Resource Measurement Facility
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software, Performance monitoring |
| Products | Performance monitoring tools for z/OS (Monitor I Data Gatherer, Monitor II, Monitor III Data Gatherer, RMF Postprocessor, RMF Spreadsheet Reporter, RMF Monitor III Reporter, RMF PM, RMF Webportal) |
Resource Measurement Facility (RMF) serves as a performance monitoring solution for the z/OS operating system, facilitating extensive performance evaluation and capacity forecasting over time. Its primary elements consist of:
- Monitor I Data Gatherer collects performance metrics at intervals ranging from one minute up to one hour, recording this information into SMF data sets (record types 70 through 78). It can also establish a dataspace buffer for immediate retrieval by the RMF Postprocessor.
- Monitor III Data Gatherer gathers short-term metrics every 10 seconds to 10 minutes, storing the results in VSAM data sets along with an internal circular buffer. Additionally, it logs specialized data for extended analysis within SMF records.
- Monitor II, the initial snapshot monitoring component, produces SMF type 79 records and supports reporting utilities such as SDSF. Its function has decreased over time and now primarily acts as a data provider for other reporting tools.
- RMF Postprocessor creates comprehensive tabular and textual reports derived from SMF records (types 70–78), enabling detailed examination of z/OS and System z performance.
- RMF Spreadsheet Reporter builds upon the Postprocessor by presenting selected information within workstation spreadsheet applications.
- RMF Monitor III Reporter, an ISPF-based utility operating under TSO on z/OS, allows users to explore Monitor III data through both in-memory buffers and stored data sets.
- RMF PM (a Windows-based program) together with the RMF Webportal enhance Monitor III capabilities by permitting simultaneous visualization of multiple z/OS systems via desktop software or web browsers.
With each yearly z/OS release, RMF is refreshed and further improved to support new hardware developments like updated processor models. This approach guarantees ongoing compatibility with the changing requirements of mainframe performance monitoring.