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Induced

Enhanced Definition

In the context of mainframe systems, "induced" refers to a state, event, or condition that is directly caused or triggered by a specific action, program execution, system command, or environmental factor. It emphasizes a causal relationship where an outcome is not spontaneous but rather a consequence of an antecedent operation within the z/OS environment.

Key Characteristics

- Causal Linkage: Always implies a direct cause-and-effect relationship between an action (e.g., JCL execution, COBOL statement) and an outcome (e.g., abend, resource contention).
- Systemic Origin: The inducing action typically originates from within the z/OS ecosystem, such as a user program, JCL statement, operator command, or a system component.
- Predictability (often): Many induced conditions are predictable given certain inputs or operations, making them diagnosable and often preventable.
- Diagnostic Relevance: Identifying the specific inducing action is a critical step in problem determination, debugging, and performance tuning on the mainframe.

Use Cases

- ABEND Analysis: An abend (abnormal end) is *induced* by a program error (e.g., division by zero in COBOL), an invalid memory access, or a system resource issue.
- Performance Degradation: Resource contention or excessive I/O can be *induced* by poorly optimized COBOL code, inefficient JCL parameters, or an overloaded CICS region.
- Security Violations: An unauthorized access attempt might *induce* a RACF violation message, an audit log entry (SMF), or a system security alert.
- System Recovery: A system restart (IPL) or a specific component shutdown can be *induced* by an operator command, a critical system failure, or a scheduled maintenance procedure.
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