Mainframe Hosting

Service Description

The Office of State Finance (OSF) provides managed hosting solutions for mission-critical z/OS applications for State and local governments, municipalities and school systems. OSF is responsible for making hardware, operating systems, and environments available that enable fast and reliable processing. An IBM mainframe coupled with disk drives and tape units provides a complete system for a customer to execute batch or real time job streams.

Online Access

• OSF offers traditional (IMS) online processing time. IMS supports Java, XML and Web Services.
• IMS provides a straightforward, easy-to-use, reliable standard environment for high performance transaction execution.

Batch Processing

• OSF provides a safe environment for processing mainframe-related programs in a batch environment. Multiple Logical Partitions (LPARs) have been created in order to provide a more controlled environment for customers to process their batch production and test workload.
• Currently, both test and production environments are available to OSF customers. Because processing time is slower in the test environment, the cost to customers is lower.  
• A Mainframe Enterprise Server makes up the core of the batch environment. This server, coupled with the disk drives, and tape units provide the complete system for a customer to execute batch programs.

Mainframe Storage

• OSF offers Enterprise level mainframe storage capabilities.
• OSF storage offerings also come with standard reporting capabilities that provide utilization, performance and trending information. We routinely collect projection information from our customers in order to provide appropriate capacity planning for all storage offerings.

Backups, Disaster Recovery and Tape Vaulting

• OSF provides weekly full volume backups for mainframe systems, applications and data
  • These backups are intended for disaster recovery purposes. They are sent offsite to ensure recoverability in the event of a disaster
• Mainframe Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is 3 days and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is 1 day
• Software for application backups is available to customers if daily, weekly or incremental backups are desired
• Offsite storage or vaulting is available for application backups if desired

Program Products and Security

• OSF supports and maintains a wide range of program products that are used by the system or used to monitor the system and applications
  • These program products are patched and maintained at a current (N) or recent version /level (N-1)
• Upgrades and patches are put through a test, development, and production sequence to ensure that all changes are implemented in an controlled, error free manner
• OSF utilizes CA’s Access Control Facility (ACF2) for security and access control
• Time sharing option (TSO) logins, batch, and application jobs are controlled and restricted to the authority level required to complete the job      

Customer Benefits

• Safe, secure, redundant hardware and operating systems that allow customers to run mission-critical z/OS applications for State Governments.
• 24 x 7 monitoring for unusual behavior, error conditions, and hardware, applications, and operating systems failures utilizing a variety of tools
• The system capacity is tracked and monitored to ensure the timely provisioning of adequate processing resources

Customer Market

This service is available for all Oklahoma state agencies, offices, officers, bureaus, boards, commissions, counsels, units, divisions, bodies, authorities, or institutions of the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of state government. It is also available to counties, municipalities, townships, Tribal governments, and other political subdivisions. 

Customer Responsibilities

• Submit change requests and incident (problem) tickets for upgrades, problem resolution, new application installs, and application changes requiring system level resources
• Be available for questions regarding an incident ticket or change request
• Work with OSF to resolve issues

How Do We Charge?

Monthly rates are determined by usage computation generated by Job Accounting Reporting System. Usage is described as Disk Usage, IMS Online Transaction, Batch Job Processing and TSO Time Share.

Rates are as follows:

• Disk Accounting = .00005 (TRK HRS)
• IMS Online Transaction = 40.4118 (CPU IN MIN)
• Batch Job Processing = 1.6866 (CPU IN MIN)
• TSO Time Share = 1.6866 (CPU IN MIN)

Please contact the OMES Service Desk if you need any addition information about services in this catalog.