Job control language to run an EXCI client program

An EXCI client program runs in a z/OS® address space, for example, as a batch job. When writing the JCL for your client program, you should note these requirements.

Requirements

  • Include in the STEPLIB concatenation those libraries that contain the CICS®-supplied external CICS interface modules and also the client program. All the libraries are shown using the format CICSTSnn, where nn represents the CICS version. The external CICS interface modules are supplied in CICSTSnn.CICS.SDFHEXCI, which contains the following:
    • DFH$ATXC
    • DFH$AXCC
    • DFH$AXNC
    • DFH$DXVC
    • DFHMEBMX
    • DFHMET4E
    • DFHXCEIX
    • DFHXCIE (alias of DFHXCSTB)
    • DFHXCIS (alias of DFHXCTSB)
    • DFHXCOPT
    • DFHXCPRX
    • DFHXCSTB
    • DFHXCTRA
    • DFHXCURM
  • You are recommended to include a DD statement for SYSMDUMP. The external CICS interface uses SYSMDUMP for some error conditions.
  • The REGION parameter must specify a large enough region size to allow for the size of the internal trace table specified by the TRACESZE parameter in the DFHXCOPT options table.
  • If the EXCI client program uses channels and containers, instead of a COMMAREA, to pass data to CICS, the MEMLIMIT parameter must be specified as container data is stored in 64-bit storage above the bar. Storage for containers cannot exceed 5% of the MEMLIMIT value.
  • Include a SYSPRINT or equivalent DD statement for any output from the client program.

Sample job for starting an EXCI client program

Figure 1 shows a sample job that you can use or modify to start a client program.

Figure 1. Sample job for starting an EXCI client program

//EXCI JOB (accounting_information),CLASS=A,TIME=1440,
// USER=userid,PASSWORD=pswd,REGION=100M
//*===============================================================*
//* JCL to execute an external CICS interface client program *
//*===============================================================*
//EXEC PGM=pgmname,REGION=nnM,MEMLIMIT=nnG
//STEPLIB DD DSN=CICSTSnn.CICS.EXCI.LOADLIB,DISP=SHR
// DD DSN=CICSTSnn.CICS.SDFHEXCI,DISP=SHR
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=A
//SYSMDUMP DD DSN=SYS1.SYSMDP00,VOL=SER=volid,SPACE=(CYL,(1,1)),
// DISP=OLD,UNIT=3390
Note:
  1. The job user ID, specified on the USER parameter, must be defined to RACF®.
  2. In addition to being used for job step initiation security, the job user ID is also used for MRO logon and bind-time security checking.

    See EXCI security for information about security when using the external CICS interface.

  3. See Setting up the EXCI sample programs for information about modifying the sample connection definitions before you run the sample application programs in an environment that does not have RACF installed and active.