z/OS V2.3 Release Notes

[Ed_Arnold]

IF you're running ODF
AND
IF you use email distributions to email addresses
AND
IF you're using SMTP on z/OS to distribute those emails
THEN
you can't do that anymore because the SMTP client (now called CSSMTP) no longer accepts input from port 25 (or any port for that matter)


Ref:

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.2.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r2.halz002/cssmtp_differences_with_smtpd.htm

If you are currently using Communications Server SMTPD on z/OS�, you should migrate to CSSMTP. IBM� has issued a statement of direction indicating that SMTPD will be withdrawn in a future release.  CSSMTP has been designed to support z/OS users of SMTPD that create mail on the JES spool data set using batch jobs or that use SMTPNOTE for delivery to the Internet.

Note that this says create mail on the JES spool ... nothing about connecting via port 25 like we used to

CSSMTP does not perform DNS lookups to determine a target server for each recipient. CSSMTP requires a connection to an SMTP or ESMTP server that receives the mail and handles next-hop delivery. Typically, the target server is located at a remote destination, but could also be a local instance of sendmail.

Bottom line is you'll have to point SRVR_ODF_CFG away from z/OS (or to an older z/OS).

Ed

[Greg Ira]

Well that's an alarming development.  We currently do a lot of ODF distribution through SMTP and we're at  V2.2.  V2.3 is set to be done next year.  Joy.

[Ed_Arnold]

What I'm now doing is pointing ODF to a Linux box that's our SMTP server.

Ed

[Greg Ira]

Mind if I pick your brain on this?
How does that work?  You mention changing SRVR_ODF_CFG to point to something else, in your case the Linux box.  Does that mean you have a full ODF installation on that box?

[Ed_Arnold]

Does that mean you have a full ODF installation on that box?

Not at all.

I don't know what else may be on that box but I know it has an SMTP mail server set up, just like on z/OS V2.2 and below.

It's just magic

Here's the line in my ars.ini which points to the ODF config file:

SRVR_ODF_CFG=/etc/ars/V950/arsodf.dcerptmail.xml

Then I changed this line in arsodf.dcerptmail.xml:

<!--                                                     
   - These settings are used for all email notifications.
  -->                                                     
<SMTPServer>bluemail.raleigh.ibm.com</SMTPServer>       
<SMTPServerPort>25</SMTPServerPort>                       
<SSL>false</SSL>     

Linux server bluemail.raleigh.ibm.com is already behind the firewall and I didn't have to do a thing. 

Just point to it and TCP/IP handled everything else.

Ed
                                     

[Ed_Arnold]

Simple JCL to test connectivity to the SMTP server:

//          JOB
//TMP1  EXEC  PGM=IKJEFT01,                               
//            DYNAMNBR=200                               
//SYSPROC  DD  DSN=SYS1.SBPXEXEC,DISP=SHR                 
//*                                                       
//SYSTSPRT DD  SYSOUT=*                                   
//*                                                       
//SYSTSIN  DD  *                                         
oshell echo 'Sent from Ed Arnold on the MVS222.' |  +
  /usr/lpp/tcpip/bin/ezatmail -v earnold1@example.com
/*                                                     


You can run this right now, it places a file on spool for the SMTP server to pick up and send.

Note:  this does not use port 25

CSSMTP on z/OS V2.3 is a CLIENT, not full-function SMTP.

When our support people configured CSSMTP on V2.3 they pointed CSSMTP to bluemail.raleigh.ibm.com.

The JCL above, as before, places a file on spool, then CSSMTP picks it up and forwards it on to bluemail.raleigh.ibm.com for delivery.

Repeating, you can't connect to CSSMTP via port 25.

Ed
 

[Ed_Arnold]

Before migrating to z/OS V2.3 have OA54019/UA93819 APPLYed.

Symptom is ARS0430E ... OAM Error: ARSMVSDW: 0000000a(0001000d)

Ed

[Ed_Arnold]

Tuning the JES2 Checkpoint is always a concern.

Starting in z/OS V2.2 you can have JES2 automatically choose optimal values.

https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSLTBW_2.2.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r2.hasa300/has2v5_automatic_approach.htm

Ed

[Ed_Arnold]

OA55725

ERROR DESCRIPTION:                                           
zLib deflate() call returns Z_STREAM_ERROR (RC=-2) with a     
z_stream *msg = System Error 003. This is a translated message
that is generated from a RC = x'C' RSN = x'XXXX0206' from     
FPZ4ABC, compression driver. This return code / reason code   
combination indicates that the generated compression output is
larger than the internal zEDC buffer.                         

[hsoares]

Hi Ed, I'm a little confused about ODF and email. You mentioned the parameter SRVR_ODF_CFG . We don't have that parameter and the knowledge center indicates that this is a parameter for IBMi , not z/OS.
Could you please clarify?
Thanks.

[Ed_Arnold]

Hi Ed, ...You mentioned the parameter SRVR_ODF_CFG . We don't have that parameter and the knowledge center indicates that this is a parameter for IBMi , not z/OS.
Could you please clarify?
Thanks.

Well, I thought I was going to google and point you right to the doc.  Wrong!

Okay, that's something for me to follow up on.

Anyway, on my 9.5 system I've always had in ars.ini (not in the config) a line:

SRVR_ODF_CFG=/etc/ars/V950/arsodf.xml 

That file is in ASCII.   (Ugh)

To work with it I do a 3.17

17 Udlist      Print or display (to process) z/OS UNIX directory list

which takes me to a panel

z/OS UNIX Directory List Utility

Type in /etc/ars/V950 and I get a list of all of the members.

In front of arsodf.xml I type in EU for Edit a UTF-8 file

I can now work with that file.

Inside there is this:

<!--                                                     
   - These settings are used for all email notifications.
  -->                                                   
<SMTPServer>linuxbox.example.com</SMTPServer>     
<SMTPServerPort>25</SMTPServerPort>                     
<SSL>false</SSL>                                        

That tells ODF where to send emails for distribution.

Ed

[Greg Ira]

On our z/OS v9.5 system we find the SRVR_ODF_CFG parameter in ARS.INI
�@SRV@_OND14T�
HOST=##.##.##>##
PROTOCOL=2
PORT=1446
SRVR_INSTANCE=OND14T
SRVR_INSTANCE_OWNER=OND14T
SRVR_OD_CFG=/etc/ond/ars14t.cfg
SRVR_SM_CFG=/etc/ond/14T/ars.cache
SRVR_OD_STASH=/etc/ond/ars14t.stash
SRVR_ODF_CFG=/etc/ond/arsodf14t.xml
�@SRV@_OND14P�

[hsoares]

Well, we don't have that. We have a file arsodf.xml under config. It has the SMTPServer tag pointing to our mail server (outside the mainframe) and no SMTPServerPort. I think we'll be OK.

[Ed_Arnold]

Interesting.

1) I think 25 is the universal default port for for plain old non-encrypted SMTP.

2) So what's the line you have in your ars.cfg that points to arsodf.xml?  I'm curious.

Ed

[hsoares]

There is no parameter. According to the 9.5 manual "The ARSODF.XML file is located in the config directory on your Content Manager OnDemand server.". So, that's what I did when I installed CMOD 9.5 in 2015. Just customized ARSODF.XML and placed it under/config.