Updated System z Application Performance Monitoring Tool Improves Reporting, Tracing Capabilities

NBA for z/OS integrated IP trace and network behavior analysis solution performs end-to-end APM, infrastructure monitoring from Web interface.

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ServicePilot Technologies, an application performance management (APM) and service assurance solutions provider, has released version 7.1 of its mainframe APM tool, NBA for z/OS. This integrated IP trace and network behavior analysis (NBA) solution performs end-to-end APM and infrastructure monitoring from a single Web interface. It includes intuitive reporting so network support person of all skill levels can quickly identify issues.

The solution provides application visibility and performance for IBM System z mainframes; it measures the application response time between the mainframe and end users and analyzes performance in real time. The tool provides real-time and historic monitoring statistics of all IP stack activity, including logical and physical interfaces, local and remote applications, network activity, response time, and connection diagnosis. The user will see the trace data as it happens; there is no need to stop the trace and wait for trace formatting.

NBA for z/OS is designed for z/OS network, IP network, enterprise extender (EE), OSA, and FTP monitoring. It runs as a started task on z/OS and is accessed via any Web Browser -- no servers or agents are required. NBA for z/OS features an efficient architecture for maximum visibility into each z/OS from anywhere on the network. The tool can monitor IP traffic as it traverses the IP data space without relying on a network management API. NBA for z/OS provides real-time online reports in several formats, with historical reporting as far back as 30 days or more, depending on the allocated file size.

With advanced filtering and a graphical interface, users can proactively determine the impact of an issue before it becomes a problem to ensure service-level agreements are met.

New features of NBA for z/OS version 7.1 include:

  • Continuous recording of data in the NBA data space means you can trace what happened up to the last 15 minutes, depending on stack activity. There is no need for a third-party tool. Click and trace on the resource that you are reviewing and the trace will display on the page immediately with advanced filtering and replay options.
  • Improved access to the EE IP statistics lets users drill down by socket and see in- and out- packet statistics.
  • New out-of-the-box graphical reports display the last 24 hours of network statistics so users can quickly view the details of any IP resource. There’s no need to extensively customize reports to get the data you need.
  • A new version of NBA Reporter allows users to produce monthly response time reports by location in PDF format for the TN3270 application and network.
  • Enhancements to the deep packet inspection (DPI) technology detect malicious traffic; the simple rule-based alerting notifies operators of security breaches.
  • Support for z/OS version 1.12.

You can download the NBA for z/OS Free Edition or request a free 30-day trial of NBA for z/OS to see for yourself how easy it is to install and use here.

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