defining_app_resources.html |
Last updated: Thursday, 27 June 2019A CICS® bundle is a directory that contains artifacts and a manifest that describes the bundle and its dependencies. CICS bundles provide a way of grouping and managing related resources. CICS bundles also provide versioning for the management of resource updates, and can declare dependencies on other resources outside the bundle. Application developers can use CICS bundles for application packaging and deployment, business events, and services. System programmers can use CICS bundles for system events and policies.
You create CICS bundles using the IBM® CICS Explorer® or Rational® Developer for System z®. The bundle specifies a set of resources that CICS creates dynamically when the bundle is deployed. The bundle can also specify any prerequisite system resources for the application. CICS does not dynamically create prerequisite system resources but can check that they exist in the CICS region. The separation of resources and prerequisites means that you can install an application into multiple CICS regions without having to repackage or redeploy the bundle.
Some characteristics of CICS resources change because they are defined in a CICS bundle and dynamically created as part of a bundle deployment. The lifecycles of CICS resources that are created in this way cannot be managed independently of the BUNDLE resource. They must be managed through the CICS bundle as a unit. For example, if you need to update one of the resources in a bundle, all of the resources must be discarded and disabled together before the update can be applied. Because of bundle and resource lifecycle interdependency, application architects must carefully consider which set of resources for an application should have their lifecycle tied to the lifecycle of a CICS bundle. To understand more about the potential implications of defining resources in CICS bundles, see Characteristics of bundled resources.
You can deploy an individual CICS bundle on a CICS region, or you can use it as part of a packaged application in a platform, or deploy it directly on a platform. If you are deploying the CICS bundle to an application or platform, you create the CICS bundle using the normal process, but then you deploy it as part of the application bundle or platform bundle, or add it directly to the platform.
Working with platforms, applications, and policiesin the CICS Explorer User Guide, in the CICS Explorer help, to include the CICS bundle in a management bundle.
You cannot directly enable, disable, or discard resources that are created dynamically by a BUNDLE resource. When you enable, disable, or discard a CICS bundle, the actions are also applied to the dynamically created resources for the bundle. If the CICS bundle is part of an application in a platform, and you enable, disable, or discard the platform or application, the actions are applied to the CICS bundle and the dynamically created resources for the bundle.
You can use the editor in the CICS Explorer to modify the artifacts that are specified in a CICS bundle, and the definitions for resources that CICS creates dynamically when the bundle is deployed. To apply your changes, deploy your modified CICS bundle on the directory on z/OS UNIX, disable and discard the BUNDLE resource, and then install the BUNDLE resource again.
Last updated: Thursday, 27 June 2019