BMC updates Mainview

BMC Monday announced it has upgraded its mainframe management software to give bandwidth and capacity priority to mission-critical IP applications in those environments.

In a technology called IP pacing, Mainview for IP 2.2 now lets network managers configure the software to apply rules and policies to IP-based applications running on mainframes.

"Mainframe operations used to be a static environment that ran, say, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.," says Jonathan Adams, director of research and development for Mainview. "Now the systems run 24/7, and important applications depend upon their reliability."

BMC acquired the Mainview line from Boole and Babbage in 1998, and Adams says it has since upgraded the product to manage applications across IP and mainframe networks with one tool. The software is installed on a mainframe, and once configured and activated it will begin reporting on application metrics such as the number of IP packets, bytes and sessions happening. Network managers use a panel to configure the product to set policies for IP pacing.

The software lets network managers monitor both distributed IP nets and mainframes on one screen, Adams says.

"We see every packet that goes in and out of the mainframe. We built in tight integration with the IP stack, which allows us to do the pacing related to a session, a job, or a transaction," he explains.

Also this week BMC upgrade its Mainview for CICS (Customer Information Control System) software with a feature called application delay analysis. The software can pinpoint CICS applications that are being delayed and prevent any slowdown to business services.

Plus, BMC upgraded its Energizer for CICS product. The software eliminates bottlenecks, lockouts and sympathetic outages. It can also reduce CPU utilization, increasing throughput and availability for CICS applications.

"Energizer helps IT shops dynamically tune and tweak their systems, and extract more from what they already have," Adams says.

All upgraded products are available now. Mainview for IP 2.2, Mainview for CICS 5.7, and Energizer for CICS 4.4 are available today. Mainview for IP starts at $24,000. Mainview for CICS starts at $33,000. Energizer for CICS starts at $26,500.