DC
DC is an acronym with two primary meanings in the mainframe context: 1. **Data Center:** A physical facility housing computer systems, including mainframe hardware, storage, and networking equipment, along with their associated infrastructure. 2. **Device Control:** A technical concept, primarily referring to the control information and parameters used by z/OS access methods to manage I/O operations for a specific device or dataset, often encapsulated within a `DCB` (Data Control Block). In the context of IBM z/OS, **DC** primarily refers to **Device Control**, encompassing the mechanisms and parameters used to manage and interact with I/O devices and data sets. It is often associated with the Data Control Block (DCB) and JCL parameters that define data set characteristics for efficient and proper data access.
Key Characteristics
-
- Data Center: Features robust physical security, redundant power and cooling systems, and specialized environmental controls to ensure continuous operation of critical mainframe systems.
- Data Center: Designed for high availability and disaster recovery, often incorporating geographically dispersed sites and sophisticated data replication technologies (e.g., GDPS) to protect mission-critical data.
- Device Control: Defines device-specific attributes and dataset characteristics (e.g., record format, record length, block size) required for an access method to interact with an I/O device.
- Device Control: Forms a crucial