Getting started with layering

Before making any definitions, you should perform an analysis of the subsystems and applications running on your systems. You can use the TOM discovery utility to discover the subsystems and applications that are running on your systems over time.  See Discovering-and-creating-TOM-objects for more information. During  the analysis, you should pay attention to the following things:

Related topic

Managing-objects-across-sysplexes-with-layering

  • Determine which subsystems and applications are duplicated across your systems and sysplexes.  
    These objects make good candidates for layer objects.
  • Determine if any of these objects should be grouped into sets. 
    You might want to group objects into sets if you think you are going to treat them similarly operationally . 

  • Decide how best to group the layer objects and layer sets into system layers. 
    For example, objects and sets that are common across all systems, such as JES, VTAM, TSO, and so on, can be grouped together in a system layer called Common.  Objects associated with a business critical application could be grouped into a separate system layer.  

Sysplex layers

Sysplex layers are the next grouping.  You should consider your company's systems and sysplex configuration and determine how these might map to your TOMPLEX configuration. The most common configuration is to have one TOMPLEX per sysplex.  With this configuration in mind, decide how to group your system layers into sysplex layer(s).

System pools

If you have any moveable layer objects to define, such as an object that runs primarily on one system but moves to another if its primary system goes down, consider using system pools.

For example, Object1 normally runs on SYSA in SYSPLEX1 but when SYSA goes down it runs on SYSB.  That same object also runs on SYS6 on SYSPLEX2 but when SYS6 is down it can run on SYS10 or SYS12.  You could define a system pool for this moveable object and  select those 5 systems (SYSA, SYSB, SYS6, SYS10, and SYS12).  The system pool allows you to define a moveable layer object that will be managed correctly regardless of the sysplex.

Once your planning is complete and you have a strategy to implement, it is time for definitions.

Use the TOM Layering Wizard to walk you through each of the steps. Invoke the Layering Wizard with the primary command LAYERING or by hyperlinking to it from the EZTOM menu.

The Layering Wizard starts with layer objects and layer sets as this is the most common activity once the layering definitions have been set up.  The Layering Wizard has short cuts so you can navigate quickly.

Define sysplexes

For your initial set-up you should start by defining your system/sysplex configuration.  This includes:

  • Entering the name(s) of the sysplexes
  • Defining the systems to the sysplex
  • Creating system pools (if needed).


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