IBM Tivoli Workload Automation ( TWS )
You can’t talk about workload automation and batch scheduling without talking about TWS.
TWS Hodge Podge
IBM has their own suite of workload automation software. TWS or Tivoli Workload Automation is a collection of workload automation products used for batch scheduling and job management. It is cross platform and supports a selection of different operating systems. It is basically a hodge podge of different products that have been gathered together over the years. Some of the products were acquired from other companies and integrated by TWS before IBM even acquired TWS. One of the included products that was assimilated was a scheduler for z/OS dating back to the 1970s. Another product that was included brought Unix support.
IBM Tivoli Workload Automation ( TWS )
TWS was a job scheduler originally created by a company called Tivoli Software. Tivoli Software was acquired by and merged into IBM and became a brand within IBM which was eventually renamed.
IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler was also eventually renamed to IBM Workload Scheduler. It isn’t the biggest change and the underlying product is the same. They just removed the word “Tivoli” from the name. This doesn’t feel right to me but I guess it is just branding so it is just as well.
Price and Cost
If you are looking price one of the first things you will notice is that it is not prohibitively expensive. It can be affordable and can also be licensed on a monthly basis. TWS starts at $74.30 per month as of August 2017. According to IBM’s product page. The official product page describing TWS can be found here: IBM Workload Automation You can find the official Wikipedia page here: Tivoli Wikipedia
Mature Software
If you are looking for an enterprise job scheduler that is considered mature, this may be what you are looking for. This is piece of software with a very long and eventful history. It is one of, if not the oldest schedulers out there. It is owned by one of the largest and oldest technology companies there is. This is a prime example of a tool ( or set of tools ) that has been time tested with an emphasis on the enterprise.
If nothing else there is one more important point to remember. It isn’t Tidal. That’s another major plus to using TWS. You can feel better just knowing that it isn’t Tidal Enterprise Scheduler. There are a lot of choices out there. While this specific tool may or may not be the best choice for every need, if you do choose it, you can feel good knowing that you didn’t choose Tidal. As always, do your research and make the best decision that matches your organization’s needs. Every organization has different requirements and different workloads to manage. Only you know how best to manage your jobs. Do be sure to learn from others and make sure that you test as much as you can before going live and committing to any one system. Make a list of products and test everything on your list, comparing the features of each. You will thank yourself later.
TWS Cheat Sheet
| Command | Short Form | Description |
| adddep | adj / ads | Adds job or job stream dependencies. |
| altpass | Alters a User object definition password. | |
| altpri | ap | Alters job or job stream priorities. |
| cancel | cj / cs | Cancels a job or a job stream. |
| confirm | Confirms job completion. | |
| console | Assigns the IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler console. | |
| continue | Ignores the next error. | |
| deldep | ddj / dds | Deletes job or job stream dependencies. |
| display | df / dj / ds | Displays files, jobs, and job streams. |
| exit | Terminates Conman. | |
| fence | Sets IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler job fence. | |
| help 5 | Displays command information. | |
| kill | Stops an executing job. | |
| limit | lc / ls | Changes a workstation or job stream job limit. |
| link | lk | Opens workstation links. |
| listsym | Displays a list of Symphony log files. | |
| recall | rc | Displays prompt messages. |
| redo | Edits the previous command. | |
| release | rj / rs | Releases job or job stream dependencies. |
| reply | Replies to prompt message. | |
| rerun | rr | Reruns a job. |
| resource | Changes the number of resource units. | |
| setsym | Selects a Symphony log file. | |
| showcpus | sc | Displays workstation and link information. |
| showdomain | Displays domain information. | |
| showfiles | sf | Displays information about files. |
| showjobs | sj | Displays information about jobs. |
| showprompts | sp | Displays information about prompts. |
| showresources | sr | Displays information about resources. |
| showschedules | ss | Displays information about job streams. |
| shutdown | Stops IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler production processes. | |
| start | Starts IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler production processes. | |
| status | Displays IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler production status. | |
| stop | Stops IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler production processes. | |
| stop ;progressive | Stops IBM Tivoli Workload Scheduler production processes hierarchically. | |
| submit | sbd / sbf / sbj / sbs | Submits a command, file, job, or job stream. |
| switchmgr | Switches the domain manager. | |
| sys-command | Sends a command to the system. | |
| tellop | to | Sends a message to the console. |
| unlink | Closes workstation links. | |
| version | v | Displays Conman’s command line program banner. |