RE: executing jobs in sequence

Hi Michael,

You can do this with i5/OS Job Scheduling quite easily.

I would recommend you to read through the Job Scheduling documentation,
as the Job Scheduling options of i5/OS are quite extensive (but
nonetheless easy to learn).

Your "steps" are obviously normal "jobs", when we're talking about job
scheduling, so all you need to do is create a job queue which limits the
concurrently running jobs to one (use CHGJOBQE, or better yet, create a
new job with CRTJOBQ). You can view available commands with GO CMDJOBQ.

You can hold a JOBQ using the command HLDJOBQ, which is the same as what
you call "PAUSE". If a job has a problem, it usually falls to status
"MSGW", the message wait status. Depending on the Problem, the operator
can fix it, and answer "R" retry to the message, and the job will
continue from where it left off. As an alternative, you can HLDJOBQ,
then "C" cancel the job, and resubmit the job to another jobq (which is
not in hold status). After that, you can RLSJOBQ, releasing the job
queue again.

Job Queues are associated with a Subsystem (SBS), and resources are
allocated to individual subsystems, not the job queues themselves.

Hope this helps,

Lukas 

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael Rosinger
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 1:07 PM
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: executing jobs in sequence

List,

I am trying to get a feel for how best to duplicate some our nightly
batch 
job runs on the iSeries that run on our VSE system. I am open to ideas
and 
suggestions. We would of course want the same basic results and control
but 
realize things may have to be handled differently simply due to the 
differences between the two operating systems.

Here is a "brief" description of our current process....

The nightly batch run consists of many "jobs". They are, for the most
part, 
single-threaded. We do not currently have scheduling software on VSE, so

this is operator-controlled. Each "job" will have one or more "steps". A

"step" is an execution of an application program. After the jobs are 
submitted, each with any required parameters, the jobs run in sequence
with 
virtually no operator intervention required.

If a job fails, it requires an operator response which prevents the jobs

behind it from running. Depending on the nature of the problem, the
operator 
can release a "PAUSE" in that batch partition to keep the rest of the
jobs 
from executing while the failing job is re-run in a different partition.

Then the "PAUSE" is release and the rest of the jobs continue on their
merry 
way.

What is the best way to duplicate this batch process on the iSeries?

Will we need scheduling software to accomplish this?

Are the built-in iSeries scheduling capabilities sufficient?

TIA for any advice and/or ideas!