PIPELINE resources
A PIPELINE resource is used when a CICS® application is in the role of a Web service provider or requester. It provides information about the message handler programs that act on a service request and on the response. Typically, a single PIPELINE definition defines an infrastructure that can be used by many applications.
The information about the processing nodes is supplied indirectly: the PIPELINE specifies the name of a z/OS® UNIX file containing an XML description of the nodes and their configuration.
An inbound Web service request (that is, a request by which a client invokes a Web service in CICS) is associated with a PIPELINE resource by the URIMAP resource. The URIMAP identifies the PIPELINE resource that applies to the URI associated with the request; the PIPELINE specifies the processing that is to be performed on the message.
For service providers deployed using the CICS web services assistant, URIMAP resources are created automatically when the pickup directory is scanned. This scan occurs when the PIPELINE resource is installed or as a result of a PERFORM PIPELINE SCAN command. The URIMAP resource that provides CICS with the information to associate the WEBSERVICE resource with a specific URI is a required resource. The attributes for this resource are specified by a web service binding file in the pickup directory. The URIMAP resource that provides CICS with the information to associate the WSDL archive file or WSDL document with a specific URI is an optional resource and is created if either a WSDL file or WSDL archive file are present in the pickup directory.
For service requesters, CICS does not create any URIMAP resources automatically when the PIPELINE resource is installed or as a result of a PERFORM PIPELINE SCAN command.
PIPELINE resources in CICS bundles
You can use a CICS bundle to create, edit, and install a PIPELINE resource definition. If you create a PIPELINE resource in this way, you must use the CICS bundle to manage the lifecycle of that resource, and you cannot manage the resource independently.
For pipelines that are packaged in CICS bundles, the pipeline configuration files are also packaged with the resource definitions in the CICS bundles. You can create a pipeline configuration file using one of the CICS-supplied sample pipeline configuration files, or import an existing pipeline configuration file from the local file system.
A PIPELINE resource that is defined in a CICS bundle can specify a WSDIR attribute, but this is discouraged. The SHELF attribute is not used for PIPELINE resources that are defined in CICS bundles.
You can inquire on a PIPELINE resource that is dynamically generated by a CICS bundle, by using the EXEC CICS INQUIRE PIPELINE or CEMT INQUIRE PIPELINE command. However, you cannot issue a DISCARD command against a dynamically generated PIPELINE resource, or use a SET command to change the status of the resource. You must issue the commands against the BUNDLE resource, and CICS applies them to the PIPELINE resource.
You can modify the attributes of a dynamically generated PIPELINE resource, but the changes are not cataloged and will not be recovered across a warm restart of CICS. If you want to change an attribute of a PIPELINE resource that was installed by a bundle, disable and discard the CICS bundle, and install a new version of the bundle with the required changes.
If a PIPELINE resource is packaged in a CICS bundle, it should be deployed as part of a platform for hosting WEBSERVICE resources that are defined using CICS bundles. PIPELINE resources that are defined in CICS bundles can only be used with WEBSERVICE resources that are defined in CICS bundles or created dynamically by a pipeline scan. WEBSERVICE resources defined using the CICS CSD or BAS are not compatible with PIPELINE resources that are defined in CICS bundles.
A PIPELINE resource that is packaged in a CICS bundle must be installed and enabled before you install the WEBSERVICE resources that require it. It is good practice to deploy a CICS bundle containing the definition for a PIPELINE resource as part of a platform bundle, and to then deploy the CICS bundles containing WEBSERVICE resources as part of applications that are deployed on the platform. This architecture ensures that when the resources are first installed in a CICS region or if the CICS region is restarted, the PIPELINE resource and the WEBSERVICE resources are installed and enabled in the correct order.
For more information about defining resources in CICS bundles, see Defining CICS bundles.
