
    1. From the main menu, click Administration views-->Monitor administration views-->Monitor definitions to open the Monitor definition tabular view.
    2. Click the Create4 action button at the bottom of the screen.
    3. Provide the following information:
      Monitor definition name
      MODPAY01
      Description
      Transaction PAY1
      Name or generic name of resource being monitored
      PAY1
      Monitoring resource class
      MTRAN
      Inclusion in CPSM monitoring option
      YES
      Resource status facility population
      NO
    4. Click Yes to confirm. The Monitor definition tabular view is redisplayed showing an entry for the monitor definition MODPAY01.
    Note:
    For a description of the MONDEF EUI view, see MONDEF (Monitor definitions).
  3. Create a monitor specification.
    1. From the main menu, click Administration views-->Monitor administration views-->Monitor specifications to open the Monitor specification tabular view.
    2. Click the Create5 action button at the bottom of the screen.
    3. Provide the following information:
      Specification name
      MOSPAY01
      Description
      Payroll resources
      Monitor activation status
      ACTIVE
      Data retention period
      30
      Sample for transaction monitoring
      120
      You can leave the remaining fields blank or accept the defaults.

      Transactions are to be sampled every 120 seconds. The resource sample interval (that is, 120 seconds), when converted to minutes, should be evenly divisible into the monitor interval for the CICSplex. 6

    4. Click Yes to confirm. The Monitor specification tabular view is redisplayed, showing an entry for monitor specification MOSPAY01.
    Note:
    For a description of the EUI MONSPEC view, see MONSPEC (Monitor specifications).
  4. Associate the monitor specification with the CICS system.
    1. In the Monitor specification view, select the entry for MOSPAY01, and click Associate CICS system.
    2. In the CICS system field, type in CICSPA01, and click Yes to confirm.
  5. Ensure that CICSPlex SM monitoring is switched on in the CICS system.
    1. From the WUI main menu, click CICSPlex SM operations views-->Status of MASs known to CICSplex to open the Runtime MAS display view.
    2. Click on the entry for CICSPA01 and check the Monitoring status field:
      • If this field is set to YES, you need to deactivate and then reactivate monitoring so that the new monitor specification takes effect. To do this, set the field to NO and click Apply changes, then repeat the process setting the field back to YES.
      • If this field is set to NO, you need activate monitoring. To do this, set the field to YES and click Apply changes.

    If you don’t set the MON Active value to YES, no monitoring will occur because the CICS system’s MON Active value overrides the Monitoring status value in the monitor specification.

  6. Look at the monitor data.

    After a short time has elapsed (for this example, at least two minutes, which is the resource sample interval) you can look at the data that CICSPlex SM is gathering. To do this, from the WUI main menu, click Monitoring views-->Transaction monitoring views-->Monitor data for transactions and click on the entry for PAY1. This opens a detailed view showing information (including response times) for transaction PAY1 in CICS system CICSPA01.

    Whenever you click Refresh, the view is redisplayed, though the frequency with which the data actually changes is determined by the resource sample interval. The monitor data is also written to an SMF data set (unless production of CMF records has been suppressed).

  7. Deactivate monitoring of transaction PAY1.

    Monitoring of transaction PAY1 continues until CICSPA01 stops, unless you switch it off before then.

    If you want to stop monitoring at any time, click Monitoring views-->Active monitor specifications, select the entry for MODPAY01 and click the Remove button. The monitor definition MODPAY01 is removed from CICS system CICSPA01, though it still exists in the data repository, and can be reinstalled at any time. The data gathered during monitoring of transaction PAY1 in CICSPA01 is kept for 30 minutes after you deactivate MODPAY01. (Remember that 30 minutes is the length of the retention period you specified in the monitor specification MOSPAY01.)

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4.
If you want to use an existing definition as a template, select a definition from the list first.
5.
If you want to use an existing definition as a template, select a definition from the list first.
6.
You can look at the monitor interval for the CICSplex by opening the CICSplex definition view (Administration views-->CMAS configuration administration views-->CICSplex definitions) and clicking on the entry for PLXPROD1.

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