What is SMF?
See how Precisely's industry-leading mainframe products can elevate your data infrastructure
LEARN MORESMF stands for System Management Facility, which is a component of z/OS from IBM.
The purpose of SMF is to produce records of activity on a mainframe computer that are then recorded to a file.
Types of activities which can be recorded by SMF include errors, software usage, network activity, and much more. The IBM Resource Measurement Facility – often known as RMF – uses SMF and is capable of providing instrumentation for memory, disk, virtual storage, and more.
SMF Controls Data Flow
With each individual installation of SMF, organizations are able to control how much data is collected by the system. This is an important function because collecting the right amount of data makes it possible to optimize efficiency.
SMF records are identified by a number, and those numbers can even have subtypes to identify very specific functions. The power of SMF can be found in the way it integrates with everything else in the business. The level of integration allows many functions to be automated, with data collection operating efficiently and feeding the business with the information it needs to thrive.