Application Environments

An application environment is a group of application functions invoked by request and executed in server address spaces. Each application environment should represent a named group of server functions that require access to the same application libraries. Grouping server functions helps simplify library security, application program change control, performance management, and system operation. In z/OSMF, with proper authorization, you can define, view, and modify application environments.

The Application Environments table lists all of the application environments that are defined in the service definition. For a description of the columns in the Application Environments table, see Table 1. For a description of the actions that you can take against application environments, see Actions for application environments.

For more information about application environments, see z/OS MVS Planning: Workload Management.

Columns in the Application Environments table

If messages exist for a specific attribute, one of the following status icons is displayed in the table cell of the attribute for which the message was created:

  • Information status icon. An information message exists.
  • Warning status icon. A warning message exists.
  • Error status icon. An error message exists.

To display the message or help for the message, with focus on the cell that contains the status icon, press Ctrl+M (message) or press Ctrl+Q (message help). To display the message, you can also click the status icon (View tab) or press the Ctrl key and click the status icon (New, Modify, and Copy tabs).

Table 1. Columns in the Application Environments table
Column Description
Name Name of the application environment. The name can contain up to 32 characters including alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, and 0-9) and special characters (@ $ # _). The name cannot begin with the characters SYS. The name is required and must be unique in the service definition. Application environment names are not case sensitive; for example, AETEST and AETest are the same application environment.
Subsystem Type Name of the subsystem associated with the application environment. This field lists the names of the IBM-supplied subsystems for which you can define application environments and the names of the last ten subsystems you entered. You can select a subsystem from the list, or you can enter the name of a new subsystem. The name can contain up to four characters including alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, and 0-9), mathematical symbols (| ~ { } \), punctuation marks (! : " [ ]), and the following special characters: %, $, #, @, ^, and _. The name is required and must be unique in a service definition. Subsystem names are not case sensitive; for example, JES and Jes are the same subsystem. The subsystem type is provided to WLM when the specified subsystem initializes.
Limit Indicates the number of server address spaces that can be started for a subsystem instance. You are required to select one of the following options:
  1. NoLimit. Managed by z/OS® Workload Manager (WLM).
  2. SingleASPerSystem. Limited to a single address space per system.
  3. SingleASPerSysplex. Limited to a single server address space per sysplex.

The options that are valid for a subsystem depend on its scope: single-system or sysplex. Options 1 and 2 apply when the subsystem type supports single-system scope. Options 1 and 3 apply when the subsystem type supports sysplex scope. Managed by WLM for single-system scope means any number of servers can be created for the subsystem instance on the system where it is connected to WLM. Managed by WLM for sysplex scope means servers may be created for the subsystem instance on any number of systems in the sysplex.

For the System Object Model (SOM) subsystem type, the default limit is SingleAsPerSysplex. For all other subsystem types, the default limit is NoLimit.
Procedure Name Name of the job control language (JCL) procedure you want WLM to use when starting server address spaces. The name can contain up to eight characters including alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, and 0-9) and special characters (@ $ # ). The first character must be an alphabetic or special character.

If you want WLM to start and stop server address spaces automatically, enter the JCL procedure name. If you want to start server address spaces manually or through automation, leave the Procedure Name field blank.

To ensure that an application environment uses the same JCL procedure across the sysplex, either identical procedure proclibs must be maintained across the sysplex or all the procedures must be stored in a single, shared proclib.
Start Parameter Parameters required for the JCL procedure specified in the Procedure Name field. These parameters define how WLM should start the server address spaces. The field can contain up to 115 characters. Specify the same parameters that you would use when starting a server address space with an MVS™ START command. The parameters you specify in the Start Parameter field override the parameters specified in the JCL procedure.

If you specify the variable &IWMSSNM, when the subsystem specified in the Subsystem Type column initializes, WLM replaces the variable with the subsystem's name. To use the variable, you must include the ampersand character before the letters IWMSSNM.
Description Description of the application environment. The description is optional. It can contain up to 32 characters.
Messages Indicates the highest severity message that has occurred for the entire application environment. This field does not provide an indicator for the attribute-specific messages (if any). One of the following message indicators is displayed:
  • Blank. No messages exist.
  • Information. Information messages exist.
  • Warning. Warning messages exist. Information messages might also exist.
  • Error. Error messages exist. Information and warning messages might also exist.

To display the messages, you can click the link or status icon, or you can select the cell that contains the link or icon and press Ctrl+M. You can also select the corresponding item and select View Messages from the Actions menu or context menu. A window is displayed that lists the messages.

Actions for application environments

The actions are described in the following tables:

  • Targeted actions. Actions that apply to the selected application environments. To use a targeted action, you must select one or more application environments.
  • General actions. Actions that apply to application environments. No selection is required.
  • Table actions. Actions that apply to the entire table. No selection is required.

Except where noted, the actions are available in the New, View, Modify, and Copy tabs. A limited set of actions is available until you create the first application environment.

Table 2. Targeted actions
Action Description
Cut to Clipboard Remove the selected rows from the table and copy them to the clipboard. This action is listed only in the New, Modify, and Copy tabs, and it is enabled only when you have selected one or more rows. You cannot cut an item that is being referenced by another item.
Copy to Clipboard Copy the selected rows to the clipboard. To enable this action, you must select one or more rows.
Delete Delete the selected rows. This action is listed only in the New, Modify, and Copy tabs, and it is enabled only when you have selected one or more rows. You cannot delete an item that is being referenced by another item.
View Messages View the messages that exist for the selected item. To enable this action, you must select only one item. If the action is disabled (grayed out), there might not be any messages for the selected item.
Table 3. General actions
Action Description
New Define a new application environment. This action is listed only in the New, Modify, and Copy tabs.
Paste Insert the items that were copied to the clipboard into the table. This action is listed only in the New, Modify, and Copy tabs. The items being pasted must be of the same type as the items contained in the table into which they are being pasted. The items are inserted according to the sort and filter criteria specified. If an item to be pasted duplicates the name of an item contained in the table, an underscore (_) and a number are appended to the name of the item being pasted.
Table 4. Table actions
Action Description
Select All Select all of the rows in the table.
Deselect All Deselect all of the selected rows in the table.
Configure Columns Select the columns to display in the table, specify the order of those columns, and designate which columns should be fixed in position when the table is scrolled horizontally.
Hide Filter Row Remove the filter row from view. This action is listed only when the filter row is displayed in the table.
Show Filter Row Display the filter row. This action is listed only when the filter row is not displayed in the table.
Clear Sorts Clear the sort from all of the columns in the table.
Clear Search Clear the search.