Event Collector overview

The Event Collector collects IMS event data and writes it to the IMS log as user record logs X'FA' (transaction records) and X'F9' (program records).

Data collected by the Event Collector is:

Required by many MainView for IMS and MainView for DBCTL views
Processed by Log Edit to create the IMS resource utilization file (IRUF), which is the primary file used by the MainView for IMS Offline product
Used by user-developed programs or other offline processing systems

Note

The MainView AutoOPERATOR component does not interact with the Event Collector and some MainView for IMS and MainView for DBCTL views don't require it.

Control the Event Collector

The data collection parameters specified in BBPARM member IMFECP00 affect what the Event Collector does during an IMS session. These parameters control:

Configuration, such as SYSID specification
Function, such as the type and amount of data to collect
Recovery, such as action on abend

Parameter options provide a method for you to limit the data collected by the Event Collector and thereby limit the resources used. The IMFECP00 member documents the default options.

Event Collector CPU usage

The data collection parameters have an effect on Event Collector CPU usage.

Event Collector CPU usage is extremely dependent on the workload and configuration characteristics of the IMS system being monitored. This dependency, coupled with the different ways each site uses MainView for IMS data, make it impossible to summarize all these variables into standard CPU usage estimates or option setting recommendations.

The description of the parameters discuss their effect on the data collected and on CPU usage. These descriptions can help you evaluate the options and choose those most suited to your environment.

Note

All CPU usage values are expressed in relation to the overhead that the Event Collector adds to total IMS CPU. For example, if the Event Collector usage is defined as 10 percent and total IMS CPU has a theoretical value of 200, the total IMS + MainView for IMS usage is 220, as shown in Data collection example 1.

Data collection example 1

An indicated percentage increase in Event Collector CPU usage (for example, 30 to 40 percent for DBIO=BFALTERS) is relative to the Event Collector usage value (20 in this example).

Example

IMS = 200

Event Collector = 10% of IMS = 200 × 0.10 = 20

Total = IMS + Event Collector = 200 + 20 = 220

Thus, for this example, the DBIO=BFALTERS would increase the total CPU usage by a value of 6 to 8 (30 to 40 percent of 20), as shown in Data collection example 2.

Data collection example 2