What is AMATERSE and how does it compare to TRSMAIN?

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• Datacom
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• TNG Network and Systems Management Agent for CA-Datacom

Issue/Introduction

With mainframe products, dumps and other diagnostic processes can sometimes create very large files that are difficult to transmit to Broadcom support engineers. It has been a standard for many years to compress this data using the IBM TRSMAIN program. This article explains the transition from TRSMAIN to AMATERSE.

 

Resolution

These questions are related to the history of the AMATERSE program, which is now the recommended program to use.

Question: For years technicians have been using TRSMAIN (from IBM) instead of AMATERSE. Where did AMATERSE come from and when was it introduced? 

Answer: AMATERSE replaced TRSMAIN in z/OS V1R9 (1.9). It was added to the Base Control Product (BCP) element of z/OS (part of the core functionality), and was rewritten to internal IBM coding standards. At that time it was renamed to AMATERSE. It was also available via PTFs UA36927 and UA36928 for APAR OA19194 with z/OS 1.7 and 1.8.

Question: Does one replace the other? 

Answer: As noted above, AMATERSE replaced TRSMAIN. It was shipped with an alias entry point for TRSMAIN, and when that program name is used, it will use the INFILE and OUTFILE DD statements instead of the standard SYSUT1 and SYSUT2 now in use with AMATERSE. This maintains full backward compatibility.

Question: TRSMAIN used to be a free program that was downloaded separately from IBM. Is AMTERSE the same way or is it now incorporated and documented in the newer z/OS releases? 

Answer: Since it is incorporated as part of the BCP element of z/OS 1.9 and above, there is no special need to download and install AMATERSE. It is readily available and is a recommended method to transmit dumps and other diagnostic materials to IBM and other vendors.

Additional Information

For more information about the AMATERSE tool, please refer to the following:

IBM z/OS Communications Server: IP Diagnosis Guide for z/OS V2R5, in the section "General diagnosis information>Selecting tools and service aids>Methods for submitting documentation>Using AMATERSE." (PDF HERE)

IBM z/OS MVS Diagnosis: Tools and Service Aids for z/OS V2R5, in the section "AMATERSE: Pack and unpack a data set." (PDF HERE)

As always, please contact Broadcom support for Datacom if you have further questions.