Language Environment support for C and C++

Language Environment® is a prerequisite for application programs compiled using IBM® C/C++ for MVS or SAA AD/Cycle C/370 compilers. Language Environment incorporates the runtime libraries required for both these C language compilers.

For information about Language Environment, see z/OS Language Environment Customization.

To run C application programs in CICS®:
  • Install support for Language Environment, ensuring that CICS can initialize the Language Environment environment during startup.
  • Install resource definitions for your programs with the LANGUAGE attribute specified as LANGUAGE(C) or leave the language blank.

For information about installing program resource definitions, see Resource definition installation.

CICS supports application programs written in C++ that meet these requirements:
  • Are compiled using the IBM C/C++ for MVS compiler (5655-121)
  • Run with the Language Environment runtime libraries

If you use Version 3 Release 2, or later, of the C/C++ compiler to compile a C++ program, specify the CXX parameter when options are passed to the compiler; otherwise, the C compiler is invoked. Do not specify CXX if a C program is to be compiled. For further information, see Customized JCL and the CXX format in z/OS XL C/C++ Compiler and Runtime Migration Guide for the Application Programmer.