What's new in IBM Content Manager for z/OS V8.5

Support for several versions of a package within the same plan

When upgrading to Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 or any future fix pack in a Parallel Sysplex® environment, you can now upgrade Parallel Sysplex members gradually instead of all at once.

Support for LDAP authentication on Content Manager for z/OS

Content Manager EE has supported the use of an LDAP server as a central user registry to do security authentication for several releases. In Version 8.5, the use of an LDAP server as a central user registry is now supported on Content Manager for z/OS. Learn more...

cmcfglsi command can be executed as a batch job on z/OS

You can now run the cmcfglsi utility that is used for building component table views and default item types (as part of library server configuration) on z/OS as a batch job. You must have the Content Manager for z/OS Toolkit installed and configured before you can use this utility on z/OS. The cmcfglsi utility is located in the Toolkit home directory/config directory. The ICMCFGLB batch job can be found in the hlq.SICMSAMP data set. Learn more...

Positions 22 - 26 of the itemID key are reserved for the database sequence number

In Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5, the positions 22 - 26 of the itemID key are reserved for the database sequence number, rather than the last 5 digits of the microseconds of the current timestamp. This change eliminates the very rare possibility that duplicate itemID key values might be created for items. This change could impact you as an upgrading customer if, for example, you currently use positions 22 - 26 to partition database tables or to distribute objects in different storage groups.

Retention management

You can now control the retention and expiration of items in IBM Content Manager by defining a policy for retention and expiration, and assigning it to item types. Retention can be enabled as fixed-time (retains an item for a finite period of time) or event-driven (retains an item indefinitely until a defined event occurs in an external application). Similarly, expiration can be enabled to automatically delete items at a fixed or event-driven time (through the IBM Content Manager automatic deletion service). Each policy and item type can have a custom delete schedule. If you opt not to automatically delete expired items, you can call the batch-deletion through the APIs (see the programming sample SDeleteExpiredItemsICM.java for details). In addition, if you must hold certain items (for example, as a legal requirement), then IBM Content Manager now has a hold capability that can protect items to ensure that they cannot be deleted or updated until the hold is removed (also for a programming sample, see SHoldItemICM.java. Learn more...

OAM expiration synchronization process

For resource managers operating with Object Access Method (OAM), you can now use the CBRHADUX exit to automatically delete metadata from the library server after its corresponding resource manager object has been deleted by integrating with the batch delete utility. You can also prevent the deletion of an expired resource manager object if retention management is enabled. Note that resource manager configurations with Tivoli® Storage Manager do not apply. Learn more...

Batch utility enhancements

The z/OS batch update utility is enhanced in the following ways:

• Applications can now call a new z/OS interface, ICMBatchFunction(), to perform the same functions as the batch utility. For guidance on its usage, view the sample source C program ICMPBLS3 from ?ICM?.SICMSAM1 after SMP/E installation. ICMBatchFunction() inherits the same restrictions as the batch load utility and batch update utility. Learn more...
• The DELETE command in the z/OS batch update utility can now delete resource parts by using ICMUT0030X001 as the table name. Learn more...
• The z/OS batch update utility supports new optional parameters in OPTDATA. When you run the batch update utility with UPDATE or MOVE command, you can specify WNACTION, WNFROM, WNTO (or WNFROMID, WNTOID) in OPTDATA to update worknode of the moved or updated items. When you run the batch update utility with RUNMODE=P, you can specify LISTITEMID=Y in OPTDATA to print the ITEMID values of the affected items. To delete an entire document item after its last resource part is deleted, you can specify REMOVEITEM=Y. To suppress inserting rows into the ICMSTITEMSTODELETE table for deleted resource parts, you can specify SUPOBJACCESS=Y. You can also move entire data of selected items to another item type by using the UPDATE command in CTLDATA with option MOVEALL=Y in OPTDATA. Learn more...

Validation utility enhancements

To recover data discrepancy issues, the IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 Toolkit now provides the following clean-up options using the -c flag in the z/OS validation utility: Orphans (an object in the resource manager that is missing a library server reference to it) and NOTINRMs (a library server reference to an object that does not exist in the resource manager). Also, the z/OS validation utility is now packaged in zOSValidator.jar instead of zOSValidator.pax, and comes with a Windows version. Learn more...

Enhanced transport layer security

Version 8.5 now supports stronger security standards like NIST SP800-131a. Communication from library server to resource manager can now be configured to use transport layer security, for example, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), TLS 1.2, stronger Digital signatures (SHA-2) among others. This data communication includes retrieving objects for text indexing, sending token-encryption-key refresh requests, and sending heartbeat requests. In addition, all communications from Java APIs to the library server and resource manager can be configured to be SSL only. The system administration can also configure and enforce various security options. Learn more...

Support for IBM Text Search Server for DB2

Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 adds support for the use of IBM Text Search Server for DB2® for z/OS. IBM Text Search Server for DB2 offers many compelling features. It provides the ability to fetch content for indexing directly from the resource manager. It reduces processing requirements for the library server database. It also utilizes stored procedures for text search index administration, eliminating the need to store user credentials for indexing. Lastly, it provides improved linguistic processing across 20 languages. If you use an IBM Text Search Server for DB2, you now deploy an IBM Content Manager document constructor plug-in into it by using the IBM Content Manager configuration manager. The document constructor plug-in retrieves content directly from the resource manager (instead of through DB2), and returns it to the IBM Text Search Server for DB2. Learn more...

Dynamic TIEREF

In previous versions, the content management system used resource manager data, such as host name data from the TIEREF input string, to retrieve an object for text indexing. The TIEREF data was captured and stored at the time of object creation. This data was not automatically updated by the system if a resource manager was moved to a different machine or host name, such as moving the resource manager during disaster recovery. With static data stored in the TIEREF input string, text indexing actions could not complete if the TIEREF data became inaccurate. Beginning in IBM Content Manager Version 8.5, the data required to retrieve an object for text indexing is obtained dynamically from the database. The system does not rely on the possibly inaccurate resource manager data saved in a static TIEREF string. The result of this change is that a system can obtain the data needed to locate and retrieve the object for text indexing even after a system failure and resource manager move.

Synchronous replication

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 now offers synchronous replication, the capability to create and update an item and all its replicas in parallel as a single transaction. Synchronous replication is a process to ensure that replicas for an object are created at the same time as the primary object. This type of replication is required in some regulated industries. As part of the new synchronous replication feature, Version 8.5 offers the option to set a tolerance mode for synchronous replication. For synchronous replication with the tolerance mode, the synchronous creation of at least two copies of an object, either the primary object and the replica or two replicas, is sufficient to satisfy the replication policy. Learn more...

Performance improvements

Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 introduces the following performance improvements:

• SQL performance. The library server now uses parameter markers for SELECT statements. For Oracle databases, using parameter markers allows users to set the database to cursor exact without losing performance (the cursor similar mode has been deprecated). For DB2 databases, the handling of the package cache is improved because access plans are reused for queries which only differ by constant literals (thus CPU usage is less and performance might improve).
• Replicator performance. The asynchronous replication job of the resource manager on z/OS was enhanced to provide better performance when large number of objects are replicated in a batch. Specific enhancements include better use of database index access to reduce sorting times and creation of cursors, streamlined in-memory object manipulation to reduce CPU cycles, and fine-tuning updates of replica status.
• DB2 and OAM connection. Resource manager on z/OS was streamlined to use a single connection to its DB2 database plan name per request (or batch job iteration). That connection is shared with OAM (DFSMSoam), used when calling library server stored procedures, and kept open until the request (or batch job iteration) is completed.

Universal table spaces

The Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 configuration now creates Partition-By-Growth universal tablespaces on DB2 for z/OS instead of simple tablespaces. Version 8.5 component tables can be created in the Partition-By-Growth table spaces as defined in the SPACE option in the ICMST390Control table. Previous Version 8.4.x simple tablespaces are not affected. Learn more...

Quiesce server

Version 8.5 provides the ability to quiesce the content management system. Use the quiesce system function in the system administration client to put all IBM Content Manager servers into a quiesced state, which is a state that suspends all activities against the databases and stored content. The quiesce system function is useful for creating a synchronized backup of the entire content management system, including databases, data, and configuration information. Learn more...

System administration client support for a hierarchical folder model

The Version 8.5 system administration client now supports creating hierarchical model item types and folder-only item types. Learn more...

Asynchronous delete by collection

The asynchronous delete job of the resource manager on z/OS was enhanced to provide greater usability of the feature to delete by collection name. Collections names can now be input in two formats: the previous format (single line or record, with each collection name in quotes, separated by commas), or a simpler format of one collection name per line or record with no commas or quotes. In either input format, each collection is validated to exist in the library server, which mitigates the risk of user error on input.

Restricted resource manager services user ID

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 offers a new system defined privilege set, SystemRMServicesAdmin, and new privilege code, SystemExecRMServicesAdmin. When you use this privilege, you can choose to define a user ID exclusively to resource manager services. That means the user can run resource manager services processes (asynchronous replication, asynchronous recovery, asynchronous delete, asynchronous logging of retrievals), but is restricted from logging in to any Content Management clients (such as the system administration client). Learn more...

ACL enhancements

Simple ACL inheritance

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 provides a new item type option that allows you to specify a new default for access control list (ACL) assignment, which is the ACL of the parent folder during create or reindex. This is called the Inheritance of Parent Folder ACL option. This option is specified on the target item type of a reindex operation and is used if the parent folder is provided during item or document creation or reindex. The inherited ACL does not propagate to the children of the item or document through existing links during a reindex operation. Furthermore, updating or reindexing an item to assign it a different ACL does not propagate the ACL to its children. The control of this new option is implemented through bits of the ItemTypeFlag in the ICMSTItemTypeDefs table. Learn more...

Enhancement of ACL setting for reindex

Version 8.5 provides enhancement of the ACL setting for reindex with two new options for configuring an assigned ACL to a reindexed item or document. One option is to indicate the default ACL for reindexing an item or document. The other option is an ACL control mode for item reindex to indicate whether the ACL assignment is controlled by the server or the application. The control of this new option is implemented through bits of the ItemTypeFlag in the ICMSTItemTypeDefs table. Learn more...

IBM Content Navigator enhancements

Version 8.5 now supports duplicate ACLs, user privilege sets, and new attributes for ACLs and privilege sets.

Version 4.0 of IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ is required

Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 applications require Version 4.0 of IBM Data Server Driver for JDBC and SQLJ. This driver supports the newer JDBC standard and is compatible with Java™ 6 and later. In your application CLASSPATH, you must change references to this driver to include the db2jcc4.jar file rather than the db2jcc.jar file. For more details on the new driver version, see the latest DB2 documentation. Learn more...

Character validity checking for character and variable character attributes

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 offers character validity checking for character attributes and variable character attributes if these attributes are added to new item types. When you add these types of attributes to a new item type, you can select an option to enable string character validity checking on the attribute value. When this option is selected, IBM® Content Manager checks that the attribute value contains only allowed characters when a client user creates or updates an item. Learn more...

Improvements with the Java Viewer Toolkit

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 provides a new document engine to support document conversion on Windows, Linux, AIX® and Solaris of Microsoft Office format documents (Word, Excel, HTML and RTF). Version 8.5 also extends support of the CMBSnowboundEngine on AIX, Windows, Linux and Solaris for document rendering and conversion for following MIME types:

• image/tiff
• image/gif
• image/jpeg
• application/pdf
• application/vnd.ibm.modcap (overlays are not fully supported with this engine)

Learn more...

PDF document enhancements are enabled by using the Java Viewer Toolkit

Page manipulation is enabled for PDF documents. This feature allows you to copy and move pages between PDF documents, within a single PDF document, and between TIF and PDF documents. The PDF searchable content of a page remains intact when page manipulation is performed on a searchable PDF. This feature leverages searchable PDF text to provide a consistent user interface for Find and Select Text functions that were added with OCR enhancement.

Microsoft Office 2010 support

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 supports Microsoft Office 2010. MIME types of Office 2010 are same as Office 2007. All the MIME types for Microsoft Office Open XML file formats are preloaded inIBM Content Manager Version 8.5. For a full list of Office Open XML MIME types, see Register the 2007 Office system file format MIME types on servers on the Microsoft Office TechCenter website.

OpenOffice support

IBM Content Manager Version 8.5 supports the following Open Office documents with MIME types:

• OpenOffice Impress with MIME type application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation and file extension odp
• OpenOffice Writer with MIME type application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text and file extension odt
• OpenOffice Calc with MIME type application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet and file extension ods
• OpenOffice Draw with MIME type application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.graphics and file extension odg

Learn more...

Consolidation of bind and grant statements for text search

Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 requires DB2 for z/OS Version 9.1.0 or later. As a result, due to a DB2 for z/OS Version 8.1.0 restriction, the two optional JCL jobs for DB2 for z/OS OmniFind® text search, ICMMLSOB and ICMMLSOG, are no longer used. Instead, the BIND and GRANT statements in ICMMLSOB and ICMMLSOG are consolidated into ICMMLSBD and ICMMLSGT respectively. Learn more...

Java original equipment manufacturer (OEM) API toolkit available

Java original equipment manufacturer (OEM) API toolkit is available for Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5. You can set up the environment by following the Application Programming Guide. Learn more...

Feature support in the Java application programming interface

The Java application programming interface supports many of the new functional features in this release:

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 1.7
• IBM Content Navigator enhancements, such as hidden item support and ACL enhancements
• Retention management feature support, including hold item and automatic deletion services
• Java Native Interface (JNI) logging
• API-level support for transport layer security for database, library server, and resource manager communication
• License usage statistics
• IBM Text Search Server for DB2 support
• Upgrade to JDBC4 db2jcc4.jar

Deprecated and removed features on z/OS

Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5 dropped the following features:

• eClient
• Client for Windows
• Token validation option and TOKENVALIDATION from the ICMRMCONTROL table. Token validation is now mandatory. Therefore, to validate or not is no longer an option and the value is unused in Content Manager for z/OS Version 8.5.
• ICMFETCHCONTENT UDF