Case Study: Ameren Improves Response time to Grid Outages with CA Workload Automation Agents

World®
’16
Ameren Improves Response Time to Grid
Outages with CA Workload Automation Agents
Clark Ammons, Workload Automation Software Engineer, Ameren
Tracey Lary, Programmer Analyst III – AutoSys Admin, Ameren
MFX121S
MAINFRAME AND WORKLOAD AUTOMATION

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Abstract
In this session, you will learn about the unique way that Ameren uses many of the CA Workload
Automation (CA WA) Agent job types to keep track of linesmen in the field and service outages
for both electric and gas alerts. With the use of CA Workload Automation Agents, load balancing
and robust Disaster Recovery, Ameren is able to respond quickly to grid outages and minimize
business disruption.
Tracey Lary
Ameren
Programmer Analyst III
AutoSys Administrator
Ameren
Software Engineer WAAE
Clark Ammons

Agenda
INTRODUCTIONS
USE OF CA WORKLOAD AUTOMATION (CA WA) AE AND JOB TYPES AT AMEREN
QUESTIONS
BEST STANDARDS AND PRACTICE USE OF JOB TYPES
DIFFERENT JOB TYPES IN USE AT AMEREN AND WHY
ROI USE OF JOB TYPES/STANDARDS & PRACTICES/DISASTER RECOVERY
1
2
3
4
5
6

Introductions
§ Tracey Lary – Programmer Analyst III / AutoSys Administrator
– Support on the CSS System and Administrator of AutoSys to ensure that
all proper standards and best practices are kept prior to deployment to
production, working Production Control and ensuring that all the
process is followed before moving from instance to instance.
§ Clark Ammons – WAAE Software Engineer and Administrator
– 20+ years experience with product making best use to customer,
upgrade from version to version to current version R11.3.6 SP5 and
Agents with Plugin setups. Setting up eEM/WCC, teacher/trainer of
Developers in use of newest versions WAAE for Job Scheduling.

Plugin’s and Job Types Available
§ CA WA AE Agent Job Types
– As everyone knows went From 3 Types to 55!
§ BOX – CMD – FW (What does the new Types get you?)
§ BOX – CMD – FW – DBPROC – SQL – DBMON – JMSPUB – JMSSUP – HTTP
– WBSVC – FTP – SCP – OSAG – OASET – OACOPY – PROXY …
– Plugin’s “database, appservices, oa, proxy, webservice, ps …”
– Your job types are driven by either the Agent standard install or Plugin install
along with proper JIL attributes …
– Better Security ! ! !

Best Standard and Practices With Use of Job Types
§ Documentation is the key!!!
§ Naming Standards that you can reference back to DevOps
§ Gvar’s, Evar’s, Machine’s, Virtual Machines fit Naming
§ Passwords Stored thru Credentials table, or WCC tab
§ No Changes or minimal changes to any JIL when moving from
Test instance to Production instance

Job Types in Use at Ameren and Why
§ Ameren
– Keep moving forward and, stop looking back at what it was like
– DBPROC, SQL, DBTRIG, DBMON, OASG, OASET, OACOPY
§ Better Security, ability to reach out to more DB’s, etc.
– JMSPUB, JMSSUB, HTTP, POJO, WBSVC
§ Web Services using the IBM MQ (Mull) System to send/receive updates
helps in tracking of Linemen, trucks, service outages, usage, update to
customers from when service is to be restored to billing
– FTP, SCP, FT, FW, CMD and of course the BOX
§ Why write a FTP/SCP script when it’s already done?

§ Database Job Types
– Has removed the need to write a script to attach to database then execute the
needed command on database. Made system more secure as the ID’s are
stored in the Credential Table. No need to have another script looking at the
DB to see if it’s completed or failed. It’s all done thru AutoSys.
§ Web Services Job Type
– JMSPUB/SUB(MQ Sys) Reading and updating tables and rows to then help in
updating of the web that either the customer can see or in house can view to
ensure faster response time when there is a need from outages or it’s keeping
track of the usage that customers can log in and view.
Job Types | Standards & Practices | Disaster Recovery | R O I

§ Web Services Job Type
– HTTP can now be used to either hit(GET) a URL and start a process thru the
automated process or can POST and wait for information to return from
the service.
– WBSVC using SOAPui now doing the triggering of many other types of web
services that track if weather is good or bad, making decisions to run or not.
§ PROXY
– Creating up to six additional servers to run processes on without the need for
an Agent, this is when you only have a need to run minimal number of
processes on this server going thru SSH2 and reporting back when complete.

Standards & Practices / Disaster Recovery
§ Standards & Practices
– You have documentation that all have accepted and, what better way can you
run a shop than when everyone is practicing the same things making your
setup’s, alerts, and migrations clean when moving from Test to Prod.
§ Disaster Recovery
– Not using HA however, using a virtual machine to run the Scheduler/App
Server on with only some backup processes being done keeps things clean on
server. With Oracle Datagaurd replicating the data to another location its very
simple to move from primary to secondary with very little downtime.

ROI
§ Return on Investment
– Job Types lower the number of hours that DevOps uses to setup processes
when there is less scripting that needs to be done. No more need to add DB
Clients on every machine and, your security is better safeguarded. Time is
freed up to move on to other projects. Customers service is returned in much
better and timely fashion, makes everyone happy!
– Good Standards & Practices keep your JIL clean and reduces the amount of
work when promoting your jobs across to next instance. Less number of
Agents are needed in a shop as you take advantage of the many job types.
– Having a DR system that has been tested and proven is a two fold, less
equipment needed as well as software and recovery is just a fast.

Questions?

Recommended Sessions
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MFX180S
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11/17/2016 at 3:00 pm
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MFX151S
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Workload Automation iDash and CA Workload
Automation AE SP4 Complement Each Other?
11/17/2016 at 3:45 pm
Jasmine C
MFX136S
Delivering CA Workload Automation from a
Saas Platform
11/17/2016 at 4:30 pm
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Thank you.
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Case Study: Ameren Improves Response time to Grid Outages with CA Workload Automation Agents

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