Autoinstalling terminals

You use the DEFINE TERMINAL and DEFINE TYPETERM commands to define z/OS® Communications Server devices to CICS®. These commands define the resource definitions in the CICS system definition file (CSD). Your definitions can specify that they can be used as models for autoinstall purposes.

Defining and installing model resource definitions for terminal control enables CICS to create required entries in the terminal control table (TCT) automatically, whenever unknown devices request connection to CICS. A particular advantage of automatic installation (autoinstall) is that the resource occupies storage in the TCT only while it is connected to CICS and for a specified delay period after last use.

You use the autoinstall control program to select some of the data needed to automatically install your terminals—notably the CICS terminal name and the model name to be used in each instance. You can use the CICS-supplied autoinstall program, or extend it to suit your own purposes.

For an overview of autoinstall, see Autoinstall. You should also read the sections in the same manual that describe the CEDA commands that create the environment in which your control program can work.

If you choose automatic installation for some or all of your terminals, you must:
  1. Create some model TERMINAL definitions.
  2. Define the terminals to the z/OS Communications Server, so that their definitions in the z/OS Communications Server match the model TERMINAL definitions in CICS.
  3. If you are using model terminal support (MTS), define the MTS tables to the z/OS Communications Server.
  4. Use the default autoinstall control program for terminals (DFHZATDX), or write your own program, using the source-code of the default program and the customization examples in these topics as a basis. (You can write an entirely new program if the default program does not meet your needs, but you are recommended to try a default-based program first.) You can write your program in any of the languages supported by CICS - the source of the default program is provided in assembler language, COBOL, PL/I, and C. You can rename your user-written program.
    Note:
    1. You must compile your autoinstall control program (or the supplied DFHZCTDX) using a Language Environment® - enabled compiler, and you must run the program with Language Environment enabled.
    2. You can have only one active autoinstall control program to handle both terminals and APPC connections. You specify the name of the active program on the AIEXIT system initialization parameter. The DFHZATDY program described in Writing a program to control autoinstall of APPC connections provides the same function for terminal autoinstall as DFHZATDX, but in addition provides function to autoinstall APPC connections initiated by BIND requests. Both DFHZATDX and DFHZATDY provide function to install shipped terminals and connections. So, for example, if you want to autoinstall APPC connections as well as SNA LUs, you should use a customized version of DFHZATDY, rather than DFHZATDX.