Monitor Program, Sub-Program, and Data Access Calls OS/390 and z/OS applications usually consist of a network of several hundred programs which call one another dynamically or statically. They may be preloaded by systems such as CICS or IMS or held in storage as a result of compiler functions. It is therefore very difficult to determine which program was called by which other one and from what library it was actually loaded. This is the problem addressed by P-Tracker. Also, P-Tracker can be customized to report on system and data access! P-Tracker, using our UBS customized ACM add-on, can report on application and program access to files and DB2 tables. This is particularly useful not only for monitoring but for applications programmers to track program and data element usage system-wide.

How it works
P-Tracker monitors all program calls under IMS, CICS and batch with minimum performance overhead. For each call it documents the calling program, the called module, and the library referenced.

P-Tracker tracks program calls by using, among other things, the SAF interface. There it monitors all activities in the class PROGRAM. It receives the TIOT offset of the calling program - the TIOT contains all DD names of the job - which enables positive identification of the member and program. P-Tracker can be modified as required by the user, for instance to control only calls referencing certain libraries.

Under CICS you normally only see that CICS has loaded a program. That point in time may be far removed from the actual time when the program is used. P-Tracker’s CICS interface makes the real sequence of events visible.

The P-Tracker started task collects all its information in a dataspace and writes it asynchronously into P-Tracker's “Call Repository.” A batch job removes internal administrative data, converts fields to readable format, and copies the user data into a sequential file. This file may be evaluated in place or loaded into a DB2 table for further analysis using SQL queries.

The strengths of P-Tracker:

• IMS support
• CICS support
• Batch support
• Low system overhead
• Both module names and both libraries (caller and called) reported
• Reliable input for repositories, inventory systems and license management systems

Who needs P-Tracker?
Dynamic calls, for names modified through tables, cannot be easily identified by analyzing source code. The application programmer profits from the complete record of call sequences held in P-Tracker. A possible repository can be filled using P-Tracker’s information. Questions such as “which program from which library uses this module?“ can be reliably answered. (Tree structure of the call sequence.)

License administration (Software Asset Management) requires exact information on the usage of certain software products. P-Tracker can tell you, which program was used, how often and by whom. For mainframe z/OS usage, P-Tracker is the most trustworthy source of this information.

A valuable tool for inventory, asset management, data center mergers, and program analysis.

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