HCL Workload Automation scheduling objects
About this task
Scheduling with HCL Workload Automation includes
the capability to do the following:
- Schedule jobs across a network.
- Group jobs into job streams according, for example, to function or application.
- Set limits on the number of jobs that can run concurrently.
- Create job streams based on day of the week, on specified dates and times, or by customized calendars.
- Ensure correct processing order by identifying dependencies such as successful completion of previous jobs, availability of resources, or existence of required files.
- Set automatic recovery procedures for unsuccessful jobs.
- Forward incomplete jobs to the next production day.
Starting from version 8.3, the HCL Workload Automation scheduling objects are stored in a relational database. This results in a significant improvement, in comparison with previous versions, of how objects are defined and managed in the database. Each object can now be managed independently without having to use lists of scheduling objects like calendars, parameters, prompts and resources. The command syntax used to define and manage these objects has also become direct and powerful.
HCL Workload Automation administrators
and operators work with these objects for their scheduling activity:
- Workstation
- Also referred to as CPU. Usually an individual computer on which jobs and job streams are run. Workstations are defined in the HCL Workload Automation database as a unique object. A workstation definition is required for every computer that executes jobs or job streams in the HCL Workload Automation network.
- Workstation class
- A group of workstations. Any number of workstations can be placed in a class. Job streams and jobs can be assigned to execute on a workstation class. This makes replication of a job or job stream across many workstations easy.
- Domain
- All workstations in a distributed HCL Workload Automation network are organized in one or more domains, each of which consists of one or more agents and a domain manager acting as the management hub. Most communication to and from the agents in the domain is routed through the domain manager. You can organize all agents in your network in a single domain, or in multiple domains. A single domain network consists of a master domain manager and any number of agents. A multiple domain network consists of a master domain manager, any number of lower tier domain managers, and any number of agents in each domain.
- Job
- A script or command, run on the user’s behalf, run and controlled by HCL Workload Automation.
- Job stream
- A list of jobs that run as a unit (such as a weekly backup application), along with run cycles, times, priorities, and other dependencies that determine the exact order in which the jobs run.
- Calendar
- A list of scheduling dates. Each calendar can be assigned to multiple job streams. Assigning a calendar to a job stream causes that job stream to run on the dates specified in the calendar. A calendar can be used as an inclusive or as an exclusive run cycle.
- Run cycle
- A cycle that specifies the days that a job stream is scheduled to run. Run cycles are defined as part of job streams and may include calendars that were previously defined. There are three types of run cycles: a Simple run cycle, a Weekly run cycle, or a Calendar run cycle (commonly called a calendar). Each type of run cycle can be inclusive or exclusive. That is, each run cycle can define the days when a job stream is included in the production cycle, or when the job stream is excluded from the production cycle.
- Run cycle group
- A run cycle group is a list of run cycles that are combined together
to produce a set of run dates. You can optionally define a run cycle
group for your job stream instead of, or in addition to, a number
of single run cycles. Unlike run cycles, run cycle groups are not
tied to a specific job stream and therefore can be reused in several
different job streams to apply the same scheduling rules each time.
Run cycles are organized into subsets within a run cycle groups. The subsets are in a logical OR relationship with each other. They enable you to apply exclusive run cycles to a subset of the inclusive run cycles. The result of the run cycle group is a run date or a set of run dates.
- Prompt
- An object that can be used as a dependency for jobs and job streams. A prompt must be answered affirmatively for the dependent job or job stream to launch. There are two types of prompts: predefined and ad hoc. An ad hoc prompt is defined within the properties of a job or job stream and is unique to that job or job stream. A predefined prompt is defined in the HCL Workload Automation database and can be used by any job or job stream.
- Resource
- An object representing either physical or logical resources on your system. Once defined in the HCL Workload Automation database, resources can be used as dependencies for jobs and job streams. For example, you can define a resource named tapes with a unit value of two. Then, define jobs that require two available tape drives as a dependency. Jobs with this dependency cannot run concurrently because each time a job is run the tapes resource is in use.
- Variable and variable table
- A variable can be used to substitute values in scheduling objects contained in jobs and job streams; that is, in JCL, log on, prompts dependencies, file dependencies, and recovery prompts. The values are replaced in the job scripts at run time. Variables are global (that is, they can be used on any agent of the domain) and are defined in the database in groups called variable tables.
- Parameter
- A parameter can be used to substitute values in jobs and job streams just like global variables. The difference is that a parameter is defined on the specific workstation where the related job is to run and has no global effect, but only on that specific workstation. Parameters cannot be used when scripting extended agent jobs.
- User
- On Windows workstations, the user name specified in the Logon field of a job definition must have a matching user definition. The definitions provide the user passwords required by HCL Workload Automation to launch jobs.
- Event rule
- A scheduling event rule defines a set of actions that are to run upon the occurrence of specific event conditions. The definition of an event rule correlates events and triggers actions. When you define an event rule, you specify one or more events, a correlation rule, and the one or more actions that are triggered by those events. Moreover, you can specify validity dates, a daily time interval of activity, and a common time zone for all the time restrictions that are set.
- Workload application
- A workload application is an HCL Workload Automation database
object that acts as a container for one or more job streams. You can
use workload applications to standardize a workload automation solution
so that the solution can be reused in one or more HCL Workload Automation environments
thereby automating business processes.
You prepare a workload application template in a source HCL Workload Automation environment and then export it so that it can be deployed in a target environment. The export process extracts from the source environment all of the elements necessary to reproduce the solution in another environment. It produces a compressed file containing a number of files required to import the workload application into the target environment.
You can control
how jobs and job streams are processed with the following attributes:
- Dependencies
- Conditions that must be satisfied before a job or job stream can
run. You can set the following types of dependencies:
- A predecessor job or job stream must have completed successfully.
- One or more specific resources must be available.
- Access to specific files must be granted.
- An affirmative response to a prompt.
- Time constraints
- Conditions based on time, such as:
- The time at which a job or job stream should start.
- The time after which a job or job stream cannot start.
- The repetition rate at which a job or job stream is to be run within a specified time slot.
- Job priority
- A priority system according to which jobs and job streams are queued for execution.
- Job fence
- A filter defined for workstations. Only jobs and job streams whose priority exceeds the job fence value can run on a workstation.
- Limit
- Sets a limit to the number of jobs that can be launched concurrently on a workstation.