z/OS Curriculum

The z/OS Concepts course describes the evolution of mainframe enterprise computing and provides descriptions of the major components that comprise today's z/OS environment.

The Managing and Processing z/OS Data course describes how I/O, which is the reading and writing to external devices such as disks, tape, printers, and networks, is performed in a z/OS environment. It then discusses the various z/OS-related resources that can be shared and the role of workload management in prioritizing workloads.

The Initializing and Terminating the z/OS System course describes what actions occur as part of a z/OS system initialization, and then delves into the system data sets and configuration libraries responsible for defining z/OS system characteristics. The final module in this course simulates a z/OS system startup and shutdown, describing the most common commands and operator responses.

This course introduces z/OS commands that can be used to display the status and attributes of various z/OS tasks and devices.

This course provides an overview of system monitoring tools and facilities such as RMF, z/OSMF, traces and EREPS as well as a description on how SMF data is created and managed. This course also discusses the need for message suppression and describes how this is achieved.

The Identifying z/OS System Problems course explores some of the processes, commands, and tools that are used in identifying system problems. It describes how common system problems are recognized, and the steps that can be taken to assist with problem resolution, including dumps and analyzing the catalog address space.

This course describes the processes and commands required to remove tasks, users, and batch jobs from a z/OS system.

This course introduces several techniques and processes used to assist with resolving z/OS system problems.

This course contains many z/OS-related tips, tricks, techniques, and best practice items that you may find useful in your day-to-day activities. It covers several new areas of functionality associated z/OS 3.1.

The z/OS Architecture - Processing Workloads course describes how today's z/OS system processes workloads, focusing on the concepts of address spaces showing how they provide the environment under which tasks can run. You will look at the different types of CPUs that can be configured in a z/OS system and see how programs issue instructions to the CPU. Diving down deeper you will then look at the CPU chips themselves and view the components that comprise them, looking at their involvement in processing work. Finally, the major components that comprise the mainframe's I/O structure are presented to show how work moves throughout the z/OS environment.

Processor storage, real storage, or central storage. Whatever you call it, it is the memory where z/OS programs and their data need to reside before they can be processed, and like other mainframe resources it can be virtualized. In this z/OS Architecture - Memory, Address Spaces and Virtual Storage course, you will see how the address spaces discussed in the previous course, access and free the memory they require to process work. You will also see how virtualization of this resource occurs, which for IT specialists will provide them with knowledge to troubleshoot memory-related issues.

A number of simulations are provided that the student can use to assess their skills and knowledge in relation to the entering of commands, and interpretation of output produced, when monitoring and manipulating MVS system resources.

Two simulations are provided that the student can use to assess their skills and knowledge in relation to the manual shutdown and startup of a z/OS system.

Ensuring that all of your organization's z/OS system software is current, and that any fixes and improvements have been applied, is paramount to maintaining system availability. This course looks at the SMP/E software and how it is used by the z/OS Systems Programmer to provide best practice installation, management and reporting of z/OS system software.

This assessment measures the students general knowledge of z/OS terminology, system hardware and software components, and data processing concepts.

This assessment measures the students skills and knowledge associated with entering appropriate MVS commands used to display system component status, and the interpretation of the resulting data.

This assessment measures the student's skills and knowledge associated with being able to identify and apply an action to be taken when a system related problem occurs.

The z/OS Concepts course describes the evolution of mainframe enterprise computing and provides descriptions of the major components that comprise today's z/OS environment.

The Managing and Processing z/OS Data course describes how I/O, which is the reading and writing to external devices such as disks, tape, printers, and networks, is performed in a z/OS environment. It then discusses the various z/OS-related resources that can be shared and the role of workload management in prioritizing workloads.

The z/OS - Initializing and Terminating the z/OS System course describes what actions occur as part of a z/OS system initialization, and then delves into the system data sets and configuration libraries responsible for defining z/OS system characteristics. The final module in this course simulates a z/OS system start-up and shutdown, describing the most common commands and operator responses.

This course introduces z/OS commands that can be used to display the status and attributes of various z/OS tasks and devices.

This course provides an overview of system monitoring tools and facilities such as RMF, z/OSMF, traces and EREPS as well as a description on how SMF data is created and managed. This course also discusses the need for message suppression and describes how this is achieved.

The Identifying z/OS System Problems course explores some of the processes, commands, and tools that are used in identifying system problems. It describes how common system problems are recognized, and the steps that can be taken to assist with problem resolution, including dumps and analyzing the catalog address space.

This course describes the processes and commands required to remove tasks, users, and batch jobs from a z/OS system.

This course introduces several techniques and processes used to assist with resolving z/OS system problems.

This course contains many z/OS-related tips, tricks, techniques, and best practice items that you may find useful in your day-to-day activities. It covers several new areas of functionality associated with z/OS 2.4 and z/OS 2.5.

The z/OS Architecture - Processing Workloads course describes how today's z/OS system processes workloads, focusing on the concepts of address spaces showing how they provide the environment under which tasks can run. You will look at the different types of CPUs that can be configured in a z/OS system and see how programs issue instructions to the CPU. Diving down deeper you will then look at the CPU chips themselves and view the components that comprise them, looking at their involvement in processing work. Finally, the major components that comprise the mainframe's I/O structure are presented to show how work moves throughout the z/OS environment.

Processor storage, real storage, or central storage. Whatever you call it, it is the memory where z/OS programs and their data need to reside before they can be processed, and like other mainframe resources it can be virtualized. In this z/OS Architecture - Memory, Address Spaces and Virtual Storage course, you will see how the address spaces discussed in the previous course, access and free the memory they require to process work. You will also see how virtualization of this resource occurs, which for IT specialists will provide them with knowledge to troubleshoot memory-related issues.

A number of simulations are provided that the student can use to assess their skills and knowledge in relation to the entering of commands, and interpretation of output produced, when monitoring and manipulating MVS system resources.

Two simulations are provided that the student can use to assess their skills and knowledge in relation to the manual shut-down and start-up of a z/OS system.

Ensuring that all of your organization's z/OS system software is current, and that any fixes and improvements have been applied, is paramount to maintaining system availability. This course looks at the SMP/E software and how it is used by the z/OS Systems Programmer to provide best practice installation, management and reporting of z/OS system software.

This assessment measures the student's general knowledge of z/OS terminology, system hardware and software components, and data processing concepts.

This assessment measures the student's skills and knowledge associated with entering appropriate MVS commands used to display system component status, and the interpretation of the resulting data.

This assessment measures the student's skills and knowledge associated with being able to identify and apply an action to be taken when a system related problem occurs.