William Data Systems (WDS) will showcase the latest release of ZEN TRACE & SOLVE (ZTS) for z/OS mainframe networks at SHARE in San Francisco this week. ZTS, formerly known as EXIGENCE, provides new features to help z/OS sites deliver more, in a shorter time, using fewer resources and with less cost. According to the company, the main advantage of ZTS’s latest release is its advanced web-browser interface with flexible data presentation for easier use and more intuitive ways of working. In addition to helping more experienced technicians to solve network problems even faster, ZTS also short-cuts the network tracing learning curve for less experienced technicians.
The biggest challenge for less experienced technicians is knowing what part of a network to trace and then interpreting the results of the trace so a problem can be averted or network bandwidth restored, Graham Storey, vice president of marketing, at William Data Systems, tells 5 Minute Briefing. All the most commonly required network tracing functions are available from a single mouse-click in ZTS, meaning that no commands need to be typed in. Traces can be deleted, redefined and exported by clicking action icons, and new traces can be added using an action button and also, traces can be browsed with a single mouse-click.
System z’s next-generation users benefit from ZTS’s comprehensive and context-sensitive “help facility” to reduce their learning times. In addition, there is over 20 years’ network tracing experience loaded into ZTS’s built-in knowledge base which even has a glossary of network terms. To be even more acceptable to the new technicians, ZTS runs on z/OS on the mainframe but can be used from mobile tablets with Apple, Blackberry, Android, Windows, he says.
ZTS also provides an alternative 3270 interface for those who have been using the same keyboard commands for years and do not want to change now. In addition, more experienced technicians can solve network problems faster with ZTS because they no longer need different printed manuals to interpret the network traces they have just done. The more experienced technicians can also work more effectively because ZTS allows traces to be started, some results obtained, thought about and then the trace can be halted instead of spending time waiting for the trace to run its course. When multiple network traces are being done with ZTS, each can be looked at more closely with just a mouse click which opens up a window showing the appropriate detail and interpretation.
ZTS is a component of Zen, WDS’s suite of mainframe network management tools for automation, monitoring, tracing and security. Each component offers users a choice of the same advanced web-browser interface or a more traditional “green screen” 3270 interface, and each is also designed to integrate within the Zen suite. This holistic approach helps Zen users work faster by providing a single sign-on to the seamless integration between the ZEN suite’s components. For example, a technician investigating a problem using the Zen IP Monitor (ZIM) can execute an IP trace using ZTS without ever leaving the ZIM displays.
For more information, about William Data Systems’ ZEN TRACE & SOLVE, go to www.willdata.com/documentation/EXIGENCEinZEN.pdf.