Configuring CICS Transaction Gateway

You can configure CICS® Transaction Gateway using the Configuration Tool.

Before you begin

You need to have CICS Transaction Gateway installed.

About this task

In this step, you will create a configuration file to:
  1. enable the TCP/IP protocol handler so that clients can connect to CICS TG
  2. define an IPIC connection between CICS TG and the CICS TS server.

A Configuration Tool is supplied with CICS TG to edit the configuration file. Using the configuration tool avoids the errors that can be introduced by manually editing a configuration file.

Configuration settings are stored by default in the ctg.ini file, in the <product_data_path> directory on Windows. If the Configuration Tool fails to find a configuration file, it creates a new one. A configuration file must exist and contain one or more server sections before you can start CICS TG. You will need Administrator authority on Windows to save the configuration file.

Procedure

  1. Start the Configuration Tool.
    Enter the ctgcfg command at a command prompt or click the shortcut on the Windows, Start menu.
  2. In the TCP/IP protocol handler section, check Enable protocol handler. The defaults settings are suitable for this example.
  3. Select a CICS server from the list, or click Options > New Server to create a new server.
  4. Enter a name and description for this new server.
  5. Select IPIC for the Network protocol.
  6. Enter the host name or IP address and port number, that you obtained from your CICS system administrator.
  7. Save the changes and close the Configuration Tool.

Example

The settings you have just entered map to the parameters in the IPICSERVER section of the configuration file, which is stored in \ProgramData\IBM\CICS Transaction Gateway\ctg.ini:
SECTION IPICSERVER = CICSIPIC
    DESCRIPTION=IPIC to CICS System A
    SRVIDLETIMEOUT=0
    HOSTNAME=cicssrvA.company.com
    PORT=50889
    CONNECTTIMEOUT=0
    SRVRETRYINTERVAL=60
    TCPKEEPALIVE=Y
    SENDSESSIONS=100
    ECITIMEOUT=0
    SSL=N
    HEARTBEATINTERVAL=30
ENDSECTION
Note: If you are running this exercise with CICS Transaction Gateway Desktop Edition the maximum value for SENDSESSIONS is 5.

What to do next

You have now successfully configured CICS TG and defined a connection to the CICS server. In the next steps, you will start CICS TG and run a transaction.