CICS Monitoring Facility (CMF)

📊

Introduction to CICS Monitoring Facility

CICS Monitoring Facility (CMF) is a comprehensive monitoring and performance analysis tool that collects detailed performance data about CICS transactions, programs, and system resources. It provides the foundation for performance optimization, capacity planning, and system tuning in CICS environments.

🔍

What is CMF?

CICS Monitoring Facility (CMF) is IBM's built-in performance monitoring system that automatically collects detailed performance data about CICS operations. It generates standardized SMF records that can be analyzed to understand system behavior, identify performance bottlenecks, and optimize resource usage.

Key CMF Components

📋

SMF Records

SMF (System Management Facility) records are standardized data records that CICS writes to capture performance metrics, transaction statistics, resource usage, and system events. These records provide detailed information for performance analysis, capacity planning, and troubleshooting.

Types of SMF Records

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
SMF Record 110 Contents:
- Transaction execution times
- CPU usage statistics
- Memory utilization data
- I/O operation counts
- Database access times
- Queue statistics
- System throughput metrics
- Resource contention data
 
Example Data:
Transaction: ACCT001
CPU Time: 0.025 seconds
Elapsed Time: 0.045 seconds
Memory Used: 2048 KB
I/O Operations: 12
Database Calls: 3

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
SMF Record 111 Contents:
- Transaction volume statistics
- Average response times
- Peak usage periods
- Resource utilization summaries
- Error rate statistics
- System availability data
- Capacity utilization metrics
 
Example Data:
Period: 2024-01-15 10:00-11:00
Transactions: 15,432
Avg Response Time: 0.125 seconds
Peak CPU Usage: 85%
Memory Utilization: 78%
Error Rate: 0.02%

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
SMF Record 112 Contents:
- Transaction ID and name
- Start and end times
- User identification
- Program execution details
- Resource usage per transaction
- Error conditions
- Security information
 
Example Data:
TransID: ACCT001
User: TELLER01
Start Time: 10:15:23.456
End Time: 10:15:23.501
Programs: ACCTINQ, CUSTVAL
Status: SUCCESS
CPU Time: 0.025 seconds

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
SMF Record 113 Contents:
- Program name and version
- Execution frequency
- CPU time per execution
- Memory usage statistics
- I/O operation details
- Database access patterns
- Performance bottlenecks
 
Example Data:
Program: ACCTINQ
Version: V1.2
Executions: 1,245
Avg CPU Time: 0.015 seconds
Memory Peak: 1024 KB
I/O Operations: 8
Database Calls: 2

📈

Performance Analyzer

CICS Performance Analyzer is a powerful tool that processes CMF SMF records to provide detailed performance analysis reports. It helps identify performance bottlenecks, analyze transaction response times, monitor resource usage, and optimize CICS system performance.

Performance Analyzer Features

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Bottleneck Analysis Features:
- CPU utilization analysis
- Memory usage patterns
- I/O wait time identification
- Database access optimization
- Queue length monitoring
- Resource contention detection
- Response time breakdown
- Performance trend analysis
 
Example Bottleneck Report:
Top CPU Consumers:
1. ACCTINQ - 25% of total CPU
2. PAYMENT - 18% of total CPU
3. TRANSFER - 15% of total CPU
 
Memory Hotspots:
1. CUSTOMER file - 40% of memory
2. ACCOUNT file - 30% of memory
3. TRANSACTION file - 20% of memory

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Trend Analysis Capabilities:
- Historical performance trends
- Capacity utilization patterns
- Growth rate projections
- Peak usage identification
- Seasonal pattern analysis
- Performance degradation detection
- Resource scaling recommendations
 
Example Trend Report:
Transaction Volume Growth:
- Last Month: 1.2M transactions
- Last Quarter: 3.5M transactions
- Growth Rate: 15% per quarter
- Projected Next Quarter: 4.0M transactions
 
CPU Utilization Trend:
- Average: 65%
- Peak: 89%
- Trend: Increasing 2% per month
- Capacity Limit: 95%

🛠️

Monitoring Tools and Techniques

Various monitoring tools and techniques are available for CICS performance monitoring, ranging from built-in CICS tools to third-party solutions. Each tool provides different capabilities and perspectives on system performance.

Built-in CICS Monitoring Tools

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
CICS Transaction Gateway Features:
- Real-time transaction monitoring
- System resource monitoring
- Performance metrics display
- Alert and notification system
- Historical data access
- Custom dashboard creation
- Integration with CMF data
 
Monitoring Capabilities:
- Active transaction counts
- Response time monitoring
- Resource utilization tracking
- Error rate monitoring
- Queue length monitoring
- System throughput metrics

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
CICS Explorer Features:
- Graphical system management
- Resource monitoring and control
- Performance data visualization
- Configuration management
- Application development support
- Debugging and troubleshooting
- Integration with CMF
 
Monitoring Views:
- System overview dashboard
- Resource utilization graphs
- Transaction performance charts
- Error and exception monitoring
- Capacity planning tools
- Historical trend analysis

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Key CICS Commands:
CEMT - System management and monitoring
CEDF - Execution diagnostic facility
CECI - Command interpreter
CESN - System status and statistics
CEDA - Resource definition administration
 
Example Monitoring Commands:
CEMT INQUIRE SYSTEM
CEMT INQUIRE TASK
CEMT INQUIRE PROGRAM
CEMT INQUIRE FILE
CEMT INQUIRE TRANSACTION
 
Real-time Monitoring:
- System status information
- Active task monitoring
- Resource utilization data
- Performance statistics
- Error condition monitoring

Third-Party Monitoring Tools

📝

Summary

CICS Monitoring Facility (CMF) provides comprehensive performance monitoring and analysis capabilities for CICS systems. By collecting detailed SMF records, providing Performance Analyzer tools, and supporting various monitoring solutions, CMF enables effective performance optimization and capacity planning.

The combination of automated data collection, detailed analysis tools, and comprehensive reporting provides system administrators with the information needed to identify bottlenecks, optimize performance, and ensure optimal CICS system operation.