Setting up a platform

A platform provides a simple layer of abstraction to decouple applications from the underlying complexities of a CICS® topology. You can set up a platform in a CICSplex to provide a managed environment for application deployment.

Before you begin

You must use CICSPlex® SM to provide a single system image of your CICS regions. Other features of CICSPlex SM, such as Business Application Services (BAS) and workload management, are not required.

About this task

To create a platform, you use the CICS Cloud perspective in CICS Explorer®. This perspective provides the views to manage the lifecycle of platforms, from creating the description in XML, to deploying and managing the resources in CICS regions.

Because a platform is described in XML, you create it in a platform project and deploy it to zFS. It is therefore important to set up the directory structure in zFS for each platform that you want to create in your CICSplex. For more information, see Preparing zFS for platforms.

The steps below outline the process of setting up a platform. Each step contains a link to more detailed instructions.

Procedure

  1. Design the platform.
    You consider what applications, policies, and resources that you want to deploy on the platform and whether you are creating new CICS regions and region types or adopting existing CICS regions and system group definitions. For more information, see Platform design.
  2. In zFS, configure your platform home directory.
    For more information, see Preparing zFS for platforms.
  3. In CICS Explorer, create a platform project.
    To this project, you add regions types, specify any CICS bundles to deploy and the regions types where they will be deployed.
  4. From CICS Explorer, export the platform project from to zFS.
    The export process packages the CICS bundles that are referenced in the CICS platform project, then exports all the files for the platform bundle and the CICS bundles to the platform home directory in zFS. For more information, see Deploying a platform.
  5. In CICS Explorer, create a platform definition.
    The platform definition is a CICSPlex SM PLATDEF resource definition, which points to the platform bundle in the platform home directory in zFS, and identifies the target CICSplex for the platform. For more information, see Deploying a platform.
  6. For each CICS region definition that you created in a region type in your platform project, set up an actual CICS region.
    For more information, see Deploying a platform.
  7. In CICS Explorer, install the platform definition into the CICSplex where you want to run the platform.
    CICSPlex SM uses the information in the platform bundle to install the platform in the target CICSplex, along with any CICS bundles that are installed with the platform. For more information, see Deploying a platform.
  8. Start your CICS regions.
  9. If you have any CICS bundles deployed with the platform, in CICS Explorer, enable them so that they are available to the platform.

Results

You have a platform running in a CICSplex.

What to do next

After you set up a platform in your CICSplex, you can deploy packaged applications on the platform. You can also add further quality of service by deploying policies to control the environment. These policies can apply to every region in the platform, or to particular applications.