Image FOCUS (Vendor: NewEra Software, US)
Image FOCUS is a software product suite from NewEra Software, Inc. that uses proprietary technology to track changes to operating system parameters, and provides the ability to do a 'Virtual IPL' of one-or-more z/OS images to ensure that a real IPL will not encounter any problems.
The product comprises the Image FOCUS core and a number of integrated and self-contained plug-in applications (or inspectors) that provide a multitude of functions. The Image FOCUS core provides for the following capabilities:
- System Inspection - Supporting all releases of MVS and z/OS through V1R11, evaluates operating system configuration components for weaknesses that will cause IPL failure.
- Dynamic Element Inspection - Pinpoints changes in the LNKLST, LPALST and APFLST that have not been updated in the system configuration.
- System Component Inspection - Allows for the inspection of individual system components. Within the Operating System, for example, individual z/OS Parmlib Members maybe inspected.
- New z/OS Release Analysis - Isolates areas in your current operating system configuration that will need to change in order to become functional when used with a new release of z/OS.
- Controlled Image Monitoring - Fully automates the interval inspection of Controlled Images and the reporting of results.
- Blueprinting & Change Detection - Blueprints the z/OS configuration for Controlled Images, detecting and reporting changes.
- Subsystem Recovery - Provides access to ISPF system repair functions when TSO is not available. This Image FOCUS Core function is often called 'NOTSO".
The integrated and self-contained plug-in applications extend the scope of z/OS component inspection, change detection and monitoring functions to the major "below the line" components, housed in Partitioned Datasets and Load Libraries or to those reported by the IBM z/OS Health Checker.