Enable SRB during IODF (soft) Activate

Activating a new IODF can be a time-consuming process, especially when dealing with multiple sysplexes from different customers distributed across all CPCs that require activation. The process involves distributing the IODF to all sysplexes and performing a software activation on all systems except one on each CPC. At this stage, the IODF becomes out of sync with the CPC itself. Finally, on the last system still using the old IODF (on each CPC), a hardware activation is performed, bringing all systems back in sync with the CPC.

In recent years, significant improvements have been made in HCD to enable sysplex-wide IODF activation, including on external coupling facilities. These advancements have greatly accelerated the process and significantly reduced the potential for human error.

However, performing an activation on a low-powered system can still be time-intensive. For example, an activation test may take up to 15 minutes, followed by another 15 minutes for the actual activation.

From an availability standpoint, enabling SRB for IODF activation would simplify the process, reduce wait times, and minimize the risk of human error. This would help avoid console response timeouts and eliminate the need to search through the syslog for corresponding IOS messages.

The Idea is to enable SRB for IODF Activation