SupportConnect - Unicenter Mainframe Network Management Newsletter, Version 07.03
  

NOTE: E-News technical information is dynamic and links in archived copies of these technical newsletters may eventually become invalid as the products evolve. Please check the support web page for your product to get the latest technical information.


CA
E-News
CA Mainframe Network Management Newsletter
Version 07.03
March 30, 2007

In This Newsletter
Product News
> CA Simplifies Product Names
> Improving Your On-line Support Experience: CA's New Technical Support Initiatives
> GA Announcements
> Beta Notifications
> Drop Support Notifications
> New Notifications
> Existing Drop Support Dates

General Information
> Implementing SSL for WebCenter
> CA NetMaster® Network Management for TCP/IP Gets zIIPed!
> Understanding NetMaster® Databases
> File Transfer Management Brochure
> Survey

Special Events
> Webcast Information
> CA NetMaster® at CA WORLD® 2007

Product News
CA Simplifies Product Names
Beginning January 30, 2007, CA is simplifying its product names. Our intention is to describe our products by what they enable you and your business to accomplish. Some names have already changed; others will change over the next 12-18 months as part of the planned development cycle. There is nothing you need to do. We have established a dedicated site at ca.com/productnames as a resource center where you'll find additional information such as frequently asked questions, customer service numbers, and a list of current product names and former names.

Top
Improving Your On-line Support Experience: CA's New Technical Support Initiatives
You talked. We listened. We hope you've noticed some of the changes. In response to your feedback, we've been upgrading the CA support site. We're implementing a series of initiatives, with the aim of providing you, our valued customer, with world-class information and support.
Read the full story.

Top
GA Announcement
CA TCPaccess™ X.25 Server 6.0 SP2 - Generally Available (GA)

We are pleased to announce the availability of CA TCPaccess X.25 Server r6.0 SP2. This Service Pack includes all maintenance published prior to this update. By installing this Service Pack, you ensure that your systems are current on maintenance for r6.0.

Included in the maintenance on SP2 is support for MBITCHN options and better handling of clear collisions with GATE and GATE Fast Connect applications. Support for a VCDELAY option has also been added to ensure the correct sequence of packets.

To obtain your copy of CA TCPaccess X.25 Server r6.0 SP2 in North America, call
1-800-841-8743, or contact your local account representative. If you are outside of North America, please call your local account representative or the local CA office. You may also download this product online through SupportConnectSM.

Top
Beta Notification
Many of you as NetMaster® customers will be well aware of the close association between CA SOLVE:Operations® and CA NetMaster, and hence users of that product as well.

CA SOLVE:Operations Automation r11 will be available for customer Beta testing during May/June 2007. You are invited to register for the Beta using the link on the SupportConnectSM Beta page (login required). The pages also contain details about the enhancements delivered with r11.

Please also click here for information about what is expected for Beta participation.

Top
Drop Support Notifications
New Notifications:
No new notifications.

Existing Drop Support Dates:
March 31, 2008:
CA NetMaster® Network Management for TCP/IP r11 (z/OS)
CA NetSpy® Network Performance r11 (z/OS)
CA NetMaster® Network Operations for TCP/IP r11 (z/OS)
CA NetMaster® Network Management for SNA r11 (z/OS)
CA NetMaster® Network Automation r11 (z/OS)
CA NetMaster® File Transfer Management r11 (z/OS)
CA SOLVE:FTS r11 (z/OS)

For more information, visit ca.com/supportconnect.

Top
General Information
Implementing SSL for WebCenter
In CA NetMaster® Network Management for TCP/IP r11.5 and CA NetMaster® File Transfer Management r11.5, support for Secure Socket Layer (SSL) was introduced to provide an added layer of security to WebCenter.

To implement SSL, you can obtain a signed certificate from a certificate authority or produce a self-signed certificate. This SSL for WebCenter document describes how to produce a self-signed certificate using the tools in the z/OS operating system and how to set up SSL for WebCenter.

Top
CA NetMaster® Network Management for TCP/IP Gets zIIPed!
In January 2006, IBM announced a new processor type for the z9 EC and BC class mainframes, which became available in July 2006. These processor types are called z-Series Integrated Information Processors (zIIPs). The initial announcement stated that the first IBM exploiter would be DB2. However, IBM has provided the information necessary to enable any software vendor to exploit these processors.

The exploitation of zIIPs can lead to significant reductions in the cost of licensed software. In addition, zIIP processors are available for a one-time cost.

CA lost no time in exploiting these processors. As recent CA press announcements have stated, several CA products already directly exploit the zIIP processors or report on zIIP usage.

CA NetMaster Network Management for TCP/IP is one of the exploiters.

Top
Understanding NetMaster® Databases
What is a CA NetMaster Database (NDB)? Chapter 19 of the Network Control Language Programmer Guide describes NDBs in detail and explains the differences between NDBs and UDBs. NDBs offer a level of power to the NCL programmer to easily define, create, update, and search a database based on a collection of user-defined fields. For more information, see Understanding NDBs in NetMaster.

Top
File Transfer Management Brochure
CA NetMaster® File Transfer Management reduces the risks and increases the benefits of the file transfer process by alerting users to failing or failed transmissions, predicting when file transfers are liable to breach SLA's, and automating the monitoring and reporting of the file transfer process. For more information, read the brochure.

Top
Survey
We have created a survey to help us better understand how you use the product, the direction of your business, and your future business requirements. Please take the time to complete the survey available on SupportConnectSM.

Top
Special Events
Webcast Information
CA NetMaster® r11.5 - New Capabilities for Effective Network Management

For more information about all of the exciting new management capabilities in CA NetMaster r11.5, which recently went GA, view the recording of our January 16 webcast. This webcast covers the following topics:
  • SmartTrace - A new way to perform TCP/IP packet tracing that is simple, powerful, and flexible
  • New and more intuitive ways to view performance data provided by the product's baselining capabilities
  • Increased functionality in isolating connections of interest for further diagnosis
  • Other enhancements

Top

CA NetMaster® at CA WORLD® 2007
Join the CA NetMaster team and your industry colleagues for exciting and informative sessions on the latest release of CA NetMaster as well as discussions about the product road map.

As the largest global gathering of CA business partners, customers, executives, and IT leaders, CA WORLD is carefully structured to help organizations leverage their investment in CA and CA Partner solutions.

CA WORLD offers you a comprehensive set of activities. Through content-rich sessions, visionary keynotes, in-depth training, hands-on labs, and unparalleled networking opportunities, CA WORLD focuses on the solutions, trends, and innovations that will help your organization to reduce costs, optimize service levels, strengthen security, and align IT investments with your business needs.

NetMaster User Meetings at CA WORLD 2007

Two meetings are scheduled at CA WORLD this year.

  1. ENM70SN: PLC/User Group Meeting - NetMaster
    This meeting takes place on Monday at 11:00 a.m. in the Client Value Corner (CVC). The registration desk located in the CVC can direct you to the specific meeting room.

    The purpose of this meeting is threefold:
    • Provide the opportunity for all attendees with an interest in CA NetMaster and all CA NetMaster staff to meet each other
    • Make sure that everyone is aware of the week's offerings-all of the presentations and labs, the Exhibition Center, the Technical Campground, and so on
    • Learn what everyone's expectations and objectives are for the week, which may lead to other activities and meetings being scheduled

Consider this meeting your CA NetMaster introduction to CA WORLD 2007. Please be sure to attend!

  1. ENM64SN: CA NetMaster User Meeting
    This meeting takes place on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. in Galileo 906. Everyone with an interest in CA NetMaster is encouraged to attend this regular User Group meeting. Join other CA NetMaster users to learn how they are getting the most out of CA NetMaster. You can also learn more about the CA NetMaster User Group and how to join.

Do you feel you could be getting more value out of CA NetMaster products?

CA WORLD is the ideal place to network with NetMaster developers and product management to gain in-depth knowledge about NetMaster. The NetMaster team has planned a number of activities and forums for you to learn more about the suite of products and its features. The schedule includes session presentations, hands-on labs, open forums, user meetings, Exhibition Center, Technical Campground, and the Client Value Corner (CVC). By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can achieve your objectives to gain additional benefit from this powerful suite of products. CA staff is available to assist you throughout CA WORLD.

Are you interested in learning more about the new features in CA NetMaster r11.5?

Attend the SmartTrace - Real-time Packet Tracing for z/OS session. SmartTrace is the new and advanced real-time packet tracing feature in CA NetMaster. In this session, you will learn the details of SmartTrace and hear from Garanti Bank on how they are maximizing its benefits in their organization. In addition, two hands-on labs will help you learn how to use SmartTrace. Another useful session is Maximizing the Value of CA NetMaster r11.5. Learn about all the exciting new enhancements in this release and the value they represent to your organization.

Do you want to discuss any issues you may have with your current installation of CA NetMaster or in regards to upgrading to r11.5?

Visit the Technical Campground where you can discuss your issues and questions with developers and other technical staff.

Additional CA NetMaster sessions include the following:

CA NetMaster - Road Map and Open Forum
Join us for an interactive discussion with Product Management and CA NetMaster developers about how you would like to see the products evolve.

Best Practices in Managing Your Mainframe Network with CA NetMaster
In this session, we will discuss best practices as they relate to what to monitor and how to monitor your IP network. we will also highlight some of the newer functions in CA NetMaster, such as baseline alerting, and hear from Citigroup on how they are maximizing the value of NetMaster.

IPv6 and Mainframe Networking
If you are involved with the management of a mainframe network, you need to understand IPv6 and how it affects your mainframe networking environment.

Using CA NetMaster Network Management to Manage Your Data Transport Environment
File transfers are a critical part of business transactions today, and managing and monitoring those transfers for successful completion ensures that your organization will not lose revenue or incur additional charges because of late or problematic file transfers. This session will introduce CA NetMaster File Transfer Management and explain how it can help you meet the challenges of managing this complex environment.

Remember to visit the Exhibition Center where you can see demonstrations of all the latest solutions and product features.

For more information about CA NetMaster at CA WORLD and how this event can help you achieve your specific objectives, contact John Klonaris.

Top


You are subscribed as &*TO;.

To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change the format for this or other newsletters, please go to our E-News subscription page. You can also unsubscribe by sending an email to: editor_netmgt@ca.com with "Unsubscribe enews_netmgt" (without the quotes) in the message body. You must include the exact email address that you wish to unsubscribe.
Feedback? Comments? Suggestions?
Send an email to: editor_netmgt@ca.com. All submissions become the property of the publisher and may or may not be reprinted.
NOTE: This address should be used only for feedback on this newsletter. Requests for technical support should be submitted through normal channels.

CA
 
 
 
Page Tools
printPrint