Adding a product or service

You can add any product or service to the Information Center Facility provided it can run under the ISPF dialog manager and TSO/E. For information about writing programs that run under ISPF and TSO/E, see . To use Application Manager to add products or services to the Information Center Facility, you must describe the product or service in terms of its applications. For a description of the applications that you can use, see Information Center Facility structure.

Through Application Manager panels, the Information Center Facility administrator, or more simply the administrator, can use one of the following methods to add a product or service:

Provide information on several Application Manager panels to define the environments, functions, and panels associated with the product or service
Load installation files that contain the information necessary to define the environments, functions, and panels associated with the product or service.

From the Information Center Facilityadministrator's point of view, the second method, specifying an installation file, is simpler than the first because it involves the use of fewer panels. However, if an installation file does not exist, the system programmer must create it using the required format. For information about creating installation files, see General considerations for creating installation files.

An administrator can optionally use the mass installation file processing function to add products and services. This function allows you to install multiple installation files at one time using a batch method.As each installation file is successfully processed, the installed application is automatically verified and marked as available in the Application Manager tables.

TSO/E also provides an upgrade function that lets administrators distribute updates to application definitions that are used across several locations and that may have local modifications. Instead of sending a complete installation file, administrators can send an upgrade file containing only the changes. Using an upgrade file minimizes the possibility of the changes conflicting with any local modifications.

When adding a product or service, the system programmer may have to assist the administrator as follows:

If installation files do not exist, the system programmer may need to supply the information that the administrator must enter on the Application Manager panels. , contains sample blank information sheets that administrators can photocopy and give to system programmers for that purpose.
The system programmer can use the on-line help and tutorial panels for Application Manager to learn about the Application Manager. In addition, the fields on the Application Manager panels correspond directly to the entries in the installation files. For a description of the entries in the installation files, refer to Contents of a panel installation file, Contents of a function installation file, and Contents of an environment installation file.
If installation files do exist, the system programmer must give their names to the administrator.