FAQ

Note: As of August 2002, TRACK is not yet available if you run your z/VM system in 64 bit mode, but there are updates available for 32 bit mode systems

TRACK is probably the BEST all-around tool to have available on your VM system

TRACK and TRACKXA allow a administrator to see inside a virtual machine and examine all sorts of useful parameters and settings -- even from another virtual machine -- without compromising the targeted virtual machine.

TOOLSRUN allows maintaining a coordinated library of files and programs shared between a number of users. TOOLSRUN allows delegating update capabilities to individual users and maintaining collections of files across multiple VM systems.

Pipeserv is a program written by Finn Skovgaard and is available from the IBM VM Downloads website.

It provides a Pipelines based service virtual machine that can be customized for different services

LIB is an alternative to TOOLSRUN for maintaining collections of files on one system. It is not as complex as TOOLSRUN but provides interesting features such as a test collection and multiple file versioning, and is an example of IUCV clients and servers.

What useful tools have been contributed to the VM community, both by IBM and others?

REXX is the common scripting and automation tool built into CMS, and available on other platforms like Linux and z/OS. It is easier to learn than Perl, and very powerful.

You can use CMS Pipelines to solve a large problem by breaking it up into a series of several smaller, less complex programs

CMS Pipelines build on REXX and other languages to provide a powerful data management environment like nothing else.