C\TREK™ Corporation provides CICS performance tuning software, consulting, and training services to IBM mainframe data center managers and system programmers. C\TREK™ Corporation was founded in 2001 by CICS performance tuning experts to dramatically streamline the process of CICS system optimization. The depth of their CICS performance tuning expertise is widely regarded throughout the industry. C\TREK™ expert tuning software and performance tuning consulting services are used by data center managers to recover wasted CICS system resources, delay expensive system upgrades, and transition to a proactive CICS performance management discipline.
Traditional manually intensive CICS performance monitoring approaches were adequate when mainframe processors were standalone, resources and I/O devices were simple, and experienced software programmers were plentiful. Today’s data center environments however, are increasingly more complex with extensive multiprocessor configurations running different operating systems and utilizing a wide variety of internal and external system resources. They require a much less time consuming and more sophisticated approach to performance tuning. At the same time, current economic realities are requiring data center managers to be more efficient, more productive, and more cost conscious. Capital purchases are being closely scrutinized and experienced programmer time is scarce. Managers are being called upon once again to do more with less while keeping mission-critical applications running smoothly.
The C\TREK™ Expert CICS Performance Tuner™ enables mainframe data center managers to efficiently recover wasted system resources and delay expensive mainframe upgrades. It is dramatically different from traditional CICS monitors because it automates the analysis of vast amounts of CICS data, highlights performance problems, and makes specific recommendations for improving performance. This enables less experienced system programmers to manage a task more commonly reserved for seasoned pros while saving valuable time in the process. Efficient identification and correction of CICS performance problems enables a shift from reactive crises management to a more proactive approach to mainframe performance management.
C\TREK™ is available for all major CICS/TS releases from IBM. C\TREK™ runs under CICS/ESA and CICS/TS and associated operating system environment (z/OS, OS/390 or MVS/ESA) using Language Environment (LE). C\TREK™ is also available under CICS/TS in a VSE environment. New versions are delivered with the general availability of new IBM CICS releases or versions. New versions can be downloaded via the Web which frees system programmers from having to maintain the product via the application of PTFs. Products are supported with highly responsive expert advice (via phone or email) for customers in need of assistance with technical support, CICS performance tuning, or capacity planning.
C\TREK™ Expert CICS Performance Tuner™ serves as a valuable compliment to more traditional CICS monitors. In fact, the vast majority of customers using C\TREK™ Expert CICS Performance Tuner™ also employ one or more CICS performance monitors. CICS performance monitors run in real-time using valuable CPU cycles to collect a vast amount of CICS operating statistics regarding the state of the system. This immense data set is used by highly experienced system programmers when a system begins to degrade to analyze performance bottlenecks and determine where adjustments should be made. This typically take several days or weeks.
Whereas C\TREK's performance tuning tool is used proactively to analyze a vast amount of information and identify performance tuning opportunities using expert “rules-of-thumb.” Problem areas are presented to less experienced system programmers along with detailed recommendations for improving CICS resource utilization and response time. System tuning is typically done in a few hours.