Mainframe Storage & Virtual Tape Administrator

Advanced Network Consulting

  • Washington, DC
  • 2 days ago

    Highlights

    The Contractor is responsible for maintaining high availability, capacity health, performance, dataintegrity,anddisasterrecoveryreadinessacrossenterpriseDirectAccessStorageDevices(DASD),automatedphysicaltape libraries, and virtual tape subsystems. OEMSupport&ConfigurationGovernance: Coordinatepatching,microcodeupdates,andincidentresolutionwithLuminex Technical Support; maintain architecture diagrams, inventories, configuration records, and operational runbooks.

    Numbers & Facts

    LocationWashington, DC

    Description

    1.    SCOPEOFWORK&PURPOSE

    TheContractorshallprovidededicated,hands-onseniortechnicaladministrationandoperationalsupportfortheenterpriseIBMz/ OS mainframe storage ecosystem. The Contractor is responsible for maintaining high availability, capacity health, performance, dataintegrity,anddisasterrecoveryreadinessacrossenterpriseDirectAccessStorageDevices(DASD),automatedphysicaltape libraries, and virtual tape subsystems.

     

    2.    DETAILEDTECHNICALRESPONSIBILITIES

    2.1.  DASDAdministration&CapacityManagement

    • Monitoring&Allocation:Monitor,administer,allocate,andmanagemainframeDASDresourcesacrossallSMSstorage groups, volumes, and user pools.
    • Capacity&UtilizationAnalytics:Performcontinuouscapacityforecasting,utilizationtracking,availabilityverification,andI/O performance monitoring to avert space exhaustion.
    • SpaceIncidentResolution:InvestigateandresolveDASD-relatedallocationfailures,out-of-spaceabends(SB37,SD37, SE37), abnormal catalog states, and volume fragmentation.
    • VolumeLifecycleSupport:Executevolumeinitialization,pooladditions,datamigration,volumeconsolidation, defragmentation, and decommission activities.
    • WorkloadSafeguarding:Proactivelyidentifyandeliminatestoragebottlenecksthatmaydegradeonlinesystems(CICS,DB2), production databases, or critical batch cycles.

    2.2.  EnterpriseTape&IBMSL4000TapeLibraryOperations

    •   TapeInfrastructureSupport:Maintainenterprisetapeoperations,catalogretentionrules,andphysicallibraryhardwarehealth.
    • IBMSL4000Administration:Monitor,manage,andauditIBMSL4000automatedtapelibraryenvironments(orequivalent enterprise tape platform).
    • Hardware&MountTroubleshooting:Investigateandresolvetapemounttimeouts,missing/unassignedvolumes,mediaread/ write errors, robotic arm faults, and drive hardware degradation.
    • OEMVendorCoordination:Coordinatetapehardwarefailures,drivereplacements,firmwareupdates,andscheduled maintenance with internal infrastructure teams and OEM service vendors.

    2.3.  LuminexMainframeVirtualTape(MVT)&CGXAdministration

    • VirtualTapePlatformSupport:Administer,monitor,andtroubleshootLuminexMainframeVirtualTape(MVT)systemsand Channel Gateway (CGX) components.
    • Throughput&TelemetryOversight:Monitorchannelavailability,virtualdrivestates,backendSAN/NASstoragecapacity,data transfer throughput, and system error logs.
    • OperationalTooling(LTMon):LeverageLuminexoperationaltooling(LTMonorequivalentutilities)formessageauditing, telemetry analysis, and channel health diagnostics.
    • Replication&DRTesting:MonitorLuminexreplicationlinks,virtualtapesynchronizationhealth,recoveryreadiness,and participate in formal enterprise DR simulations.
    • MediaLifecycle&Retention:Managevirtualscratchpools,VOLSERranges,retentionpolicies,andmaintainseamless coexistence with physical tape operations.
    • OEMSupport&ConfigurationGovernance:Coordinatepatching,microcodeupdates,andincidentresolutionwithLuminex Technical Support; maintain architecture diagrams, inventories, configuration records, and operational runbooks.
    • RiskAnalysis:Continuouslyassesssinglepointsoffailure,channellatency,backendstoragesaturation,andreplication backlog risks, recommending mitigation plans.

    2.4.  ProductionStorageBatch&WorkloadCollaboration

    • StorageAbendRemediation:Rapidlytriagestorage-relatedovernightbatchfailures,allocationdelays,anddatasetlockupsto ensure uninterrupted batch completion.
    • Early-MorningStabilization:Providehands-onearly-morningsupporttostabilizestoragepoolsandtapemountspriorto business start-of-day.
    • WorkloadControlAlignment:CollaboratecloselywithWorkloadAutomation/ProductionControlpersonneltoremediate storage-related job halts and align dataset availability.
    • Multi-TierEscalation:EscalatestorageissuesrequiringSystemsProgramming,RACFSecurity,databaseadministration,or third-party engineering support.

     

    3.    SECURITY,ACCESS&CHANGEGOVERNANCE

    • RACFCompliance:OperatestrictlywithinestablishedRACFsecurityprofiles,datasetprotectionrules,andprivilegedaccess protocols.
    • OperationalCoordination:MaintainthoroughcomprehensionofRACFsecuritydependenciestosafelycoordinatestorage volume maintenance without disrupting running workloads.
    • ITILAlignment:AdheretoenterpriseITILprocessesforChange,Incident,andProblemManagement;documentRCAsand participate in change implementation reviews.

     

    4.    QUALIFICATIONS&TECHNICALCOMPETENCIES

    •   Experience:Minimum6+yearsdedicatedexperienceinIBMz/OSMainframeStorageAdministration.
    • StorageSoftware:AdvancedproficiencywithDFSMS(DFSMSdfp,DFSMSdss,DFSMShsm,DFSMSrmm/CA-1),IDCAMS, and catalog management utilities.
    • StorageHardware:Hands-onoperationalmasteryofenterpriseDASDstoragearrays,IBMSL4000automatedtapelibraries, and Luminex Virtual Tape (MVT/CGX/LTMon).
    • OperatingEnvironment:StrongcompetencywithTSO/ISPF,SDSF,JCL,andJES2commands.
    • IncidentGovernance:ProvenexperienceadheringtoenterpriseITILincidentmanagementSLAs(e.g.,ServiceNow).

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