ServicePilot NBA for z/OS is licensed based on each System z logical partition (LPAR).
NBA for z/OS Free Edition traces all the IP traffic flowing through the IP dataspace. This traffic can be browsed, either as the trace
is running or once it has been archived.
NBA for z/OS Full Edition includes the same tracing functionality as the Free edition, as well as monitoring of all IP stack activity
including TCP, UDP, ICMP, OSPF, Enterprise Extender and XOT. It also permits the monitoring of resources: Host presence; port activity; router activity;
connection and interface states; and traffic level.
NBA for z/OS analyzes mainframe traffic, correlates and consolidates complex transactions, and delivers the appropriate detailed statistics using more than 40 indicators:
- Availability percentage
- Traffic - In/Out Bytes, In/Out Packets, Packet Size Distribution
- Bandwidth - In/Out bps, In/Out pps
- Response Time – Host and Network, Response time distribution
- IP – Fragmented packets
- TCP - Active/Started/Stopped Connections, Anomalies (duplicate ACK, RST, Retransmits, Window < 1500 Bytes)
NBA stands for Network Behavior Analysis. More specifically, NBA for z/OS offers a unified flow analysis system for applications and users by analyzing traffic on a z/OS
platform and correlating and consolidating complex transaction components as they travel through CICS, DB2 or IMS.
NBA for z/OS user identity tracking correlates usernames with host IP addresses related to transactions.
It identifies the “who” behind the “what”, pinpoints the source of mainframe activities with specific end-users and automatically determines who is responsible for, as well as who is affected
by, an unexpected event.
When applied to IP Networks, the Behavior Analysis feature of ServicePilot NBA for z/OS helps you identify who is consuming network resources. Filters can be customized and
applied for accurate analysis. Analysis can be done on last 24 Hours’ statistics or on previous days’ or weeks’ statistics.
You can generate on-demand and/or batch reports on applicable resources or user behaviors. The batch reports are dependent upon the duration of information retention, which
may be set by the administrator. These reports can be exported into a CSV file or in PDF format.
ServicePilot NBA for z/OS can detect suspicious connections, analyze network traffic and understand their relevance with a defined set of rules. It protects the corporate
network against malicious traffic and generates real-time alarms. Using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology, ServicePilot NBA for z/OS looks for a pattern within a packet from a defined
point and triggers a response according to the search result.
NBA for z/OS can generate alerts because of Deep Packet Inspection rules, which allow for the detection of: bad or malformed traffic; bad ICMP messages; and application attacks
(FTP, Telnet, HTTP...). A default set of DPI rules is provided but you can define your own detection rules according to your environment.
ServicePilot NBA for z/OS sets behavior rules adapted to the enterprise by linking one or several actions with conditions applied on the application or network resource
availability and/or performance. When the conditions are met (i.e., bad application response time), NBA for z/OS notifies operators by generating real-time alarms. These alerts are displayed
via a Web browser or a 3270 interface and are automatically archived in SMF format. Operators will be able to identify meaningful changes in application response time and take action before
these changes affect or disrupt users.
Yes, NBA for z/OS monitors HPR and EE providing the following:
- List of Switched Pus
- For each Switched PU
- Status (CONNECTABLE, INACTIVE...)
- Nb RTPs (Last minute value)
- List of RTPs for a Switched PU
- For each RTP
- Nb sessions attached (Last minute value)
- Sent bytes (Real-time)
- Received bytes (Real-time)
- Sent Network Layer Packets (Real-time)
- Received Network Layer Packets (Real-time)
- List of Sessions for an RTP
For each « CP Name » as well as information about the topology of an APPN network.
ServicePilot NBA for z/OS also collects IP data from distant HPR nodes. It is then possible to know the traffic evolution for each distant node, as well as its prioritized
distribution (Network, High, Medium, Low, LLC commands).
No servers or agents are required to use NBA for z/OS.
NBA for z/OS is compatible with all SAF products (RACF, TOP SECRET, ACF2).
NBA for z/OS is written in Assembler language and uses passive probes to browse and analyze data as it traverses the IP stack, so it uses only a very small amount of CPU cycles.
Yes, by defining alarms based on network & system availability and performance metrics, notification can be formatted to be sent as an SNMP trap, a syslog message, or an email or pager.
Trace data can be viewed as the trace is running. Optionally, trace data from 1 minute to up to the previous 15 minutes can be displayed. A user-friendly interface displays a meaningful presentation of the trace.
Yes, traces can be saved in text or sniffer formats for import into products such as WireShark.
Performance degradation is characterized by high application response times and can be caused by excessive bandwidth consumption by other applications.
NBA for z/OS allows you to define rules in order to raise alerts on:
- High throughputs for local and remote applications and IP networks.
- High response times for local and remote applications and IP networks.
- TCP errors (duplicate ACKs, retransmit and windows congestion) for Local and Remote applications and IP Networks.
A summary report of NBA for z/OS statistics can be generated daily at midnight as a PDF file and sent to your mailbox. This report contains:
- IP traffic for stacks, applications, interfaces and networks.
- Maximum and average throughput for stacks, applications, interfaces and networks.
- Host and network response times for applications
- TCP connections statistics (start, stop, reject, duplicate ACK, retransmit and congestion windows).
- IP protocol distribution.