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Domain - Area of authority

Enhanced Definition

In the context of IBM z/OS, a **domain** refers to a logical grouping of resources, users, or systems over which a specific administrative entity, security policy, or management component has defined authority and control. It establishes boundaries for operational scope, security enforcement, and resource management within the mainframe environment.

Key Characteristics

- Logical Grouping: A domain is a conceptual construct used to group related resources (e.g., datasets, transactions, network devices) or users for easier management and policy application.
- Defined Authority: It explicitly outlines the scope of control or responsibility assigned to a particular administrator, security group, or automated system, often enforced by security software like RACF.
- Policy Enforcement: Security policies, operational rules, or automation scripts are typically applied uniformly across all entities within a defined domain, ensuring consistent governance.
- Hierarchical or Flat: Domains can be structured hierarchically (e.g., a top-level domain containing sub-domains for different departments) or as flat, independent areas of authority.
- Resource Isolation: Helps in isolating resources and their management, preventing unauthorized access or unintended operational impact across different administrative or security boundaries.
- System Management Scope: Often used by system management tools (like NetView or SA z/OS) to delineate which resources are monitored, controlled, or automated by a specific instance or component.

Use Cases

- RACF Administration: A security administrator might be granted authority over a specific "domain" of RACF profiles, allowing them to manage users, groups, or resources (e.g., datasets with a specific high-level qualifier) within that defined scope, without affecting other parts of the system.
- Network Management (e.g., NetView): A NetView domain manager is responsible for monitoring and controlling a specific set of network resources, such as a particular segment of the enterprise network or a group of z/OS LPARs, providing a focused view and control.
- System Automation for z/OS (SA z/OS): Automation policies and operations can be defined and applied to specific domains of applications or systems, allowing for granular control over automated recovery, startup/shutdown sequences, and resource dependencies.
- Application Security: An application might define its own internal resource domains, where specific roles or user groups have authority to access or modify certain application-specific data or functions, often enforced through RACF or application-level access