Installing Mainframe Access Server

Introduction

The installation process for Mainframe Access Server (MFA) uses a single FTP operation to transfer all of the mainframe software into a partitioned data set that you pre-allocate. When this transfer is complete, the remaining installation activities are all done on the mainframe. You customize and submit the pre-built FRESTORE job to restore the product data sets from the uploaded files and then continue with customization steps to create an operational Mainframe Access Server.

Requirements

  • IBM Communications Server
  • Two APPLIDs, two TCP/IP ports
  • Availability of APF security authorization support personnel
  • Access to a network share with acceptable space for source and data, as well as the ability to access the IP address and ports used to access MFA
  • The following installation-specific variable information:
    Variable Description
    drive
    userid TSO user-ID for FTP to your mainframe
    pswd TSO password for the FTP user-ID
    your.mainframe.name TCP/IP host name or IP address of your mainframe
    prodhlq A NEW high level qualifier that will be assigned for all Host Connectivity data sets when the new Mainframe Access product is installed. These are NOT existing product data sets, but rather brand new files that you will be creating for this base version.
    Important: The installation of a new version of MFA creates new product run-time data sets before the upgrade is applied. Any existing Host Connectivity 3.01 libraries remain intact, and can be used for fallback. If you prefer to retain your former production library names and re-use your existing prodhlq, rename your old libraries beforehand.

    Make a note of the maintenance level of your current Mainframe Access Server. Messages MFM0001I and MFM0014I on the syslog and XDBOUT sysout data set show the maintenance level at startup. You may need to know what level you are upgrading from when you complete post-installation customizations for this upgrade.

Install Mainframe Access Server

In the instructions that follow, the information that you must provide is shown as one of the variable names from the table of information in the previous section. For example, if your high-level qualifier (prodhlq) value is MY.MFA, then substitute MY.MFA for prodhlq.

Follow these steps to load Mainframe Access Server:
  1. Download the installation file from the link in your Electronic Product Delivery email and extract its contents to a directory on the PC.
  2. On the mainframe, allocate a new partitioned data set named prodhlq.UPLOAD to receive the uploaded files. Use the following data set characteristics for this upload library:
    DSORG=PO                   <=== PDS (partitioned data set)
    RECFM=FB                   <=== record format fixed and blocked
    LRECL=80                   <=== 80 character record size
    BLKSIZE=3120               <=== 3120 character block size
    SPACE=(3120,(3500,500,50)) <=== allocate blocks (BLKS) size 3120
                                    3500 primary blocks
                                    500 secondary blocks
                                    50 directory blocks
  3. On the PC, issue the following FTP commands. The actual text of the FTP prompts and responses that you see may differ slightly from those shown in this example.
    1. Start FTP:
      C:\>ftp your.mainframe.name
      Connected to your.mainframe.name.
      220-FTPD1 IBM FTP CS/390 VxRy at YOUR.MAINFRAME.NAME, hh:mm:ss
      220 Connection will close if idle for more than 5 minutes.
      User (your.mainframe.name:(none)): userid
      331 Send password please.
      Password: pswd
      230 userid is logged on. Working directory is "userid.".
    2. Change the working directory on the mainframe to be the upload library that you allocated:
      ftp> cd 'prodhlq.UPLOAD'
      250 The working directory "hlq.UPLOAD" is a partitioned data set.
    3. Set file transfer type to binary:
      ftp> binary
      200 Representation type is Image
    4. Set FTP prompting off to transfer all files without interruption:
      ftp> prompt
      Interactive mode Off.
    5. Transfer all files from the extracted \Upload directory to members in the prodhlq.UPLOAD library:
      ftp> mput drive:\upload\f*
      200 Port request OK.
      125 Storing data set prodhlq.UPLOAD(Fxxxxxxx)
      250 Transfer completed successfully.		
      ftp: xxxx bytes sent in x.xx seconds (xxx.xx Kbytes/sec)
      .
      .
      .
    6. When mput has transferred all files the ftp> prompt appears. End the FTP connection:
      ftp> quit
      221 Quit command received. Goodbye.		
    7. On the mainframe, verify that all files transferred successfully and that for each Fxxxxxxx file in the \Upload directory there is a corresponding member in the prodhlq.UPLOAD data set. There should be five members, F1 through to F4 and FRESTORE.
  4. On the mainframe, edit member FRESTORE in the upload library, prodhlq.UPLOAD. Follow the instructions in that member to customize the JCL and then submit that job to restore the product libraries from the uploaded files and populate your new product runtime libraries.
  5. Start Mainframe Access Server.

After installation

Since the program libraries can change between versions, it is necessary to either create new procedures, or back up the old procedures, and at least modify the DSNQUAL=prodhlq within your MFA sample started task procedures as provided by Micro Focus. The prodhlq.LOADLIB must be authorized.

If you are upgrading Mainframe Access from a version of Enterprise Developer prior to 2.3 you will need to modify your production JCL procedures with reference to the supplied samples MFA, MFAS, and MFAAS. The modification is necessary because at Enterprise Developer 2.3 Mainframe Access changed to being built using the IBM XL/C compiler rather than the SAS/C compiler, so for each JCL procedure you need to change the STEPLIB DD statement and add a new one, CEEOPTS.

Verify successful maintenance application by checking the Mainframe Access Server startup message:

MFM0001I: Mainframe Access V4.00 (BASE ) is active

The "(BASE )" indicates the product maintenance level. Also check for "V4.00" in the Mainframe Access Data Connect server startup message:

MFA303I MFA/DATACONNECT V4.00 - BASE COPYRIGHT (C) 1987-2012 MICRO FOCUS...

When you are satisfied with the new version installation you may delete the UPLOAD data set from your system.

New parameters and members in the CNTL samples data set

The following updated members are found in the CNTL data set.

MFA sample MFA started task
MFAS *new* sample MFAS started task for Data Connect
MFAAS sample MFAAS application server started task
MFAVTAM sample MFA VTAM definitions
PARMS sample PARMS for MFA started task
PARMSAS sample PARMSAS for MFAAS started task
SERVERS sample SERVERS configuration for MFA
UPQUICK configuration notes

If you are migrating from Host Connectivity 3.01 WebSync 10 or earlier, you may want to retain your existing CNTL members from your current version as an installation test. You can simply copy the existing MFA started task JCL and change the STEPLIB to reference the new product libraries. You will however need to modify the MFAS started task JCL since the module names for Data Connect have been changed to allow co-residence within the same authorized library as MFA.

Review the Change Log in each of the new members. Read the documentation for any new parameters in the Readme and in the updated Mainframe Access Administrator's Guide. Add these new parameters and other changes to your working copies. If necessary, customize the new parameters for your installation.

Once you are satisfied with the operation of Mainframe Access, you can consolidate the configuration settings into the new high-level qualified CNTL members.