Regarding OMVS.ROOT of z/OS installation ServerPac of z/OSMF version, /etc and /var I wish the BPSISETS work step of changing the attribute from DIR to SYML was done earlier.

.In the old CustomPac ServerPac process, the ALTCAT job was run as the last step before the IPL phase of the install. The CustomPac ALTCAT job unmounted affected file systems and converted from directories to symlinks for the appropriate z/OS UNIX directories, and then renamed and cataloged all the data sets to the ?final? names to be used for the IPL. As you can see several tasks were done in this one job, which were both product dependent (the z/OS UNIX symlink conversion, which applies only to those ServerPac which contained z/OS UNIX), and product independent (renaming and cataloging of data sets in the order regardless of what products were included). So in this way, the z/OS UNIX conversion from directories was done as the last step before IPL. Note that a lot of customization was also done prior to the ALTCAT job, (for instance, RACF, HCD, BCP, z/OSMF). The only step after the ALTCAT job was the IPL itself, making it the very last step in the old process before IPL.

In the z/OSMF ServerPac process, we can think of there being two ?phases?: the actual deployment wizard and jobs (in z/OSMF Software Management), and then the post-deployment customization and verification (in z/OSMF Workflows).. Within that first phase is where all product-independent install work occurs ? which we could relate in ALTCAT to the renaming and cataloging of all data sets portion of that job. However, the z/OS UNIX conversion to symlinks is a *product-dependent* task, and belongs in the z/OSMF POSTDEPLOY Workflow which is dependent upon the product content of the order, after the appropriate customization is done, prior to IPL. Just like in the ALTCAT job where the z/OS UNIX conversion to symlink occurs just prior to IPL, that is the corresponding point in the Workflow where the symlink conversion happens, so there is no difference in the z/OSMF process where that z/OS UNIX task is performed. The z/OSMF Software Management portion of the installation remaining as *product-independent* as possible is critical - which means putting any z/OS UNIX specific step in those Software Management deployment jobs is not feasible. However, it does belong in the *product-dependent* customization Workflow, and so it is approximately at Step 39 of a 45 step Workflow ? analogous to the same point in the old process, right before the IPL.

Of course, the steps in the POSTDEPLOY workflow might be able to be skipped or executed in a more customer-preferred order, if an individual user desires. z/OSMF Workflow will keep track of what has been completed so progress can be ascertained. The Workflow does need some of the basic configuration settings decided early on, but once those are known, the customization steps (including ?Step 39 Create /etc and /var Symlinks?) might be able to be done earlier. However, notice, that the customization may need the /etc and /var file systems mounted, and for that reason, the symlink conversion is best to stay in the last position before IPL, for those that prefer to execute the steps in order.