Managing debug profiles with the z/OS Debugger Profiles view

You can use this view to create, edit, activate, inactivate, duplicate, and delete profiles whether the Debug Profile Service API is available with the Remote System Explorer z/OS connection or not.

The z/OS Debugger Profiles view consolidates all CICS and non-CICS profiles into one view. It supersedes the following views and launch configurations:
  • DTSP views
  • DTCN views
  • Remote CICS Application launch configurations
  • Remote Db2 Application launch configurations
  • Remote IMS Application launch configurations
The first time that you open this view, local DTSP and DTCN profiles, and these launch configurations are automatically migrated to this view. You can click the link in the welcome page to view the list of profiles.

When you log in to a Remote System Explorer connection that supports Debug Profile Service, by default, the z/OS Debugger Profiles view checks whether you have any CICS and non-CICS profiles on the z/OS system. If there is a profile that matches one of the profiles in the view, its state is updated to match the state of the profile on z/OS. The profile content in the view remains unchanged. If the detected profile does not match an existing profile, a new profile is automatically created and displayed in the view.

You can find the z/OS Debugger Profiles view in the Debug perspective. If the view is closed, select Show view > Other > Debug > z/OS Debugger Profiles to open it.

If you are a system administrator, you can review CICS profiles from all users in all regions with z/OS Debugger Profile Management.

What is displayed in this view

Search field: Enter the search text to display only the profiles that match your search text. Click the eraser icon (Eraser icon) to remove the search text and reset the view.

In the view, the following columns are displayed by default:
Profile Name
Displays the name of the profile.
State
Indicates that the profile is active or inactive. If the state is Incomplete, then the profile is missing required information. In this case, edit the profile and provide the missing data.
Note: Only one CICS profile per user can be active in a CICS region. Only one non-CICS profile can be active on a z/OS system per user.
Active Mode
For active profiles, indicates that the profile is activated for debug mode or code coverage mode. You can click in this column and switch the mode in the drop-down list.
Location
Displays the location of the profile.
  • For CICS profiles, if the z/OS connection supports the Debug Profile Service API, the CICS region defined in the profile is displayed. If the Debug Profile Service API is not supported, then the CICS region port number is displayed.
  • For non-CICS profiles, the sequential data set where the DTSP information is stored is displayed.
Connection
Displays the Remote System Explorer z/OS connection defined in the profile.
You can click the Refresh z/OS Connections icon (Refresh z/OS Connection icon) in the view toolbar to connect all disconnected Remote System Explorer z/OS connections.
Description
Displays the description that is defined in the profile.
You can configure the columns to display more information about the profiles:
Load Module/Compile Unit
Displays the load module and compile unit pairs to trigger a debug session.
Transaction
Displays the transaction to trigger a debug session.
User ID
Displays the user ID associated with the CICS resource that you want to debug.
CICS SYSID
Displays the system ID for a CICSplex connection to trigger a debug session.
Net Name
Displays the name of a CICS terminal or CICS system to trigger a debug session.
IP
Displays the client IP name or address to trigger a debug session.
Terminal ID
Displays the terminal ID to trigger a debug session.
Job Name
Displays the job name for the debugger to match.
Step Name
Displays the step name for the debugger to match.
IMS Subsystem ID
Displays the IMS subsystem ID to trigger a debug session.

You can click any column header to sort the list of profiles based on the contents of that column in default, ascending, or descending order.

Creating debug profiles

You can create debug profiles in the Debug Profile Editor.

Configuring columns

You can change the columns that appear in the view, their width, or the order in which they appear:
  1. Click the Configure Columns icon (Configure Columns icon) in the view toolbar. The Configure Columns window opens.
  2. In the Configure Columns window, configure the columns:
    • To hide a column, select the column and specify 0 in the Width of selected column entry.
    • To display a column or modify a column's width, select the column and specify the number of pixels to describe the column’s width in the Width of selected column entry.
    • To reorder the columns, select the column and click Up or Down to change the order.
  3. Click OK to save the changes.

In the z/OS Debugger Profiles view, you can also hide or display a column, modify the width of a column, or reorder the columns by clicking and dragging the mouse.

Using the tooltip to view more information about a profile

If you want to view more profile details without opening the profile in the Debug Profile Editor, you can use the tooltip help.

  • To show the basic tooltip for a profile, use one of the following ways:
    • Use the mouse to hover over the profile.
    • Select the profile and press M1+F21.
    The basic tooltip with the filters that were specified for the profile appears in a tooltip window.
  • To show the advanced tooltip for a profile, use one of the following ways:
    • In the basic tooltip, click the Show Details link.
    • Select the profile and press M1+M2+F21.
    The advanced tooltip appears with all the details for the profile, information about the connection, and the information that will be automatically generated when the profile is activated.
  1. M1 is the COMMAND key on macOS, and the Ctrl key on most other platforms. M2 is the SHIFT key.