A client/server interface to HCD that combines the logical and physical aspects of z/OS hardware configuration management

Hardware Configuration Manager (HCM) is a Personal Web Server (PWS)-based client/server interface to z/OS® Hardware Configuration Definition (HCD). It combines the logical and physical aspects of z/OS hardware configuration management.

Define the logical connections (accomplished via HCD) and manage the physical aspects of your configuration with z/OS Hardware Configuration Manager. All updates are done with HCM's intuitive graphical user interface, and all changes of logical I/O configuration are written into the IODF and fully validated for accuracy and completeness by HCD, avoiding unplanned system outages that are due to incorrect definitions.

Features

• **Manage logical & physical aspects of hardware configuration: **Manage the physical aspects and the logical connections of a configuration. For example, you can effectively manage the flexibility offered by the FICON infrastructure (cabinet, cabling). Due to the client/server relationship with HCD, all changes of the logical I/O configuration are written into the IODF and fully validated and checked for accuracy and completeness by HCD, thus avoiding unplanned system outages due to incorrect definitions.
• **Intuitive graphical user interface: **Navigate around the configuration diagram and dialogs to edit information, create or delete objects (including only physical objects such as cabinets, patchports, crossbar switches or converters), and modify any object by double-clicking it in the configuration diagram and adjusting its information in the resulting dialog.
• **Manage objects via the interface: **Physically connect and logically define the objects you've created/modified. HCM intelligently adjusts the positions of objects in the diagram to clearly display all connections. Generate reports and wall charts to help you analyze, plan, and implement changes to your configuration. Tailor your view of the diagram to display only the objects of interest. Zoom in to focus on one area of the diagram, or crop, reorder, show, or hide selected objects. Highlight all connections to selected objects.
• **Activate your system with HCM-defined data: **The data you define with HCM is used to activate your system. You can use the same data to automatically generate reports and diagrams, eliminating inconsistencies and ensuring accurate documentation of system definitions. By skipping the tedious process of manual data entry, you make fewer errors and save significant amounts of time.
• **Useful to multiple configuration management stakeholders: **System programmers can more easily create and edit configuration definitions that have been previously maintained in HCD. Hardware support groups can add physical data to the configuration. System planners can generate reports and diagrams to develop future or alternate configurations for planning purposes.
• **Find and fix configuration problems: **Because physical and logical information cannot diverge in HCM (the IODF and the configuration file data together form a single data source or repository), finding and fixing configuration problems becomes much easier and less tedious.

Benefits

• **Logical and physical hardware management: **HCM combines the logical and physical aspects of z/OS hardware configuration management. Defining logical connections is accomplished via Hardware Configuration Definition.
• **Intuitive graphical user interface: **An interactive interface allows you to define the hardware configuration for both a processor's channel subsystem and the operating system running on the processor.
• **Easily record/validate changes: **All changes are written into the input/output definition file (IODF) and fully validated for accuracy and completeness by HCD, avoiding unplanned system outages that are due to incorrect definitions.