OAM Collection Data Set Features

Products

• Top Secret

Issue/Introduction

Object Access Method (OAM) is an access method under z/OS which is designed for the storage of a large number of large files, such as images.  OAM has a number of distinguishing features compared to access methods such as VSAM.

 

 

Resolution

Features of OAM Collection Data Sets:

• OAM datasets do not have an internal record structure. They are accessed as binary data streams.
• OAM datasets are not directly cataloged. Rather, they are stored into OAM collections, with only the OAM collection being cataloged.
• The reason for this is to prevent the catalog from being overloaded with the large number of (e.g. image) files.
• OAM is used in conjunction with DB2. An example use case for OAM would be storing medical images in a DB2 database running under z/OS.
• OAM collections are "pseudo-datasets" and their access-permissions are NOT controlled by the resource class DATASET in CA Top Secret.
• OAM collections are cataloged in ICF catalogs where real datasets are also cataloged.
• OAM collections are cataloged like other DATASETs. Their names should be carefully chosen in a way to avoid conflict or collision with other DATASETs.
• There isn't anything that can be done in Top Secret for OAM datasets because it is the catalog management that handles the updates to its catalogs.
• For example, when trying to catalog a duplicate dataset, a NOT CATALG2 error is received. (No Top Secret error message or violation occurs for this.)                                                                                                                                       
• When the default CBRUXSAE is used and not customized, Top Secret does NOT care about OAM collections itself.     
• Top Secret only cares about the rights to update the catalog where you are trying to catalog an OAM collection or a dataset.                                  
• If the user should not be allowed to catalog an OAM collection, do not give the user UPDATE or higher access to the catalog.       
• OAM collections security can be implemented using the exit CBRUXSAE so the OAM-collections security is handled separately from dataset security.