z/OS Connect Observability

Created: 16 Feb 2021 | Updated: 13 Sep 2023

z/OS Connect observability support enables traces and metrics for REST-API requests processed by z/OS Connect servers. Traces also contain additional metadata (attributes) that can be included in capacity planning or application tuning analysis for optimal observability results.

z/IRIS support for z/OS Connect transaction workflows

z/OS Connect Metrics Streaming

z/IRIS supports SMF 123 version 1 and version 2 records for Metrics streaming.

z/OS Connect version 1 metrics provides zosconnect_basic metrics. These metrics provide z/OS Connect request entry and exit timestamps, elapsed time and basic request method and user data.
z/OS Connect version 2 metrics provides zosconnect_advanced metrics. These metrics provide zosconnect_basic metrics and additional data about the System-Of-Record (SOR) entry and exit timestamps, elapsed times, more request data and HTTP response codes.

For more information about these metrics, see: z/OS Connect Metrics Streaming.

>> Activate z/OS tracing globally (SMF 123 version 1)

>> Activate z/OS tracing for each REST-API request (SMF 123 version 2)

z/OS Connect Trace Streaming

z/IRIS creates APM traces from SMF 123 version 2 records to enable observability for each REST-API requests processed by z/OS Connect servers. Trace attributes (i.e. tags) provide additional information about the z/OS Connect server, the incoming request and response, as well as the system connector that is used to communicate with the service provider (i.e. system of record).

Representation of z/OS Connect spans in an APM flame graph

Users have access to the following information for each Rest API request made by their applications processed that is processed on z/OS Connect server:

request entry and exit times reported by the z/OS Connect server, and the calculated elapsed time (span time).
request entry and exit times reported by the System-Of-Record (SOR), which can be CICS or IMS systems, Db2 or batch programs.
SOR identifiers useful for support escalation to mainframe SMEs.
request and response payload, HTTP response and z/OS authorization identifiers.

>> Trace attributes with OpenTelemetry

>> Activate z/OS Connect tracing for each REST API request (SMF 123 version 2)

z/OS Connect Workflow Tracing

Using the z/IRIS Mainframe Workflow Tracing feature, users gain visibility into downstream applications that process the z/OS Connect APIs. This allows DevOps engineers to identify where bottlenecks occur during API processing on z/OS and determine whether APIs reached the target system of record.