Emailing a Free-form Report from z/OS

Email is not a typical output of the z/OS platform.

Typically, ACR uses XML files to pass report information. Other typical ACR outputs include a history extract, which can be sent as a CSV file. For ACR/Detail, output types also include UNIDATA and UNIDATA2 files; for ACR/Summary, output types include balancing extracts.

Both ACR/Detail and ACR/Summary can send Free-form Report information. Although technically not an output file, this report offers a wide variety of formatting options and is easily customizable. If the data that you want to send requires more than one line for each key, or if you need specific positional formatting, the Free-form Report is your best option.

Problem

You want to send Free-form Report information to a recipient who does not have access to z/OS. Typically, you might send this information through Infogix Insight®; however, the recipient does not have access to Infogix Insight either. Email is the preferred method for sending the information.

Soultion

This topic provides information to deliver the Free-form report as an email from ACR, installed on z/OS. This output option is available for release 4.4 and later.

Communications Server Simple Transfer Protocol (CSSMTP) is a mailforwarding application that comes with the z/OS platform. You can use this protocol to send the Free-form Report. You can send data to multiple email addresses; reply messages are not supported.

To use CSSMTP to send the Free-form Report, follow the instructions below.

1 ) On the Report Information window, turn off ASA characters for the Free-from Report. This is necessary to allow characters in the first position of column 1.

2 ) Edit the rules for your Free-form Report to use the following formatting for CSSMTP. You will specify literals for the address information. See the sample below.

- HELO—Enter the JES node name, which you can get from your system administrator. This parameter identifies the domain name of the sender.

- MAIL FROM—Enter the sender’s email address.

- RCPT TO—Enter the recipient’s email address. Multiple recipients are allowed. Add a line with this parameter and email address for each.

- DATA—Enter this parameter; no additional information is needed.

- SUBJECT—Optionally, enter a subject line to describe the data that you are sending.

- Insert the report information here, between the subject and the period. You can enter the job and step name, the run date and time for the report, internal items, literals, and any valid Free-form Report data.

- . (period)—Enter a period to indicate the end of the report.

- QUIT—Enter this parameter to indicate the end of the batch.

3 ) When you run the report, specify a sysout class and the JES name associated with the CSSMTP server. For example,

//UNIUFR DD SYSOUT=(Y, CSSMTP)

where Y is the sysout class and CSSMTP is the server name.