SHIFT OPERATIONS

As you have probably realized by now, you have the prime responsibility for keeping the computer in an operational state. That is, you are responsible for the continuous and efficient processing of all types of program applications. Knowing this, it is essential that you acquaint yourself with the status of the system before working on the shift, whether it be on the day shift, eve shift, or mid shift. Before you assume control of the shift, you should be aware of its operational state. Normally, this information is obtained from the operators currently on duty, the shift supervisor, the various computer logs and run schedules, and by monitoring the activities of the system. In essence, you must examine those indicators that can reveal possible trouble spots or system malfunctions. For example, ask, what maintenance activities were accomplished, if any, on the previous shift(s)? what devices (pieces of equipment) have been varied offline (those devices which are not available to the CPU)? what other devices have not been fully operable? what maintenance activities, if any, are scheduled during your shift? and are any applications scheduled that are normally troublesome, difficult to handle, or prone to producing errors? Then ask about the work to be done on your shift, what jobs are scheduled to be run? are all the tapes, disks, documentation, and other various media and supplies present and accounted for? if not, have the appropriate personnel or organizations been notified-the librarian, data entry, or scheduling\to rectify the problem? This is important, for it ensures you that the next job to be processed will be input to the computer system with minimum or no delay. In determining all these factors, you get a feel for what's going on and what is to take place during the upcoming shift\your shift.

In a production environment, personnel sometimes get too busy to finish a job or job step. Take that little extra time to stay organized, especially when it comes to the paperwork. Keep in mind and help other personnel understand the importance of being organized, and the problems that come from having too many things going on at one time. A misfiled or mislabeled tape can, at best, mean lost time either in locating it or recreating it. At worst, it can mean lost data and an unrecoverable problem.

You will find that most AIS installations overlap each of the shifts from 15 to 30 minutes. This allows you sufficient time to get acquainted with the jobs currently being run and provides continuity between shifts and operators.

Throughout this section, we have tried to make one point clear: you must learn to react quickly to situations that may affect the processing capabilities of the computer system. To accomplish this task, you must have a working knowledge of the operational aspects of your job. That is, you must understand what procedures to follow when specific errors arise, know where the operations manuals are kept and how to use them, know where the supplies to process jobs are stored (computer ribbons, paper, tape reflectors, and so on), who to contact in the event of equipment or program failures and errors, and what forms are used and for what purpose. Having a general knowledge of what to do is particularly important to you as a new operator just reporting aboard. You must adjust yourself to this new environment and learn where things are located as well as what should be done.

Regardless of the system you are working on, you must know how to use all the available resources, which include hardware, software, and people. Operators who are alert to the requirements of the total system and are able to understand and use the available resources play a vital role in the overall efficiency of the system, the department, and the installation. It is your performance as a computer operator that often determines the general attitude of users toward your installation. In developing a proper attitude toward your work, adhere to a code of ethics.

Job Monitoring

Although we would like to believe all jobs run without error, there are occasions when a program prematurely or abnormally terminates. It does not process to normal end of job (EOJ). When this occurs, the operator is expected to take whatever corrective actions are necessary to get the job going again. More often than not, the operator is able to recover a job by recreating a tape/disk file, moving the file to another device, or possibly cleaning the read/write mechanisms of the device prior to rerun. But, there are times when the operator will notify the I/O control clerk to assist in correcting the problem. Such would be the case when the input parameters are in error, the user's input is bad, or the job aborted because of an unrecoverable program error. In the event this happens, you maybe responsible for collecting all the data, both input and output, along with any memory dumps, and forwarding them all to the programmer.

During the recovery phase of an operation, the operator may need you to provide certain input parameters or tape/disk files before the job can be executed. Because of time constraints, a job that abnormally terminates may have to be rescheduled. If so, you may be responsible for seeing to it that the job gets rescheduled and that the user is notified of any job delay. We could go on and on, but by now you are beginning to get the picture. These examples are just a few of the many things that can get in the way of achieving a normal EOJ. We bring them to your attention to make you aware of the types of problems that can and do arise, and the manner in which you are to respond. Hopefully, you now know and are aware that monitoring a job means more than just calling up the operator to see how the job is progressing. It means you must oversee the job to its completion, doing whatever is necessary to help keep the job (or system) on track.